Now that the cold of winter slowly creeps into our bones, we would like to share with you some impressions of a sunny moment that we have experienced on a summer weekend.

 

 

 

A bit of crafts (and peace)

I admit: I recently turned into a crafty person. It is fun, it is creative and there are a lot of people (online and in real life) who make amazing things. Recently I wondered if I could somehow connect peace work and crafts and create something, well, peaceful.

Also, there are instances when I would like to flash some peaceful accessories, to make a statement or to give people something to remember me by.
As my crafty side is kind of new I decided to start relatively small. Therefore I present you: a multiuse, felt peace sign! 

2013 World Conference against A & H bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki

While my friends from the International Fellowship of Reconciliation Austria and other organizations commemorated publicly the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings on August 6 in Vienna (see article below) , I spent two weeks in Japan taking part in an international conference and visiting the sites where the most inhuman bombs were dropped in 1945 by the US military.

Jessica Herz makes a speech in the name of all the youth at the closing plenary of the 2013 World Conference against A & H bombs in Nagasaki on August 9, 2013.

I have been invited by the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) to attend the 2013 World Conference against A & H bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which has been taking place for many years every August on occasion of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing anniversaries.

Bombs No More! - Vote for your favourite picture

 Bombs No More - Poll

IFOR (Int. Fellowship of Reconciliation) Austria's young members asked people to "disarm the bomb" on Hiroshimaday, August 6th 2013. 26 pictures were made, turning the image of a destructive bomb into something positive and beautiful. Please vote for the picture you like best RIGHT HERE on this blog - it will be featured on the title of IFOR Austria's magazine this fall! End of poll: August 31st 2013!

Picture 1

Confronting Hatred with Peace

The most eye-opening experiences I have had this summer in Yangon, Myanmar were conversations I had with family friends about Muslims and Islam. For me, a Burmese Buddhist in a country of mostly Burmese Buddhists,