Photos,
films show how Palestinians, Jews "peace it together"
Friday, 24
October 2008
Healing In Akko
Following recent violence between Jews and Arabs
in Akko (Acre), northern Israel, in both communities was much one-sided
blame of the "other."
Many people stayed home hoping for "things"
to change, waiting for "leaders."
"Wanting" peace but not
relationships.
Distinctive was a handful of
Arab and Jewish citizens with hard-won, personal experience in peace-building.
These inventors of past Sulha
and Sulhita - http://sulha.com/
- endeavors had brought into relationship thousands of Jewish and Palestinian
youth and adults in the Holy Land.
In the midst of crisis, Sulha
volunteers, with experience and confidence, set up a safe, open tent space in
Akko on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 16-17, 2008.
SEE their invitation in Arabic, Hebrew, and
English.
http://traubman.igc.org/akko.pdf
For
two days, local Arab and Jewish adults and youth came face-to-face in listening
circles for conversations that mattered.
To support this reconciliation, local residents
were joined by the Bereaved Families Forum whose relatives died from past
violence, yet whose members have chosen to reject revenge in favor of meeting
and healing together.
SEE PHOTOS of Akko's tents that allowed
everyone to be heard - the beginning of healing and a
new future together.
http://traubman.igc.org/akkophotos.pdf
Peace It Together
Across
the ocean in Canada earlier this summer, 2008, more citizen-leaders were
preparing themselves to live life listening and cooperating together.
At PEACE IT TOGETHER - http://peaceittogether.ca/ - thirty
Palestinian, Israeli, and Canadian teenagers gathered in and around
Vancouver, British Columbia to participate in an extraordinary dialogue and
film making experience.
Based on the successful 2006 program, the youths lived
and learned together for three weeks.
They discovered their personal strengths and created
inspiring short films.
They intend to make a difference back home in their
communities.
Their eight new films - educational tools - will be available to you this October, 2008,
hopefully to reach hundreds of thousands of people in public and school
screenings throughout the world.
VIEW online their compelling first movie::
INSPIRED
(10:31 - Documentary - by Aya Abu-Hamdieh, Omar Chu, Mahmoud Jabari, and Ofek Ravid)
Palestinian, Israeli and Canadian participants discuss the
inspiration they found in each other during the Peace it Together
summer program. They reveal what they
learned
from the experience and how they hope to make a difference when they go back to
their own communities.
READ
more about PEACE IT TOGETHER modeling the human entry point to
change that works in real life.
Conquering with love
Jewish Independent - Sep 5, 2008
http://www.jewishindependent.ca/Archives/Sept08/archives08Sept05-03.html
Making peace through making film
BowenIsland
Undercurrent - Aug 7, 2008
http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/bowenislandundercurrent/news/26393039.html
Achieving peace one step at a time
The Vancouver Sun - July 31, 2008
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=5aaa2b0e-0825-4cf7-b593-06b45fdcb59b