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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>dear friends,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I had sent this fallowing mail, to what I thought
to be Dan Chay's address, on the 13 of May. It came back to me today. Since I
clearly remember hesitation on my part whether this contents belong to the list
or not I collect ,now, from the mails Koos, and Joelle and Julie (and the fact
that it made it all the way back...) that this may be the time and
place:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Dan,<BR><BR> thank you very
much for your response and recognition it is well taken<BR>and appreciated.I
have some responses I would like to share with you as a<BR>way of deepening the
conversation:<BR><BR>You
write:<BR>
<And I still wonder also if the Israeli military (members of
it)<BR>perpetuated massacres themselves. I am currently fairly sure
they<BR>perpetuated horror. It concerns me less whether any perpetuators
of<BR>horror Palestinian or Israeli were by some justification "right" to
do<BR>so or not, compared to whether perpetuating horrors on others will
help<BR>anyone achieve their higher aims.><BR><BR>you see, I have no interest
in who is "right" either.<BR> I assume each and every person has the right
to live their life according<BR>to their story so the only thing that does
interest me is the peace making<BR>story.<BR><BR>you
wrote:<BR> <It seems to me your neighbors and you and the
different Palestinians<BR>have closely-felt experiences to help shape your
understandings in a way<BR>that I do not. I imagine for some that has been
a mixed benefit. It<BR>looks from here to me like living so close to the
edge of survival has<BR>resulted in many of both Israeli and Palestinian people
not being able<BR>acknowledge and understand other peoples' perspectives very
well.<BR>For some time I have sought also to understand the horrors felt
by<BR>Palestinians. There is, for example, a mailing list by Ali Abunimah
that<BR>provides alternative (to US mainstream news) selections of news
and<BR>analysis about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that can be joined
by<BR>sending a blank email to <A
href="mailto:aliabunimah-subscribe@yahoogroups.com..">aliabunimah-subscribe@yahoogroups.com..</A>><BR><BR>
It may surprise you but I think this closeness sometimes makes you
num<BR>and sometimes more of a human because you see the suffering of
the<BR>Palestinians every day as well, and you hear directly and you read - It
is<BR>more real and more personal. If you happen to be a person that can not
hate<BR>,you ake and you grievea lot until you learn ,at times, to transform it
to<BR>hope and belief and what this list calls "love".<BR> I
do not see our war in the Middle east as a war between Jews and Arab<BR>or a war
between Israelis and Palestinians. I see it, for many years now,<BR>more
as a war between: hope and love fighters and despaired/consumed by
hate<BR>fighters; life fighters and death fighters on both
sides<STRONG>.<BR> It is not a boarders type of war it is the
core we are fighting for</STRONG> <BR>because The Israeli-Jewish dream land of
the heart and prayers will always<BR>be "the land of Israel" ( they will
be-longing there), and the Palestinian<BR>dream land is the land of plantain (
they fell the be-long there). since<BR>this is the exsect piece of land there is
only a practical question: can we<BR>respect and trust one another enough to
live in two neighboring countries and<BR>give up our dreams/ This is a lot of
grief to go threw even for those who<BR>what and an almost impossible leap of
trust for all concerned.<BR><BR> <It seems to me it is
these kinds of perspective WITH what we learn from<BR>various Israeli and other
perspectives that will help us understand more<BR>profoundly each others'
pain -- by way of beginning to better<BR>understand the complexity of the
whole and to shift from vicious to<BR>virtuous cycles of interaction><BR>I
definitely agree. but I didn't think this is for the list type of material,<BR>I
am afraid to shut space for others what do you think?<BR><BR>with love and
respect<BR>Tova Averbuch<BR><A
href="mailto:averbuch@post.tau.ac.il">averbuch@post.tau.ac.il</A><BR><BR>-----
Original Message -----<BR>From: Heidi and Dan Chay <<A
href="mailto:chay@alaska.com">chay@alaska.com</A>><BR>To: <<A
href="mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU">OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU</A>><BR>Sent:
Thursday, May 09, 2002 6:45 PM<BR>Subject: Re: Word from a
friend<BR><BR><BR>> Hi Tova,<BR>><BR>> In response to Artur, you
wrote:<BR>><BR>> >><BR>> As a way of bringing this letter to a
close I would like to share two<BR>> thing from last few days in my personal,
private life :<BR>> 1/ Yesterday, two streets away from were I live there was
a suicide<BR>> bombing in a snooker club. 15 civilians, unarmed, unprotected,
half of<BR>> them 55 years old and above, were murdered. 50 wounded,12 of
them<BR>> sevirly. It could have been me, or you. Is that a "massacre or
not"?<BR>><BR>> 2/ Sometimes I envy people who live in situations in which
there is<BR>> right and wrong in a clear cut way. I don't believe I do. My 14
year old<BR>> daughter, Shira, had spoken to me few days ago with deep
reflection in<BR>> her voice ( after arguing with kids her age who hold
extreme opinions)<BR>> :"you know, Imma (Mommy' in Hebrew), I do not
understand how people can<BR>> be extreemly leftist or exrteemly rightist in
this situation" when I<BR>> questioned 'why' she answered: " because the only
sane position in this<BR>> mass, were every one is right and does wrong, in
not to be sure that you<BR>> know, and to look for what is right". that made
my heart move.<BR>> <<<BR>><BR>> To me, your example of the
suicide bombing is a massacre. The pain and<BR>> horror of that reaches all
the way here to me in Alaska.<BR>><BR>> Your daughter's words also strike
me with feeling, wonder, and sense of<BR>> wisdom.<BR>><BR>> And I
still wonder also if the Israeli military (members of it)<BR>> perpetuated
massacres themselves. I am currently fairly sure they<BR>> perpetuated
horror. It concerns me less whether any perpetuators of<BR>> horror
Palestinian or Israeli were by some justification "right" to do<BR>> so or
not, compared to whether perpetuating horrors on others will help<BR>> anyone
achieve their higher aims.<BR>><BR>> It seems to me your neighbors and you
and the different Palestinians<BR>> have closely-felt experiences to help
shape your understandings in a way<BR>> that I do not. I imagine for
some that has been a mixed benefit. It<BR>> looks from here to me like
living so close to the edge of survival has<BR>> resulted in many of both
Israeli and Palestinian people not being able<BR>> acknowledge and understand
other peoples' perspectives very well.<BR>><BR>> I find our US mainstream
press gives a fairly homogenous picture of<BR>> middle east conflict -- and
Bush fairly well reflects that picture, I<BR>> think, unfortunately. It
is, among other things, a mainstream picture<BR>> that draws vividly and
often the horrors felt by Israelis and weakly and<BR>> infrequently the
horrors felt by Palestinians.<BR>><BR>> For some time I have sought also
to understand the horrors felt by<BR>> Palestinians. There is, for example, a
mailing list by Ali Abunimah that<BR>> provides alternative (to US mainstream
news) selections of news and<BR>> analysis about the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict that can be joined by<BR>> sending a blank email to <A
href="mailto:aliabunimah-subscribe@yahoogroups.com">aliabunimah-subscribe@yahoogroups.com</A>.<BR>><BR>>
It seems to me it is these kinds of perspective WITH what we learn from<BR>>
various Israeli and other perspectives that will help us understand more<BR>>
profoundly each others' pain -- by way of beginning to better<BR>>
understand the complexity of the whole and to shift from vicious to<BR>>
virtuous cycles of interaction. I see you as a heroine in your
efforts<BR>> to cultivate such openness.<BR>><BR>> Love and best
wishes,<BR>><BR>> Dan Chay<BR>><BR>> *<BR>> *<BR>>
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