A Day At The Beach
TEL AVIV — "Skittish at first, then wide-eyed with delight, the women and girls entered the sea, smiling, splashing and then joining hands, getting knocked over by the waves, throwing back their heads and ultimately laughing with joy."
New York Times article by Ethan Bronner
Let's Talk...
The photo to the right tells a wonderful, hopeful story of what women can do for each other no matter what the political climate may dictate. Last year, Ilana Hammerman, an Israeli translator and author was spending time in the landlocked southern part of the West Bank. A young Palestinian woman begged her to take her to the beach for just one day. Israel does not allow Palestinians into the country without a permit, meaning they could face criminal charges if they were apprehended. This one trip, a simple act of civil disobedience, lead to the creation of a group called We Will Not Obey.
What I love about this story is that these are women who are trying to break down the resentments and hatred that have existed in this area for so long.
Photo by Rena Castelnuovo for The New York Times
As an Israeli woman said
"They and we, all ordinary citizens, took this step with a clean and resolute mind. In this way we were privileged to experience one of the most beautiful and exciting days of our lives, to meet and befriend our brave Palestinian neighbors and together with them, to be free women, if only for a day."
The men living in Palestine and Israel could learn a lesson from this nonviolent act of human connection. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Have a good week and we'll talk soon.
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