The Charlotte Jewish News - November 2008 - Page 14
Peace is Possible
Winning International Day of Peace Essay
By Lucy Bierer
Editor’s Note: Each year,
Mecklenburg Ministries sponsors
a Peace Essay contest for high
school students to coincide with
the International Day of Peace.
This year’s winner, Lucy Bierer of
Temple Beth El, presented the
speech at an interfaith service on
September 25.
I am a proud Jew and every day
I wear a beaded Palestinian flag
bracelet made by Rana, my former
Palestinian roommate. To most
people these facts seem contradic
tory.
How is it that a young woman
who is a leader in her Jewish
youth group, an active temple
member and even an attendee at
the recent national AIPAC
(American-Israeli Lobby) confer
ence can also be supportive of
Palestinians? This summer I sur
prised myself as I discovered that
I am all these things.
I was selected to participate in a
program called “Building Bridges
704.609.5639 BRUCE MEHLMAN
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bmchiman@hclcnadamsrcalfy.com
15235-JJohnJ Delaney Dr;: Charlotte, NC 28277:: 704.S4I.0279
Lucy, center, with her parents, Lee
and Jeff Bierer.
for Peace” (BBfP), an intensive
year-long program with, Israelis,
Palestinians and Americans that
emphasizes dialogue and team
building. Each year BBfP takes in
groups of kids who have hearts
full of hate and stories of pain and
gives them the time and space to
let go of their anger and seek com
mon ground. This summer
Israelis, Palestinians and
Americans met and began work
ing with one another to create a
safe, open and peaceful communi
ty. After three weeks together, the
34 of us have a mission to change
our own communities just as this
experience changed us.
I began the summer very com
fortable with my set of beliefs. But
I learned that all is not as it
appeared to me. I was thrown into
this situation where
Israelis are angry
about Palestinian
terrorists and the
Palestinians are
furious about the
inhumane treat
ment by Israeli sol
diers. Who is right?
I was convinced
that no conflict can
be solved if every
one is a victim. We
cannot compare
pain to determine
who has suffered
more. Everyone
suffers and if all we
do is try to judge
whose pain is
worse, everyone will continue to
get hurt.
The conflict in the Middle-East
is no longer about religion, land or
ideals. The people I met this sum
mer were bom into this war, and
now the conflict is personal. The
solutions must be personal, too.
Now as a group of friends, we
began moving past our fear and
hatred because we got to know
each other personally. We were no
longer just Palestinians or Israelis
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Also speaking on peace in the world were (top row, left
to right) Tommy Yarborough, Srikanth Rajagopaln
(bottom row, left to right) community shlicha Hagar
Shahak, Angel Liu, and Joanne Bellamy.
or Americans or Jews or
Christians or Muslims. Since we
had shared tears and laughter
together we could no longer
reduce “the other” to a faceless
enemy whom we hate. We are all
human. We are humans who fear
the same things and feel the same
emotions. We are humans with
families, a past and stories to tell.
If other people can learn this les
son by spending time with “the
other” whether that’s a Palestinian
with an Israeli, or a black with a
white then I believe much of this
gut-hutred could be diminished.
But it must start with my genera
tion.
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who fear the same
things and feel die
sameemetlens.
totelL”
BBfP changed me on the inside
and gave me the tools to change
the world around me. My task
now is how to take this lesson and
make a difference. Any change
big or small comes from within
one person and “small acts, when
multiplied by millions, can trans
form the world.” Now I’m
inspired to bring what 1 have
learned back to Charlotte. I am in
the process of creating Charlotte’s
first Interfaith Youth Council.
1 am busily beading an
American and Israeli flag bracelet
for Rana. I don’t know if she’ll
wear it, but hopefully her daughter
will, if
Lucy’s participation in BBfP
was made possible in part by the
Jewish Federation of Greater
Charlotte.