Biography for Fred Schlomka

Fred Schlomka has had a dual career in both the business world and with NGOs on both sides of the Atlantic. After five generations in Palestine his family moved to Scotland where he was raised and schooled. His multicultural experience began at sixteen when he embarked on a three-year tour of Europe and North Africa, working, learning, and associating with a wide variety of peoples.

After moving to the USA in 1972 he began a series of building construction businesses. In the 1980s and 90s Fred divided his time between the USA and Israel, becoming involved in a variety of activities including disaster reconstruction after Hurricane Andrew in Florida in 1993. Fred was also a founding member of the Twin Cities CoHousing Network in Minnesota and a Principal of Cultural Gateways International.

He moved permanently to Israel with his wife and two children in 2000. As an Israeli citizen Fred continued his work towards a just solution to the conflict and an end to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. His political activism has been expressed through joining food convoys to besieged villages, demonstrations at military checkpoints, planting trees for the Beduin, and opposing house demolitions, and rebuilding demolished Palestinian homes.

For the past 2 years he has been Operations Manager for The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, responsible for financial affairs and day to day operations. In 2002 Fred established a new organization, Mosaic Communities, MultiNational Housing Cooperatives in Israel, which plans to build Jewish/Arab communities throughout Israel. In September 2003 He will begin full time work for Mosaic Communities.