For the first time, Palestinian and Israeli youth and parents from the Holy Land will join their American counterparts in public to describe their lives of pain and fear, change and hope, and recent days together at the Bay Area-initiated Oseh Shalom~Sanea al-Salam, the nation's and probably world's only Palestinian-Jewish Family Peacemakers Camp.
Over 100 young women and men, with their parents and supportive staff -- Muslims, Christians, and Jews -- will return down from the mountains from three intense, challenging and inspiring days at Camp Tawonga near Yosemite National Park, part of a growing family of 14 North American camps for the Middle East public peace process.
More than a dozen independent sister youth programs have names like Seeds of Peace -- the first, established in 1993 -- Building Bridges for Peace, Creativity for Peace, Peace It Together, Hands for Peace, Kids4Peace, and Middle East Peace Camp for Children. Camp Tawonga provides the only family program.
In safe, natural environments, campers come to realize "an enemy is one whose story we have not heard."
This powerful evening -- "CAMP STORIES" -- is Monday, September 19, 2005, 7:30 p.m. at the beautiful St. Mary's Cathedral Conference Center at 1100 Gough at Geary. In addition to compelling narratives from youth and parents will be visuals and educational displays from camp, with Middle Eastern refreshments. Parking is ample and free.
"This is a new breed of Arab and Jewish citizens who refuse to be enemies," says Palestinian-American organizer Melek Nasr-Totah. "It is amaziing to see their strong national identities, yet so balanced with their new quality of listening with compassion to each others' sometimes-clashing narratives."
These camps intend to help end war and increase cooperation. They create leaders -- Palestinian and Jewish citizens who have themselves changed from "enemies" into partners and are prepared to help others.
This "public peace process" was first defined by Dr. Harold Saunders, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, and facilitator of the Camp David Accords. Saunders implores citizens to participate fully in partnership with governments. He says, “There are some things that only governments can do, such as negotiating binding agreements. But there are some things that only citizens outside government can do, such as changing human relationships."
"These camp participants and facilitators together can reveal to us perhaps the single greatest source of new social intelligence for the Middle East public peace process," say Libby and Len Traubman, among camp organizers, and co-founders of the 13-year-old Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue in the Bay Area -- the oldest of its kind -- from where the Family Camp idea sprang from the imagination of a single participant in February, 2001. By Fall, 2003, the first Family Camp was a reality. This year is the third and by far the most inclusive and important.
CONTACT:
Libby and Len Traubman
1448 Cedarwood Drive, San Mateo, CA 94403
LTraubman@igc.org -- Tel:: 650-574-8303 -- Cell: 650-200-8913
Melek Nasr-Totah
325 Kensington Way, San Francisco, CA 94127 -- Tel: 415-661-9949
Ann Gonski
Associate Director, Camp Tawonga, 131 Steuart Street (#460), San Francisco, CA 94105 -- Tel: 415-543-2267 x-105