'The political side doesn't have to approach in every second," says 12-year- feeble Tal, referring to his involvement in Kids4Peace, a program that began under the auspices of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East in 2002. Kids4Peace is a nonpolitical, interfaith dialogue organization in Jerusalem that seeks to encourage children - Jews, Christians and Muslims aged 10-12 - to explore their differences and similarities in decree that they may learn tolerance,idea and respect across the lines of conflict. The program was established in 2002 by Christian theologian Dr. Henry Ralph Carse, now its executive director.

A Kids4Peace summer camp in the US.
Photo: Courtesy

Having lived in the Middle East for 40 years, Carse acknowledges that the region's conflict is "certainly political." Nonetheless, he firmly believes that it is "a political conflict with a spiritual solution, [using] dialogue and cooperation." K4P places a strong emphasis on faith identity and practice as a means to promote dialogue. Additionally, it is one of the few coexistence groups whose focus is specifically on pre-teens.

Kids4Peace is expanding, its popularity growing within the Jerusalem area by word of mouth. This year there were more than 100 applicants for 36 places. The children meet on a regular basis, hosted by St. George's College in east Jerusalem, as K4P is one of the church's unique programs.

The children are divided into groups, or chapters, of 12: four Christians, four Muslims and four Jews. Each group is led by three advisers, who are also representatives of the three faiths. At the stop of this month the children travel to the US to attend a peace camp, where they will meet their American counterparts.

Communication across the Atlantic happens prior to this by the employ of "peace pals." Jerusalem children are linked up with children in the US so that there is some written connection made before the camp takes place.

The camps are race with the support of the Kids4Peace host populations in Georgia, North Carolina and Vermont. They also subsidize the airfare for the children traveling from Jerusalem. According to Carse, the camp experience transforms the lives of the children within the hosting population, as they too become engaged in the dialogue process.

Yakir Englander, director of Kids4Peace in Jerusalem, is a veteran facilitator of religious-secular dialogue groups.love all the staff, he works as a volunteer while he studies for his PhD in Jewish philosophy and gender studies. He illustrates that K4P is a feminist organization; his three coordinators are women (two Muslims and one Jew), and many of the advisers are also women.

Religion and not politics is central to K4P; even so, religious leaders are not allowed to create decisions about how the organization is run. Englander wants children involved from the most secular and religious schools in Jerusalem. "I want to have dialogue…"

This year they have children from the Ramallah and Bethlehem in the Palestinian Authority, and his aim is for these numbers to increase. He points out that the 19 schools they have worked with have seen changes in the children who have participated in the program. The Jewish schools want dialogue with the Arab schools. "This is what Kids4Peace is for," he says.

SITTING OUTSIDE in Tal's family's attractive garden in Baka, the birds serenading us and the distant sound of music playing from inside the house, Tal and Noa appear relaxed and willing to talk about their involvement with Kids4Peace. Noa, a sophisticated 13-year-old, is thoughtful and certain in her answers, the less vocal of the two. Tal is a talkative, articulate and expressive boy, often using his hands when speaking.

Both had participated in a program at elementary school run by the Center for Creativity in Education and Cultural Heritage (CCECH), which uses folklore as a means of nursing contact between Arab and Israeli schoolchildren. They had found it fascinating, yet Noa expressed frustration that "We didn't hold in contact with the Arab children that we'd met" and that after two years "the program just stopped." She had heard about Kids4Peace from friends who had joined and they had told her that "it was noteworthy fun. They stated that I should try it out. I didn't want to recede alone, however then I heard that Tal was going."

Tal felt that the relationship between Jews and Arabs "is [an] necessary [one] to try and develop. I could do it and I like doing it." He explained the quite lengthy selection process. "We each had a chat - interview - with two of the advisers and they asked us all kinds of questions, checking for things like how we express our thoughts and what we know about our religion. Whoever got past that stage, went on to take part in a workshop. They try to see how you work in a team. There were people watching. My dad was there! But he isn't involved with us."

According to Tal's father, a professional facilitator for the staff, they are looking for balance when they are selecting children for the program, children from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. They do not want to take too many children from the same school but want young people who can demonstrate interest, social and language skills, as well as some knowledge of their traditions.

With more applications than places, the staff is keen to ensure that they select the children carefully. In fact this year, he commented, there were not enough " excellent Jewish kids."

Even though there was a genuine sense of enthusiasm about the meetings and an obvious excitement about the upcoming camp in Atlanta, Tal and Noa expressed caution at who they had told about their involvement in K4P. They were clear that their close friends were supportive, "they judge it's pretty chilly," Tal commented. But "if I were to disclose the kids in my class what I'm doing, not necessarily my friends, I know that there would be discussion. I know that not everybody would think that it's a good thing," explained Noa.

Knowing of children with racist views toward Arabs, Tal made it clear that he completely disagreed with them. "Each side has made enormous mistakes, maybe some more than others. Some of the Israelis have been incorrect, some of the Arab community has been wrong. I think that's the way to look at it." Noa agreed, nodding. "There's no one who's correct in this situation." Continued 1| 2 | 3 | Next»

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