Prescribing Surfboards for Peace
in
Monday,
27 August 2007
Act
as if you were separate from nothing, and no one,
and
you will heal your world tomorrow.
Understand
that it is about power with, not power over.
"People
of character do the right thing,
not
because they think it will change the world
but
because they refuse to be changed by the world."
Some surfers travel the world
looking for the perfect wave.
"Doc" Paskowitz
went looking for peace.
The 86-year-old Californian brought surfboards to
needy surfers in
This story did not need to bleed, to lead.
The MY HERO Web site already honors it.
Reuters quickly headlined "U.S. Surfer
Promotes Israeli-Palestinian Peace."
Last night it was broadcast on CBS-TV, and is on
the Web today, Monday, 26 August 2007:
Arab-American Kelly Slater is the best surfer in the
U.S. and number four in the world.
Jewish Arthur Rashkovan, is the Israeli representative of Surfers for Peace.
OneVoice -- http://onevoicemovement.org/
- helps moderate Israelis and Palestinians reach agreement and each other.
OneVoice is the sponsor of
the coming October 18, 2007 One Million Voices To
End the Conflict history-changing event.
See ===> http://onemillionvoices.org/
They got behind the dream of 86-year-old
American Dorian Paskowitz, a retired physician.
Last Tuesday, 21 August 2007, "Doc" Paskowitz, a 75-year surfer with desire and character, got
12 surfboards across the Eretz Crossing to the small
surfing community of
This citizen-innovator wanted his gifts to help
get Israelis and Palestinians on the same wave.
There were tears in their eyes, Paskowitz said.
Surfing is "a way to build bridges between people
who speak the same language," said One Voice's
On the telephone, "Doc" Paskowitz
attributed most of the credit to OneVoice, and to Alami and Muhammad Jayab from
"They're the most distinguished kind of
men," Paskowitz said.
READ more.
Understand the prescription for sustainable peace.
Riding the new wave of human
activity.
Across borders.
Together.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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Excerpted from The New York Times -- Wednesday,: August 22, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/world/middleeast/22mideast.html
Prescribing Surfboards for Peace
By Isabel Kershner
JERUSALEM, Aug. 21 The noted American surfer, Dr.
Dorian Paskowitz, has high hopes for Gaza, and like
the waves, he will not let anything stop him trying to see them through.
On Tuesday, Dr. Paskowitz,
86, a retired Jewish physician from
He talked the Israeli authorities into opening up the fortresslike Erez crossing for
that purpose, overcoming their repeated protestations about the volatile
security situation, he said even though hardly any nonessential goods have been
allowed into the Gaza Strip since Hamas took over
there in June.
We used every wily wit that any Jew could muster, Dr. Paskowitz said, deliberately poking fun at an ethnic
stereotype while speaking after the event by telephone from Tel Aviv. He was
accompanied by his son David, 48, one of his nine children and a former surfing
world champion.
The endeavor started with an article in The Los
Angeles Times three weeks ago about a beach in
The Paskowitzes started to
pull strings. An Israeli benefactor from a sports gear chain put up a few
thousand dollars to bring them over. The worlds
greatest surfing pro, Kelly Slater, gave his support. And Doc activated Arthur Rashkovan, the Israeli representative of Surfers for Peace,
an organization founded by the Paskowitzes and Mr.
Slater, an American of Syrian descent.
Arthur is a grassroots Shimon Peres, Dr. Paskowitz said, referring to the 84-year-old president of
Mr. Rashkovan, who lives in
Tel Aviv, first met Dr. Paskowitz 10 years ago at a
surfing camp in
Their passage through Erez
was coordinated by the Israeli military administration there. OneVoice, an Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution
organization, helped bring the Palestinians across to receive the boards.
Among the Palestinians were the two riders whose
photograph Dr. Paskowitz had seen in the newspaper.
There were tears in their eyes, he said. His hope is that the new boards will
inspire Gazas surfers to start manufacturing their
own. From a board comes a group of guys who ride, he said. From the group comes a business, then an industry, then a fantastic amount
of money. Im talking about billions, all from one board.
That seems far-fetched for now. Since the militant
group Hamas seized control of
One of the Palestinian surfers, Muhammad Jayab, described himself in the article Dr. Paskowitz had read as sympathetic to Hamas.
That did not put Doc off. To be able to go to your enemies and give them
something that makes them happy is a most fulfilling adventure, he said.