Israeli, Palestinian teens connect in New Mexico

Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE — Half a world away from dwelling, a small group of Palestinian and Israeli youngsters gathered in northern New Mexico this summer season to cook dinner, paint and speak.

Maybe most essential, they listened — actually listened — to one another’s tales of checkpoints, bombings and bloodshed.

It’s the type of listening that may be uncomfortable and provoke anger. It could additionally show the ability of dialog.

“One individual at a time, perhaps it is going to make a distinction,” Dyala, a 20-year-old Palestinian and college scholar who lives within the West Financial institution, mentioned in a current interview.

She is certainly one of 4 senior younger leaders — all former campers — who participated on this 12 months’s three-week Tomorrow’s Ladies camp in Galisteo and Santa Fe. Every younger girl served a “large sister” position in the course of the camp.

For 19 years, this system has introduced Israeli and Palestinian youngsters to northern New Mexico, offering a impartial floor of types, greater than 7,000 miles from the battle at dwelling.

This 12 months’s campers — a few dozen younger girls 15 to 17 years outdated — realized enchilada recipes, made murals and had tough conversations. They converse totally different languages at dwelling, however the camp is in English.

Northern New Mexico’s surroundings and structure are the backdrop.

Eden Vaknin, 20-year-old Jewish Israeli and a senior younger chief within the camp, mentioned early actions assist construct friendships and make it simpler for the campers to attach with one another.

The ladies could reside simply 40 miles aside at dwelling whereas dealing with a lot totally different — typically painful — experiences.

“It’s actually onerous, the anger between them — between the communities and between them particularly,” Vaknin mentioned. The camp begins “with them being pals, and solely after that, they’ll share their tales. That manner they discover ways to hear.”

The camp calls it “compassionate listening.” Campers spend about 40 hours in dialogue classes over three weeks.

“They discover ways to perceive the opposite individual’s opinion, they usually perceive learn how to negotiate, not in an aggressive manner,” mentioned Nada Vounis, an 18-year-old Arab residing in Israel and a senior younger chief within the Santa Fe camp.

Violence at dwelling

The 4 senior younger leaders function mentors. Every girl has her personal tales of violence, heartbreak and dedication to peace — a few of which they shared briefly speeches final week earlier than an viewers on the Santa Fe rail yards.

Dyala mentioned an Israeli soldier shot her father within the head and chest — killing him immediately — when he stepped exterior to gentle a cigarette. Her mom, then pregnant, was shot and wounded.

Lihi Naim, a 21-year-old Jewish Israeli who served within the air pressure, mentioned she has had pals die in terrorist assaults.

Vaknin described being attacked by a girl who adopted her.

Vounis mentioned she didn’t come to discuss herself. However she spoke in regards to the significance of continuous the dialogue, one individual at a time, regardless of how uncomfortable.

Violence in New Mexico additionally got here up in the course of the rail yards occasion — an evening of music, speeches and artwork on the farmers’ market constructing in Santa Fe.

In remarks to the group, U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., touched on the demise of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, a 27-year-old planning and land use director for town of Española. He’s certainly one of 4 Muslim males shot in Albuquerque during the last 9 months in killings that introduced nationwide consideration to Albuquerque.

Leger Fernández mentioned seeing the kindness in others is essential to decreasing violence.

‘No black and white’

Tomorrow’s Ladies is a nonprofit group devoted to coaching younger girls to function peaceable leaders. The camp in Santa Fe is only one a part of a program that lasts a few 12 months and continues after the individuals return to the Center East.

The New Mexico portion of this 12 months’s camp ended final week.

As a part of the camp, native cooks taught the women learn how to make New Mexican dishes, and the individuals hiked, attended the Santa Fe Opera, visited the Santa Fe plaza and accomplished a ropes course. Therapeutic artwork was additionally a element of the camp.

Alana Grimstad, a spokeswoman for the group, mentioned the packages show to the individuals how a lot they’ve in frequent and assist them work via tough feelings. A number of have misplaced family members within the battle.

“Many instances, they arrive right here stuffed with hate, concern and anger due to what their life experiences have been,” Grimstad mentioned. Some could also be “residing miles from one another, but haven’t met somebody from the opposite facet.”

Among the many graduates are a human rights lawyer, activists, journalists and the founding father of a preschool for Arab and Jewish kids. Vounis desires to change into a physician.

However the professions they pursue aren’t essentially the purpose. Additionally essential are the straightforward conversations they’ll have with folks again dwelling.

Vaknin, who’s Jewish, mentioned she has shared the tales of Dyala — a Palestinian within the West Financial institution — along with her pals.

“There isn’t any black and white on a regular basis,” Vaknin mentioned. “There are issues that we did unsuitable they usually did unsuitable, and we now have to repair it.”

An auspicious image

New Mexico is a crucial setting for the camp.

“In the USA, you possibly can say no matter you need, you possibly can consider no matter you need, you will be no matter you need,” Naim mentioned.

In Santa Fe, the campers hiked collectively and danced within the rain. Collectively, they generally appeared indistinguishable from New Mexico’s youngsters. They laughed, hugged and completed one another’s sentences.

“It’s essentially the most quiet place to do all the things,” mentioned Dyala. “Each side can share their opinions freely with out pondering if somebody’s listening.”

The senior younger leaders inspired People to remember the complete complexity of the battle within the Center East somewhat than embracing easy speaking factors. Every demise is an actual individual, not only a statistic.

Some folks “take sides with out even pondering or having extra details about it,” Dyala mentioned.

Naim mentioned it’s essential to acknowledge that individuals are struggling, even when your consideration drifts away from Ukraine or the Center East.

“By no means lose the hope that peace can occur and alter can occur,” she mentioned. “And we want them to assist us to make it — as a result of it is going to be a lot simpler if we now have extra fingers on this course of.”

In a Journal interview, the 4 senior younger leaders — Dyala, Naim, Vounis and Vaknin — expressed genuine pleasure about an sudden sight in Santa Fe.

Driving via town on an off-day, they noticed an indication lit up at nighttime: The letters spelled out P-E-A-C-E.