JERUSALEM | Israeli Seeds examined tensions and challenges associated with their country’s ethnic groups during two summer seminars.
On July 28, Israeli Seeds held a community dialogue with Mizrahi Jews, whose ancestry traces back to Muslim-majority nations, to learn about discrimination the Mizrahi have faced and continue to face in Israeli society.
The ten Seeds heard about the personal experiences of poet Shlomi Hatuka and author Ron Kakhlili, and the discrimination Mizrahi Jews encounter in Israeli media, pop culture, and politics. Participants held an hour-long discussion with the speakers and later held a dialogue session to reflect what they had heard.
“I had no idea that the discrimination was so existent these days,” said Hila, an Israeli participant. “I am so happy that my Seed friends shared their personal stories of pain, that I had never noticed, with me.”
On July 3, Israeli Seeds, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, explored the streets of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, where they discussed what language means to them, how they feel about the other side’s language, and how language has the potential to cause fear.
The ten participants in the Language Day seminar met with Facebook icon Hanin Majadle, who runs a page for Hebrew speaker to learn Arabic.
“The two Arab Seeds shared their fears of speaking Arabic in some places,” said Seeds of Peace Program Coordinator Hagai Efrat.
“The others seemed surprised to hear that they are intimidated about speaking Arabic in some scenarios. Everyone later laughed when Hanin mentioned how ridiculous it is that people are afraid simply by hearing a man calling his wife saying that he got milk from the store.”
The day concluded at the Bikurei Ha’Itam Center in Tel Aviv with a reflective discussion on the language used in Seeds of Peace activities and how the choice of language affects these activities.