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For teenager, peace runs in the family
USA Today

Aug 4, 1998 / No Comments

BY LEE MICHAEL KATZ | OTISFIELD, MAINE When her friends at the Seeds of Peace camp want to tease Dalal Erekat, they call her “Saeb’s daughter.”

Dalal, 16, is the daughter of chief Palestinian peace negotiatior Saeb Erekat. Youths here learn to live in peace while Dalal’s father is still trying to negotiate it.

Dalal had to assume her father’s role and negotiate for Palestinians at a special Seeds of Peace summit in Switzerland in May. She called home to the West Bank town of Jericho with new-found professional respect. “Dad, I know how hard your job is,” Dalal told her father. She learned “the whole land is on his back.”

Deputy U.S. Middle East peace envoy Aaron Miller’s teenage daughter also attended the summit where the Arab and Israeli youths worked out a peace agreement. Shortly afterward, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told Miller and Saeb Erekat, “It’s clear that your kids are doing a lot better job than you are.”

Despite her father’s job as a peacemaker in recent years, Dalal says her view of Israelis was marked by relatives and friends injured in clashes with Israeli soldiers. “I used to hate them because of what I saw in my life,” she says. “Now, I have changed. I am with my Dad.”

Dalal has become close friends with Israeli girls at camp. “We eat together, we sleep together. We talk about boys, music, politics, families.”

Saeb Erekat, 43, says that when he was his daughter’s age he was “throwing stones at Israeli vehicles, demonstrating and fighting.”

He says that it is important for a new Israeli generation “to see my daughter as a human being.”

“I don’t think you can change adults,” Saeb Erekat says. “I really hope that this is a new generation that will be free of all inhibitions.”

That could happen, Dalal says. “The future is not written for me.”

Alumni Profile: Tom
Taking a small chance, making a big impact

Dec 17, 2018 / 1 Comment

Our alumni are working in ways small and large to make an impact in their communities. This “Alumni Profiles” blog series will feature some of our over 7,000 changemakers in 27 countries around the world who are working to transform conflict.

It’s one thing for a coach or a teacher to encourage students to expand their horizons, to push themselves, to see that taking even small steps outside of their comfort zone can make a lasting impact.

It’s another thing for that teacher to follow his or her own advice.

In the spring of 2017, Tom, who is the head of the physical education department at Cony High School in Augusta, Maine, said he was at a point in his nearly 30-year career where he “wanted to throw himself out there a bit.”

A few months later, he found himself unpacking his suitcase in a cabin in rural Maine for Seeds of Peace’s inaugural “Educating in a Diverse Democracy” course. At 57 years old, Tom was becoming a first-time camper.

Tom had become a Maine Seeds advisor earlier that year, and soon after learned about the nascent course. Launched in the summer of 2017, the program was designed to bring together educators from across the country to learn from one another, to focus on their craft, to support Seeds, and to multiply impact across communities where Seeds of Peace already exists or hopes to grow.

The more he learned about Seeds of Peace, the more Tom said felt it aligned with his core beliefs and much of the work he tries to accomplish as an educator.

“I was getting paid to coach sports, but early in my career I found that I was more intrigued by personal growth than whatever I was teaching. Phys-Ed is just a backdrop to making people better people,” he said. “It’s okay if you’re not a great volleyball player. Are you kind to other people? Do you go out of your way to help them? The bar for that sort of thing is pretty high for me.”

He applied for the program hoping it would allow him to better understand the Seeds’ experiences at Camp, and to hopefully pick up more skills for an experiential learning class he teaches at Cony. That class, much like Camp, uses activities like ropes courses and team-building exercises to develop confidence, leadership skills, and the ability to work well in groups.

Boot camp aside (Tom is a fifth-generation Marine), he said his parents never had money to send him and his siblings to summer camp. And like any first-time camper, there were the prerequisite nerves. When he first arrived at the Seeds of Peace Camp, Tom worried about how he, being the only P.E. teacher in the course, would fit into the group. Would he be able to keep up with all they were learning? Could he pull his own weight in the discussions?

What he found, he said, was “a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

His cohort quickly bonded over pickleball matches in their free time, meals where they could talk with their peers instead of monitor students, workshops that taught them new ways to reach their pupils, and, perhaps most importantly, intense, open-hearted dialogue sessions.

As one of only two men in the group, Tom, who is white, said it was eye opening to hear the many challenges women and people of color in his group had faced in their careers and personal lives. Some of their stories he’ll never forget, like that of a black educator from California who said she lives in constant fear for her son’s safety in dealing with law enforcement.

“I keep my ear on what’s going on in the world, but it’s different when you have someone sitting two feet away from you who is going through these things,” he said.

After the session, Tom said he returned to school re-energized, and with tools for dealing with conflicts, connecting with students, and widening their perspectives that he is using “all day, every day.”

One such tool is an an exercise that his cohort had gone through at Camp and that he began his experiential learning class with this year. He placed on a wall a photograph of what appeared to be a homeless man pushing a cart down a busy city street, and asked the students to talk about what they saw. From body language, to lighting, to the photographer’s intentions, the students’ vastly different responses, Tom said, “blew me away.”

“I told my class that we’re going to have challenges ahead of them, and to remember that we all saw different things in the same picture. We all come from different backgrounds and have different challenges, and if we want to have success as we work together, we have to honor those differences.”

For Tom, the course largely validated what he had always believed about teaching: that the most important thing an educator could do was connect with and care about students. He said he also hopes that his going to Camp shows the Seeds he advises that he’s fully committed to their success. He understands a little better what sort of transformations they’ve gone through, and can better help them figure out what to do with the newly lit fires in their bellies.

“When the Seeds come back from Camp, it reminds me of when I was coming out of boot camp: We all felt like we could jump out of helicopters and were ready for anything,” he said.

Over the past few months he’s helped them channel that enthusiasm into big projects, like organizing a 20th anniversary reunion in November for Maine Seeds and supporters. But he takes more joy in helping them understand the importance of seemingly small actions–like standing up for kids who are bullied, or eating lunch with lonely kids who want company.

“Seeds come back so passionate for helping the world and the human race, and my challenge is to focus them,” Tom said. “I tell them that they might have setbacks, but start with what’s around you–your friends, family, classmates. A small thing can impact a lot of people.”

7 educators leading change in the classroom and beyond

Oct 5, 2019 / No Comments

For more than 20 years, educators have played a vital role in supporting Seeds of Peace’s efforts to cultivate new generations of young leaders.

From Los Angeles to Lahore, they multiply our impact in traditional classroom settings and beyond: Supporting our alumni in their own projects to lead change at home, utilizing the skills and tools they learned from Seeds of Peace in educational initiatives within their communities, and even starting schools and programs that focus on underserved populations.

October 5 is World Teachers’ Day, and in honor of this internationally recognized UNESCO holiday, we invite you to learn more about some of the dedicated educators who have contributed to and benefited from Seeds of Peace programming, including as GATHER Fellows and Delegation Leaders (educators and community leaders who travel with a delegation of Seeds to Camp and participate in educational workshops).

Here are a few of their stories:

Mehwish, 2015 Pakistani Delegation Leader, 2019 GATHER Fellow: Based in Lahore, Mehwish works with vulnerable communities, especially youth: educating them on their rights, empowering them to make good choices, and engaging them in the civil process so that they might be voices of change. Read about how she helps others find their voice through education.

Anis, 2018 GATHER Fellow: His experience volunteering at a refugee camp in Greece inspired Anis to create El Sistema Greece, a project that uses music education as a tool to bring opportunity and humanity to refugee children. The NGO’s mission is to transform conflict through music, friendship, and mutual human support. Find out how Anis’s group uses art and music as tools for consolation, regeneration, empowerment, and education for children in the camps.

Pious, 2008 Educator, 2016 GATHER Fellow: Originally from Ghana, Pious moved to Maine in 2002 and has been working with marginalized youth ever since. As a Youth and Community Engagement Specialist at the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine and a City Council Member of Portland, Maine, he has spent the better part of his career focused on engaging youth and creating dialogue across cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic and faith-based groups. Hear Pious talk about his life and work as the first Muslim member of Portland’s City Council in Episode 1 of the Inspired podcast.

Molly, Delegation Leader, 2018 GATHER Fellow: After spending two formative summers at Camp as a Delegation Leader (2011 and 2018), Molly started to wonder what would happen if school felt more like a camp—a place that prioritizes good human development, building meaningful relationships, and that believes young people are capable of doing big things while they are still young. Find out how she’s been working to bring some of her most meaningful Camp experiences into the classroom.

Ahmed, 2004 Pakistani Seed, 2018 GATHER Fellow: What he lacked in funding, Ahmed more than made up for with determination when he set out to break the cycle of poverty for children in Pakistan. The method: Providing free, quality education to young girls who almost certainly would not have had otherwise had the opportunity. Step into the school that Ahmed founded in Lahore in Episode 3 of the Inspired podcast.

Hanoch, 2015 GATHER Fellow: Using everyday objects, Hanoch creates colorful collage portraits that spark the imagination and stimulate new ways to look at the world beyond the status quo. As a Fellow, he worked to create an arts education curriculum and teacher training course based on his artistic method that helps participants explore themes like composed identity, history, dreams, community, and the “other.” Read more about his work.

Marios, 1998 Cypriot Seed, 2018 GATHER Fellow: As a teacher, Marios found that one effective way to promote peace and detoxify relations between Turkish and Greek Cypriots was by building empathy between children. Motivated by the heartbreaking effects he was seeing that stereotypes and othering have on his young students, he set out to counter messages of intolerance with with ones of intercultural respect. Learn more about the children’s book series that he created.

Find out more about programs and resources that Seeds of Peace offers for educators, and discover more inspiring stories about educators who are supporting young changemakers in classrooms and communities around the world.

Beyond Diversity: Fellowship aims to transform conflict through social innovation
SEE Change Magazine

Feb 15, 2018 / No Comments

As seen in SEE Change Magazine on February 15, 2018

Two leading international organizations, Seeds of Peace and Social Entrepreneurship Forum, partner to unite social innovators in pursuit of conflict resolution

How do we move beyond superficial diversity to leverage our differences and build thriving, equitable communities across lines of conflict? This is the challenge posed in this year’s GATHER Fellowship, the only program of its kind at the intersection of social innovation and conflict transformation.

Seeds of Peace, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, inspires and cultivates new generations of global leaders in communities divided by conflict, equipping them with the skills and relationships they need to accelerate social, economic, and political changes essential to peace. Their network now includes nearly 6,700 alumni throughout the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and North America who are uniquely positioned to lead change, they say.

In partnership with SE Forum, Seeds of Peace recently announced its third class of GATHER Fellows. The year-long Fellowship kicks off in Sweden with a five-day incubator between March 11-16, 2018, a program that includes skill building, reflection and sharing, mentorship, and meetings with Swedish parliamentarians, business leaders, and international investors/funders.

The first half of the five-day program will be hosted by Sigtunastiftelsen, a 100-year old foundation near the town of Upsala, before moving to Stockholm for the final days, where they will explore how a city can authentically serve its diverse communities. The incubator will culminate in a pitch session to an audience of 150 philanthropists, business leaders, investors, and Seeds of Peace and SE Forum Board members.

Beyond the Swedish program, the Fellowship will continue throughout 2018. A GATHER symposium will be held in New York City on May 8th to showcase the work of current and past Fellows, and an international convening is planned for the end of 2018.

This year saw a record number of applicants apply for the Fellowship — more than 250 individuals from 55 countries. “Reading through over 250 applications from across 55 countries of people thirsting to advance creative solutions to conflict provides a remarkable contra to the dire images that we see regularly in the news,” says Jonah Fisher, director of the program. “GATHER is thrilled to promote the work of these extraordinarily brave individuals who are visionary enough to imagine an alternate and more hopeful reality for their communities of conflict.”

The 16 selected Fellows from the Middle East, South Asia, North America, and Europe were chosen because of the social, economic, or political impact of their ideas — including innovative and affordable energy solutions in Gaza, music-based workshops for refugees, or educational video games. Each Fellow is united in their optimism and commitment to conflict transformation, despite the tensions in their regions.

Take Anis Barnat. Over the next year, he will be developing El Sistema Greece, an organization he co-founded that teaches free music education in Greek refugee camps. He aims to empower children through choirs and orchestras, bringing together refugees and Greek youth and building a sense of community. With a diverse orchestra made up of Greeks, migrants and refugees, Barnat’s message is clear. “No matter your religion, your nationality and the color of your skin, on stage we are all artists. We develop individual artistic personalities and build a group for a more peaceful society.”

There are other inspiring Fellows, too. Like Majd, a Palestinian woman tackling housing problems in Gaza. Her business, GreenCake, transforms the ash and rubble left behind after the 2014 conflict into sustainable building materials. Like the other Fellows, Majd’s project has been chosen for its profound conflict-transforming potential.

Can entrepreneurship truly transform a conflict, even where the wounds run deep? This is the challenge for this year’s GATHER Fellows. Over the next 12 months, their world-transforming projects will find new ways to reach across lines and build better communities.
To learn more about the Fellowship, check out this video produced by PLANE—SITE. Get to know all the Fellows here.

Read this article at SEE Change Magazine â€șâ€ș

Seeds explore the role of media:
3 key takeaways

Feb 21, 2019 / No Comments

In a hotel conference room in Nazareth, groups of Seeds sat in circles, heads down, eyes glued to their phones, silently carrying out a dialogue session using only the mobile messaging service WhatsApp.

After 20 minutes of talking only online, they put down their devices and had the same dialogue face-to-face, where they could read one another’s body language, hear the tones in others’ voices, slow down and listen to one another, just as they had learned to do during dialogue sessions last summer at Camp.

The exercise, part of a November 2018 “Role of Media” seminar, was designed to give Seeds “a tangible experience of the digital world versus face to face,” said Orlando Arellano, who was part of the Seeds of Peace staff organizing the event.

While social media, the Internet, and even 24-hour cable news has given us more ways than ever to connect, speak out, and receive information, studies have shown that it’s also leaving us increasingly isolated, anxious, and divided. Over the course of a weekend, 52 Israeli and Palestinian Seeds examined the cognitive, cultural, and personal effects of social media and mass-media messaging.

Through workshops, discussions, and real-time experiments, Seeds came to better understand how the media influences their daily life, some of the pitfalls of social media, and how it can be used in more productive and positive ways.

Here are a few key takeaways from the seminar:

1. Social media may be reshaping our brains.

While social media, texting, and email have given us more ways than ever to connect, studies have shown that these forms of communication are actually rewiring our brains in ways that could have deeply concerning effects for the way we view and interact with the world.

In a video shown to Seeds at the seminar, Dr. Dan Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, explained that studies comparing written communication (text, email, social media) versus face-to-face found that the written communication is lacking seven essential non-verbal signals—posture, gestures, timing, intensity, eye contact, facial expression, and tone of voice—all of which Seeds are taught to recognize to make them better communicators in dialogue sessions.

But it’s not just dialogue that looks different when these cues are or aren’t used- there’s actually a difference in our brains. Non-verbal cues are sent out by the brain’s right hemisphere, which works with our bodies to give us emotions, a vital element in connecting with another person. Written communications, however, and even thinking about how many “likes” a post on social media is going to get, activates the brain’s left hemisphere, which has to do with logistics and analytical functions.

This shift is a notable one for researchers, Dr. Siegel said: “What I’m deeply concerned about is if social media, email, texting are not actually getting people more face-to-face time with each other, or getting even getting them in touch with what’s going on inside of them, then the new generation will be much more use to a very surface level of experiencing the world.”

2. The medium matters.

Communication isn’t one size fits all, and if you’re going to use social media—which most of us do—it’s important to examine whether the platform you are using is the most appropriate for what you hope to communicate or to accomplish.

In one experiment at the seminar, program managers posted images and stories on Facebook to demonstrate how easily a conversation could go off the rails, or how an idea, no matter how carefully written, could be misinterpreted. One Seed said of Facebook that she realized “she was spending too much time trying to prove a point where I’m not being heard.”

So before crafting a post, it’s important to think about your intention and the possible effects. Do you want to educate, entertain, provoke, persuade, engage, or something else? Are you ready for responses from people who feel differently from you, and will you be able to continue the conversation in a healthy way in public? What will it mean when you narrow an idea down to just 180 characters, or only a photograph? Is this something you want following you forever?

If you’re thinking of posting a message that you wouldn’t shout in the middle of the town square, or an image that you wouldn’t want on a billboard above your house, you probably shouldn’t post it on Facebook or Instagram.

“WhatsApp is great for something by voice, but when someone is writing, maybe they’re not conveying an entire idea or emotion, so it’s probably not good for dialogue,” Orlando said. Even emojis can’t substitute the nuance and emotional depth of a face-to-face conversation (or phone call), when complex or emotional subjects are up for discussion.

3. Social media can be a tool for change.

It’s easy to focus on the negative aspects of social media, but the positives are undeniable: these free platforms spread power from the few to anyone with an Internet connection.

Another video shown during the seminar gave powerful examples of ways social media has been used as a positive tool: In Mexico, citizens use it as a way to safely report information on drug wars and cartels. In Jamaica, health officials are supplying information to the masses about HIV. Anyone with a phone can now be a citizen journalist, and revolutions have literally begun on Twitter.

The possibilities for social media are endless, but, of course, the efficacy of any tool lies largely in the hands of the person using it. And understanding the ways that social media can be used for good, Orlando said, is critical to having more positive interactions online.

“We are living in a different time, and using media in a productive way can have a positive impact if we know how to use the tools around us,” he said. “Generationally, it’s an opportunity.”

Seed Stories: ‘Four Ways of Looking at a Black Girl’

May 3, 2019 / No Comments

Seeds of Peace was the first place I ever performed something that I wrote. I never expected where the passion and courage I discovered in that moment would lead me.

Going from telling my story to Seeds at Camp, to sharing my experiences of growing up in Maine to an audience of over a thousand people two years later—alongside professors, poets, writers, artists, and musicians from Columbia University to the state of Indiana—is still crazy for me to think about.

I performed these pieces—part of my series, ‘Four Ways of Looking at Black Girl’—on April 2 at Show & Tell, a 90-minute literary cabaret at the State Theater in Portland, Maine. Show & Tell helps support The Telling Room, a nonprofit that empowers youth to share their voices and express themselves through free programs. I hope hearing my experiences helps inspire you as much as sharing them did for me.

Advice to future Seeds of Peace campers

Jun 17, 2019 / 1 Comment

Going to any new place, especially one where you may not know anybody beforehand, is a nerve-wracking thought for many people.

As Seeds, we can try with all our might to assure you that you shouldn’t be nervous about going to Seeds of Peace Camp, but we understand that until you experience it for yourself, that’s hard advice to follow.

We reached out to fellow Seeds from our years and delegations to offer some tips and tricks that will help you acclimatize to Camp life as quickly as possible so that you can get the most out of your time in Maine.

  • Make friends on the bus; it’s always nice to know people when you get there
  • Don’t be afraid to try something new in your spare time; your Camp days will be very busy, but there’s always free time built in to to explore something new
  • Express your opinions the way you want them to be heard—don’t ever feel you should be quiet because you feel that others wouldn’t agree with what you’re saying
  • The beds are comfortable, but the bunks are old; do your best to keep them clean, as the cleanest bunks win prizes
  • Bring crocs
  • Live in the present, enjoy the company you are with
  • Make friends with counselors—they’re really easy to talk to and want to get to know you
  • Make friends with Leslie—she oversees the whole Seeds of Peace organization, and she loves getting to know Seeds
  • Get to know Bobbie; she’s got a lot of great stories
  • Take a nap during rest hour
  • Bring long-sleeved clothes and bug spray—mosquitos are vicious
  • Bring a camera—you can record your memories
  • Showering isn’t as important as you think
  • Wear bug spray at night
  • Keep a journal—it’s great to be able to look back after, and even during, Camp to see how far you’ve come
  • Be raw and forthright—the more willing you are to open up about yourself and put yourself out there, the more powerful your experience will be
  • Wear flip-flops in the shower house
  • Invest yourself in dialogue 110 percent and have conversations outside of dialogue
  • Come ready to hear harsh, contrasting stories
  • Don’t hide your emotions; explain and express them

Seed Stories: Remembering Asel Asleh

Oct 3, 2019 / No Comments

Martin Luther King Jr. once said that “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

This quote means so much to all people living under oppression—to people in need of recognition, help, and support to overcome injustices that suffocate all that is good.

Friends of the oppressed should never be silent. They should always lend a voice to the oppressed, because on this journey to freedom and justice, we can’t walk alone. We can’t survive without true camaraderie that knows how to speak the truth and seeks peace for all.

Nineteen years ago, the Asleh family from Arrabeh, the Palestinian town inside the Green Line, lost a pure soul, a son, and a pioneer named Asel.

They were not the only ones to feel the loss and that pain: many of Asel’s friends from different circles, including Seeds of Peace, still miss him and commemorate October 2nd as the day a beautiful human soul was taken.

Asel was murdered by Israeli police in his hometown as they brutally suppressed demonstrations that were taking place on both sides of the Green Line. These protests were a reaction to the massive response by the Israeli military against demonstrations in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem that broke out as a result of the provocative visit by Ariel Sharon to the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem. Sharon was the head of the Israeli opposition in the Knesset and was running to become Israeli prime minister.

These demonstrations are known today as the start of Second Intifada. The Israeli military response to them left thousands of Palestinians dead; the Palestinian retaliation took hundreds of Israeli lives. Inside the Green Line, 13 Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli police and border police during demonstrations.

Our beloved Asel was one of these 13, one of the too many lives lost in this cruel reality in which we live.

Asel was shot at short range while he was wearing his green Seeds of Peace t-shirt. He was there because he believed in justice, in peace, in acting against oppression, and because he believed in humanity.

To date, no one has been held accountable for his killing, despite evidence of who shot him and who gave the orders to do so.

Asel represented all that is good in this world. He touched the souls of so many while he was with us and the souls of many more who only met him through hearing his story and the details of his peaceful life and genuine heart. He managed to build relationships with enemies and with people he never knew before—to connect with everyone he met with honesty and love.

This week, we remember Asel.

This week, we remember martyrs everywhere who were killed fighting injustice and oppression.

History should not be forgotten. From the pain of the past we must move to a better future. We must wake up and lead for justice and peace. We must embrace our role in ending oppression and building a world in which all are respected.

Seeds of Peace is growing and developing. As a part of this process, we are approaching things in new ways. We will progress and be a true light on the path to peace.

We exist so we can create together a future in which, having learned from the agony of the past, we can all thrive in a world free of oppression, racism, and violence.

Like Asel, Bashar is a Palestinian citizen of Israel. He is currently the Palestinian Programs Director at Seeds of Peace.

Seeds of Peace launches #ChangeTakesAllofUs

Jul 20, 2020 / No Comments

NEW YORK | Change comes in many packages: It’s an Afghan teacher using education to upend generational cycles of poverty, a young Black woman organizing for racial justice in the whitest state in America, and a Palestinian doctor fighting to ensure that all patients receive equal care.

This week, we are bringing you the voices of a unique tapestry of changemakers through #ChangeTakesAllofUs, a social media campaign featuring Seeds, Fellows, Educators, and staff members as they re-imagine approaches to the world’s most pressing issues.

These are voices not just from dreamers, but from doers: people who are working in the fields of health care, education, social justice, law, politics, journalism, the arts, and NGOs to build more free and inclusive systems in their corners of the world. History shows us that social change happens when leaders with various strategies and values work across all sectors of societies to challenge, reimagine, and rebuild current systems.

Across political, economic, generational, and cultural divides, the voices we’ll share will demonstrate that #ChangeTakesAllofUs, and that it also takes you.

Throughout this campaign we’ll offer opportunities to sign up for virtual discussions with our alumni, engage with changemakers, share your story, and learn about ways you can support or join Seeds of Peace programs.

View the #ChangeTakesAllofUs campaign

Health care first responders | Education | Refugees & Migrants | Pandemic Community Responders

 

‘The Enemy Has A Face’
The Jewish Week

Aug 5, 2014 / No Comments

As I write this, it is hours before Tisha b’Av, the day of Jewish mourning when we read the haunting words of Lamentations, of how Jerusalem “weepeth sore in the night.”

As I write this, the grieving continues for more recent tragedies, in Israel, and in Gaza too. For too many, the crying won’t ever truly cease. But when there’s a lull in the violence, I hope more of us can begin to think like Yaala Muller.

Muller, an Israeli who grew up in the town of Modi’in, has opted to take the “road less traveled.” She considered that phrase from Robert Frost’s poetry during another summer, a few years back, when she was a teenage camper at Seeds of Peace in Maine. The unlikely path she now traverses has brought her to a place where she feels the pain of both sides in this war, a place from which she has been reaching out to Palestinian friends.

“I want to be there for them, and show them that I care,” she says in a phone interview, adding that, “friendships can still exist despite the fact that our countries are at war.”

And no, Muller does not support Hamas. And no, Muller is not among those on her campus at Washington University in St. Louis, where she will be a sophomore this fall, who carry posters that exhort the world to “Free Palestine.” When she sees those signs, she feels as if they were protesting her very existence.

And yet, she’s horrified and angry that “Palestinians are losing children like they’re flies.” And when college friends speak critically of Palestinians, she rebukes them, saying, “You have no idea what the Palestinians are going through.”

“If I choose a side, I’m resigning myself to war, and war is awful,” says Muller, who is 20. Muller says she has no clear plan for how the conflict can be resolved, but believes that active listening is the first step.

The Seeds of Peace program, which radically shifted Muller’s perspective during her two sessions there in 2009 and 2011, has welcomed scores of teenagers from regions of conflict. For 21 summers, it has been offering traditional camp activities on its serene waterfront and grassy fields as well as daily doses of intense dialogue for nearly two hours at a stretch. Even last week, some 95 Palestinian and Israeli campers descended on this idyllic setting in Maine. This summer, Eric Kapenga, the communications director, reports that “the campers are getting into the heavier discussions a bit sooner than normal.”

At Seeds, Muller learned, “It’s not about convincing each other of who is right. It’s about acknowledging that everyone is allowed to have their experience.” Siwar Mansour, a Palestinian living in central Israel, and a Seeds alumna, says the camp reinforces the idea that “the enemy has a face.”

At Seeds that first year, Muller met a boy named Hamzeh who seemed to understand her better than even her high school classmates. Together they traded stories about family and shared future dreams; together, they laughed and laughed. Except for those occasions in dialogue, when, as Muller remembers, “we argued A LOT.” But she also recalls how Hamzeh, who identifies as a Palestinian, and who grew up in East Jerusalem, was paired with her for a physical challenge, and how they trusted one another as they walked across two ropes strung up high in the trees. And how at a certain point she knew that even if they argued they would still be friends.

Imagine if the Seeds program could sprout beyond this one site in Maine. Perhaps we would see more examples like the Aboulafia Bakery, an Arab bakery in Jaffa, where last week the employees wore New York taxi-yellow T-shirts, blaring out: “Jews And Arabs Refuse To Be Enemies.” Or perhaps there might be more collaborations, like the one between two religious women living in Israel, who together wrote a peace prayer (http://labshul.org/?p=3613).

Imagine if the crying in Jerusalem and beyond could be the kind that Siwar Mansour recalls from her final moments of camp. Color War formed the only battleground, and the entire camp was separated not by ethnicity, but by team: blue and green. As the winner was announced, everyone jumped into the lake, and in those quiet waters, Mansour experienced a shared moment of “the fear, the love, the hate, the worry, the tiredness,” and soon enough, the sadness over camp’s end, and “everybody was crying.”

Imagine, as John Lennon sang, all the people living life in peace.

Read Elicia Brown’s article at The Jewish Week â€șâ€ș