BY JONATHAN BRODER | In the first-ever program of its kind, Israeli and Arab children will attend a camp in Maine later this summer as part of an effort officially sanctioned by Middle Eastern governments to build bridges of understanding among the region’s next generation.
Entitled “Seeds of Peace,” the camp will bring together 11- to 14-year-old boys from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Egypt and Morocco for three weeks in August on the pine-studded shores of a lake near Portland. The camp’s American organizers say that if the next round of peace talks goes well, the participants also will include children from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Oman and another North African country that has asked to remain unidentified.
“We want to create a relaxing environment for young Arabs and Israelis to learn to understand and trust one another,” says the camp’s founder, John Wallach, a veteran Washington journalist and author.
Although similar efforts have been made in the past, this is the first time that Arabs from countries technically still at war with Israel will participate, and with the blessings of their leaders. In fact, Wallach says he found Israeli and many Arab leaders eager to cooperate. Arming himself last March with endorsements for the camp from a variety of U.S. officials, Wallach was able to secure the green light from several Middle East governments, as well as more than $75,000 in private funding, including contribution from a Saudi prince, in just four months.
Camp organizers say they decided to host only boys to avoid any objections by Islamic fundamentalists. U.S. officials say Syria, Lebanon and Jordan have quietly signaled their desire to send delegations but are waiting for more progress in the peace talks.
For now, each bunk house will sleep six children—one Palestinian, one Arab each from Egypt and Morocco, two Israeli Jews and one Israeli Arab. If the other countries decide to participate, additional beds will be added. Wallach says he deliberately kept the age of the campers below 15 because “we wanted to get them here before they’re politically indoctrinated.”
After the camp session ends on Labor Day, the children will spend a week in Washington, where they will tour museums, including the new U.S. Holocaust Memorial, eat lunch with law-makers on Capitol Hill and meet President Bill Clinton. They will also attend a Baltimore Orioles baseball game, where they will be introduced on the field to an expected 45,000 fans.
Wallach, though, denies that the camp’s goal is to make the boys ambassadors of peace. “I’ll consider it a great success if each one goes back to his country and says, ‘For three weeks, I had a great time at camp with some Israelis and Arabs, and you know what? It was cool.”