Roots + Dialogue = A Pathway to Peace

It was Tuesday night and I had the opportunity to spend it at Temple Beth Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ listening to Khaled Abu Awwad and Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger describe their transformative Palestinian-Israeli organization Roots to a large audience, including a class of teenagers, a number of Muslim guests and live stream. I’ve had the benefit of some shared history meeting Khaled’s brother Ali and having visited a mentor of the program, Rabbi Menachem Froman in Tekoa, and bringing him and Shiekh Ghassan Manasra to America to meet George Mitchell in the State Department.

It is a special thing they do bringing Israelis and Palestinians together to listen to the other’s story deeply enough to hear it and ultimately acknowledge its validity next to their own. It’s the beginning of a process of acceptance that enables former enemies to come together and understand an other. There is no easy way to do this work particularly in lieu of the War in Gaza that began with Hamas’ invasion of the Negev on October 7, 2023 and the slaughter of over 1200 Israelis, and the taking of some 250 hostages with 59 still held after 515 days in captivity.

Israelis are still fighting a war, ceasefire and all in which Hamas was only the first enemy, followed by Hezbollah and Syria in the North, the Hothis in the South and Big Brother Iran in the East. So far Israel has fought all these enemies and killed at least 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including some 17,000 members of Hamas.

The death toll in Gaza comes with a war that places one Palestinian population of 2 million above ground serving as human shields and another living in an empire of tunnels below ground. With all Israel’s efforts to communicate with Gaza’s population and engineer the movement of hundreds of thousands across the small enclosed area, Palestinians watched their homes, their schools, their mosques and even hospitals be blown up by Israel until there is little left standing in Gaza and the World sees much of the destruction through Palestinian eyes.

So when Rabbi Micah Peltz introduced the largely Conservative Jewish audience to the speakers it was to an organization run by Palestinian and Israeli individuals who have made the difficult decision to seek peace in spite of all that remains against them. Over the past twenty five years the politics of Israel and Palestine have each led their people further from the peace their governments once sought, with a Second Intifada, the continuing Occupation of the West Bank and isolation of Gaza, and this latest and deadliest round of fighting.

I’ve drawn the picture as a bleak focus because the prospects of Peace and Two States or one Confederation seems further away than ever. But Roots is in the United States telling it’s story to Jews and non Jews alike from California all the way here to New Jersey because many people know in their hearts that with 6 million Israelis and 6 million Palestinians living on a small piece of land that is roughly the size of New Jersey peace is a necessity even if no one seems ready.

Rabbi Peltz mentioned the Torah portion and spoke of a sense of Hope.

Rabbi Schlesinger began by identifying the pain of two peoples and room in our hearts to bear some of the pain of the other. He said, “It may be the key to solving this conflict.” Rabbi Hanan went on to admit that some 11 years ago, “I learned I didn’t really know what I was talking about because I’d never met a Palestinian while living in the West Bank. I was living a life of one story in a land with two stories.”

He went to a nearby Palestinian neighborhood that included a farm owned by Ali Abu Awwad. He saw Palestinians and Israelis together including one wearing a Seeds of Peace jacket. He heard Ali’s family story about the Occupation, their activism and how he and his Mother spent years in Israeli jails. They came together once a week to listen to each others’ stories and created a Palestinian-Israel Center; the Dignity Center.

The Rabbi talked about a process of healing and reconciliation “from what I call the hubris of exclusivity.” Together they have developed shared principles and shared values that they use as guideposts.

Khaled began by saying; “My dream is to see our two peoples together as brothers and sisters.” He went on to tell his story. ” I’m a Muslim. I’m a son. In 1948 we were forced to leave our village. My Father moved to Beit Omar. We lived there from 1948 to 1967. In 1967 we left our land and traveled to Jordan for six days during the War.”

“We returned, but the land is no longer ours. The state of Israel took everything. So we rent a house as a refugee family. My brother and me hate Israel. We become part of the leadership of the Intifada in 1987 until 1993 and the first peace agreement. We support the peace agreement and open a new page of living together.”

“Trusting our leaders was our big mistake.”

“On November 16, 2000 our other brother was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in Beit Omar. We are still waiting for Peace. We sat Shiva for three days. Hundreds of Palestinians come to us, blaming us; this is the peace you support.”

Then ten Israeli families from the ‘Parents Circle’ come to our House and listen to our story along with Yitzhak Frakenthal. There were many Israeli tears. One told a story of how his young daughter was killed by a Palestinian Suicide Bomber. The story challenged me. The story of this girl changed the whole picture. It confused me. Innocent Israeli girl killed in my name. Is that right ?
I cannot accept this. We have a family meeting to see what meeting those people did to us.”

” Every one of us is a victim until we stand together listening to each other. Two stories, every one of us part of that truth.”

Khaled said that Palestinians and Israelis say no violence in my name. We work in 28 Israeli and Palestinian towns. After the War in Gaza we are beginning to try a little bit of healing. ”

Rabbi Schlesinger added that “we need your help.”

You can write to us at; development@friendsofroots.net

Roots is a small Oasis of Peace in a West Bank overflowing with Israeli and Palestinian hostility.
It can grow with your help as can many other peacemaking organizations that dot the landscape throughout Israel-Palestine. In this time of so many trials we need the best of our human hearts to guide us forward to seek and to find a lasting Peace in our shared Holy Land.