Sulha Newsletter – April 2009

Sacred are the

Peacemakers

Relationships Are the Key Positive Change

In the first few months of 2009, hundreds of heart-stricken Palestinians, Israelis, Arabs, and Jews organized 10 meetings which led to several collective actions for justice and peace for the children of the Holy Land.

Many of these inspirational women, men, and children are core members of the Sulha Peace Project or their closest Palestinian partner organization, Al-Tariq.

You can read the heartening 15 page report here: http://traubman.igc.org/gazahelp.pdf

Soon, Sulha and Al-Tariq together, will begin studying the Arab Peace Initiative.

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to you to some of these people who refuse to hate and have taken upon themselves to change reality.

Salwa, Ramallah

Lee, Jerusalem

Elad, Jerusalem

Khaled (on left), Beit Omar

Nir, Southern Negev

Hanan, Yafo

‘Elders of Sulha’ (from left):

Yael, Ihab, Melila, Boaz, Gaby

…………….……………..

United We Stand, Divided We Fall

This network of spiritual peacemakers represents a model for the future. They come from every religious and political background one could imagine.

“Just Another Day at the Office”

Arab and Jewish members of Sulha and Al-Tariq planning for the 2008 Annual Sulha Gathering. Nearly 4000 Arabs, Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, secular and religious, young and old gathered to share their pain, to dance, to pray, to learn about each other, and ultimately to coexist for
three days and three nights just a few miles outside of Jerusalem.

Many of the actions for peace and justice between you just read about were are a direct result of the Sulha Peace Project’s eight years of relationship building activities.

…………….……………..

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Support Local Peacebuilding Efforts

…………….……………..

Shared Symbols – New Meanings

Sulha Prayer in Hebron

…………….……………..

Join Our Cause on Facebook

…………….……………..

Intern or Volunteer for Sulha

The following positions are available:

· Social Media Coordinator

· Website Administration

· Grant Research and Writing

· Tour Coordinator

· Bookkeeper

Send your resume to sulhafamily@gmail.com and write ‘Sulha Intern’ in the Subject line.  Please indicate which position interests you.

Share This with the World

…………….……………..

…………….……………..

Letter from A Sulhita Participant

My name is (anonymous), and I’m a soldier in the Israeli army.

Before I started my military service I participated in many of the Sulha’s activities.

I’m stationed in a military base near the Jordanian border, and there are many collisions between Israeli soldiers from my base and Palestinian people, both innocent and hostile.

Whenever I get to talk with my fellow soldiers about the conflict and the Palestinian people in particular, I see that most soldiers think of the Palestinian people only as enemy – they do not consider them as human being but only as a hostile nation.

Many times I have tried to explain that the other side is human, and that the hatred is created from both sides only because of faulty beliefs, but it is not easy to change people’s perception, all the more when the perception is supported by all the surroundings.

One of the things that doesn’t let me give up on this fight against those false perception is the works my friends are doing with Palestinian and Israeli civilians – gathering people from all the area, sitting together and breaking all stereotypes and generalizations.

Every time I talk with my friends at the Sulha, and see all the work they do for peace, I am inspired to keep trying and break those stereotypes within the army as well.

I want to support and strengthen all the people who work for peace and I believe some day the hatred will be forgotten, and peace will be upon us.