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Story by Paul Ingles
The crisis in the
Middle East is having a particular ripple effect far awayâin the foothills of
the Sangre de Christo Mountains in New Mexico. Thatâs where youâll find the
Creativity for Peace Camp. The campers are teenage girls â Palestinians, and
Israeli Jews and Arabs -- learning how to get along with each other. They
didn't count on hearing that their family and friends back home were in danger
from the new fighting. Paul Ingles reports from New Mexico that while stress
levels among the campers rose, their peacemaking efforts continued.
DIANA
FRAIJA: I was very worried about my Dad. He works in Lebanon but I tried to
call him but it doesn't work. I don't know what's happened there.
INGLES:
You haven't heard from him? DIANA: no. INGLES: Have any of your family heard
from him?
DIANA:
no.
INGLES:
Diana Fraija is a 17 year old Palestinian Muslim from the West Bank. She and
about 20 other girls from the Middle East arrived at this makeshift peace camp
near Santa Fe in early July. Normally, the staff keeps a blackout on news from
back home to offer the girls a break from the violence. But this time, camp
director Rachel Kaufman brought everyone together to view the news on the
internet when the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah exploded.
RACHEL
KAUFMAN: That morning a lot of crying, a lot of fear expressed, some
hopelessness and helplessness. A lot of anger towards governments. And then
because they were all concerned, we let them all telephone home.
INGLES:
Arab-Israeli Fairuz Abadi is an 18 year old Muslim. An alum of the camp, sheâs
now on the staff. She found her family safe but says sheâs been on edge ever
since.
FAIRUZ:
My Uncle lives in Haifa and they are all the time shooting there. So it's very
difficult for me, I have my cousins there. I can't imagine what will happen.
Hezbollah doesn't care about the Arabs and the Jews and it makes me angry! I
want this situation to stop. I want this war to stop because we can't live like
this.
INGLES:
After letting the girls in on the initial news of the fighting, camp staff
members have buffered the teens from daily updates. The campers are allowed
one call home a week and some of them are hearing the fear in their relativeâs
voices. Again Diana Fraija.
DIANA: My
mother told me that I hope that you will not come back. It really hurts me
and.how can a mother told me something like that? But the situation is really
hard there.
INBAR:
There's a lot of girls who live in the north, so we're all a bit worried.
INGLES:
17 year old Inbar Nir-Hakem is a Jew from upper Galilee.
INBAR:
.and we're also worried about our Palestinian friend's family because, we're
getting bombs only now but they're in danger all the times.
INGLES:
Fostering this kind of empathy for the other side is what the camp is all about,
says director Rachel Kaufman. Each day begins with a group session. The campers
sit in a circle to hear each others stories and share their own truths about
their lives.
RACHEL
KAUFMAN: And we have them seated Jew-Arab-Jew-Arab. If someone from Palestine
is talking about a bad experience with a soldier, or at a checkpoint, you'll
always see the Israelis go over and comfort them, and hug them. And vice versa,
if an Israeli is really afraid because their parents are sitting in a shelter
somewhere, a Palestinian will walk across the room and sit next to them and just
hold their hand.
INGLES:
Kaufman is a psychologist who was visiting the Middle East in 1973 when the Yom
Kippur War broke out. She kept returning to the region regularly and developed
a clientele there. Three years ago, she and an artist friend established the
Creativity for Peace Camp. The goal is to bring adolescent girls whoâve been
taught to think of each other as enemies to a safe place. By
living together for three weeks, engaging in daily dialogue, and collaborating
on art work, they begin to see each other differently.
CAMPER:
Hi. The art room is over there.
INGLES:
The house where the girls stay has been donated for the campâs use while its
owner summers elsewhere. The home's garage has been converted into an art
room. Inbar is applying plaster strips to another camper's face.
INBAR:
I'm making er. I'm making a mask. I'm going to put three layers of these.
plasters and then they will dry out and I'll take it off and I'll have a mask
exactly for her face.
INGLES:
Camp assistant Kate Latimer.
KATE:
There's a sense of empathy and compassion that you see that they're doing right
now. I mean you have Israeli Jewish girls laying back in a chair and allowing
Palestinian girls and Arab-Israeli girls cover their face, cover their eyes,
cover their mouth, they can only breath through their nose. The level of trust
that is happening is really beautiful to watch. And yes, there's always that
reality present. In three days they have to go home.
INGLES:
The campers aren't sure what they'll find back home. Some expect their families
will have them stay elsewhere until the fighting has eased. And they'll
continue to look for support from their new friends, staying in touch via email
and at occasional meetings set up by camp staffers living in Israel. The girls
have their hearts set on making change.
BARAA: We
have a lot of solutions for peace.
INGLES:
Baraa Darawashe is a 17 year old Arab-Israeli Muslim. Her t-shirt says, Peace
Also Takes Courage.
BARAA:
.How great it would be if we put both of our governments in this room. So lock
them up in one room so either they understand each other and become friends and
there will be peace, or they'll kill each other and both sides will be winners
(laughs) INBAR: And we'll have a new government.
INGLES:
Again, thatâs Israeli Jew Inbar Nir-Hakem, whoâll soon begin her compulsory
service in the Israeli military, but says sheâll request a non-combat
assignment. Ameera Isaed, a Palestinian Christian from Jenin chimes in
AMEERA:
We will be in the government one day and we already want peace in our hearts.
So we can make change in our governments.
INGLES:
For the World, I'm Paul Ingles, Glorietta, New Mexico.
Paul
Ingles
Independent Producer
www.paulingles.com
SHOW LINKS
Paul Ingles Web Site
Direct Link to Paul's article on "The World" including his pictures (all
pictures www.PaulIngles.com
)
Direct link
to the WMA audio stream.
The World is a co-production of the BBC,
PRI, and WGBH Boston.
Additional funding for The World
is provided by:
Merck
The Medtronic Foundation
Capitol Group Companies
How to contact Paul
Paul Ingles
Independent Producer
NPR Liaison To Independent Producers
www.paulingles.com
505-255-1219
PO Box 35442
Albuquerque, NM 87176
505-255-1219
LINKS
Creativity for
Peace - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Email Us Here
CLICK
HERE to receive notifications of new Podcasts and other news
The Next Generation of Creative
Leadership for Israel and Palestine 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006
Creativity for Peace is a year round program that brings adolescent girls from
Palestine and Israel out of the violence and conflict of their communities into
the safe New Mexico countryside for a three week summer program that teaches
leadership and communication skills and promotes understanding, trust and
reconciliation.
Upon their return home, the girls continue to
strengthen coexistence through regularly organized meetings, email, and
telephone conferencing. The friendships continue to thrive and grow as they
create new relationships that cross religious and cultural boundaries. The girls
bring the power of their experiences and fresh perspective into the lives of
their families, friends, and communities.
Our program results in the development of deep
friendships, which lead to reconciliation and a true desire for social justice
and peaceful coexistence not only among participants but also throughout the
communities to which they return.
Creativity for Peace, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
CFP #9 Recent Articles about Creativity for
Peace
Santa Fe Reporter
Middle East conflict too close for some in Santa Fe (web)
Wednesday, July 26th, 2006
War and Peace and War by Dan Frosch
Albuquerque Journal
Founder Enjoys Making Impact (may require login to view)
Sunday, July 30th, 2006
Founder Enjoys Making Impact by Journal Staff Report
Click here to view the picture gallery
For media inquires, please contact
Jo Dali/Administrator
505-983-6752
LINKS
Creativity for
Peace - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
Email Us Here
CLICK
HERE to receive notifications of new Podcasts and other news
The Next Generation of Creative
Leadership for Israel and Palestine 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006
Creativity for Peace is a year round program that brings adolescent girls from
Palestine and Israel out of the violence and conflict of their communities into
the safe New Mexico countryside for a three week summer program that teaches
leadership and communication skills and promotes understanding, trust and
reconciliation.
Upon their return home, the girls continue to
strengthen coexistence through regularly organized meetings, email, and
telephone conferencing. The friendships continue to thrive and grow as they
create new relationships that cross religious and cultural boundaries. The girls
bring the power of their experiences and fresh perspective into the lives of
their families, friends, and communities.
Our program results in the development of deep
friendships, which lead to reconciliation and a true desire for social justice
and peaceful coexistence not only among participants but also throughout the
communities to which they return.
Creativity for Peace, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
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