As we all well know, peace is the only way forward. Violence and war only provide temporary quiet– but not what we universal human beings really want.
I’d like to share with you a life-changing story from my youth.
When was 15 years old in 1989 I visited Israel on an Ulpan Trip for two months with about 150 kids from around the Los Angeles area. One of the programs we attended was a panel presentation about the conflicts between Israel and Palestine. There were three speakers. First, there was a right wing Jewish Israeli that claimed that there are no Palestinians, they’re just Arabs he said. They can live anywhere. This is our land, and they should get out. I listened closely to him, but I didn’t agree with him.
The next speaker was a left wing Jewish Israeli that spoke tirelessly about how to avoid further conflicts and create a peaceful solution, with two states– side by side– working together. He described the democratic ideals that Israel was founded on. His talk gave me hope. As an audience we listened to them closely, while they explained all the painful truths of Jewish history, the intricacies of Israel’s existence and their varying ideas of how to move forward.
The final speaker was a soft-spoken Palestinian woman who described her life– having lost her family-home– caught in the conflicts between Palestine’s Antisemitic terrorist government and the strong Israeli Defense Forces. When she spoke, the audience– my peers, began to fidget, feel awkward– they cracked jokes, talked amongst themselves, and talked over her– I couldn’t hear her speak. Without hesitation, I stood up to quiet everyone down. With cracks in my voice and tears in my eyes I shared that, as a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors I understood why we need and belong in Israel, but it’s not ok for us to do that and kick innocent people out of their homes, in the process. There was complete silence in the room. She was able to finish her presentation.
As we were milling around, gathering our backpacks and getting ready to depart on our tour buses, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and there was the Palestinian woman– the speaker. She said– “You! (as if she’d been looking for me) I must give you a hug!” Just like that we hugged– and I was moved beyond measure. That exchange changed my life.
Fast forward from 1989 to 2024 (I just turned 51 on October 16th)– there is all-out war in the Middle East– Israel against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran. The hostages still in captivity, thousands dead and displaced across the region. Antisemitism raging everywhere I look here in San Francisco and all over the US and world. Friends of mine who once believed in Israel feel ashamed of it. While others who had supported a two-state solution are now staunchly pro-Israel– by any means. Youth are being taught that Israel is a colonial state and to hate it and the US for supporting it. Israel is arguably proving itself to be the most powerful country in the Middle East.
Yet it feels like we are farther away from peace than ever. How can this be? How can we help the situation– the Palestinian and Israeli civilians? I was made aware of something amazing recently and it is worth sharing– and supporting because I think it can help.
Did you know that up until 10 years ago, there was no place in the West Bank/Judea-Samaria for Israelis and Palestinians to legally talk to one another, in person, due to segregation?
I recently attended an event where I learned about how in 2014 Israelis and Palestinians began to have regular encounters with one another. Their journey has led to an incredible project– a community center in the West Bank/Judea Samaria for both Israelis and Palestinians to meet– face-to-face, talk and interact with one another. The organization is called Roots. They are “Fostering a Grassroots Movement of Understanding, Nonviolence and Transformation among Israelis and Palestinians.” There are women’s groups, summer camps, partnership lectures, art classes, inter-religious exchanges, a cafe, an after-school program and more. It’s called the Dignity Center– although there are no identifying signs on the building. The people involved are literally risking their lives “fraternizing with the enemy” — and therefore, do not want the exact location of the center published. But the map below shows where the people are that are regularly engaged in Roots.
I was so moved at the presentation, that I have decided to make something out of metal (see sketch idea and metal sample below) in honor of Friends of Roots, and to help raise money and awareness about them. I am still in the process of working on this piece. But for now– during these most challenging times– AND in honor of my 51st birthday, I am raising money for the Friends of Roots through Facebook.
If you decide to donate through their website, please add that it’s in honor of my birthday.
Here’s the sketch idea– inspired by one of their initiatives “Two Truths: One Heart”:
If we will peace, it is no dream. I hope I can visit the Dignity Center sometime soon. And pray their positive impact will continue. Will you join me?
With gratitude, tearful hope, and birthday wishes for peace,
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