Nationally recognized educator, JoAnn Magnuson, to present on the topic “What are we facing in the Middle East in the next four years?” The presentation will take place on Monday, May 15th at the VFW Hall, 135 Oakdale Street, Owatonna, MN at 7pm. All are invited to attend, there is no charge. This event is being hosted by the Steele County Republican Party.
This presentation will cover such topics as Why do we need to keep a relationship with the only democracy in the Middle East? What role does the Middle East play in a Trump White House? Why is it important for someone in Steele County Minnesota to pay attention to something that seems so far away?
“We are extremely excited to have someone of JoAnn’s caliber present here in Steele County – her wealth of personal experience will make for a great program” said Pam Seaser, Steele County Republican BPOU Co-Chair.
JoAnn Magnuson is an Evangelical Christian who has been involved in building Jewish-Christian relations for over 40 years. She has studied with Holocaust educators at Yad Vashem – the Holocaust memorial and education center in Jerusalem, and has written a variety of materials on the history of antisemitism and the importance of Holocaust education. She has led sixty-seven tours to Israel since 1977.
JoAnn G. Magnuson
Curator, Jewish-Christian Library Center
In the summer of 1993, shortly after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, she was part of an interfaith study group of twenty-one Jewish, Catholic and Protestant women from Minnesota, who traveled to Holocaust sites in Eastern Europe – including Auschwitz, Teresienstadt and the Warsaw Ghetto.
From 1996 to 2007 she led study groups to Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine, as well as Israel. In 2005 and 2006 she organized the main U.S. Christian delegations, which attended the annual “March of the Living” in Poland. JoAnn speaks on a variety of topics including Christian history and antisemitism. She is the author of a popular study manual for Christian pilgrims to Israel and often presents seminars to help Christians prepare for their experience in Israel.
JoAnn has served as a consultant and staff member with a number of pro-Israel Christian organizations, including the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem; Bridges for Peace; Christian Friends of Yad Vashem; the Unity Coalition for Israel; National Christian Leadership Conference for Israel and Presbyterians for Middle East Peace. She is currently serving as Curator of the Jewish-Christian Library Center (JCLC) at Living Word Christian Center/Maranatha Christian Academy in Brooklyn Park, MN and a branch JCLC at Hope Presbyterian Church in Richfield, MN.
In 2010 she was honored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), for her work in building Jewish-Christian understanding.
“Our goal is to stay connected to the citizens of Steele County with national, regional and local topics of interest” said Pam Seaser – she went on to say “This is the first in a series of programs that the Steele County Republican BPOU has planned for the coming months.”