THE Youth Magazine of Seeds of Peace OLIVE BRANCH Fall 2008 Volume XI Issue I Camp ’08 Next generation counselors Gaza through the lens India — Pakistan Homestays Final Status: Jerusalem Plus your letters, art & poems SEEDS OF PEACE CAMP, MAINE Fall 2008 Volume XI, Issue I The Olive Branch is a magazine written, edited and produced by youth from regions of conflict who are part of the Seeds of Peace program. All opinions expressed on these pages are those of the Seeds who write and edit for the magazine and are not necessarily shared by Seeds of Peace, USAID, The Olive CAMP IN PICTURES Branch, or its staff. 4 A look back at summers 2007 & 2008 in Maine. The Olive Branch Staff LOOKING AHEAD Eric Kapenga, Editor 10 Four Jerusalem residents Eli Steinberg & Lama Mashni, discuss their ideas for bringing Assistant Editors peace to the holy city. All submissions are the property of Seeds SEEDS RUN CAMP of Peace and may be edited for length, 14 Older Seeds return to Maine, content or style. Send correspondence to [email protected]. but this time as counselors helping new campers. The Olive Branch is designed by Eric Kapenga and printed by V&V DIALOGUE & FILM Communications. It is made possible 18 by a grant from the US Agency for Young Palestinians, Israelis & International Development and the Canadians meet on an island American people. to learn filmmaking. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 20 We find out what the people featured in the 2004 SEEDS documetary are doing today. THROUGH THE LENS The Editors wish to thank Bobbie 22 Gaza Seeds share photos Gottschalk, Sarahs Bigney & Norton, Ajay of their neighborhoods. Noronha, Radhika Lalla & Chris Griffith for their fantastic photographs of Seeds in action. Special thanks goes to Steve Kerr, INDO-PAK HOMESTAYS Marj Safinia, Arn Tellem & Avi Goldstein 24 Indian Seeds spend a week for their contributions towards this isssue. in Pakistan, hosted by friends from across the border. THE INTERVIEW Seeds of Peace 27 Steve Kerr talks peace, growing up in the Middle East John Wallach, Founder Janet Wallach, President Emeritus & the NBA with Iman Azzi. Program Staff/Regional Offices IN MEMORIAM 30 Friends pay tribute Farhat Aghbaria, Sajjad Ahmed, Zia Aria, Claire Dibsy Ayed, Mohammed Isleem, to Omar Sherein, Mehzabeen Eric Kapenga, Leslie Adelson Lewin, Paul Palgharwala & Aleigh Mills. Mailhot, Feruzan Mehta, Danny Metzl, Eti Michaeli, Daniel Moses, Eyal Ronder, Sawsan Samara, Azza El Sherbiny, Inessa Shishmanyan, Omar Tayeh, COVER PHOTO CREDIT: SARAH NORTON DEPARTMENTS Leena Yahia 3 From the Editors 3 Contributor Map Regional Coordinators 6 Letters Ali El Alfy, Hagai BenKuzari, Moran 8 Seeds in the Lead Eisenbaum, Bashar Iraqi, Sara Jabari, 31 Poems/Art Michel Jreisat, Dor Kaidar, Rasha Mukbil, Ramy Nagy, Ala’a Al-Talbishi Seeds of Peace is a non-profit, non-political organization that develops and empowers young leaders from regions of conflict to work towards peace through coexistence and conflict resolution. A safe environment is created at our camp in Maine where these teenagers can air their views and learn the leadership and conflict resolution techniques required to end the cycles of war. 2 The Olive Branch Fall 2008 contents From the editors E ARE very EXcited to welcome new readers from Israeli & Palestinian schools to The Olive Branch. This is our 13th year of publication—since 1996 we have been a platform for young people in regions of conflict to share their opinions Wand experiences with each other, and now, with a wider audience. As always, the magazine is edited by Seeds of Peace graduates. This year, the editors are Lama Mashni, a Palestinian from Jerusalem, and Eli Steinberg, an Israeli from Tel-Aviv. Both of us attended the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine back in 1999. In this issue, we focus on what happens at that Camp. for regional editors and writers for the next edition. Each summer, hundreds of young people from conflict Contact us at [email protected] if you are zones around the world spend three weeks together; we interested. find out what they learned and hear from older Seeds And please send us your feedback to the same address. who have returned to Camp as counselors. As always, we hope you find The Olive Branch Our next issue will focus on what happens when thought-provoking, Seeds come back to their communities after the Camp challenging, program. For those of you who are Seeds, we are looking and informative. where this issue’s haifa contributors nicosia tira ramallah are from portland, maine jerusalem kabul new york lahore cairo kiryat gat washington, dc mumbai chicago, illinois gaza city dallas, texas ashdod ashqelon hebron KEY CAMP TERMS SEEDS: Members of Seeds of Peace whose participation DIALOGUE: Daily 90-minute sessions run by began when they attended the organization’s summer professional facilitators during which Seeds are given camp in Maine between 1993 & 2008. time to discuss issues relating to their conflict with MAINE: This state, home to beautiful lakes, trees and campers from the ‘other side’ of the conflict. moose, is located in the northeast corner of the US and is GROUP CHALLENGE: A Camp activity that parallels the where the Seeds of Peace Camp is located. dialogue process and uses a series of high and low ropes DELEGATIONS: Seeds attend Camp as members of course elements to challenge the Seeds and reinforce an official delegation. In 2007 & 2008, those delegations trust and communication. were Afghan, American, Egyptian, Indian, Israeli, COLOR GAMES: A 3-day period toward the end of Camp Jordanian, Pakistani, Palestinian and our program for during which campers are divided into two teams—Green youth from the State of Maine. & Blue—and compete against each other in a variety BUNK: The 22 lakeside cabins that house the 170 of athletic & artistic events. Color Games intensifies all campers and 50 counselors. A shared living environment aspects of the Camp program and takes teamwork, trust, for 10-15 people is an integral part of the program. communication and leadership to a new level. The Olive Branch Fall 2008 3 Camp 2007•2008 culture night pleasant lake picture time flag raising culture night sports day true line up otisfield ropes course dialogue culture night nba day bbc rain color games 4 The Olive Branch Fall 2008 LALLA NORONHA, RADHIKA AJAY SARAH BIGNEY, CREDITS: BOBBIE GOTTSCHALK, SARAH NORTON, PHOTO softball dialogue group challenge parade color games flag raising superheroes canoeing more rain team work culture night sports day group challenge sailing camp fire color games The Olive Branch Fall 2008 5 CAMP REFLECTIONS all those Seeds who made the Camp what it is. I don’t think there was a single per- Seeds of Peace is a community that has son I knew at Camp that I don’t miss. influenced me in an infinite number of I just want to thank you Seeds, for truly ways. It has taught me so much about opening my mind. Letters myself and the world I live in. It has Maged (Cairo) [email protected] taught me to become a better listener and to understand where others may be coming from with their opinions. WHY WAIT FOR THE FUTURE? Being surrounded by so many incred- ible and brilliant people has helped me If you ask any of us Seeds studying in to realize my own potential. I hope that the US, almost everyone would say their as an individual, I will be able to bring purpose is to get “a good education to some of what I learned at Seeds to my help their country in the future.” school community, as well as the other We—myself included—tend to focus on communities that I am a part of. I hope goals that are way too large and unre- that I can help to influence others to be alistic for the people we are, and forget better, more aware people and that I can that little things matter. help others reach their full potential. With the kind of opportunities we have I have so much love and respect for studying in the United States, we can do Seeds of Peace that I believe that I would specific things in the present that seem be letting down the organization and very small here, but have the potential to myself if I did not try my hardest to make a huge difference in our communi- make a difference in the community I ties back at home. live in, and just as importantly, keep on I too used to wait for the future to do trying to improve myself. something substantial, but during my Nick (Washington, DC) community service work in the past cou- ple of years, I have realized that projects that are easily within our power in the “Campsickness.” It’s one thing I’m sure present can make massive difference. I’ve every single camper has felt after coming realized that taking action now, though back from those three incredible weeks it might seem minimal compared to what at Seeds of Peace. someone can do from a position of power, Everybody I met before going to Maine can make a remarkable difference. talked about Camp being a “life-chang- My old school in Kabul, Afghanistan, ing” experience. I didn’t understood how is a public institution that serves 10,000 that might be—it was just a camp, after students daily in three shifts. Dur- all. ing two decades of war, the school was Well, I can now say that I’ve never turned into a bunch of classrooms with been more wrong in my life: it turned broken windows.