Noemie Nalbandian
Deputy Head Nurse at Hadassah Medical Center-Mount Scopus
People ask if I hate the Turks. I do not hate the Turks, I hate what they did to my grandparents. They have to recognize what they did and apologize. I live in a world where the Arabs and Jews fear each other and can’t depend on each other. The wounds and the sorrow are continuous—the way my ancestors were treated and the way Jews, Christians, and Muslims treat each other. It goes on and on. I teach my children, “If you strike the person who hit you, you are no better than he is.” We can’t get out of this mess if we strike back. [..]
Siham Chalabi
Facilitator at Daliat El-Carmel Community Center
The Druze are conservative people who believe in one god. There are religious Druze and secular Druze. One of our principles is that wherever we are, in whatever country, we have to be loyal to that country. We are concerned not only with our own interests but with the interests of the country. We do everything “Israeli,” everything. We have people in senior positions and regular jobs in the government. Our children serve in the army. We are Arab Druze, but we have a good life with the Jews. We love our country. [..]
Sarai Aharoni
Facilitator with Isha L’Isha-Haifa Feminist Center
Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security was accepted by the United Nations Security Council in October 2000 and is seen by the international women’s movement as one of the biggest achievements of the movement during the last decade. It officially recognizes the need to incorporate women in all peace negotiations and everything to do with conflicts—prevention, management, and resolution. [...]
Silvia Margia
Program director with women’s intercultural organizations
There are voices inside myself. Some can be very ugly. In the last war, I found myself angry with the Jewish people. Will they wake up and see that security is not about the army? Peace is about economic security, not about an army. I was shocked. How I am thinking this way? How did I give myself even permission to say these things? I want to heal myself of this voice of the wounds of the little Arab girl inside. Sometimes you need to meet the other side and say, “Help me to heal myself and I will offer my help for you to do the same.’’ [...]
Nira Lamay
Deputy Commissioner of Knesset Commission for Future Generations
A few weeks ago I was stopped at a barrier on my way to work. I asked the policeman, “If I were blonde with blue eyes, would you have stopped me?” He was very embarrassed. My intuition says that, when there is trouble on this road, his intuition tells him that stopping someone who is dark, who might be Arab, is a natural thing to do. This is how it is. This is my existence in Israel. [...]
Anya Antopolski
Director of Meeting Point in Nokdim
I’ll tell you a story. About a year ago I was going through the checkpoint on my way home when I saw a very pretty Palestinian girl with a beautiful scarf covering her hair. She was standing next to the checkpoint holding a Palestinian flag and demonstrating against the security fence. I wanted to stand next to her holding an Israeli flag, because I’m also against the fence. If she’s against the fence, and I’m against the fence, then who is for it, really? That’s what I want to say. [...]
Molly Malekar
Director of Bat Shalom of The Jerusalem Link
As a peace activist, you have chances every day to feel angry. You deal with peace, but you deal with violations of peace and human rights. I’ve tried to build an internal discipline not to be angry. One thing that relieves me is—maybe it’s age—knowing that peace will not be achieved within my lifetime. We have a long way to go and will not necessarily see the fruits of our work. It’s a marathon—and anger destroys energy.
Tova Dmbulu Gette
Conversion Counselor for the Rabbinical Courts
It was like the Exodus from Egypt. We slept during the day and walked at night so robbers wouldn’t catch us. We walked, hungry and thirsty. I was with my parents and two of my brothers. We carried them on our backs and put them on donkeys. We had only [...]
Amoun Sleem
Founder-Director of Domari Society of Gypsies
You don’t see gypsies fighting around the world. They look for the simple life and they look with beautiful eyes. Our flag means green for the land, blue for the sky, and wheels for traveling. People should learn from the gypsies: be open, make your hearts green for everybody. [...]
