Envisioning and Living
a Better Present: A Reflection on This Year’s Musalaha Camps
Each year, Musalaha holds one camp in Israel for Israeli
and Palestinian children. Since many of
our Musalaha children are growing up and still want to participate in our
camps, we decided to hold two camps in Israel this year, one for junior youth
ages 12-14 and our regular camp for children ages 8-11.
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| Theme of the camp for this year was Road Signs. |
This year as we approached the Musalaha camps, Israel was
in the midst of an ongoing operation in Gaza resulting in daily military
attacks by the IDF, and Israel faced daily rocket attacks by Hamas. We faced new fears by Israeli and
Palestinian parents questioning whether to send their children. Israeli parents were afraid of the
possibility that the camp location might be hit by rockets coming from Gaza.
Palestinian parents were afraid of the possibility of an attack at the camp
location by right wing extremists targeting Palestinians. Both fears were very
strong, especially since Israeli and Palestinian media outlets fed these fears.
Additionally, I myself was afraid of the danger and responsibility I hold over
the children and my team of counsellors. Initially I thought that the camps
will be cancelled because of the political situation.
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| Camp Invitations |
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| Announcement to parents |
The first fear I had to overcome was my own. I had to
overcome my fear of this cycle of violence, and put it in the right
perspective. In the process of doing
that, I realized what it means that our conflict is an intractable one. In
part, it means that our political leaders are not interested in solving this
conflict in the same way I would want it solved. I questioned why then they
should be allowed to control my response to this cycle.
So, my conclusion was that I either allow this fear to
paralyze or mobilize my response to this conflict. My fear can paralyze me by letting our
leaders dictate how and when we, Israeli and Palestinian believers, meet each
other. We should wait until the fighting is over and there is no more violence
to meet again. We should only meet when our leaders allow it. On the other hand, my fear can mobilize me
and my commitment to meet despite what our leaders are dictating to us. During trying times, they often call us to
identify with our national and ethnic group, and that loyalty is expected to
exceed all others. By isolating
ourselves from contact with the other, we allow our society to dictate what our
brothers and sisters are experiencing and feeling.
To go against your society is the harder choice for
several reasons. First, it is hard because I am asked to bypass the fear that
my society builds in me. If you grow up here, you are well aware that each side
believes there is no partner for peace. “They are not interested in a peace. We
gave them so many chances,” is what each side will say about the other side.
At the camp this summer, one Israeli child borrowed a
counsellors’ head band and put it on his face and said “Look! I’m an Arab
terrorist!” Our image of the other side is crystalized at a young age, and our
natural response is collective fear of the other side. And this is where we can
use this chance to plants seeds of change. Sana, the counselor who heard his
comment, took this young boy aside and had a conversation with him about making
generalizations and breaking stereotypes. She stated that when he generalizes
about Arabs, that hurt her feelings because she is an Arab. The child
understood what he had said and apologized, and that was the end of it.
Second, it is hard to go against society because we are dependent
on others to succeed. The camp cannot happen without children or counsellors. I
may be willing to overcome my fears surrounding the camp, but would the parents
do so too? Much of the success of this camp relies on the parents who
courageously trust our judgment, and send their children to our camp. This is a
loud statement that we, as a segment of believers, stand firm together despite
these dark times. Through our ten years of work in children’s camps, we have
been successful in creating a community where Israeli and Palestinian parents
send their children to a reconciliation camp. We acknowledge and appreciate the
parents who send their children regularly, and especially this summer.
Finally, it is hard because of the physical fear itself.
During the camp we heard sirens. We were well-prepared for them, and all of the
children and staff were in the safe room on time before we heard the Iron Dome
launch its anti-missiles to strike down the rockets. Similar to sleeping time,
Palestinian and Israeli children were in the same room together with their
counsellors. They would wait in the room lying on the floor with their hands
over their heads for ten minutes. And during this time, the counsellors decided
how they would pass the time. Some of the counsellors decided to pray together,
others decided to sing, and others to play a game. It didn’t matter who these
children were, they were sharing the same experience. One of the children
noted, “At first I was nervous when we were under our beds, waiting on the
boom, but then we started singing ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ and when we sang ‘We are
weak but He is strong,’ I knew He was strong enough to take care of us, and
then I was comforted.”
After the ten minute wait, I would knock on the doors to
the rooms and ask them to come out. There wasn’t a single room where I saw
tears, but rather smiles and laughter. It was as if nothing had happened and
the program would continue. I was inspired by the children’s level of
resilience and readjustment.
We have many reasons to fear in times of conflict, and at
the same time we have many opportunities to transform this fear into a glimpse
of hope to those around us. One of the counselors summarized this with a moving
observation. In this camp we had an Israeli counselor whose brother had just
been deployed to Gaza with his army unit, and in the same room we had a
Palestinian camper whose grandparents live in Gaza. This counselor took care of this camper and
watched over him all day.
By Shadia Qubti
p.s. you can find the same article in Arabic on linga. click here
