Right now -- July 7-21, 2003 -- in the Creativity for Peace Camp, eleven Palestinian and Israeli Jewish girls, ages 15-17, are growing close through Dialogue and creative art in a stunning, valley setting near Glorieta, New Mexico, outside of Santa Fe.  Some photos are on the Web at:
                                                           http://www.deva.org/retreats.html
     While camp activities are based on art, including photography, visual art and performance, the reconciliation begins with compassionate listening to one another's personal stories.  The facilitator is Rachel Kaufman, M.A., M.S., with forty years' experience in the human maturation process with youth and adults.  Her partner in the camp is Debra Sugerman, a film maker and photographic artist, who earned her B.A. in Photography from the University of Texas, and her Master of Fine Arts from Vermont College.
     Sugerman's recent e-mail:  "I am so proud to inform you that the camp is going so well. I am in tears every other day from the remarkable-ness of it all."
     "We believe it's women who are going to be the peacemakers," said camp coordinator Ana Harpaz.
     "Many of the girls here have experienced people shooting at their houses and their friends have been killed," said Sara Abdel-Hadi, 16, who adds that the conflict is worse than the American media portray it.
     Israeli Maya Gofel, 15, agrees that Americans "see only guns and the bombing, and not really the people."
     Although the girls said they often experienced tension because the discussions delved so deep, they all have a better understanding of the other side after attending the camp.
     After the camp is over, the girls will continue to meet monthly in Israel with their families in the hope of creating a ripple effect.

"If ever the world sees a time when women come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it will be a power such as the world has never known."    Matthew Arnold, 19th century British poet

Front page article in The New Mexican newspaper -- Monday, July 14, 2003
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&subsectionID=6&articleID=29860


Embracing Peace
Israeli, Palestinian girls meet
in a New Mexico camp to learn about each others point of view

By CELIA SHATZMAN

     Eleven girls, ages 15-17, sat together on a hot summer afternoon knitting and talking. You'd never guess that these girls are "enemies," being Jews from Israel, Palestinians residing in Israel, a girl from Gaza and a member of the Druze religious community.
     The girls are in Santa Fe until July 21 to participate in the "Creativity For Peace Camp" in Glorieta, sponsored by the Deva Foundation. The camp's purpose is to create a peaceful environment where the girls can develop strong friendships and share their experiences and opinions under the leadership of counselors.
     "By establishing friendships, we hope they will better understand each other's point of view since they can face the 'enemy,' " said Rachel Kauffman co-director. "In forming friendships, it will dissolve stereotypes and racism. Every girl has said, 'What I'm proud of (about) my people is that we're all survivors' and by having that in common, it breaks down stereotypes. An enemy is a person's story you haven't heard."
     Camp activities are based on art, including photography, visual art and performance.
     "As a professional artist, art is a very important way to extricate emotional wounds," said Debra Sugerman, co-director and the art-curriculum director of the camp. "I also use art to support my psychological health. Being able to grab the children at this age and give them ideas and confidence will teach the adults who are acting out of fear."
     The camp is funded by private donations and there is no charge for the girls to participate. The girls - only girls are allowed to participate - are chosen through an extensive application process in which they write a two-page biography and answer questions such as "What is peace?" They also submit two recommendations and are interviewed. All of the participants speak English.
     "We believe it's women who are going to be the peacemakers," said camp coordinator Ana Harpaz. "All these women will eventually be mothers, and by passing this on to their children they will educate them."
     After the camp is over, the girls will continue to meet monthly in Israel with their families in the hope of creating a ripple effect. This is the first time the Deva Foundation has hosted this camp, but similar peace camps have been organized nationally and internationally. Organizers hope to expand the camp for next year because there's already a long waiting list.
     "Compassionate listening" sessions are an important component of camp, where the girls openly speak of their experiences with the Mideast conflict and violence.
     "Americans really see our situation differently," said Maya Gofel, 15, from northern Israel. "They see more of the political side, and I don't think there's a place for the other things, like the connection between the people. They see only guns and the bombing, and not really the people."
     "Many of the girls here have experienced people shooting at their houses and their friends have been killed," said Sara Abdel-Hadi, 16, who was born in Jordan but lives in Raleigh, N.C. The conflict is worse than the American media portray it, she says.
     "Women get treated differently in our countries," Abdel-Hadi said. "American girls are lucky because we're not even allowed to hold hands with our boyfriends. The exposure here to everything is much more open. But families there are much closer because they go through so many hardships and suffering together. In America, the family structure is looser because they do not have as much to be bonded together with."
     The girls were also of different religions, including Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Druze. By getting to know each other, they have learned of each other's religions and cultures. Many of them did not have friends of other religions outside of their own before they came to the camp.
     "Before I came here, I had the idea that Americans weren't good people but instead (were) like the soldiers," said Bessan Abu El-eish, 15, from Gaza. "I experienced soldiers shooting at my house at 2 a.m., and I'm afraid of them because I never know when they will come. But I realized that the girls here didn't have anything to do with them."
     Although the girls said they often experienced tension because the discussions delved so deep, they all have a better understanding of the other side after attending the camp.
     "I had a hard time listening to their opinions on certain situations because I just didn't agree," said Michal Barak, 16, of Gali, Israel. "But I don't think there's a right or a wrong side because everyone is suffering, so there is no way to agree, even if we wanted to. Everyone just wants the situation to stop."

Donations can be made by contacting the Deva Foundation at (505)757-6752.