H, J, T, M & D were there. F&K called at the last minute to say they couldn't come, and U was out of town. N had hoped to come, but was unable to. She's moving to the east coast at the end of the month; we'll miss her.
Here's what I remember talking about on Tuesday, as amended by J, M, H & D:
J told us that Ibtisam Mahameed, a religious Muslim woman who is a founding member of the Abrahamic Reunion in Israel/Palestine, is being recognized as an "Unsung Hero" by Wisdom In Action, a non-profit based in San Francisco. Wisdom In Action identifies individuals "who, through their loving kindness and service to others, have made their communities and our world a better place." As part of her selection as an honoree, she will receive a special recognition and blessing from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She will also get to meet the other honorees, a diverse group of men and women, representing different faiths, countries of origin, and ways of working in the world. She also gets an all-expenses paid trip to San Francisco for herself and a companion. This will be in April of 2009.
We talked about whether, since she'll be on the west coast, we could get her up here for some events. H suggested having her meet with Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. We also talked about organizing something with a Jewish group, and/or possibly arranging for her to
speak to kids in school. We had lots of ideas. J said she would email the person at Wisdom in Action in charge of Ibtisam's travel to the US and see whether there was any leeway for Ibtisam to go to other places, as long as she's in this country.
We also talked about Tourism4peace.org and the "Brand Israel" concept: If Israel, is strong in all aspects of its culture (not just its military), it will be strong enough to be less desperate about its survival, thus perhaps have less rigid policies regarding the Palestinians. Various organizations, including the Israeli Foreign Ministry, are seeking to change Israel's image, so that people don't only think of it as the center of a terrible and seemingly irresolvable conflict. However there are grave challenges for people who might think about investing in Israeli
institutions and companies because of the many human rights abuses.
J knows a young Jewish man who lived for three years in Ramallah Palestine to learn Arabic, and who wrote long letters about his amazing experiences. She offered to organize these letters and share them with the group, with the understanding that they remain inside the group and not be passed on to anyone else.
We talked about the cellular levels of fear that are part of Jewish heritage and the idea of Israel as a haven for Jews. How do you reconcile the feeling of rage at the Israeli government and your
identity as a Jew? How does it feel to have a government do crazy things in your name (something we've all experienced) as a citizen of a country, as a Jew, and how does it differ from what's been done in our name as Americans? We wondered how generational shift will impact the remembrance of the Holocaust. The first-hand horror will inevitably get more diffuse, but also perhaps there can be some healing that will give Israel the courage to stop being the abusers (which is a point of view not commonly held). What would a post-racial, post-tribal, post-national identity look like?
J promised to bring her map of the area to help us understand the tangle of ideas around borders and place.
Book list thoughts:
Everything is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer
Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson
The Places in Between, Rory Stewart
The Prince of the Marshes and Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq, Rory Stewart
Movie: Up the Yangtze
