When a Palestinian peace activist who spent a decade in Israeli prison decides to share his life story, asking an American Jewish ally to write his biography might seem like an unusual way to go. But Sulaiman “Souli” Khatib has devoted his adult life to promoting understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, and working with such a partner was a deliberate choice.
Khatib’s story, “In This Place Together: A Palestinian’s Journey to Collective Liberation,” is told with the help of Oakland writer-editor Penina Eilberg-Schwartz, 34. Khatib, 49, co-founded Combatants for Peace, a group of Palestinian activists and former Israeli soldiers who have joined forces to end the conflict.
Honors & Awards
Sheri Greenawald
Sheri Greenawald has been awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal in recognition of years of service. She made her debut with S.F. Opera in 1978 and went on to play a number of leading roles in the company. Since 2002, Greenawald, who is retiring this month, has been the S.F. Opera Center director and the S.F.-based Merola Opera program artistic director. “On Sunday, Nov. 11, 1978, a house debut was made by a young Marzelline in ‘Fidelio,’” Matthew Shilvock, the opera’s general director, said in a press release. “On that day a journey began that would encompass many roles on the War Memorial stage and a 20-year tenure leading two of the greatest opera training programs in the world. I wonder what that young Marzelline, Sheri Greenawald, would have said at that time if you had told her that 42 years later she would have made one of the most indelible impacts in the history of this Company.” The San Francisco Opera Medal is awarded “in r