Peace Portraits
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Claudia Weingart and Christine Buering, both Rotarians from Germany, present Peace Portraits—powerful photographs and narratives documenting Rotary leaders working on humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected regions of the Middle East. Their work illustrates how Rotary, as an apolitical organization, promotes peace by addressing root causes of conflict and bringing hope to communities in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and beyond.
Key takeaways
- Rotary's peace efforts focus on apolitical humanitarian work addressing underlying causes of conflict such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of education.
- Claudia Weingart's photographs capture the spirit and hope of Rotary leaders working in the Middle East, making their peace-building efforts visible and tangible.
- Christine Buering, elected to the Rotary International Board of Directors for 2025–2027, emphasizes that Rotarians serve as role models promoting understanding and cooperation internationally.
- Rotary's presence in conflict regions like the Middle East enables direct humanitarian assistance—food, water, medicine, shelter, and clothing—to families in desperate need.
- Peace-building is most effective when Rotarians work together across regions to create networks of knowledge, understanding, and shared commitment to peace.
About Claudia Weingart and Christine BueringClaudia Weingart is a professional photographer and cinematographer and Rotarian from Germany. Christine Buering is a Rotarian from Germany elected to the Rotary International Board of Directors for 2025–2027.
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Meeting for the Week of Jan. 20, 2025
This Meeting at a Glance:
Program: Peace Portraits
Speaker: Claudia Weingart and Christine Buering
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Program: Peace Portraits
Speaker: Claudia Weingart and Christine Buering
We bring you a new program every week on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education and how they contribute to service to others.
Christine has been a German Rotarian since 1995, elected to become a member of the Rotary International Board of Directors for the period of 2025-27. Her passions are peace in all its meanings and Rotary as a network to promote Rotarians to become role models in their communities and join forces to create knowledge and understanding internationally.
Claudia is a new member of the eClub of Silicon Valley from Berlin, Germany. As a photographer she has worked internationally and has accompanied Christine since 2016 in Rotary events. Together, they search for a new imagining of Rotarians in an ever-changing world.
Pictures of Rotarians from several Middle Eastern countries were taken by Claudia during the District 2452 conference in Amman, Jordan. Christine interviewed all participants on the questions, "What is peace for you?" and, "What can Rotary do to help seed peace?"
This work is planned to be the foundation of playful peace conversations in local communities, schools or Rotary Clubs in Germany and hopefully in other countries, too.
Members and guests, please welcome Claudia Weingart and Christine Buering!
To see these portraits, go to:
https://rotary.de/fotostrecke/502
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