http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100525-003227
Currently I'm at a crossroads in my life. I'm preparing to wrap up my job as a piano teacher and put on a final piano recital for my students in June. Then I'm going to head back home to the South Bay and work as a science instructor at a summer camp until August. Then I want to hit the road with my backpack and my notebooks and see the world. At some point I might go to graduate school or find some way to focus my efforts.

I suspect conflict resolution, culture, communication, and all those wonderful things are going to play a large role in my life. But as it is I don't really want to get deeply involved with the details until I have more of a feel for the bigger picture. It seems to me most conflicts are the symptoms of a larger system that doesn't seem to be working, a system that has to do with economics, gender, communication, distribution of power, race, class, sexuality, ownership, insecurities, fear, narratives... I want to understand as much of it as possible, and right now I do not feel like the best way to do that is sitting and worrying about ways to pay my rent.

Life is short. I want to enjoy it and understand it. And I want to find the most efficient ways to empower people and to develop new social systems that are more effective than the current ones. I think one of the best ways to do this is to go out there and observe other social systems. That's my current plan. I'm expecting it to be wonderful. A lot of it is thanks to Abraham's Vision. So, thanks Abraham's Vision. I'm excited to see where we're all going to be as we progress into the future, fully graduate, and continue to find ourselves.

-Amit Deustch]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100525-003137
There was some discussion at the retreat about how we transformed as a group, but honestly, I feel like we all progressed individually more than as group (if at all). I think we were less concerned about how 'we' felt as a group and more about how 'I' felt within the group. I saw this in how each person spoke for their presentations and in group process. I don't necessarily think this was a failure of the group, but more a sign about what the fellows wanted to get out of this experience.

-Benji Berlow]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100209-054555
The line which I am talking about is the one created to separate Israeli capital of Jerusalem from Palestinian East Jerusalem. Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United Nations, the European Union, and related bodies and Palestinian, who demand East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, have repeatedly criticized Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem.
“The fact that both Palestinians and Israelis-in particular-both observant Muslims and observant Jews- have a special relation to Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, has been a reliable source of trouble.” Jews relate back to the period of David the king of Israel and the building of the first temple, and Islam regards Jerusalem as its third holiest city. The conflict here does not derive from differences, but yet the opposite.

Both people have the same conception of the “good” and feel a religious and spiritual connection to Jerusalem. “Muhammad, in the first years of Islam, urged his followers to turn toward Jerusalem in prayer because he had learned the story of Jerusalem from the Jews who lived in Mecca.” Both Israelis and Palestinians care for Jerusalem so deeply. They want to protect this city, but unfortunately this fact has been overshadowed with conflict.

The meaning of Jerusalem in Hebrew is “Teaching of Peace” and for Muslims the name suggests “Peace” and corresponds closely to the Muslim concept of the sacred; a place where peace reigns and conflict is excluded. What is needed to help resolve the conflict is a substitution of nationalistic values and loyalty to one religious group for a more practical approach. By developing an understanding as a human community and developing habits of coexistence- living together in relative understanding and tolerance- we can achieve what the ancient city was intended for, peace.

- Shadi F. Karajeh]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100207-230840
The other voice, however, is the one that holds less anger towards Jews who cling to their need to protect Israel, who do not see the fullness of Israeli crimes or Palestinian suffering. This voice is an empathetic one, and sees these Jews’ love of Israel as part of a wound inherent in a community that has been oppressed in the past, and thus has made victimization a central element of its identity. This voice does not necessarily contradict the first, but it does ask for an acknowledgement of the Jewish story that the other voice does not. It clings more to the notion that this conflict is “complicated,” to the notion that Jews who do not acknowledge their privilege are not just “oppressors”, but people with stories they have been unable to escape, stories that have made them support terrible things. When I am thinking in this way, these people are not at fault in the same way; they are misled and mistaken for deep and painful reasons. Sometimes in group process I would notice this voice come to the forefront, urging me to explain, if not defend, the Jewish story.

But the first voice challenges the second, and tells me that I am the oppressor, that when I try to “complicate” things I am reinforcing my power, trying to feel less guilty, less responsible. So often, I do not let this second narrative speak. Because of this, when it does come out, I think some people are confused.

I am not sure how much to voice it. At the very least, it is part of me and if I am not being totally honest I am not doing good work. At the same time, I am not willing to let go of the idea that this voice comes in part from an education that wanted me to think Israel belonged to me and not to others, a voice I want always to challenge.

So, I am struggling to figure out when to speak each narrative, and when to be silent.

-Penina Eilberg-Schwartz]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100207-230318
In looking at this engagement as a project in conflict transformation, the process doesn't stop. The constructive engagement is not at all looking for resolution, it is looking for transformation. We see the "other" as we choose to see, in some cases not what we want to see. At the very least, they are a tool in the project of engagement to understand our selves, the conflict, the others perspective and the perspective of our own communities better.

When I went to the movie ibn um with my family and saw that the movie provided a very superficial perspective of the conflict, one that was most likely supported by the Egyptian government with propaganda for the masses in Egypt, I realized the process of transformation in my own perspective of my own community. That is what this is all about.

-Joe Farsakh]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100207-225237
What I find most compelling, however, is her vision of the necessary future of Jewish memory and Jewish history. Many have made the now, unfortunately tired, argument of the necessity of “seeing the other”—humanizing the enemy etc. All important ideas, but what Roy does with them is to literally say: from now on, when we create/think about Jewish community, when we remember Jewish memories, when we talk about and teach our Jewish history (‘when we are on our way and when we are at rest…’) it must include Palestinian voices. The Jewish seasons are not only made up of our holy days or secular days that mark historical events already deemed ‘Jewish,’ but Gaza 2008/9, Lebanon 1 and 2, the squalor of Jenin, stories of constant curfew in Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, the Wall and Be’lin—heroic non-violent resistance. Jewish history does not merely include Israeli history (which has come to dominate Diaspora history), but history from the voices of those silenced. From now on Palestinian history is a part of Jewish history—which, in reality, it has always been…it must be this way.

She has some chilling quotes: (from “A Jewish Plea”)

“What happens to the other as we, a broken and weary people, continually abuse him, turning him into the enemy we now want and need, secure in a prophecy that is thankfully self- fulfilling? What happens to a people when renewal and injustice are rapturously joined?”

“Judaism has always prided itself on reflection, critical examination, and philosophical inquiry. The Talmudic mind examines a sentence, a word, in a multitude of ways, seeking all possible interpretations and searching constantly for the one left unsaid. Through such scrutiny it is believed comes the awareness needed to protect the innocent, prevent injury or harm, and be closer to God.
Now, these are abhorred, eviscerated from our ethical system. Rather the imperative is to see through eyes that are closed, unfettered by investigation. We conceal our guilt by remaining the abused, despite our power, creating situations where our victimization is assured and our innocence affirmed. We prefer this abyss to peace, which would hurl us unacceptably inward toward awareness and acknowledgment.”

“What then is the source of our redemption, our salvation? It lies ultimately in our willingness to acknowledge the other, the victims we have created -- Palestinian, Lebanese and also Jewish -- and the injustice we have perpetrated as a grieving people. Perhaps then we can pursue a more just solution in which we seek to be ordinary rather then absolute, where we finally come to understand that our only hope is not to die peacefully in our homes as one Zionist official put it long ago but to live peacefully in those homes.”

-Maia Brown]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100205-055828
Last week I returned from San Francisco, where I had the privilege of participating in a course on Facilitating Groups in Conflict with Ahmad, Posta, Aaron, and Huda. I chose to take this course because I thought it might give me a glimpse into professional and graduate work in conflict resolution; as always, it turned out to extend much further. I am happy to say that exceeded my expectations and renewed my commitment to work in this field.

Before the beginning of the class, I wondered about starting from scratch. Was I really willing to get to know another 10 or 12 people on such a deep level? Did I have the energy and drive to start exploring my identity and beliefs anew? At times doing this process was indeed frustrating, but this second round also turned out to be a blessing, as I was able to come in with a clean slate and to effectively begin group process from a different vantage point.

The makeup of this class was a quite different from our evenly divided VP 12. We were graduate and undergrad students, non-Americans and Americans, professionals in the field and those seeking initial exposure to conflict resolution. But there needed to be an "other" if we were to learn how group process worked; so Jews and non-Jews we became. Though we recognized from early on that it was a somewhat artificial separation, it served the purpose at hand and we explored a range of important topics, from real issues and solutions to loftier visions.

The first week was spent only in group process, without any discussion of methodology. Without revealing too much about what is agreed upon as a private and safe process, I will say that over this week I truly came to understand why we call this work Conflict Transformation. Watching students in group process for the first time, as they faced deep facets of their identities and challenged each other to keep working I was able to reflect on my own transformation since the summer; I have experienced enormous change with respect to my identity, values, politics, and also to how I approach the "other," both individually and collectively. When I say this I do not mean to report on how much "progress" I've made: in fact, I now realize more than ever how much more I have to learn and how many more hours of group process and training it will take for me to feel like a competent and contributing peer in this community.

The second week of the class was spent on methodology and peer facilitation. In just one 45 minute session as facilitator, I was able to see how challenging and rewarding this role is. An enormous amount of energy goes into what seems from the participant perspective to be minimal involvement: preparing for a session, actively listening at every moment, deciding when and how to interject, and also maintaining awareness of the larger dynamics at play all require the utmost sensitivity. I hope for more of these opportunities in the future.

On another note...

Late last night I traveled down to Wall Street to tape a segment on the Joey Reynolds Show (WOR AM 710), a nightly talk radio show on which my father is a frequent guest (nepotism at its finest and most useful!). Having been acquainted with Mr. Reynolds and his show before, I knew that it would be hard to wrangle him into a single conversation, but was committed (if not determined) to spend some time speaking about AV, Conflict Transformation, and issues relating to the Middle East. Friends at home and even on the Vision Program might be surprised to hear this, considering nine months ago I would have done anything not to talk about these issues at the dinner table, never mind with thousands of people listening (or at least with their radios on...).

Considering that this is a program that has a weekly "Jewish Hour," (according to a NY Times piece it is an "unfocused mishmash, with everyone talking at once." Typical.) I was quite sure a political debate would ensue as soon as the topic of Israel and Palestine came up. Instead, I was given (or gave myself) time and space to really explain why this work is so important, and found support when I mentioned how small the Palestinian voice in America is compared to that of Israelis/Jews. Though we covered many topics, I will relate just one in detail: at one point in the conversation another guest asked me "do you have hope?" Naturally, though hopefully not glibly, I said yes. I explained that as a young person I have the luxury of being hopeful, of remaining slightly naive and imagining a multitude of positive changes in the future. I added that I don't necessarily have the highest hopes for this generation-- the politicians, Palestinians and Israelis, American Jews and Palestinians -- we are already too deeply entrenched in our patterns and beliefs. But I am optimistic about future generations, and hope to remain so despite the deep frustrations I very often encounter.

Next month I want to talk about specific issues that have been on my mind -- privilege, class, and my place in the conflict. Until then!

-Ariana Barth]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100202-191627
This month has been very hard regarding this issue, especially due to new circumstances in my life. I started my internship in a technical college where I teach ESL (English as a Second Language) for different students. The population of the students is mainly refugees and new immigrants that the government supported their education to learn the new foreign language of this country. I started my first week on Monday 25th of January, 2010. And since that moment my whole peaceful world has been greatly shaken.

I was assigned, since I’m new, to have conversations with students on a one-on-one level. I sat with so many different people every day and learned about their lives. I formed many friends quickly, especially Mexican, I don’t know why. But each time I would listen to their story and why they immigrated here, I would lose a bit of my sanity.

I sat down once with a woman from Laos. She’s a refugee among many other Hmong people who became refugees after the Vietnam War. She loved talking about herself; I noticed that in most of the students that I teach, it’s as if they rule the world when they talk about themselves in the new language that they’re learning. The sparkle in their happy eyes when they pronounced things correctly was the only reason that kept me going.

This woman has poured her heart out to me and was on the verge of tears when she was trying to tell me the story of her people in broken English. It touched me deeply to listen to her, struggling with the language and the painful events of the story itself. I felt helpless; I could not tell her anything to comfort her. I felt absolutely terrible. How many things did she have to go through because of the war? The fear, the insecurity and losing most of her loved ones. She lost 3 of her children and a brother. I heard myself saying: “I’m sorry for your loss, I really am.” But did it matter? It came down on me like a spear that made a hole in my heart: “ I did not know anything about the Hmong people in my life! I heard about the Vietnam war, we all did read about it in history books. But why didn’t I stumble upon these people story before? How much can the media affect our lives that it hid these people’s story so well? The instant I looked around the class and saw all these Hmong refugees around me...I gave up.

I spent two days after that in my room. I went to classes in the morning but I never stepped a foot in that class again. I called in sick twice. I didn’t want to go, I felt so helpless so ignorant that I was ashamed of myself. I watched a documentary called: “Witness to a Secret War” about the Hmong people. When my roommate wasn’t there I would cry, bitterly. I found no way to go around it. I felt that the world is so screwed up that I can’t do anything about it. I felt that I and all my little plans to bring people together are gone in vain. I gave up, just like that.
In the process, I wrote this poem:

Happy New Year

Why can’t I just take out last year?
Just tear it
from the calendar of my life?
Anniversaries, happy birthdays
Deaths and diseases
Should I wait for the world to change?
Or wait until God finish his last cigarette?
I wonder where he was
When all I needed
Was peace

It’s so hard to maintain a strong attitude as a peace-maker, because there are so many obstacles in your way. I felt the heavy burden of all the wars in the world on my shoulders. I cursed and cried and pitied my little efforts for peace. But deep inside I knew I’d be able to believe again, but I was too weak to admit it.

I called Lillie, one of the participants of the AV program. I told her that the world is so cruel and screwed up and that I needed to talk to her to get some things off of my chest. I had to! I need to reach some peace within me. She was very helpful and talked to me about the love and passion that should burn alive in the heart of a peacemaker. She talked about all the feelings that she gets when she stumbles upon something like this and that we all feel this way sometimes, but the important thing is to be courageous enough to face it and not become apathetic.
I remembered how much I hate that word “Apathetic.” I remembered all the people who are indifferent and think only of themselves. I remembered this American guy in class who made jokes about the earthquake in Haiti, and cried. I cried and cried until I was purified. I let all the hate and disgust by the world to wash away from my heart and replaced it with love and compassion. I decided to be free.

-Nura Salaymeh]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100201-054213

It was a small moment, but it was powerful. The fact that I was able to reach out to them, simply by knowing some of their language, and then in response, they were able to sit with me, laugh with me, and agree with me that both sides have done a lot wrong- That is what we need. More acknowledging of humanity, less finger-pointing, more taking of mutual responsibility, less allocating of blame. I am frustrated by politics right now, frustrated by Israel's stupid, short sited policies in Jerusalem, frustrated by Hamas' stubbornness and unwillingness to release Shalit, frustrated by the polemical rhetoric, frustrated by Obama's failure to mention the words Israel and Palestine during his state of the union address (don't give up on us, Barack, we need you. Badly.) But it is moments like that one following my cappella show in a small high school in Boston that keep me going. And we have no choice but to keep going.

-Moriel Rothman]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/visionprogramweblogsummer2009/index.php?entry=entry100125-232622
Old stories in present,

Story telling has always been

the best part:

beginning, climax..

but is there an ending to these stories?

Subtitles to an open wound

Drenching blood,

And tears,

On warm cheeks

I’ve kissed before.

I, me, myself

Not selfish,

But aware

Did I inherit bravery?

From streets of a tree

That no longer exists?

From the itchiness of a fig tree?

Or a pomegranate tree?

Eyes wide open

I now see

Why I am mad.

-Nura Salaymeh]]>