ISIME Builds Bridges Among Teens
OUR HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
By Pam Solomon
ISIME Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Filled with the liveliness of teenagers, voices of enthusiasm echoed in the Cable Center ISIME Videoconference, “Next time, let’s maybe meet together in person!”
“Yeah, come to Israel!”
From the moment the faces of Israeli teens appeared on the screen at 9:30 a.m. Colorado time on August 9, it was obvious that the most poignant realization for all of us was reflected in comments made among our Iraqi guests waiting for the sound problems to be ironed out so the videoconference could begin.
“Aren’t you surprised that they look like us? “
“I didn’t expect to see Arabs in Israel.”
What was their commonality? They were all teenagers from the Middle East. The Denver side represented high school students from Iraq: Shia, Sunni, Kurd and Christian kids, while the Israeli side represented Palestinian Arabs: Muslms and Christians, Bedoins and Jews. And who could arrange this kind of seemingly impossible exchange? ISIME, the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East at the University of Denver.
“It was history in the making,” beamed Professor Shaul Gabbay. “These kids far exceeded our expectations. They were sweet and modest at the start, and by the end -their enthusiam radiated throughout the room. They truly touched my heart, making me even more committed to pursue peace for THEM in the Middle East.”
Iraqi students visiting Denver through a grant from the U.S. State Department accepted ISIME’s invitation to participate in the ISIME Building Bridges for Peace Videoconference. Extreme security was provided by ISIME to conceal the identities of these Iraqi children, as it is known that when they return to Iraq their lives will be endangered should anyone find out they visited the United States. Certainly it would not be popular among terrorists to know that these visiting Iraqi teenagers spoke to young people from the State of Israel.
On a giant screen, the kind you find in large theaters, the faces of the Israeli teens was a site of multicultural beauty. Around the table, led by ISIME Israel Director Shaul Amir, sat Palestinian Muslims and Christians from the Galilee, Bedoins from the south and Jews from Ramat Negev. On the table was an abundance of fruit and breads, and they chatted around the table with each other before the conference began.
It was not the fruit the Iraqis requested, but “Can you pass me a coke? I’m thirsty.” That question, asked by Kufar broke the ice and the conversation began. The Iraqis asked, “Why are there Arabs in your room?”
Amir explained, “You see our population has nearly 1.2 million Arabs in a country of 6.5 million. These friends are citizens. They are our brothers, our fellow Israelis.”
“What do you know about Israel,” asked Jacov?
“Nothing,” was the reply.
Facilitated by notable teacher and human rights advocate, ISIME Associate Barb Vogel, the Iraqis sitting in Denver were asked, “Do you know where Israel is? The response was embarrassingly quiet, as typically Israel does not appear on maps in Arab countries.
Common ground existed when talking about hopes and dreams for the future. “We want to bring back a smile to Iraq,” explained Sufar. “We love our country and want to return to help restore it.”
“We want to live with our neighbors in peace – free of terror,” explained Yosi from the Negev, the dessert area of Israel bordering on the Gaza Strip and Hamas.
“Are you glad Saddam Hussein is gone?” asked Dahlia from Israel. The Iraqi answers varied revealing multiple opinions, surprising those of us who knew these teens cannot speak freely at home. “We can’t trust anyone. The enemies are in our neighborhoods, our streets, even in the air.”
Barb Vogel respectfully inserted comments that led the students to reflect on their shared predicaments such as the difficulty of living in countries fighting terror. “All of our countries are at war,” she said. “It’s tough. Now what can we, each one of us, do about it?”
Almost every single hand was raised when she asked both groups, “Do any of you personally know someone who has been killed during these wars?”
One teary-eyed Iraqi girl wanted to be certain the Israelis understood, “We are one Iraq. We don’t fight among ourselves. We love each other.”
“Those that are fighting come from other countries,” said Faed emphatically.
“The first course of action by our government should be to close our borders.”
“I want to make my country better,” explained Shara. “I want everyone to know that most of the terrorists are not Iraqis.”
Perhaps one of the most surprising revelations for the Iraqi students came from Professor Shaul Gabbay, the Executive Director of ISIME. “I welcome you here today as family. You see my father fled from Baghdad where generations of my family had lived for centuries. I, too, am an Arab.”
To say the videoconference was inspiring would trivialize the experience. “This is much bigger that all of us,” revealed Vogel, during a debriefing following the conference. “Just think where we can take this. These beautiful kids on both sides are eager to talk and to make peace. It’s the adults that mess things up.”
Indeed, the desire expressed by many of the Iraqis to visit Israel was touching. “I was a bit speechless,” explained Shaul Gabbay. “What could I tell them? There are so many obstacles to overcome. How could we possibly arrange visas to Israel for kids in a country that considers Israel to be an enemy nation?”
“Perhaps we could make arrangements for both groups to meet in Jordan?” chimed in Pam Solomon, the ISIME Director of Communications.”
Everyone in the room smiled, knowing that among this group of determined peacemakers here in Denver and in Israel, where there’s a will there’s a way…
“Just the fact that these kids came up to me and asked me to arrange a trip to Israel for them is a miracle,” said Gabbay. “I feel like we’re not only making history, we’re touching history-“ he commented with a sense of pride that was well deserved.
ISIME is the Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East, part of the Graduate School for International Studies at the University in Denver. For more information go to www.isime.org. or call 303.871.4995