Palestinians, Jews find peace
behind their masks, through
computers, marching together
Monday, 13 April, 2009
Governments alone -- no
longer news -- continue to falter in wisdom and imagination.
They will continue that way, until they
are matched by a vastly expanded public peace process of citizens perpetually
engaged face to face.
Today, people are the news.
"Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs is
people who have come alive."
Howard Thurman
"If I create from the heart, nearly
everything works;
if from the head, almost nothing."
-
Marc Chagall
Here are three
examples of "enemies" engaging in creative, new ways -- doing
what makes them come alive.
Being the news.
L&L
= = 1 = =
Arabs & Jews
Discover
Peace Behind Their Masks
Creativity of The Arcobaleno-Rainbow
Theatre Group - http://masksoff.org/ -
uses the universal language of music and dance to model their call for
authentic face-to-face engagement and cooperation in their play, "Beresheet."
The mask is the central theme of the
performance, in this call for peace.
"If you know take off your mask, you can be
together," says Edna Angelica Calo Livne, the group's inspirational founder and artistic
director.
Sharing this vision of one-ness,
the actors are teen Arabs, Jews, Druze and Circassians
- religious and secularal - from towns and villages
in northern Israel.
"The most important message that we can give now
to all the humanity is that difference is the richness, that dialogue is so
important now for everybody, not only for us in Israel.
"This is now the imperative I think," adds
Calo Livne.
VIEW video:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IjnHUd15iqg
VIEW a much longer video, in Italian
language:
http://www.masksoff.net/videos/tele-pace.en.html
"We want that people will start to understand the responsibility we
have as human beings, especially in Israel, the Holy Land.
If here everybody can live together, so why not in
other places," says a young actor.
The performance takes place at the Arab-Hebrew Theatre
of Jaffa, a city shared by Jews and Arabs.
The actors hope to touch more peoples hearts and contribute to a better future.
= = 2 = =
Peace Procession of
Jews and Arabs in Um al-Fahm
Sunday
April 5th 2009, Jewish and Palestinian Israelis - secular and religious -
proceeded hand in hand in solidarity with residents of the Arab town, Um
al-Fahm, in response to intimidation in the city
by Jewish Israeli citizens there several weeks earlier.
The Peace March was initiated by the Orthodox
organization, 12th of Heshvan, in cooperation with the New Israel Fund.
The women, men, and youth called for mutual respect
and co-existence of Jews and Arabs.
The walk started at the entrance to Um al-Fahm and continued to the city's center.
Arab and Jewish participants carried beautiful flower
bouquets and signs in Hebrew and in Arabic based on the blessing said during a
traditional wedding "Love and Brotherhoood,
Peace and Affection."
One visitor was touched most by all
"Welcome!" and "Thank you!" expressions shouted from cars
that stopped them along the way.
A ceremony included words of mutual support and a
shared future by the mayor of Um al-Fahm and
representatives of participating groups.
SEE PHOTOS in Al Arab newspaper:
http://online.alarab.co.il/printtitle.php?sel=00128699
VIEW VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gFmJtgLc7A
SEE MORE PHOTOS:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/new_israel_fund/sets/72157616331499945/detail/
= = 3 = =
Peres Center for Peace
Keeps Helping Thousands to Connect
In the past
few years, over 50,000 Israeli and Palestinian youth have participated in
relationship-building and educational programs of the Peres Center for Peace.
VIEW the instructional, inspiring 13-minute
video:
http://peres-center.haaretz.com/
Information Technology (IT) workshops are one
arena of activity.
For more than a year and half, educational workshops
in both Israeli and Palestinian high schools have been based on the PeaceMaker computer game.
Dozens of workshops have been facilitated by youth
leaders with first and second degrees in Middle East History and Conflict
Resolution, for thousands of youth participants from communities including the
West Bank and Israeli communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.
Other diverse IT programs include:
A. "Peace Computers
Centers" establish computer classrooms in disadvantaged
Palestinian and Israeli communities.
They provide the members of those communities, in
particular the youth, with invaluable computer and IT skills, thereby enhancing
their future educational and professional opportunities.
Importantly, they personally connect Palestinian
and Israeli youth through innovative computer programs launched from these
newly established computer classrooms.
READ more and SEE PHOTOS:
http://www.e-dologic.co.il/sites/peres/site/SectionProject.asp?cc=01120202
B. Middle East Virtual Campus
utilizes technology as a tool to engage Palestinian and Israeli pupils in
exciting and challenging educational activities.
It stimulates their interest in academic study, via
virtual discussions, dialogue, and lecture chats that encourage interaction
between the Palestinian and Israeli youth.
http://www.e-dologic.co.il/sites/peres/site/SectionProject.asp?cc=01120204
C.
"Peace Net Ambassadors" Program offers a solution to the
lack of face-to-face interaction by linking Israeli youth with Arab youth
from across the Middle East via the medium of "Skype" software,
so that they may become acquainted with one another, converse openly, and
discover common interests.
http://www.e-dologic.co.il/sites/peres/site/SectionProject.asp?cc=01120205
"Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.
Because what the world needs is
people who have come alive."
Howard Thurman
"If I create from the heart, nearly
everything works; if from the head, almost
nothing."
-
Marc Chagall