“Try to See it My Way” – Jew & Arab United.

Jewcy Thoughts: My Interview With Gabriel Meyer (Co-founder of the Sulha Peace Project)

For my latest with Jewcy, I interviewed Gabriel Meyer – the co-founder of the Sulha Peace Project. While covering a few different topics, the interview was at its best when we discussed the difficulties inherent in the making peace, and the role of religion in peacemaking.

Here is an excerpt:

Q: Many people see religion as an inflexible force that perpetuates the conflict between the Arabs and the Jews, yet at the Sulha Peace Project religion is harnessed as a force for peace and unity. Can you speak to the use of religion as an instrument for peace?

A: There a saying in Hebrew: hadinim nimtakim beshorsham, which means “stern judgment is sweetened from the root.” I believe that religion is at the root of both the conflict and the solution. At our gatherings, we have all kinds of people – religious & secular – but we do use the gems of religion as possibilities for healing. I think that one of the problems with the Oslo peace process for example was that the religious were kept out of the discussion. There was zero mention of the root of peace in the Koran and Torah, for example. Something was missing. For most of the people who are involved in this conflict, religion matters. If you touch the positive part of religion, it has highly medicinal power.

Q: On your website, you say that the goal of the Sulha Peace project is to heal and reconcile the children of Abraham. Why the emphasis on Abraham?

A: Abraham is our common father. Likewise, Sarah and Hagar are our mothers. We all come from the same family, the same tribe.

Q: I am sure that such recognition goes a long way — but isn’t Abraham also the father who is willing to sacrifice his children in the name of God? Isn’t Abraham’s relationship with his children also an apt metaphor for the willingness of authority figures in this conflict to blindly sacrifice their children on the altar of some religious or secular ideology?

A: I personally think Abraham is an archetype. I realize that he is a very complex figure. We can go into a discussion about the binding of Isaac/Ishmael, or how he let Hagar and Ishmael go out into the desert (though he made a point to visit them there), but I see him as a figure of compassion and humanity. He opened his tent to the four directions, and provided hospitality to strangers. Legend goes he would wash the feet of pilgrims and feed them. He defended the innocent at Sodom and Gomorrah. In the Kabbalah he’s related to unconditional loving-kindness, as the creator of the morning prayers, as flowing water.

To read more, click here.

Encounter Point – Turning Pain Into Peace

In remembering Gandhi (below) Katia Santibanez writes:

“I was walking by Union Square in NYC today and noticed that Gandhi’s statue had a new necklace made of fresh flowers, I know why now.
Gandhi is dead but his spirit and his message is still alive. I just saw the movie ENCOUNTER POINT (which I recommend highly) where non violence and non retaliation are the messages of Israelis and Palestinians families, which connect to Gandhi ‘s mind.”

Encounter Point is indeed a great film that people should rent and see. Back in November 2006 I wrote the following review of the film for Tikkun magazine.

Encounter Point: Turning Pain Into Peace
By Roi Ben-Yehuda

One of the harsh lessons of the Arab-Israeli conflict is that suffering does not necessarily ennoble the spirit. Palestinians endure the hardship of occupation, Israelis suffer the scourge of terrorism, both sides respond in kind. The cycle of violence continues. Yet a growing number of Israelis and Palestinians have decided to channel their anger, frustration, and sadness in more constructive ways. These individuals, many of whom have suffered profound personal losses, are the subject of an extraordinary new documentary entitled Encounter Point.

Directed by Ronit Avni and Julia Bacha (director and co-writer of the award-winning doc Control Room), Encounter Point traces the trajectory of eight Palestinians and Israelis who strive for reconciliation and coexistence in their societies. While differing in their views on the causes and solution to the conflict, all the subjects in the film are united by a determination to end the violence and the suffering that it engenders.

Encounter Point introduces us to Robi Damelin, an Israeli mother whose son was killed by a Palestinian sniper in 2002. The film follows Robi as she struggles with the Herculean task of grieving over her son, and fighting the very system that put him in harm’s way. “Sometimes I’m very angry with myself that I didn’t protect my child”, Robi says, ” So what do you do with this pain? Do you take it and look for revenge and keep the whole cycle of violence going, or do you choose another path to prevent further death and further pain to other parents.”

Another key figure in Encounter Point is Ali Abu Awwad, a young Palestinian whose brother was shot dead by an Israeli solider at a checkpoint in 2001. Ali, who himself has been shot and imprisoned, is seen in the film traveling across the West Bank advocating a Gandhi-like solution to the conflict. “I could be considered a hero by my people given what I’ve been through”, Ali tells us, “I could be spreading hate and that would be justified. But this is no longer a personal issue for me, it’s a collective one. ”

Robi and Ali are joined in the film by other courageous voices for peace and reconciliation. These include Shlomo Zagman, a former Israeli settler who labors to live his life outside the physical, political, and psychological parameters of his former home; and Sami Al Jundi, a former militant Palestinian whose exposure to the writings of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela during ten years of incarceration led him to tirelessly work for peace-building projects.

Encounter Point invites us to enter the lives of these activists for a period of 16 months. We get a glimpse, intimate yet never voyeuristic, of the personal challenges that each faces: From consistently having their efforts criticized, to the price of being socially ostracized. “People are not free to say what they think”, Ali laments, “any meeting with Israelis calling for non-violence is immediately labeled as “normalization.” This refers to someone who sells his principles, who gives in to his enemies and killers.”

Perhaps the most emotional scene in the film is when Robi learns that her son’s killer has been captured. Visibly shaken by the news, she nevertheless decides to write a letter to his family. In the letter, Robi states “After your son was captured I spent many sleepless night thinking about what to do. Should I ignore the whole thing, or will I be true to my integrity and to the work that I am doing, and try to find a way for closure and reconciliation? This is not easy for anyone, and I’m just an ordinary person and not a saint.” We later learn that the killer’s family welcomed Robi’s letter, and that they are trying to find a way to meet.

While the film explores the multitude of ways in which its subjects strive for peace and reconciliation, its main focus is on the Bereaved Families Forum – an organization of 500 families, 250 Israeli and 250 Palestinian, who come together on a monthly basis to share stories and discuss a way out of the violent impasse that paralyzes their societies.

There is something unmistakably powerful about individuals who by any account have every right to be angry, hateful, and seek revenge, yet decide to turn their potent emotions into a power for peace. As one of the bereaved parents in the film put it, “If we who lost what is most precious can talk to each other, and look forward to a better future, then everyone else must do so, too.”

In the end, Encounter Point serves as an answer to anyone who ever uttered the words “We don’t have anyone to talk to”, or, “Peace is not in their culture.” Far from being a feel good movie, Encounter Point still manages to disarm, humble, and inspire its viewers. This film is a must-see for anyone who cares about the prospects for peace in the Middle East.

For more information about the film, click here.

Remembering the Great Soul

It was 60 years ago today that a Hindu fanatic put an end to Mahatma Gandhi’s life. To mark this anniversary, the remains of the man who brought an empire to its knees were scattered off the coast of Mumbai. To read more click here.

Today Is World Orgasm Day

WHO? All Men and Women, you and everyone you know.

WHERE? Everywhere in the world, but especially in countries with weapons of mass destruction and places where violence is used in place of mediation.

WHEN? Solstice Day – December 22, at 06:08 Universal Time (GMT)

WHY? To effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through input of the largest possible instantaneous surge of human biological, mental and spiritual energy.

To learn more, click here.

“Religion Ceases to Exist in the Middle East”

Here is a scenario and question for you: You wake up tomorrow morning and to your utter astonishment your paper’s front page reads: “Religion Ceases to Exist in the Middle East”. Will this increase or decrees the chance for Peace between the Arabs and the Jews?

Here is what some good folks over at facebook had to say when I posted my hypothetical scenario and question to them:

Shalom Roi, The scenario you describe would be the perfect setup for a false “peace” that would merely become “the calm before the storm”, and then with everyone doing “what’s right in their OWN eyes” outside of moral guidelines, there truly would be hell on earth such as has not been seen since the days of faithful Noach just before the Flood…..

If there is no more religion in the middle east then there definitly wudnt be any problems between arabs and jews .. and that only because jews will cease to exist .. since jews refer to people who follow judaism.. which is a religion and thus doesnt exist..

I do think religion plays a major role, I think the Jerusalem and the settlers issues would be easier to accept for both sides, there would be no groups like hamas and islamic jihad, hence much less terrorist attacks….

This is my view. The whole conflict is based around the concept of religion. Time and time again you see Jewish settlers and Muslim Palestinians over the news. Religion, if one believes in it, is supposed to be peaceful, the whole Palestine/Israel conflict seems to contradict that notion…..

I think if anything it would cause more violence. These people believe in their religion so much, i think if they found out that it wasn’t real they would probably lash out against their counterparts whom they already hate….

In my opinion, I think religion doesnt play a great role in the conflict. Jews and Muslims lived togeather under each others rules in Madina with the prophet (pbuh)…..

The issue here is tolerance, not religion. No matter what you call your creator, if you call it God, Jesus Christ, Allah, Science, Mother Nature, or a host of other names.. the simple fact is that we are all brothers and sisters of the SAME creation. Jews and Arabs weren’t created by different forces. We all have the common brotherhood of humanity and should peacefully work toward achieving more tolerant societies. Neither religion preaches intolerance and hatred yet it exists. So i think without those guiding forces a similiar conflict would still exist. It would certainly have a different origin. the same sort of conflict could exist over economics, capitalism vs. socialism. The FARC in Colombia have been fighting for 40 years over economics of their country. The U.S. have been waging a much more silent, yet still just as real) economic war against Cuba for 50 years. I think it comes down to tolerance.

I’m a Christian, but I believe God gave Israel to the Jewish people. Although he took it away at times throughout history, he always returned the Jews to their land, because it is rightfully theirs….

The conflict has very little to do with religion anymore- yes Judaism always ‘yearned for a return to Zion” and Jerusalem is a Holy City for the Muslims too. But I think the conflict has moved beyond religion. Its about land, power, racial supremacy and pride. On the other hand if there was no longer a Koranic quote that states “”The Day of Judgement will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews.” Then maybe there could be peace. Because after the Arabs wouldn’t be fighting for an Arab and there Muslim majority. Don’t know its a difficult question……I sometimes think that if Israel was a Christian country rather than a Jewish one the conflict would be no different. Look at what happend to the Coptic Christians in Lebanon. Not much different in some ways.