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Get Inspired
A new radio documentary series that ‘reminds us of what is possible’

Feb 15, 2019 / 1 Comment

What do a community elder in the West Bank and a high school student from the south side of Chicago have in common?

What about an educator in Lahore and a human rights attorney living in an urban kibbutz? Or Israeli musicians and the first Muslim elected to the Portland, Maine, city council?

Find out in our new radio documentary series, Inspired, which just launched to rave reviews last week.

Journalists Marisa Mazria Katz and Bilal Qureshi have traveled the globe, meeting seven uncommon changemakers whose commitment to improving their corners of the world grows from a single, common seed. And listeners travel with them … to a dinner amongst friends on a rooftop in Lahore, an LGBT pride parade outside of Tel Aviv, the principal’s office in a Chicago high school, a music studio in Jaffa, the memorial to a Palestinian poet, and the shores of Pleasant Lake in Maine.

The stories of these educators, artists, politicians, and activists who are all challenging the status quo are available now on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google Play.

Download the series and find out why listeners are saying Inspired is “a critical counterpoint to the doomsday news cycle” and “gives me hope for a better world.”

(And if you love the music you hear at the beginning and end of each episode, thank GATHER Fellow Arnon who created the soundtrack especially for this series. He’s also featured in the final episode of Inspired, using his stage name, Sun.)

We hope you are inspired by this series, and will share it widely. #GetInspired

Letter to Seeds

Nov 15, 2012 / No Comments

Dear Seeds,

I want to let you know how much you are all on our minds right now. I am thinking of you, your families, your communities, and our Seeds community and struggling with how to offer support from so many miles away.

There’s no doubt that it’s moments like these that challenge us in fundamental ways—not only as Seeds—but as human beings. It’s understandable to feel angry, hurt, disappointed, and afraid of what is happening.

Communication is often hardest when it is the most needed, but I hope you will work through this challenge in a way that shows respect. Talk to each other, ask questions, be honest. Support each other, even if it’s more difficult and painful than it has ever been before.

We are lucky to begin our journey together in Maine, where the violence and realities of what you are facing today do not exist. At the same time, we recognize that the reality we create together in Maine has not yet become reality at home.

These moments test us. They test our commitments to each other and to a different future. There is no doubt that we all want and deserve to live free from violence. This path towards change will get harder before it gets better, but know that I—and the Seeds of Peace staff—will continue to believe in you and support you as best we can.

Please stay safe. Please be in touch. Please don’t give up.
All my love,
Leslie

Leslie Adelson Lewin
Executive Director

Independent documentary film on Seeds of Peace to premiere at Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Film Festival

Jun 9, 2004 / No Comments

WASHINGTON | A new documentary film called SEEDS, produced by independent filmmakers Marjan Safinia and Joseph Boyle on the Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine, will celebrate its World Premiere at the Opening Night Gala of the SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland, on June 15th, 2004 at 7 p.m.

Following the screening of the film, CNN’s Judy Woodruff will moderate a discussion with campers from the film, the filmmakers, and Seeds of Peace President and former U.S. State Department Arab-Israeli negotiator Aaron David Miller.

SEEDS features ten teenagers who undertake the challenge of coexisting with their ‘enemies’. Every summer, young leaders from four conflict regions meet at the Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine. For three life-changing weeks, they learn to share their dreams and fears, listen to opposing views, see beyond prejudices and, eventually, to respect each other as individuals as they attempt to build the one thing they all strive for: a future based on peace, prosperity and reconciliation.

During the summer of 2002, Seeds of Peace allowed SEEDS’ filmmakers unparalleled access to the summer camp to document the extraordinary program and the often difficult and painful journey through the eyes of the participants.

Said Miller, “While there are obviously many sensitivities and complexities involved in the four conflicts we follow involving different interpretations, viewpoints and perspectives, the film SEEDS provides a compelling and accurate assessment of our work and mission. We are excited about the release of this film so that more people can learn about and support the critical work we do empowering leaders of the next generation.”

SILVERDOCS 2004 will screen over 70 films drawn from more than 1,200 entries from 65 countries. The 2004 SILVERDOCS Festival will take place June 15-20 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The week following the premiere of SEEDS, the 12th summer of the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine, will begin with Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Moroccan, Yemeni, Indian, Pakistani, Afghan and American youth. There will be over 175 campers during the camp’s first session, which will run from June 21 through July 14 and culminate in a trip to Washington, D.C., where campers will meet with US and international dignitaries.

Founded in 1993, Seeds of Peace focuses on the Middle East, but has expanded its programming to include young leaders from South Asia, Cyprus, and the Balkans. Its leadership network now encompasses over 2,500 young people from four conflict regions. Through its Camp in Maine, its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, international youth conferences, regional workshops, educational and professional opportunities, and adult educator programs, participants develop empathy, respect, and confidence as well as leadership, communication and negotiation skills all critical components that will ensure peaceful coexistence for the next generation.

For information on the film SEEDS, visit www.seedsthemovie.com. For information on SILVERDOCS, visit www.afi.com/afidocs/.

NBA stars give free clinic at camp
Lewiston Sun Journal

Jul 31, 2002 / No Comments

BY KEVIN WACK | OTISFIELD, MAINE Teams clad in the same green T-shirts dribbled, passed and shot layups together, giving the Seeds of Peace the look of a typical summer camp.

But the participants at this Maine camp come from some of the most troubled parts of the world. Here, Israelis live in cabins alongside Palestinians, and Turkish Cypriots share meals with Greek Cypriots.

On Tuesday, a basketball clinic featuring former and present NBA players brought the campers together. Fahed Zoumot, a 17-year-old Jordanian who spends four hours every day playing basketball, didn’t attempt to hide his excitement when he had the chance to meet one of his heroes. “It’s B.J. Armstrong. Come on!” he scolded an unknowing Israeli girl.

Armstrong, a member of the Chicago Bulls title teams in the early 1990s, and four current NBA players hosted a clinic for the teenagers. The clinic was organized by Arn Tellem, the powerful basketball and baseball agent who is one of the camp’s benefactors. Antawn Jamison, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Carlos Boozer and Brent Barry—all Tellem clients—taught passing and dribbling fundamentals inside a rustic wood gymnasium.

Athletics have been an important part of Seeds of Peace throughout the camp’s 10-year existence. Organizers say that one way to overcome ethnic and religious barriers is by turning adversaries into teammates.

In addition to playing basketball, the NBA players will attend sessions on coexistence, a big part of the camp’s mission. Israelis will have a chance to voice their grievances in front of Palestinians, and vice versa.

“The conflict there touches people all over the world. So in a way, hopefully we can help,” Tellem said. “This is one of those moments where you think there’s a chance.”

Still, with Middle East violence raging and peace talks stalled, no one believes that this camp alone will solve the nations’ disputes.

Outside the gym, David Shoolman, a 17-year-old Israeli, discussed his mixed feelings about being drafted into the army next year. “I’ll be fighting for my country, yet I’ll be fighting some of my friends,” he said.

Jamison, a forward with the Golden State Warriors, said he was impressed by the campers’ ability to cope with strife, and put his profession into perspective. “For them, it’s really hard because half the time they’re concerned about a family member dying,” he said. “The only thing I’ve got to worry about is guarding Shaq.”

The NBA players said they were surprised by their sport’s rising international appeal. Armstrong, a teammate of Michael Jordan and presently the Bulls’ general manager, drew the loudest applause from the campers. Waleed Khalifeh, 15, said he often woke up in the middle of the night in his home in Amman, Jordan, to watch NBA playoff games. Tareq Efreitekh, a 15-year-old Palestinian who lives in Jerusalem, said he also has watched the NBA on television.

“I’m just too excited because the first time, I saw them on television. And now I see them face-to-face. It’s too beautiful,” said Efreitekh.

Tellem said he hopes one day to host an NBA clinic near many of the campers’ homes in the Middle East. “As they say, ‘Next year in Jerusalem,'” he said, alluding to a famous Jewish adage. “My dream is to do this in Jerusalem.”

Seed Stories: Searching for humanity and dignity

Jan 22, 2019 / No Comments

Monday night flight from Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, to London where I now live.

I reach the top floor of Terminal 1. The first security officer looks at my passport and asks me to follow him and head to the line on the far right. We’ve been through this before, I know the way.

When we get there, the second security officer tries to guess what’s in my bag. Dates? Ma’amoul? I smile and say baklawa. She tells her colleagues I have baklawa. “Did you guess?” someone asks. “No, I talked to her,” she admits. From their chuckles I think this is a game they play to pass the time.

Second security officer says into her radio, “I have a ‘Mikey.’” I’m the Mikey. She asks me to put all my belongings into baskets and follow her. She needs to search my body.

Why? She doesn’t bother answering. She just says to sit down and take off my shoes. I ask if she needs me to take off my socks, too. No. Then she directs me to a small curtained space where she plans to search my body.

Me: “What about the big x-ray machine with all the radiation?” I prefer that to being felt up by a stranger.

Her: “It’s not possible at this time. You keep asking ‘Why?’ There’s no point, I just do what I’m told.”

Me: “Why was I moved to a different line?” As if I don’t already know.

Her: “I don’t know.”

When she asks me to unbutton my jeans, I unzip them and pull them down.

Me: “Is this good enough?” This doesn’t go over well.

Her: “Just the button.”

Me: “Why?”

Her: “Take off your shirt.”

I do and tell her I’m wearing another shirt underneath. “Want me take that off, too?”

Her: *hesitating* “Yes.”

She informs me she’s going to touch me with a metal detector and gestures at her breasts.

Me: “You mean you’re going to touch my breasts?”

Her: “Not with my hands.”

She runs the metal detector over my chest and says, “Good, no wires.” She’s referring to my bra.

Me: “Yes, aren’t wireless bras more comfortable?”

Her: “That’s right, me too,” and runs the metal detector over her own chest. “Turn around so I can check your hair.”

As she runs her gloved fingers through my hair and over my scalp I make a joke about not having worn enough deodorant today.

Her: “Don’t worry, you smell nice.”

She calls in her walkie-talkie for a ‘mefasek’ because she needs ‘havshala’. Mefasek means circuit-breaker; havshala means ripening.

Me: “What’s a mefasek?”

Her: “It’s a person’s job. Don’t worry, while we’re in here they’ll finish searching your belongings.” As if this is meant to reassure me.

Me: “Can you make sure they don’t eat my baklawa?”

Her: *laughs* “Has ve halila, I’m watching them.”

Me: “Do you like your job?”

Her: “Sure.”

She asks where I bought my baklawa. I answer, even though the line between small talk and interrogation is unclear. She asks where I’m from. I answer. She says her parents live nearby. I ask where. She answers. I say that’s very close to where I bought the baklawa. I ask if she lives with her parents. She says she doesn’t. I ask where she is from. She answers and tells me she recently moved house. She asks if London is fun.

Even though she won’t allow me to button up my jeans, she has allowed me to put on one of my shirts. We’re practically best friends.

Finally, her colleague, the Mefasek presumably, arrives. She introduces herself as Marva, Head of Security. She wants me to unzip my jeans and pull them down to my knees. Why? Because the metal detector was activated—probably by the metal button on my jeans. And even though her colleague has already seen my underwear and thighs, she needs to have a look for herself. I pull down my jeans as far as they’ll go.

Me: “Good enough? Need me to turn around?” I start to turn around.

“No!” they both protest. Because clearly asking me to turn around would be too much.

Me: “Are you sure?”

Marva the Mefasek: “Yes.”

Me: “Do you like your job Marva?”

Marva the Mefasek: “Yes, I believe in it,” she says with conviction.

I smile. Not sure what it is she believes in so strongly, my crotch posing a threat to passenger security or my baklawa and belongings needing to be searched in my absence. But I keep quiet. I’ve run out of things to say and I have a flight to catch. Marva the Mefasek apologises for any discomfort. I say “I’m comfortable if you are.” My new best friend offers to help me pack my stuff and wishes me a good flight. I say goodbye without making eye contact and head to the gate.

I wrote the above in anger to post on my Facebook page. It is not something I particularly enjoy sharing on social media—it is a private moment made public by an oppressive political reality and I tend to be cautious about what I share these days. It is also not an uncommon occurrence. Almost every Arab or Palestinian passing through Ben Gurion Airport is aware of the term “Mikey.” Every time I walk into Ben Gurion I feel anxious and prepare myself for what I know is coming. I also know there is far worse injustice in the world today. Ultimately, I consider myself lucky because I have always been allowed to board the plane. Not everyone is so lucky.

My way of coping is by appealing to the security officers’ humanity. The lesson I learned through Seeds of Peace is that we are all human. Finding common ground— lack of wire under our breasts and our parents being neighbours—made the experience more bearable for me, and hopefully reminded her that I am a person who deserves to be treated with dignity.

While this story is not unique, sharing it with my friends and receiving messages of support—many from Seeds—is unique and powerful.

I’ll leave you with one from my close friend Karen Golub: “I’m sorry that you’re not treated with the same dignity I am when we go through the same airport. I’m sorry we are not equal under our government. To me, home is not home without you.”

2023 Palestinian & Israeli campers share reflections in Rolling Stone

Mar 2, 2024 / No Comments

By Pierce Harris

IN THE RURAL town of Otisfield, Maine, sits the Seeds of Peace Camp, a rustic sanctuary for cross-conflict relations. Seeds of Peace was founded [3]0 years ago by the foreign correspondent John Wallach, with a vision of bringing “the next generation of Arabs and Israelis together before they had been poisoned by the climate of their region.” That first year — the year of the Oslo Accords — Wallach hosted 15 high school-aged kids each from Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority. This summer, 198 children from conflict regions, including Israel, Palestine, India, and Pakistan arrived in Otisfield for the same purpose, and I was fortunate enough to be one of them.

A central feature of camp was a portion of the day we called “dialogue”: two hours spent talking, listening, and, with any luck, reaching a point of understanding with a small group of campers from different backgrounds. Those sessions taught me just how pointless arguing is. One side will say: I’m right. The other will say: No, I’m right. And, in most cases, they both are right. Multiple truths can exist, and we have to acknowledge that if we want to find a way to move forward.

Last summer, after weeks of dialogue — and canoeing on Pleasant Lake, and performing camp chants during dinner, and playing Gaga, a game that involved hitting a ball at another player’s shins — my fellow campers and I boarded buses bound for our outside lives. We worried that leaving camp would weaken the bonds we had developed, so we traded contact information, determined to keep in touch despite great distances that would soon stretch between us. By the time the buses pulled out of the parking lot on August 15, many of us were already chronicling our journeys home on a shared WhatsApp group.

“Send pictures!”

“I’ll open a Google album.”

“I have 43 photos from the Boston airport.”

“I miss you.”

“I miss you the most.”

“Hour 57. We are almost home.”

“Can’t believe you’re still traveling. I’ve been home for a day.”

Those first few weeks home from camp, we shared photos of our pets and families on the WhatsApp group, marveled at the fact that we had the same TV remote, and FaceTimed at 3 a.m. when some of us were too jetlagged to sleep.

Then came October 7. I awoke in the middle of the night to a stream of WhatsApp notifications on my phone. I flicked through the group chat half-asleep, not quite grasping what had just occurred. “Hey. Hope everyone’s okay. I would really appreciate some type of sign from the Palestinians to know no one’s dead or hurt. Love y’all. Stay safe,” one Israeli camper wrote. “Yes, and from the Israelis too,” wrote a different camper. “Stay safe,” one after another chimed in. Soon, the news of Hamas’ attack on Israeli citizens and Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Hamas was everywhere.

As the gravity of the situation began to sink in, the tenor of our group chat changed. Explosive fights broke out among friends who had shared tents and cabins just weeks before. The fighting eventually got so heated that the moderator temporarily shut our thread down. It was not just the campers who were struggling, either: In late October, the camp’s executive director stepped down and several other members of Seeds of Peace leadership resigned.

“These events have deeply impacted the Seeds of Peace community — this is a really painful, difficult time,” Seeds of Peace’s communications director, Eric Kapenga, told Rolling Stone by email. “We know the only viable path forward is one that is forged together, so we will continue to bring people together, across lines of conflict. And we will continue to support our alumni, who are leading in sectors critical to peacebuilding, to work towards systemic change.”

The moderator eventually re-opened our thread. Regrets were expressed, and apologies made. Scrolling through our chat history today, the most bitter exchanges are missing, replaced by a notification: “This message has been deleted.”

The group chat wasn’t the right forum for these conversations, so I asked four Seeds of Peace campers — two Israelis and two Palestinians, each of whom has been impacted by the ongoing conflict — to join me one Sunday afternoon for a dialogue session, like the ones we had this summer. Omri is an Israeli teenager living in Central Israel; Yafa is a teenage Palestinian living in Jerusalem; Lila a Palestinian teenager, originally from the West Bank now studying in Israel, and Tzvi, a teenage Israeli.

For their protection, Rolling Stone is identifying all four individuals by pseudonyms. This is a transcript of our conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.

What has this time been like for you? How safe do you feel right now?

Omri: I’ve felt safe in my region because I live in Tel Aviv, which is a really safe area in Israel. But [another Israeli camper who attended Seed of Peace], his grandma’s house was burned down. The cars in his neighborhood were bombed. Some places in Israel haven’t been touched by the situation. And some other areas have been destroyed.

Lila: I’m in a school in [a city in Israel]. I was warned by the staff that I cannot say I’m Palestinian. I’ve been cursed at just for being in the dining hall we share. I really feel unsafe, actually. It’s a lot of pressure because in my community, I’m kind of shamed [for studying here]: ‘Why would you go study with Israelis and be with them when they hurt us?’ It’s really tough. I think a lot of Palestinians in the West Bank feel really guilty because we cannot do anything to help people in Gaza. A lot of people have been dying — children, women — more than [30,000] people have died. We can’t do anything. We’re helpless.

Tzvi: I feel generally safe because I live in a pretty safe region, but my grandparents became sort of refugees because they had to flee their homes. I have a family friend whose family lives near Gaza, and their entire family was either killed or taken hostage. Fortunately, most of them returned because of the [November hostage] deal, but it wasn’t easy [before that].

Yafa: I’ve been experiencing lots of hate and violence on my way to school and back… There are so many police [check points] set up there. They stop us, search us all the time. They once hit both of my friends; they had bruises all over their bodies, just for having any pictures of the news on their phones. They were beaten by four police officers in front of us and we couldn’t do or say anything, because then they would take us and search our phones. We’re trying to figure out another way to school because it’s so scary to go back: You remember seeing your friends being beat up here.

I’m so sorry to hear that — for all of you. I truly hope things get better for everyone. Do you have a story that you would share from October 7?

Omri: I woke up around 6:30 a.m. because the bombings had started. And I thought to myself, ‘Oh, this again.’ I got back to sleep. When I woke up I saw a lot of videos of the Toyota trucks entering the kibbutzes near Gaza. I was terrified of the idea that something like this had happened. And I felt terrible for everyone who was going to get involved — including the Palestinian population that is suffering because of the situation.

Lila: I was back in the West Bank. And I woke up to a lot of messages of people asking me, ‘Are you okay?’ Because they thought I was [at school in Israel]. I was shocked because we never thought something like that would happen. And it was really scary. A lot of attacks happened on the West Bank [after October 7], I know a couple of people who got shot for just walking in the streets, by IDF soldiers, and they died. I know a lot of people who went to prison for just being there. It was very scary to even go out of my house. I stayed in my house for, like, a month. I didn’t see any of my friends. And it was really depressing because a lot of people from my school left because of the conflict.

Tzvi: I have a family friend who was in a kibbutz in the south. I don’t know the specific details, but I know that his mother and brother were killed, and that all the rest of his family was taken captive.

Did our experience this summer at Seeds of Peace prepare you, in any way, for what is happening now?

Tzvi: It is something that I will cherish, but I don’t think it prepared us specifically for this conflict very well. But I can’t blame them because everything that happened has been so extreme, way out of anything that I expected to happen. Everything that has happened since certainly soured what camp was a bit, but I still appreciate that experience a lot.

Yafa: Camp was really fun. I really enjoyed it. But I do agree that it didn’t really prepare us for this. I don’t think anyone can prepare you for something like this. But I think camp helped me try to understand the other side more and try to listen to what people are experiencing.

Omri: In my perspective, I think camp hasn’t prepared us at all for this situation.

Lila: I know camp did not prepare us for a conflict like this — the whole war — it couldn’t, even if we spent two years in camp. It’s really tough to lose some of your loved ones and see people dying around you. It hurts, and it’s really hard. But for me, personally, before I think of saying something insensitive or that would belittle someone’s life I just remember, “Oh, I had Israeli friends too.” I think about them. No, I don’t want people like them to die. There are a lot of nice people, and people who had nothing to do with the conflict. People that are not politicians. People that deserve to live.

In your view, what actions or policies have contributed to the escalation of this conflict?

Lila: I see violence as a circle. And as long as there is violence, like there will always be violence — from both sides. I know people in Gaza suffered a lot, they’re in an open-air prison. They’ve lived through traumatizing experiences all their life. That’s one of the main reasons that the attack happened — because they have been oppressed most of their lives and it just creates hatred and violence.

Tzvi: I can say that I think in order to have a better future, and a chance of peace in the region, then the thing that needs to be done is that Hamas, who initiated the attacks, lose control of Gaza. If the Palestinian Authority takes over there, we could have some kind of negotiations with a united front.

Omri: I think that every time something happens in Israel, it creates hatred towards the Palestinians and then the Palestinians [retaliate]. Like Lila said, this thing is a circle that’s hurting everyone. If we want any kind of peace, or negotiations towards peace, we need to end Hamas. It’s not as easy as it sounds because I think that Hamas is an idea — an idea of liberation. I don’t think we can [end Hamas] in a short amount of time.

Lila: I don’t necessarily think just ending Hamas would be the ideal situation because say we end Hamas, and then people in the West Bank, and people in Gaza, and people in Jerusalem, and even Arab Israelis — they would still be suffering from the violence they experience at the hands of the IDF. As Yafa said, they’ve been assaulted by police officers and it’s nothing new. I had a gun pointed at my head by IDF soldiers for, like, literally doing nothing — just because they want to travel to another city in the West Bank. It’s not just about ending Hamas, it’s also like treating Israelis and Palestinians as equals — that would be a big part of a resolution for the conflict.

Tzvi: In order to have negotiations for peace, which is the ultimate goal, then we need to see Hamas as an organization that doesn’t uphold these values of equality and freedom and quality of life. Because I think they’ve proven [that they don’t stand for that].

Lila: Let’s be real: Not the Israeli government, not Hamas, nobody cares about the lives of the other side. Nobody cares — even people in Hamas and people in Gaza, they don’t even care about their own lives anymore. I saw a video of little children saying, ‘I’m going to be dead anyway.’ Like, ‘They’re gonna kill me anyway.’

Yafa: I don’t think that getting rid of Hamas is gonna actually solve the problem because another group is going to form wanting liberty, wanting their rights. Hamas is not something that you can get rid of — it’s a mindset. That’s why I don’t agree with the bombing of [Gaza] because how are you going to know if you killed the Hamas members? You can look at a person and not know what’s going on in their mind. I think we should try to listen to the people — not to the government — because the people are the ones that are actually suffering.

Do you think one side is more responsible than the other or are there shared responsibilities?

Lila: Both sides killed innocent civilians. I’m not gonna deny the fact that innocent Israelis, including children, died as a consequence of their government’s actions. But this thing started, initially, from the Israeli government treating Palestinians really badly. The whole conflict started because of their treatment.

Omri: I also think that since the beginning — and in recent times — Israel has always treated Palestinians differently than Israeli people, in every kind of way. Most of the conflict has started since Palestinian people have been treated differently.

Tzvi: It’s true that Palestinians have been disadvantaged and, in some cases, are still oppressed. It is something that needs to change, to stop. But I think this war, however horrible it will be — and you can definitely disagree with parts of what the Israeli government is doing and its policy, obviously, that’s totally legitimate. But I think it’s also very true that this war was started by Hamas. The attack on October 7 is what set off this entire thing.

Lila: Yeah, but the conflict didn’t start on October 7. It started 75 years ago, with the establishment of Israel, when the Nakba started. Half a million people were displaced. Personally, my grandpa was a refugee. My mom had to live in a refugee camp. She couldn’t even continue high school because she lived in a refugee camp. They had no rights, barely any food, barely any money. And during the Intifada, they were banned from going out of their house because they would get shot. It didn’t start on October 7. Yes. Hamas started the attack on October 7, but the thing didn’t start on October 7.

What did the Seeds of Peace experience teach you about the other side of this conflict?

Lila: It made me realize that it’s not just Palestinians that are affected by the whole conflict, and occupation. Israelis, once they turn 18, they need to go to the army and a lot of people don’t want to do that. There are consequences for them too.

Omri: Everyone has a story to tell; everyone has his side. When I thought of Palestinians before Seeds, I thought of them in general. But after camp, I could relate.

Tzvi: When you don’t know anyone from a specific background, you tend to generalize. It’s not necessarily bad, but it is less nuanced. When you have a face to put on something that helps to understand it.

Yafa: It helped me understand that a government doesn’t represent all of the people living in that country. Like Lila, I met some people that didn’t want to join the army. And some people that think that their government isn’t perfect — both on the Palestinian and Israeli side.

What do you wish people from the other side understood about your culture, history, and experiences?

Yafa: I hope or wish that Israel can recognize that there were people living here, and they are Palestinian, they have their own traditions, they have their own community. And I hope that we will be treated equally because the inequality of treatment is what led to this happening. I’m not in support of it, but Hamas wasn’t formed for no reason. I just think that if we were treated equally from the beginning, none of this would have happened in the first place.

Tzvi: I’ve heard a lot of people saying that Israeli culture is colonial, or that Jews don’t have any ties to the region. I think that is very false. Israeli culture is very rich — I don’t think you can label it as colonial. But it is certainly something different that developed here, with art and traditions. That’s what I wish people would stop saying.

Lila: I agree with you. I would not deny that Jews have been living in this land too. Before Israel was established, Palestinians and Jews used to live together, and it was totally fine, actually. I know someone whose parents were saved by their Jewish neighbors during the Nakba — that’s why she’s alive. It’s your right to ask for your culture not to be denied. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all have their history here. But one of the main points of the problem is that both sides deny that they have rights to be in this area.

What actions, if any, are you taking or willing to take in order to contribute to peaceful resolution?

Lila: I would speak to people in my community, raise awareness about the conflict, [say that] Israelis are also humans, and they deserve to live. I would also explain that to them: We cannot just kick people out of their homes, like what happened to us.

Tzvi: I think that, as individuals, the only thing we can do is try to educate and maybe inspire other people in our community to be more compassionate to the other side. I’m Israeli, it’s important that I talk to other people and try to make them empathize with people from the other side. And Palestinians should do the same. I try to empathize with the other side because empathy is one of the most important things that could lead to the conflict ending, and it has to come from everyone.

Yafa: I’m not sure what I could do to help. But we need to stop glorifying death because we’re seeing it all over the internet: People being happy to see innocents killed — Israelis or Palestinians — it’s very disgusting and very sad and we need to start there.

What don’t outsiders understand about this conflict?

Tzvi: They don’t understand living it. People can take sides in different countries, but they can’t actually understand the experience and what it means to be here.

Yafa: Yeah, I agree: you need to live it to feel it and understand what it is. As much as you can, be compassionate. It’s a very hard situation. Even if you’re not suffering directly from the war, even if your house isn’t being bombed out, you are still experiencing racism in the streets, and that’s dangerous. It’s also very mentally draining; the news is very tiring every single day.

What kind of future do you see for an organization like Seeds of Peace?

Tzvi: I don’t know what will happen to them in the future. But bringing people from areas of conflict together and having them talk civilly and respectfully to each other is something valuable, and that should be continued.

Lila: I totally agree. Organizations like Seeds of Peace should always be there. It plays a huge part in how we see each other, how we interact, and it changes our perspectives. But I don’t know if the same amount of people are still interested in investing in it. I know a lot of people must have lost hope about the whole situation, and don’t want to continue but I hope that won’t be the case.

Yafa: Yeah, I agree. I don’t think that after the events that happened many people living here are willing to join. What I’m seeing around me, if there was, at one time, hope for people to understand each other, now it might be harder. I hope it gets better.

Read American Seed Pierce Harris’ article in Rolling Stone ››

Seed organizes Bay Area conference to discuss peace and conflict resolution

Mar 26, 2012 / No Comments

SAN FRANCISCO | An American Seed organized a day-long conference on March 25 about conflict resolution and peace for her high school classmates.

“The Field Conference, named after Rumi’s poem, was my way of bringing Seeds of Peace back home,” said Rhea, a 2011 camper from San Francisco. The conference included four 90-minute workshops, speakers and a Skype discussion with Seeds in the Middle East.

“My journalism teacher, Carla Pugliese, who specializes in Middle East history, taught a course through multimedia tools and a presentation,” said Rhea about the first workshop. A second workshop, led by another teacher, Tim James, covered the history of the South Asia conflict.

Tomer, an Israeli Seed and Stanford Ph.D. student, conducted a facilitation workshop during which students discussed the role of dialogue and what it is like to facilitate conflict.

Noosheen Hashemi, President of the HAND Foundation, led the final workshop on peace building; students talked about personal identity and visual cues.

Gisel Kordestani, Director of New Business Development at Google, also spoke to the students. Gisel has spent time in the West Bank and Gaza working on new business start-ups and is making a documentary about Gaza.

“Gisel spoke about making a difference, really hitting home the point that you should do what you know to change the world,” said Rhea.

Two Seeds, George (Palestinian) and Ron (Israeli), Skyped in to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“George and Ron were great: relatable, interesting, and fun to talk to,” said Rhea. “There were some uncomfortable moments, but in the best possible way. Everyone seemed to gain a lot by listening to them and it brought the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to life.”

Rhea says she hopes to make The Field Conference a tradition.
 
EVENT PHOTOS

Basketball Rivals Come Together for Seeds of Peace
Lewiston Sun Journal

Jul 28, 2009 / No Comments

BY RANDY WHITEHOUSE | OTISFIELD At one end of the Seeds of Peace field house basketball court, former Duke star Gerald Henderson directed a group of 15 Arab and Jewish teenagers through defensive drills. At the other end, former University of North Carolina star Wayne Ellington engaged another group in a shooting contest, with the loser obligated to do five push-ups.

The arrangement wasn’t an accident. Organizers of the Seeds of Peace International Camp’s annual “Play for Peace” basketball clinic hoped some of the campers, at least the ones who were basketball fans, would realize that if two sworn enemies of college hoops could coexist on a sultry summer morning in Maine, other forms of cooperation were possible on a more global, and important, level.

The symbolism was not lost on Henderson, the first round draft pick of the Charlotte Bobcats last month.

“I think this shows them you can play games and enjoy each other’s company even though there may be certain things in between you,” Henderson said.

Between Henderson and Ellington’s is one of American sports’ most bitter rivalries—Blue Devils vs. Tar Heels—set in a corner of North Carolina known as “Tobacco Road.”

Between the 140 Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, and American youth participating in the leadership and conflict resolution camp on the tranquil shores of Pleasant Lake, it is an ancient conflict set in the Middle East that continues to boil and continues to make the mission of the Seeds of Peace an urgent one.

A small part of that is the basketball clinic, started in 2002 by sports agent and camp board member Arn Tellem. Tellem annually brings a number of NBA players to the camp to run the clinic of basketball fundamentals and teamwork skills and the campers, with cameras in hand, greet them like heroes, even if they’ve never seen an NBA game.

“It’s like real bonding for us,” said Nico, a Jewish camper from York. “We all enjoy it.”

Seeds of Peace co-director Wil Smith said the clinic helps validate the teens’ participation in the camp, for which they often meet disapproval back in their own communities.

“It’s a big part of our summer,” Smith said. “For (the campers), they may not know the players, but they know that in the U.S., the NBA is important, and if there are guys from the NBA taking time out of their schedule to come here, then what they’re doing has to be pretty important.”

This year, the basketball contingent included Henderson and Ellington, a first-round pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tyreke Evans, the first selection of the Sacramento Kings from Memphis, Boston Celtics veteran forward Brian Scalabrine and former WNBA star Barbara Turner.

At the same time some campers were playing basketball together, others were in “Dialogue Huts” just a few yards from the field house, talking about their conflicts in discussions directed by camp facilitators. Some campers in one hut could be heard literally yelling “You started it” by passersby as the clinic went on nearby.

Smith said activities such as the basketball clinic are about “having them work together outside of those dialogue discussions. That’s the hard work. It brings lots of emotion. It’s not always positive. Kids are sharing their real-life experience.”

Besides reaching out, campers said, being a “Seed,” as they are called means looking within.

“This camp is about coexistence, even with people who are normally your enemy,” said Khaled, a Palestinian now living in New Zealand. “It’s kind of like an internal war with yourself.”

“It’s very special for us,” said Talal, another Palestinian.

Spending a day at the camp is special for Scalabrine, a “Play for Peace” regular who said the players learn as much as they teach.

“The biggest thing is bringing awareness and for people to understand that we’re all just people, even if we come from different backgrounds,” he said.

Seeds of Peace marks 20th Anniversary with Janet Wallach and Sen. Mitchell

May 21, 2013 / 1 Comment

NEW YORK | Seeds of Peace marked 20 years of empowering young leaders from conflict regions with a celebration on May 21 at 583 Park Avenue in New York City.

The evening honored Janet Wallach, President Emerita of Seeds of Peace, for her contributions to the organization’s success, and featured legendary peacemaker Senator George Mitchell.

Over 500 distinguished supporters, including politicians, diplomats, journalists, and policy-makers, joined Seeds from the Middle East and South Asia to celebrate the impact these Graduates are making in their home communities.

Speakers included Hashem, a Palestinian Seed from Arroub Refugee Camp and community organizer; Tal, an Israeli Seed and Knesset lobbyist; Warda, a Pakistani Seed who leads microfinance initiatives for women; and Mohamed, an Egyptian Seed who recently joined the staff as Director of Graduate Programs.

SPEECHES: SEN. GEORGE MITCHELL, JANET WALLACH AND SEEDS

MORE VIDEOS: Full 20th Anniversary Celebration ›› | Growing Seeds ›› | Clinton ››

20TH ANNIVERSARY DIGITAL JOURNAL

 
20TH ANNIVERSARY PHOTOGRAPHS

Janet Wallach Remarks

Senator Mitchell, distinguished diplomats, and all of you are here tonight:

I am deeply, deeply honored. But this is a night to celebrate John’s vision and the 20 years of hard work to carry it out. It’s a night to applaud the dedication of Bobbie Gottschalk and Tim Wilson, the leadership of Leslie Lewin, the passion of our staff, the commitment of our Board, the courage of our Seeds, and the generosity of you, our supporters.

In 1993 John, the son of Holocaust survivors, announced after the first World Trade Center bombing, that he would try to break the cycle of violence that had invaded our shores. He would bring together young people from the Middle East to a camp in Maine and let them see that the enemy has a face.

I listened to him. I smiled. I shook my head. It wasn’t only that as a kid, John never liked camp; but that it was that his optimism had really gone over the top this time.

But John was a journalist who had covered many conflicts, and he understood the need to give the next generation the tools for building peace. He understood that governments sign treaties; people make peace.

His simple message, the enemy is a human being just like you and me, captured the imagination of Arab and Israeli leaders who were willing to take the risk to send youngsters from their region to a camp in the woods of Maine. Not only that, they sent their own children to Seeds of Peace. Indeed, just a few of those who have done so:
The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Chief Negotiator Sa’eb Erakat, the Former Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the Egyptian former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, the Israeli Prime Minister’s spokesman Mark Regev, the former army spokesman of Israel and Director of Channel 2, Nachman Shai, the Director of the Israel Museum, James Snyder.

And here in the US diplomats Jock Covey, Aaron Miller, Frank Wisner, journalists Tom Friedman, David Remnick and Esther Fein, and Congressman Robert Wexler.

And international business and social entrepreneur leaders: in Saudi Arabia Lubna Olayan, in the UK Sir Ronald Cohen.

It isn’t, though, just the offspring of the influential and the rich who come.

Seeds come from refugee camps in the West Bank and from settlements over the next hill, from Islamist homes in Hebron and from orthodox homes a few streets away. They come from families of hard working Arabs in Jaffa and from struggling Yemeni Jews in Tel Aviv, from families dodging bombs in Gaza, and from families ducking missiles in nearby Sderot.

Since those first Middle Eastern Seeds arrived 20 years ago, they have been joined by youngsters from divided Cyprus, from the Balkans, from the Gulf, from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and from England and from the U.S.

Those 5,000 Seeds, and we, live in a world that sends us spinning in clouds of euphoria and then in cyclones of despair.

When Seeds of Peace started in 1993, it was illegal for any Israeli to meet with any member to the PLO (which in effect meant any Palestinian). It was illegal to show the Palestinian flag in any form, and it was illegal to sing the Palestinian anthem. All of which, by the way, we did at Camp.

We went from there, that same summer, to the Israeli/Palestinian accords and the signing ceremony on the White House lawn with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat and the Seeds in the front row, thanks to President Clinton.

And from there we went to the 2nd Intifada, and to the continuous building of settlements, and now to the abandoned table of the peace talks.

We all felt exhilarated by the Arab Spring in 2010, and deflated by the disarray in Egypt, the wrenching horrors of the Syrian civil war, the sectarian violence throughout the region, and the overhanging threat of Iran.

And of course, we have witnessed the bloodshed in India, the chaos in Pakistan, the carnage in Afghanistan.

But if turmoil is churning up the lands, we in our organization, and you, our supporters, are planting and nurturing seeds. Just to give you a small sample of how they are bearing fruit:

In government, Laith, has worked as a senior advisor to the Palestinian prime minister.
Tamer, international lawyer, served as an advisor for the Egyptian constitution.
Gil is spokesman for the Israeli Kadima leader in Israel Tzipi Livni.
Parnian is on a commission to advise Afghan President Karzai on women’s issues.

With NGOs: Sandy, a Jordanian, served on the UN High Commission for Refugees.
Bushra, a Palestinian, is the EU advisor for the Palestinian Ministry of Justice.
Noa, an Israeli, is the CEO of Middle East Education through Technology.
And Aneeq founded an organization for leadership education in Pakistan.

In media, Ariel is anchorman for the Israeli Channel 10 News. Fadi is Director General of Palestine Note and a blogger for the Huffington Post. Mona, is a journalist covered events in Tahrir Square in Cairo for The New York Times

In Business: Palestinians Badawi and Aboud are building homes, kindergartens, and libraries across the West Bank. Yoyo is developing initiatives for a worldwide Israeli enterprise. Sherife teaches social entrepreneurship to Egyptian youth. And others are working as facilitators for Seeds of Peace in the Middle East, in South Asia, in Europe, and right here in the U.S.

On a daily basis, our organization engages in building peace. Within just the last three months, we initiated a project with Harvard University, convening 30 organizations to work together on peacebuilding.

And with Harvard Law School and funding from AID, 36 Palestinian and Israeli Seeds held a three day training program in mediation and negotiation, so they could lead community dialogue sessions at home. Ameen, a Palestinian, said, “It made me rethink everything I do. I’m able to reach a middle ground without anyone feeling as though they are on the losing side.”

Seeds of Peace organized over 50 Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian educators to increase religious and cultural understanding and integrate them into education. When Heba, an Egyptian, told Yehuda, an Israeli, that she didn’t understand a phrase in the Quran, he explained it with a sentence in the Talmud. “It was amazing, amazing!” she said.

A team of Seeds graduates from India and Pakistan have co-produced the History Project, a look at textbooks on both sides. Five Pakistani members traveled to India and presented the project to 1,100 students and educators in four different schools. When the husband of one of the Indian delegates read the contrasting texts, he said, “Now I know why they feel the way they feel, and why I feel the way I feel.”

That is the beginning of change.

Our graduates know that, as Emerson said, “Peace cannot be achieved through violence; it can only be attained through understanding.”

John loved to tell the story of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat who was stymied after a meeting with the Israeli leader Menachem Begin. Sadat couldn’t understand why Begin kept saying “pluff,” “pluff.” It wasn’t until later that he realized that what Sadat meant was “plough,” “plough.”

We know that as brutal events occur, and everything seems to go “pluff,” we can shake our heads, and we can shrug our shoulders, Or, we can plough, and we can lay the groundwork for peace.

A few days ago, Ambassador Dennis Ross told a group of people here in New York that he thinks it will take 10 to 20 years until we see the outcome of the new Middle East. Twenty years. It’s a dot on the pages of history.

The Bible tells us when the Jews who had fled Egypt complained that life was too difficult in the desert and they wanted to get to the Promised Land, God told them they weren’t ready. No. They would have to stay in the desert for 40 years. Forty years. Two generations. It would take two generations to develop a free, independent minded people who could establish a new society.

Two generations of Seeds, two generations of new thinking, will validate John’s optimism.
His dream was that someday an Arab-Israeli summit would take place and some of the leaders would be graduates of Seeds of Peace.

As I reflect on the achievements of our Seeds over the past 20 years, I am certain that John was right.

Even more than that, as we look forward, we can see, that whether at summit talks or seaside chats, high powered or low keyed, in large groups or small, global or local, that government leaders, media figures, educators, business leaders, technology innovators, Arabs and Israelis, Indians and Pakistanis, whites and blacks, religious and secular, will meet with dignity and they will reason with respect.

They will see the world not through their fathers’ and forefathers’ hostile eyes, but with the vision of tolerance, trust, and understanding that they gain from being part of Seeds of Peace.

“I have a dream,” said Martin Luther King.

John had a dream.

We all must dream. So dream with me, and together we can create a changed, and more peaceful reality.

And we’ll all sleep better at night.

Thank you.

What We’re Reading: Opening minds on mental health

May 24, 2019 / No Comments

Odds are that each of us knows someone living with a mental illness, or live with one ourselves. But unfortunately, because of stigma, lack of resources, or awareness, we often go through these struggles alone, sometimes never receiving critical support, or even knowing that what we are experiencing can be helped.

While the severity varies greatly from person to person, mental illness affects one in five people, including the teenagers that come to Camp each summer. Researchers estimate that as many as 50 percent of youth ages 13-18 will deal with some sort of mental health issue, and half of all serious mental illnesses set in by age 14.

This May marks the 70th anniversary of Mental Health Month, an initiative started to reduce stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues. So we’re focusing on books and articles that include courageous personal stories that put us in the shoes of people dealing with mental illness and trauma, as well as decades of research to help us better understand the pathways to healing. The more we know about mental health and what it feels like to be depressed or anxious, to carry trauma, or have a chemical makeup that prohibits you from thriving, the more empathetic, supportive, and successful we’ll be when it comes to helping others, and ourselves.

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Bessel van der Kolk
What does trauma do to our mind? What does trauma do to our brain (i.e. the physical organ that contains the mind)? What does trauma do to our bodies, and how do we heal? Based on work experience, lived experiences, and decades of studies, Dr. van der Kolk, a leading expert of trauma who has worked with clients ranging from veterans to sexual assault victims, explores how trauma imprints on our bodies, and how we can better understand and treat its detrimental effects. This book will be immediately useful and interesting to anyone who has experienced trauma, knows people who have experienced trauma, or works with people who have experienced trauma (hint: that means all of us). — Greg Barker, Manager of Facilitation Programs

Educated, by Tara Westover
This harrowing memoir gives readers a strikingly intimate and firsthand look into the toll that mental illness can take on individuals and families. Raised in rural Idaho by an ultra-religious, survivalist family, Westover describes in detail years of neglect and abuse at the hands of a mentally ill father and sibling. Despite having never stepped in a classroom until she was 17, she eventually finds freedom through education. From Brigham Young University—where she hears about the Holocaust for the first time—to the elite halls of Harvard and Cambridge, she struggles to reckon with the world she was told about, and the one she’s discovering for herself. Westover’s story is a uniquely moving, complicated, and eye-opening that is at times uncomfortable to read, but utterly impossible to forget. — Dindy Weinstein, Director of Individual Philanthropy

Bee Season, by Myla Goldberg
Myla Goldberg tells the story of a family of four growing distant from one another as they fight to find themselves and find connection with each other. The 9-year-old daughter, Eliza, strives to be seen as intelligent and accomplished as the rest of her family. Her brother Aaron rejects the family’s traditions in search of a higher spiritual understanding and sense of belonging. And while their father pressures them to fulfill his own dreams, their mother is struggling with a hidden life unknown to the family. Goldberg lyrically depicts the pain and pressure felt by each family member, exploring their deep inner selves and taking the reader along through layers of mental states and identity. Heart wrenching and beautifully written, Bee Season reveals how disparate our inner lives can be from our outward appearance, and the importance of human connection to care for and support each other. —Emily Umansky, Development Association

We’ve Got Issues, by Judith Warner
Journalist Judith Warner set out to write a book exploring the overmedication of American children. What she discovered in the course of her research, by spending time with families whose kids are dealing with a variety of mental and behavioral health issues and hearing their stories, is that, in fact, far too many children were not receiving the treatment they and their families so desperately needed. What they received instead was stigmatization and recrimination. Through listening to others’ stories and experiences, the author’s preconceived narrative was challenged, which fits very much in line with the work of Seeds of Peace! This book supported me at a time in my parenting journey when I needed empathy and understanding, not judgment. — Deb Levy, Director of Communications

Also don’t miss

The Anxiety Chronicles, The Lily (The Washington Post)
Women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop an anxiety disorder, a serious medical condition that, as 15-year-old Ella Gross wrote recently, “is so much more than just being scared of public speaking.” For nearly a year this series has put a spotlight each week on a different woman’s journey with anxiety. They vary from teenagers to grandmothers and experience a wide range of symptoms and effects, though a common thread is that many began experiencing symptoms years—sometimes decades—before receiving help. By sharing their stories, these women are helping shine a light on one of the most commonly ignored, and commonly experienced, forms of mental health disorders in the United States.

Primal Fear: Can Monkeys Help Unlock the Secrets of Trauma? Luke Dittrich, New York Times Magazine
In the weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, a researcher began noticing unexpected patterns among one of its island’s monkeys: One, the monkeys seemed to be expanding their social networks, increasing the number of individuals that they had meaningful relationships with. Two, the monkeys appeared to become more tolerant of one another, despite living with radically diminished resources. “It was as if the hurricane had bonded even former foes against a common enemy and made the monkeys much more tolerant of life’s everyday frustrations, at least in the early days,” Dittrich wrote. Sound familiar? This fascinating article explores how researchers are seeing a rare opportunity in our genetic cousins to gain answers to long unanswered questions about the psychological effects that a disaster like Hurricane Maria has on humans.

Have any suggestions we should check out? Add them in the comments! And if you or someone you know needs information about mental health services, visit mentalhealth.gov or the World Health Organization.

Banner photo credit: Ella Gross/Lily/Washington Post