in Israel and
Palestine
Middle East Peace
Initiative
| The “Service for Peace” (http://www.serviceforpeace.org) represented by the International coordinator, Akiko Ikeno has organized a series of service projects in support of the “Heart-to-Heart” Rally for Peace, December 22. 2003. (http://peacerally.info) The “International Relief Friendship Foundations”, represented by Massimo Trombin, International field director and Europe coordinator for IRFF, has played a supporting role in this effort. Also a core staff of volunteers from USA, Japan and Europe also join the work in coordinating the entire logistics and projects site. |
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Gideon from Baka a new friend |
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Really busy Akiko |
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| From the 19-20 and 21 more then 700 volunteers from the Service for Peace side join with local participants and volunteers in 12 service actions-projects, focused in promoting mutual understanding, peace and reconciliations among all people in the area. International and local groups representing a diversity of faith and cultural traditions work to make the vision of peace a reality. Participants act both in economically thriving communities and in the poorest neighborhoods of Jerusalem. They work with Israeli Jewish and Arab families and with recently immigrated Ethiopian Jews. Local participants will consist of High School students, orphaned youth, university students, community leaders, religious leaders and school directors. In all projects we are focusing on supporting local leaders and helping them educate their people to take ownership over this nation and its impact on the world. |
The IRFF Bethlehem Partners |
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The service departement staff meeting |
A quick look at the projects:
Friday, December 19, 2003
1. Christian Friendship Foundation
Christian friendship foundation hand in hand with a local Muslim organization, gathered with international participants to unload 2,000 boxes of donated clothing. In the pouring rain, they sang songs of peace in Hebrew, Arabic and English.
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Back to the ContentSaturday, December 20, 2003
2. Creating an Ecological Farm Tel Aviv area
International participants worked with an emerging community center to create an ecological farm. There are only three such farms in the nation. The vision for the community center is to raise the awareness of what impact environment has on health, nature, and the future of Israel. International participants worked with local students and families to create this village into a model of sustainability and eventually a center that will bring together youth of diverse backgrounds to harmoniously work for peace in their nation and world.
100 people from the organization service for peace came to Emilio's field and after a long day of learning and working in the field ... see also the report under 1 Breath Time!
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3.
Bethlehem
“Bethlehem
Gave the World a Gift… Now the World brings a Gift to Bethlehem”
Early Morning: Visit a refugee camp and spend the morning with local families. See the reality of Bethlehem after years of economic depression. The conflict of the Middle East has lowered tourism rates drastically.
See also the letter of thanks from the Internationel Center of Bethlehem
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Mid Morning: Service Projects
4. S.O.S. Orphanage Leadership Project
First, travel to a refugee camp and see the situation of Bethlehem after three years of economic depression. We will focus on raising the S.O.S. Orphans to become owners of Bethlehem and lead in reviving the community. Their orphanage is their face to Bethlehem so the project will begin by cleaning, painting, and fixing their orphanage. To also serve the greater community and live for the sake of Bethlehem, the orphans will clean and decorate a public street for the Holidays.
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See also the letter of thanks from the SOS Children's Village Bethlehem page 1 |
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The letter of thanks from the SOS Children's Village Bethlehem page 2 |
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5. Bethlehem School Park Project
Bethlehem has no park. The International Center for Bethlehem is taking on a long term project to build the first park which will eventually hold 1 million trees. We will kick-start the project with the high school youth from a local school by preparing the ground for the future park. We will raise the high school youth to claim ownership over the vision of the park and their role in rebuilding Bethlehem.
See also the letter of thanks from the Dar Al-Kalima School
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Italian
Volunteers performimg |
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Bethlehem’s Lutheran-Christian cemetery is in need of care. Our volunteers will work with local youth to take care of the cemetery. We hope to raise the youth to become leaders in caring for Bethlehem and thinking of what legacy we can each leave with the lives we live for the sake of the world.
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Come to this area where Christians and Muslims have lived relatively peacefully for generations. What used to be the liveliest time in Bethlehem is quiet and somber today. For three years, the families that have survived on tourism have found themselves with no business due to the Middle East conflicts. Only the Church of Nativity is decorated for Christmas. Our volunteers will work with the local stores and community to bring back the holiday spirit of giving by decorating the town.
see also the Bethlehem Media Net and the International Center of Betlehem
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Sunday, December 21, 2003 (NO photo from those projects below)
8. Ethiopian Community Project
Work with a local organization with a group of teens from recently immigrated Ethiopian families. Walk through the village and learn the history of the recently immigrated families. Share the Hanukkah tradition of candle lighting and an evening of cultural activities.
Visit the historic sites of Nazareth and travel on to the nearby Arab village of Yaffia. Located in the heart of several ethnic groups, this village has potential to become a key site for future Service For Peace projects. Join a diverse group of teens in a community service project. Build a vision of peacemaking with the teens as they prepare to create their own community service projects.
10. A Day of Peace in Jerusalem
Start with visiting a Biblical site Imwas, where international participants will meet local youth of different Israeli ethnicities. Together, we will clean an empty playground that is in front of the YMCA, UN DPI and other foreign consulate buildings. Through restoring this area, we can show a working model of peace and prove the impact of standing together beyond race, ethnicity, and religion. We will end the evening by taking a night walk through Old Jerusalem with our new Israeli brothers and sisters. We will see the city through their eyes and hear their visions of a new future we can build.
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The
project leaders Alain (IRFF France) |
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Experience poorer neighborhoods of Jerusalem. See the striking differences and walls built between the different communities in Israel. Here, we will join with the efforts of local community centers to change this community to become the best. With local families our volunteers will join the already planned community-wide cleaning project.
Take a trip down through East Jerusalem. Revive the community through this Peace Garden Project. There were no playgrounds or parks in this area; we helped to create the first as a symbol of hope and peace in the community. Since this park is in a very visible location it could even become a symbol of peace for all of Jerusalem.
see also the A.S.P.N.I. - AMERICAN SOCIETY for the PROTECTION of NATURE in ISRAEL
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After a simple community clean-up project, youth gathered together with international participants to dialogue the power of unity. After discussing what it means to be a peacemaker, teams drew their visions and presented them to the larger group. One wall of the community center was dedicated to this vision of peacemaking as the youth hand-in-hand with the international volunteers painted the wall with their hands symbolizing unity and its power to create peace.
Copyright (c) 2004 IRFF Europe
Luxembourg@irff-europe.org