2004 Directors' Word
Michal Divon
Dear Friends,
Peace Camp Canada was created as the result of a desire for action in the midst of a frustrating conflict.
What initially inspired me to act towards peace rather than sit back and hope for peace was an email I received from a dear friend of mine in Israel, Arena Derfler.
Arena lost her father and uncle in a suicide bombing at a train station in Nahariya, as they were on their way home to Arena and her family in Mevasseret-Tzion, a suburb outside of Jerusalem.
A few months after the tragic incident, Arena wrote an email directed to the world where she spoke of her fears, her country, and mainly of the pain equally felt by both Israelis and Palestinians thus stressing the urgent need to act.
Arena's email was mind boggling, and though I wasn't sure what to do with it, I knew something had to be done.
In grade 11 I met Lana, the Jordanian Ambassadors daughter, and Tara, an Iranian-Canadian who had moved to Ottawa after having lived in Saudi Arabia for 5 years. This was my first encounter with someone who, up until that moment, would have been considered "the enemy" and whose opinions regarding the conflict greatly differed from my own.
Lana, Tara and I did not get along initially because of our nationalities and religious differences and each decided to keep a distance from one another.
What changed that was my realization and questioning of myself. How could I expect peace to be accomplished back home when I couldn't even speak to someone with opposing views here in Canada?
I approached Tara the next day and asked her to join me on what I saw as a 'mission'. Together we started an initiative promoting awareness in Canada about the Israeli Palestinian conflict, a 'mission' urging tolerance and dialogue.
My own stigmas and fears of the other side disappeared and I came to not only respect people from the "other side", but I also came to trust them, and to love them.
Although the initiative was very successful, Lana and Tara unfortunately were not able to continue with our speaking engagements due to other personal commitments.
I continued to speak on my own, but very soon realized that although words are important they are simply not enough.
I wanted other Israeli and Palestinian youth to have the opportunities I had. I wanted Israeli and Palestinian youth to be able to meet and to discover on their own what I had been able to discover while living in Canada. I decided to start a "peace camp".
While this project is still in its early stages, I am greatly inspired by the interest and support shown so far.
I would like to thank all those who have offered their help and support in order to ensure the success of "Peace Camp Canada".
Sincerely,
Michal Divon
Camp Co-Director
Forsan Hussein
Dear Friends,
I welcome you all to Peace Camp Canada.
I am a Palestinian-Israeli (Palestinian citizen of Israel), one of 6 children raised in a small Arab village in the mountains of the Galilee. Children of this conflict are often brought up like I was, absorbing the blindness of ignorance and the bitterness of fear into their hearts.
I will never forget the day, as a small child, I was asked to take part in an event hosted by Shemesh, a coexistence summer peace camp in the Galilee supported by The Abraham Fund. The occasion was Tu B'Shevat, or Arbor Day for the Jewish people. Holding small pine trees with my Palestinian classmates and teachers, I headed up the hill toward the neighboring Jewish village, full of anticipation and fear. On that day, we - Jewish and Arab children - laughed, played, ate, and planted trees together. It was a beginning.
I was ten years old when I first met a Jew. I was ten years old when I first acknowledged the stereotypes, fear, and ignorance rooted in me. What could have been a one-time visit to that Jewish village has turned into a lifetime passion. Today, at the age of 26, I find myself in synagogues, mosques, churches and universities across North America, advocating for equality and peaceful coexistence - because I know, firsthand, that it works.
Through my sixteen year involvement in peacemaking I have learned that for Palestinians and Israelis, Arabs and Jews, our similarities by far exceed our differences, and there is a way for us all to live together. I have learned that our common humanity is far more important than our cultural and religious divides. I have learned that peace is inevitable for our choices are limited; we either co-exist, or co-destruct. I have learned that my task in life is not to predict the future, but rather to create it. I have learned that hopelessness and helplessness are not options. This is the beginning.
Had it not been for that first coexistence encounter, I could have ended up like many young people in Israel and Palestine and followed demagogues who preach violence and hatred. Just imagine what could be achieved if others are given the same opportunities as I had!
This is why I am proud to be a part of Peace Camp Canada where new opportunities are given to young adults who will ultimately shape our future. Peace Camp Canada, the only camp of its kind that brings Palestinian and Israeli youth from Israel and Palestine to Ottawa's neutral ground, will be an unforgettable ten-day journey of building bridges together and marking a new beginning based on cooperation, tolerance and respect.
This year, we are awarding full scholarships to 24 Palestinian and Israeli students to be the first class of young leaders completing the peace camp and returning to their towns and villages with all that this life changing experience will give them.
At Peace Camp Canada, we focus on the young generation because we believe that since only a portion of the present belongs to today's youth, certainly one hundred percent of the future belongs to them, again, as the leaders of tomorrow.
We are bringing top Arab and Jewish facilitators who have all had extensive experience in peacebuilding to help us accomplish our mission of turning a new page. We have to start somewhere and Peace Camp Canada is just the beginning.
Sincerely,
Forsan Hussein
Co-Director