EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
jam:
Little Known, Far Reaching
Jezreel Valley
M
aya Paran, a 14-year-old Israeli Jew, is exposed to
Israeli Arabs through a coexistence program funded
in part by Michigan Jewry. The program encour-
ages dialogue between Jewish and Arab kids on neutral turf.
Maya thinks it's important for Jews and Arabs to get along.
"We live in the same country," the sixth-grader said. "We
don't want there to be fighting. Why wouldn't we get along?"
Good question.
The answer is because too much of the Arab world despises
the Jewish presence and espouses a Zionist hatred.
But no matter how Israeli Arabs view their Jewish-run gov-
ernment, many still have Jewish friends. I discovered this
when I visited Israel with delegates from the
Metro Detroit, Washtenaw County and
Grand Rapids federations. We were celebrat-
ing the 10th anniversary of Michigan Jewry's
partnership with the Central Galilee through
a Jewish Agency for Israel initia-
tive.
Maya is the daughter of Karen
and Gadi Paran of Kibbutz Ein
ROBERT A.
Dor, not far from the biblical
SKLAR
Mount Tabor. She has grown up
Editor
in a family open to cultural
diversity. As a toddler, she'd
accompany her mother on archaeological digs
where most of the workers were Arab.
The mantra of the coexistence program she is
enrolled in at the Museum of Archaeology at
Kibbutz Ein Dor is "building together a bridge to
the present through the study of the past." The
program helps participants get to know one
another — to learn about each other's heritage
and history, and to respect each other's traditions
Maya Paran
and language. Everyone is equal.
The program pairs an Arab school with a
Jewish school. Each year, fourth-, fifth- and
sixth-graders from each school meet eight times — for a full
school day every two weeks.
The program is not a glorified sitter service. And it has
withstood the test of time, including the intifida.
The three-year program progresses from the study of
archaeology to multiculturalism to the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Ruins capture the imagination so are a good launching point
for dialogue between kids who share the same holy land.
Kids in the program confront stigmas and stereotypes while
wrestling with moral issues. Positive interaction is the key.
"We spend the whole day together at the museum so there
is a lot of time to talk and play," Maya said. "We always work
together side by side when we do the activities in the muse-
urn. Once, we built a house together out of cardboard boxes
and then sat in it and told stories. During the break, we all
like to share and trade our snacks."
Two Cultures, One Country
Against the backdrop of Palestinian terror waged against Jews
for the last 49 months, Maya's innocence inspires me. It shows
that Jewish kids can genuinely connect with Arab children not
indoctrinated to become shahids (martyrs for Allah) who mur-
der Jews, their so-called oppressors.
Israeli Jews, 5.18 million strong, don't have the Jewish state
to themselves; they share it with 1.6 million Arabs. Maya's
mother, Karen, a Philadelphia native who made aliyah 20
years ago, says: "Our future here depends on a peaceful coexis-
tence with our neighbors and also on more integration
between the two people."
Many Israelis argue for segregation between Jews and Arabs
— for tolerance toward the other but little more. In the
Central Galilee, few Jews and Arabs are neighbors. There's
mutual wariness, if not fear, despite some friendships.
I like Karen's coexistence approach provided the Arabs are
willing partners — not hypocrites. The museum program is a
great place to start.
Program groups have Arab and Jewish kids and teachers;
Hebrew and Arabic are spoken. Each get-together has a social
aspect, a learning experience and a creative activity. Field trip
destinations include each student's school. "It is amazing how
easy it is and how natural it is for these children to get togeth-
er after just a few meetings," Karen said.
The parents interact, too. "Every time the parents meet,"
Karen said, "we always seem to express our wishes of meeting
again and wanting to get to know each
other better."
Karen's son Nadav, 15, was in the pro-
gram when the Palestinian reign of terror
broke out in 2000, yet he felt perfectly
safe visiting a nearby Arab village on the
home hospitality day. The Arab kids were
just as warmly received in Jewish homes.
"The home hospitality was definitely a
landmark in building the relationships
between the kids," Karen said.
A Proven Value
The coexistence program was funded
from 2001 to 2003 by the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
of Ofakim School
Nora Lee & Guy Barron Millennium
Fund. Federation's Partnership 2000 allo-
cation has included $10,000 for the pro-
gram each of the past two years.
Nora Barron has been a P2K activist from the start. The
Bloomfield Hills resident acknowledges the cultural briar
patch that is Israel, but is convincing in her assessment that
the program can make a difference.
"It'll help us have a better chance at the coexistence and
peace that we all want," she said. "You walk into the museum
and see smiling faces of kids, period. You don't think about
whether they are Jews or Arabs."
Hana Sbaih is an Arab math teacher and sixth-grade adviser
for the program. "It demystifies the differences between us,"
she said convincingly.
The program stands in contrast to a new Palestinian hate
music video. The video blames Israel and the Jews for all ter-
ror and suffering by forcing the hand of world powers, accord-
ing to the Jerusalem-based Palestinian Media Watch.
The museum program has touched the lives of only a cou-
ple of hundred kids, but it is definitely a worthy response to
Palestinian Authority propaganda.
Karen Paran put it well: "It is not easy to live in Israel and it
is not easy to raise children here with the fear that all parents,
Jewish and Arab, have for safety. Somehow, programs like this
one give all of us hope that we can live together, that our chil-
dren can play and study together, and that there can be a
future for coexistence and most importantly, friendship."
Sometimes, it's the programs that don't grab headlines that
really matter.
We take
Tributes
personally.
Personal Attention
By Mail, Phone, Fax or Online
Personal Greetings
Every Card Uniquely Yours
Personal Service
One Day Processing
Personal Care
For the Men, Women and Children
We Serve Throughout Their Lives
248.538.6611
Fax 248.538.6615
www.jarc.org
4iN
30301 Northwestern • Suite 100
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
2004
11/26
5