Stories
Peace Experiences
(written for BE magazine, Byron Bay 2006)
I always trusted that Peace is an experience and not merely an intellectual concept, and that in order to make a difference I must begin with my self. Fortunately enough, as I grew up in Israel, I encountered numerous examples of those who have faith in the possibility of Peace, and act upon it, in all ways possible. In a war troubled zone, it is nothing less than a miracle of common sense to share experiences that enhance (the practice of) Peace on Earth, no less. Here & Now I have two examples to share.
In 1997, as a member of Sheva, an Israeli music ensemble of Hebrew and Arab roots, I participated in a gathering that was hosted by Neve-Shalom, (Oasis of Peace), an Arab-Jewish village situated between Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. It was natural to witness real conciliation and co-existence, Hebrew and Arab cultures communicating in a genuine way. I heard first hand of their challenges, coming both from within the village members as well as from the general "normal" environment, and was most impressed by their courage to face those challenges with an open heart and willingness to over come whatever stood in the way of Living in Peace.
6 years later I played with Sheva in a fund-raise concert for Neve-Shalom. It was an evening that was organized by the Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities of Zurich, this by itself being a great achievement.
We played with a Sufi Sheikh from Germany, his Iranian flutist, a Syrian drummer and a Hindu tabla player. An Arab friend of ours from the Galilee Mountains joined with his violin, and together we chanted in Arabic and Hebrew, calling for Peace, under the roof of the Christian Grand Cathedral of Zurich. What an inspiring moment! The whole place was charged with inspiration.
How simple it is, how simple it can be to practice the experience of Peace.
Another recent example I can share is the Sulha gathering I attended couple of months ago in Israel. A few thousand people of all ages, from Israel & Palestine, delegations from Jordan and Egypt, and elders from different ethnicities, shared 3 days of visions, music, food and acknowledged pain, getting familiar with fellow humans, listening to one another and learning through experiencing the possibility of Peace. There was the tent of bereaved parents, both Israelis and Palestinians, sharing their painful experiences and deep and urgent aspirations for Peace. How brave and desperate for Peace they are, as are the children that sang prayers they composed, in Arabic and Hebrew, dreaming a Peaceful future, making it a real down-to-earth experience. No airy-fairy concept, but a true presence of Peace.
It is so encouraging to see how it is a matter of choice, to insist on Peace as a Natural birth right, and indeed a Natural state of being. Not to be paralyzed by the fear of the “other”, not to be enslaved by the concept of “enemies”, as we all share the human condition, we all inhabit this great mother ship “Earth”, sailing in the vast ocean of existence.
The Way to Sulha- Grassroots Human Reconciliation
(an article written in 2005 for the Here & Now magazine, Byron Bay)
I heard a beautiful story that originates from Native American tradition:
A grandfather tells his grandson: "I have two wolves that are living in my heart, one is full of rage and anger, short tempered, vengeful and violent. The other is gentle, patient and compassionate…and they are in war inside my heart….”
"Which one of them will win the war in your heart?" asks the young boy.
The old man answers: "The one I feed"….
Now let us travel from Native America to another part of our world…
Sulha is the Arabic word for reconciliation or forgiveness; it is traditionally used as the term to describe an indigenous Middle Eastern way of Peace making, for many generations and many centuries, until this day. The reconciliation meeting would consist of the rivalry tribes drinking tea together, eating together, singing and dancing together and praying together. These are the pillars of the Sulha/Reconciliation day, the platform on which the discussion for resolving the conflict can take place.
The genuine insight underlying this ancient practice of peace making is the fact that Peace is more of a living experience rather than a concept that is talked about. Simply by being together, sharing time and space, food and music, the conflicting parties can experience each other’s humanness, and thus remember their own basic human trust. Simply by committing to be together during the day, they are already preparing themselves for forgiveness.
For the last 10 years, I have been involved with different aspects of the various grassroots Peace movements in Israel. Being a member of Sheva, an Israeli music ensemble of Hebrew and Arab roots, I cooperated with many friends, Muslims, Jews Christians and Druze alike, to create gatherings, celebrations, festivals and meetings that facilitate the space for the experience of Peace, generally using the medium of Music and Intent, accentuating Celebration as a means for Transformation. While traveling Israel, Europe, the Americas and Australia, I encountered many communities of different ethnicities and faiths, people from all tribes of the human family. Sitting and singing around the fire, praying in all kinds of languages, it got very clear to me that when words cannot communicate any more because of strong identification with opinions and ideas, there are music, dance, food and simple human presence that can bridge a sense of separateness and animosity.
When the recent Intifada in Israel started in 2000, a dear friend and visionary Gabriel Meyer initiated a meeting with an Arab Elder, Elias Jabur, whose father was a known and well-respected mediator of Sulhas in the region of the Galilee Mountains in northern Israel.
Out of this meeting the initiative of the Sulha Peace Project gatherings was born.
Bringing Muslims, Druze, Christians, Jewish and other various religious and cultural leaders, families, artists, healers, and people from all walks of life, for an experiential day, where children can play and commune together, where grown ups can share their differences in a peaceful manner, thus realizing in actuality an alternative to the world of war, re-membering basic human trust, acknowledging each other’s pains, fears, frustrations and aspirations, appreciating each other’s culture, sharing food, music, dance and prayer. Nourishing seeds of trust in their own hearts, yet more important, in their children’s hearts.
Five gatherings have been held in Israel since. Thousands of people attended them. Some revolutionary sights were seen, such as Rabbis and Sheikhs, together with a Tibetan Monk and an African Zulu leader, were singing and dancing together, praying for peace, inspiring their communities for more tolerance and mutual understanding. Palestinian and Israeli bereaved fathers & mothers were sharing their pain and aspiration for Peace and social justice, Jewish and Muslim children were playing music together, a real creation of some good news….One way of Peace making involves political leaders, lawyers, contracts, convention rooms, suits and ties and a lot of legalities….another way involves people singing, dancing, praying and sharing food. Simple in deed.
It is evident that people from whatever origin, are aspiring for the same essential human needs. Whether we are Palestinians, Iraqis, Israelis or English, deep down, we all want the same basic human experience of Love and Peace, yet we all have different interpretations as to how to get these qualities manifested in our lives.
Most, if not all, people are not acting out of sheer malice, but simply out of ignorance. This is why introducing an alternative to the familiar mode of conflict is so valid. It is just common sense, that when a child is being puzzled by war and violence, it is not relevant at all whether he or she is Muslim, Aboriginal, Christian, Jewish or Buddhist.
It is simple common sense that there is no need to compete who’s pain is greater, since there is no way of measuring the pain of a bereaved father or mother, the pain of orphans or the pain of living in war. It is common sense that the conflict in the Middle East is not only local. Of course, there are the local details that need to be addressed, yet it is also a very global conflict. All over the world, there are wounds that are pleading to be healed and reconciled, even here in Australia. This is why I trust that the Sulha and human reconciliation gatherings are relevant everywhere.
I trust that we all affect reality primarily by the way we relate to it. By the way we think about the “news”, by the way we relate to what we feel about it. I trust that we can all do just that, looking within our own hearts and minds, checking whether we consider the problem to be “out there”, thus throwing the response-ability away, getting caught in reactions that perpetuate the violent world we do not want to live in. The battlefield is within the human heart and mind. It has been said so many times by so many, and it is so very relevant. Coexistence and acceptance of the other are not only concepts…they are a daily practice….
Traveling now back from Native America, Australia and the Middle East, into our own hearts…. Which wolf is being fed?
Reconciliation begins within.