When we get
together over Shabbat dinner, we often ask everyone at the table to share a
meaningful moment. Last Friday, the topic was gratitude: specifically, an
event from the week for which we were thankful. Everyone had a beautiful story
to share, be it an encounter at school or at work.
to my son-in-law Shaarya’s turn, he said he was grateful for sharing positive
encounters with Palestinians. And then he told the following story.
learning Arabic. A few days ago, finding himself at a bus stop with an
Arab, he realized this was a great opportunity to practice Arabic. So he started a conversation and soon after, they boarded the bus
together where they continued talking.
got on the bus and became interested in this unusual encounter; Shaarya is an
Israeli Jew wearing a kippa who is speaking Arabic and talking to a
Palestinian. The other Arab passengers were curious and became involved
in the conversation.
that Arabs and Jews are more alike than different. They realized that all want
an education and a job; all want to be respected
and to live comfortably without needing to be in constant fear and conflict; and
no one wants to live and raise children in a violent reality.
 |
| Sderot Rothschild today. |
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| Building of Sderot Rothschild. |
Some expressed admiration for what the Jews had done in Israel, transforming it from
an impoverished desert to a first-world high-tech nation in a short period of
time.
conclusion? Politicians have ruined the ability to establish peace between
Arabs and Israelis. And changes that must happen given this sensitive reality will have to come bottom-up – from the citizens, not the politicians.
casually like this where everyone is on equal footing enabled them to develop a
mutual trust and respect for each other. Shaarya did not even realize
that he was the only Israeli on a bus filled with Palestinians.
one of the Palestinians if he thinks the situation is getting better or worse.
There are good people and bad people on both sides of this conflict. The key to
change is when we
learn to trust and give respect to each other.”
When the bus
reached Tzomet Tapuach and an IDF soldier noticed Shaarya sitting amidst all of
the Palestinian passengers, the soldier
was surprised to see an Israeli so relaxed in what could be perceived as a
tense situation.
reality of the Middle Eastern conflict causes us to be fearful, suspicious and
even hateful of each other. But what if we could drop the stereotypes, look the
other in the eye and see our shared humanity? What if we were to focus on
our similarities as opposed to our differences?
And this is
what Shaarya accomplished.
I dream that
his conversation will have a lasting effect on the Arabs in the bus – I know his story
affected all of the people sitting around our Shabbat table.
throw my hands up and feel the conflict is impossible to resolve, I can now see
that change is possible. And peace will not happen via a foreign summit or
funding from NGOs, financial punishment via BDS or the removing of Jewish listings by Airbnb in Yehuda and Shomron
— a peace summit happened on bus 486 from Tel Aviv to Tapuach Junction just
last week.
such positive encounters were to multiply… this is something for which we
would all be grateful.
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