A troubling portrayal in the New York Review of Books by Peter Beinart of American Jewish leadership and Israeli society is a must reading.
by Kim Walker on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
OneVoice teamed up with students at Tirtza Grannot [the Academy of Commercial Communications] in Tel Aviv to create moving visuals that address many of the key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The best 40 were then exhibited and a winner was chosen. The winning poster is below, and the tagline says, "People Are Dying. To End The Conflict."
For anyone who maybe losing hope that the Palestinians and Israelis will ever overcome their past to build a brighter future, here’s a story that should awaken the potential we all have to make a deep difference. Elias Khoury lost his land to Israel and his father and son to attacks by Palestinians, and now he has sought to bridge the gap by funding the translation of a prominent Israeli author, Amos Oz, into Arabic.
by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
Tom Friedman wrote an interesting article about a period that he sees as a turning point in Islamism. He tells the story of Islamic Fundamentalism but strikes a hopeful tone.
I have noticed over the years that every incident, every data point, every fact, and certainly every news story is interpreted differently by Israelis and Palestinians, each time suspecting bias against them. Here is a study that explains the psychology behind the perceived partisan bias towards the other side.
In a remarkable sermon, Syria’s highest Sunni religious authority spoke courageously and powerfully about religions requiring humanity and respect, including these statements:
“If the Prophet Mohammed had asked me to deem Christians or Jews heretics, I would have deemed Mohammed himself a heretic."
Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun also “said Islam was a religion of peace, adding: ‘If Mohammed had commanded us to kill people, I would have told him he was not a prophet.’”
I have received about twenty forwards from proud Jewish friends about Israel’s humanitarian contributions to Haiti – most frequently this CNN video. It is sad how this humanitarian mission gets twisted by opponents (or extreme supporters) of Israel into a political issue. Disregarding that noise and not connecting it to Mideast policies, a picture is clearly emerging that Israeli technology and services have been at the cutting edge in Haiti, as reported by TIME:
Eight hours later, they were still there waiting for treatment, but Loremas knew that his 18-year-old niece Richline was one of the lucky ones. Like his little sister, whom he had deposited at the same field hospital the day before, she would be getting the best care possible in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The Israeli hospital can treat only about 100 people a day, but it is the paramount medical center operating in Haiti in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake. It receives the cases that other hospitals find difficult and cannot manage. Upon entry, patients are photographed, and then they and their electronic records are digitally tracked around the tent complex with bar-coded bracelets. Ninety percent of those in Israeli hands have complex crushed limbs and bones — crush syndrome. But given the severity of the injuries and the conditions in apocalyptic Port-au-Prince, the hospital has had an amazing success rate: of the more than 400 people treated by Jan. 19, only eight had died.
Jason Alexander often shares with prospective OneVoice supporters that the first thing that drew him to OneVoice was not the creativity, courage or logic of our plans, but the parental empathy he felt when my friend Mohammad Darawshe.
Mohammad spoke about his efforts to steer his then 9 year-old son Fares away from the commitment to become a Shahid. Back in 2001, Fares had told his Dad that, just like he had met his commitment to make the soccer team, and just like he had met his pledge to score the highest grades in class, he now was committing to achieve martyrdom. These were heady times, when Israelis and Palestinians were engaged in one of the deepest cycles of violence in their history. Mohammad took the warning signs seriously. He more than succeeded in steering Fares towards positive ways to lead his people, and today Fares attends Kings Academy in Jordan and is – like his Dad – one of the brightest hopes that Israelis, Palestinians and internationals have for peace and reconciliation.
This powerful article by Ethan Bronner made me think of Jason’s emotional connection with Mohammad’s plight. Back then I had no children. Now I do. And this piece made me shed more than one tears of hope.
December 31, 2009
By ETHAN BRONNER, New York Times
JERUSALEM — He can be impulsive. She has a touch of bossiness. Next-door neighbors for nearly a year, they talk, watch television and explore the world together, wandering into each other’s homes without a second thought. She likes his mother’s eggplant dish. He likes her father’s rice and lamb.
Friendship often starts with proximity, but Orel and Marya, both 8, have been thrust together in a way few elsewhere have. Their playground is a hospital corridor. He is an Israeli Jew severely wounded by a Hamas rocket. She is a Palestinian Muslim from Gaza paralyzed by an Israeli missile. Someone forgot to tell them that they are enemies.
Interesting article by IPF’s Roberta Fahn Schoffman on recent moves by Prime Minister Netanyahu to enforce restrictions against Settlement building.
