Passenger Lists

Waltraud Schauer (Austria)

2009-06-23T13:04:57Z

67, Austria

For almost 30 years, Waltraud has been working for IOM (International Organisation for Migation). After she retired, she joined Women in Black in Vienna, Austria.

During several stays in the Palestine, she has also been active with ISM. In 2003, she was in Bagdad as a human shield. In 2004, she returned to Bagdad to see what had happened to the people and the city after the US war.

Last year, she was with "Follow the Women" in Palestine. Waltraud has more than 30 years experience sailing the Mediterranean and is one of the crewmembers on this voyage.

Adam Qvist (Denmark)

2009-06-23T15:40:05Z

23, youngest member of the voyage, Denmark

Born in Copenhagen in 1986. Mainly raised there with the exception of a few years in the States and Saudi Arabia.

He is the author of essays and one novel (City Might Fall, 2008) Co-author) Joyous recorder and pursuant of real sound and picture, also fond of audio engineering with an emphasis on the non-post edited. He has extensive experience in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Rights with the Danish Family Planning Association of Sex&Sam fund and through it's umbrella organization IPPF during a 5 year period.

His BA degree is in Arabic, and he was on the first voyage in August, 2008.

Huwaida Arraf (Palestine, Israel, US)

2009-06-23T15:40:36Z

Palestine/Israel/United States

Huwaida is a Palestinian-American, and also a citizen of Israel. She received her Bachelors degrees from the University of Michigan, and her Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College of Law, where she focused her studies on international human rights and humanitarian law.

In 2001 Huwaida co-founded the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), which has twice been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. From 2007 - 2008 Huwaida taught in a human rights law clinic at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, the first legal clinic in the Arab World.

Huwaida was one of the initiators and organizers of a delegation of American lawyers to Gaza in February 2009, and co-authored the report on their findings, "Onslaught: Israel's Attack on Gaza and the Rule of Law."

Theresa McDermott (Scotland)

2009-06-23T15:41:23Z

42, Scotland

Theresa is a postal logistics worker from Edinburgh, and spent a month in Palestine in 2004. She was on the first voyage and has been on subsequent voyages to Gaza. Theresa was also on board the cargo ship that was confiscated by Israel and illegally hauled into an Israeli port. She was illegally arrested and thrown into jail by the Israelis, her second time Israel has falsely arrested her.

She will be going back to Gaza and staying to work there.

Fathi Jaouadi (Tunisia, UK)

2009-06-23T15:42:00Z

37, Tunisia/UK

Fathi finished an MA in Documentary Film-making at Brunel University in London, (See www.arabdochouse.org)

He has been on several of the voyages as one of the Delegation Leaders and was on board the DIGNITY when Israel rammed it in international waters o December 30th. He is on the Board of Directors of the Free Gaza Movement and has been one of the indefatigable fundraisers for the voyages.

Denis Healey (UK, Cyprus)

2009-06-23T15:42:52Z

Captain, SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, 54, UK/Cyprus

Denis has been involved with boats for 45 years beginning with small fishing boats in Portsmouth. He learned to sail while at school and has been part of the sea ever since. He\'s a certified yacht master and has also worked on heavy marine equipment from yachts to large dredgers.

He was the Captain of the DIGNITY for four of its trips to Gaza and safely guided it into a port in Lebanon when it was attacked by the Israeli navy in international waters on December 30th as the DIGNITY was on the way to Gaza loaded with medical supplies and physicians.

Mairead Maguire (Ireland)

2009-06-23T15:43:25Z

65, Ireland

Mairead Corrigan-Maguire, Nobel peace prize laureate, was co-founder of the Community of Peace People for a peaceful resolution of the Northern Ireland conflict. She has been to Palestine several times defending the human rights.

In April 2007 she was wounded by the Israeli army while nonviolently protesting with Palestinians against the wall in the village of Bil'in. This will be her second trip to Gaza on board one of the Free Gaza boats.

Lubna Marsawa (Palestine, Israel)

2009-06-23T15:43:54Z

48, Palestine, Israel

Lubna is a Palestinian living in Israel. She is a political dynamic activist in Jerusalem working for the Alternative Information Center and Al Quds University. She chooses struggle as her way against the occupation. She believes that activists should take the authority to change the reality and not wait for someone else to do it. It\'s important for her as a Palestinian from 1948 to break the siege and keep the relationship with her people.

Derek and Jenny Graham (Ireland)

2009-06-23T15:46:50Z

40 and 38, Ireland

Derek has been a qualified electrician for 20 years. He was a member of the reserve defense forces in Ireland for 21 years and was the first member of the reserves to make the Army sailing team. He has been sailing all of his life and is the First Mate on board the SPIRIT. He was also first mate on the FREE GAZA when it made the first trip.

He has been on four of the five voyages that landed in Gaza. He and his wife, Jenny, plan on staying in Gaza for six months and starting a sailing school for the children there.

Cynthia McKinney (US)

2009-06-23T15:47:28Z

53, United States

Cynthia is a former U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia, serving 12 years, and the 2008 Green Party presidential candidate. She was on board the DIGNITY as it was rammed by the Israeli Navy in international waters while passengers were on their way to the occupied people of Gaza.

"The Israelis violated international law by ramming my boat carrying medical supplies to Gaza. Therefore, I never got to Gaza. Especially after Operation Cast Lead, I want to go to Gaza, and if I'm lucky, one day, I'll also get to visit a free Palestine," said former Representative Cynthia McKinney, one of the passengers coming back.