Dreamers and Believers
June 1st, 2009Dreamers and Believers, Changing Reality
If happiness is contagious, then I hope this article is a carrier. I was honored to attend a Jewish-Palestinian dialog event in San Francisco where four panel members, two Palestinians, and two Israelis talked about their experience with the peace process. And there is not much that makes me happier than meeting people dedicated to promoting peace and unity.
The event was organized by the Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Groups of San Mateo and San Francisco, and the Shinnyo-en Foundation. Before the event started, I noticed a quote on one of the exhibits next to the stage: “Most of life is not visible to us.” It is true, isn’t it? We only see the tip of the iceberg, only a fraction of what others carry within to the extent that they open up and share it with us. So it was a great privilege that the four panelists Mohammed Issa Abufayyad, Ilana Meallem, Huda Abu Arquob, and Elad Vazana shared their stories with us.
Elad Vazana was the first speaker, and his story reminded me of Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist, a book about following your dream. It was a dream that led Elad to his transformation and peace work. But before that, there was the first part of the journey. He says he was raised in fear of Arabs, didn’t know any for a very long time, and was just afraid they would stab him in the back had they gotten a chance. He joined the IDF when he was 18, serving as a tank commander. It seemed that this memory was still haunting him.
Later, when working in a high tech company in Tel Aviv, he thought that it was the government’s problem to resolve the conflict. But then came the dream, and it took him to Granada, Spain, a place where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together peacefully for centuries. Thinking that if something like this is possible in Spain, it should be possible in Israel, Elad returned home in 2002, and started contacting schools about possibilities of working with youth and engaging them in the peace process.
Elad expressed his great belief in the power of youth – “they can change the world,” he said. He organizes camps, attended by youth before joining their mandatory military service. The youth create amazing friendships, and this experience transforms their attitudes. When the audience got a chance to ask questions later, one of them asked somewhat skeptically “Are you realistic or are you dreamers?” Elad’s response was another question: “How do you change reality?” “You have to dream to change reality,” he added.
Huda Abu Arquob and Elad Vazana
The next speaker was Huda Abu Arquob, a Palestinian Sufi, a director from Abraham’s Vision, an organization that strives to educate youth about the peace process and conflict resolution. She started with these powerful words: “I don’t want to be a victim. I prefer to think of myself as a survivor.” Huda witnessed much violence and oppression when growing up in Hebron.
As the eldest of twelve siblings, she felt special responsibility for them. Huda described how, when she was a teenager, she was very protective of her siblings, and when she learnt about the massacres in Sabra and Shatila, became worried that something similar could happen to them. She kept running over how she would react in her mind, trying to decide whether it was better to die first, so she does not have to see her younger siblings die, or go last, so that she can be there as a support for them. Huda described how deeply she was affected by these tragic events; how she kept thinking about the last moments of the people who died there. “No teenager should ever have to go through this,” she said.
Huda describes herself a teacher informed and guided by her Sufi beliefs. She earned her BA degree while raising her eleven siblings, and later became a Fulbright scholar in the United States. As to her own transformation, she described an important experience with an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint. The soldier was talking to her in Hebrew in an aggressive way, and got very surprised when Huda asked him to speak in English. “So you have schools that teach you English? Have you been to America?” he asked. It turned out that both Huda and the soldier visited Boston, and that was the moment of connection. The soldier started telling her how he is here against his own will, and does not really believe in this division between the people.
That moment helped Huda realize that she is powerful, that she can affect change just by being herself, by helping others discover their shared humanity. “Listen to everybody,” she said. “If we cannot listen to other human beings, we cannot hear the voice of the Supreme.” And what was Huda’s answer to the question about dreaming and reality? “I don’t like labels.” Hats down to that.
Mohammed Issa Abufayyad and Ilana Meallem
The theme of spirituality permeated the evening. Ilana Meallem, a young Jewish Israeli woman who grew up in the UK draws on her deep belief in Judaism in her work. Ilana’s parents immigrated to UK from Egypt, where they witnessed various forms of discrimination. Like Elad, Ilana was raised in fear of Arabs. Her family’s new life in UK did not bring them safety however. Ilana’s brother was stabbed on a bus in front of her eyes, and her father was beaten up on his way to a synagogue. Since her teenage years Ilana dreamt of living in a safe place where she would be accepted. As soon as she could, Ilana left for Israel, and volunteered for the Israeli Air force, and then, for two years she was involved in reconnaissance efforts.
Only after leaving the army, and meeting Arab people, Ilana came to a realization that it is possible to make friendships. She went to live with the Bedouin Arab community for several months, and being accepted by this community proved a highly transformative experience. She now works for the Arava Institute for Environmental studies, and travels across the Middle East, meeting with people to promote peace. Often, she is the first Jew that they meet.
“I lived in a narrative based on fear, and didn’t think what was behind those walls and checkpoints….Israel today is sick Israel. We live in fear,” she said.
When a person from the audience asked how the Jewish panelists reconcile support for their land and support for Palestine, and if they do not then get accused of being traitors, Ilana reiterated how her work is grounded in Judaism, its focus on social justice, and its stress on the importance of unity. There is a belief in Judaism that unity is the secret of this world, and that people must work for it.
Ilana’s answer to the dream and reality question struck a deep chord in me: “I’ve got no idea what the governments are up to, what schemes they want us to buy into. I know that my humble self cannot change or even understand all the politics that goes on behind closed doors, but I can change myself, and by that change affect others. And I absolutely believe that change can happen very fast. You have to dream and believe in that dream.”
One really could not tell that the four panelists belonged to different religions. All of them upheld the essential common beliefs of peace, unity, and hope. Mohammed Issa Abufayyad, the last speaker, is a devout Muslim who grew up in Gaza. Like Huda, he witnessed much violence throughout his life. The first intifada happened when he was in the elementary school; the second when he was in the high school. He lost eight of his cousins, five of them in the course of the last year. His uncle, a father of eight children, was killed at a checkpoint, for no reason.
During the second intifada, Mohammed started working with a Muslim Youth organization and volunteering as a medical rescue worker and this is when he decided to become a doctor. He got a scholarship to study, first in Cairo, and later in the United States. Currently Mohammed is studying physiology as a part of pre-med studies in San Francisco.
Mohammed spoke with great ardor and his wisdom flowed straight from the heart. “Why am I here? I had a chance to get out and meet the ‘others.’ I am here because I believe in peace. It is a part of my belief and culture as a Muslim.” He pointed out that the reason Israel and Palestine are called the Holy Land is because it holy for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Holy Land is not holy without Jews; it is not holy without Muslims, and it is not holy without Christians. He said that choosing violence as a response is easy, but we need to overcome this, we cannot just keep blaming each other.
Mohammed’s answer to the dreamer versus realist question was that “We are believers” he said. To the remark that possibly much of the conflict is caused by ignorance (by not knowing the ‘other side’), he responded that ignorance is not the problem because ignorance is easy to dispel. The problem is an illusion of knowledge. That is much more difficult to overcome.
There were more questions raised in the audience, one being about the two state solution, and whether there is hope for peaceful Palestine given the amount of violence stemming from radical Islam today. Mohammed responded that he believes it is inevitable that two states will be created, but quite likely that in ten years they will become one following the example of Europea. After all, it is not so long ago that Europe was divided by cold war.
Huda added that she would not be interested in Palestine if it were to be declared a Muslim state. Palestine is for Christians and Jews as well. She also highlighted the absurdity of the conflict by saying that the argument isn’t just restricted to Israel and Palestine. That somehow the governments create conflicts and choose enemies to project people’s fears onto. First, during the Cold War, Russia was the enemy, but when the Cold War ended, the attention shifted to Islam, and next, maybe it will be the aliens.
Huda and Ilana
It is important to learn about the injustices committed in this world, but it is at least equally as important to learn about the peace effort. And what can we do? Huda pointed out that the United States is a privileged place. We should use this privilege to do something, to influence the change, and ask our government to stop taking sides, and help create a better power balance in Israel. All the panelists pointed out how we all need hope and the belief that change is possible. We need to keep the fire of hope going, and this gives them support. And, as Elad said, “I found a place of hope when I started doing something.”
More pictures from the event are available on flickr.
Loading ...
Loading...
Thanks for the very well written article Daniela. I think reaching out to the youth is very important and it is quite inspiring to hear about these people trying to make the difference.