• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Policies
  • Submissions
    • Op-eds
    • News / Announcements
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

eJewish Philanthropy

Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

  • News Bits
  • Jewish Education
  • Readers Forum
  • Research
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Readers Forum / A Zionist and a Palestinian Walk onto a Plane…

A Zionist and a Palestinian Walk onto a Plane…

November 8, 2016 By eJP

israel-palestinianBy Hannah Tobin Cohen

Awaiting take-off on a flight from Los Angeles to London, I sit ensconced in the latest David Grossman novel, with mizrahi music blasting in my ears. Yet, even the dulcet tones of Moshe Peretz cannot obscure the phone conversation of my neighbor, conducted in the familiar – yet to me, incomprehensible – language of Arabic. With the sinking feeling that I am about to do something against my better judgement on the cusp of a wearisome transatlantic flight, I introduce myself. By chance or otherwise, Hannah the British Jew, and Sayyid the Palestinian Muslim, have been seated cosily – inescapably – next to each other, for eleven l-o-n-g hours.

Suffice to say, we managed to vacillate with relative civility between earnest conversation and ardent debate, but unfortunately (and not surprisingly) we did not succeed in solving the Middle East conflict. What I did realize, however, is that it is very easy to comfortably, smugly, immerse myself in my own narrative: to read articles that support my point of view, to surround myself with like-minded friends, to carefully cultivate an environment that shields me not only from dissenting ideas but from the people who voice them. In ignoring those with whom one disagrees – whether deliberately or unwittingly – half the story is lost, and the “other,” inevitably, is dehumanized.

As an Israel educator and researcher, it was a rude awakening. How could I profess to teach and write about Israel when I regarded Palestinians as I had Arabic: familiar, certainly, yet to some extent, incomprehensible. The realization propelled me to apply for Newground: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, a one-year, Los Angeles-based fellowship that brings together Jews and Muslims to engage in interfaith learning, dialogue and community action. In the other fellows I tentatively, curiously, delightedly, discovered interlocutors, empathizers, challengers, and friends. We shared commonalities and differences, hopes and fears, joy and sadness. I winced as my Arab roommate divulged the hardships her Palestinian cousins face under Israeli authority, and witnessed a Malaysian friend moved to tears by the Palestinian slaying of Jews immersed in prayer at a Jerusalem synagogue. Together, we collaborated to create “Two Faiths One Prayer,” an interfaith prayer project that garnered over 170,000 views on YouTube and worldwide press coverage.

Until today, when I’m thinking, writing, and teaching about Israel, I visualize Sayyid or one of my Newground friends sitting, inescapably, in the seat next to me. Would the claims I make stand in front of them? Are the articles I circulate thoughtful, justifiable, and most importantly, constructive? Are my words, and the words of my students, respectful, even when the content is difficult or painful?

We have a choice before us. In Israel, in Los Angeles, and around the world, Jews and Muslims have been seated cosily – inescapably – next to each other. Our approach to the “other” can be conveyed through violence, through silence, or through the same familiar-yet-foreign lens that Arabic and Palestinians evoked in me. My plane journey with Sayyid convinced me that we need to forge an alternative course. Our obligation is to turn towards each other and conduct a curious, messy, passionate, respectful conversation about our similarities, our differences, and how we can work together to create a better future for our children.

In a world fraught with discord, segregation and violence, it is easy to feel helpless, alienated and angry. Middle East leaders bluster and fester in their ivory towers, maintaining a fruitless stalemate of rhetoric and violence, while their peoples suffer. What would the world look like if parents and educators – the people truly responsible for shaping the next generation – made interfaith respect, familiarity and dialogue a priority for their children? It is our prerogative and imperative to find out.

Hannah Tobin Cohen, MAEd, is a freelance researcher and educator, specializing in Israel and Jewish education. She is a fellow of Newground, iCenter, and the Teaching Israel Fellowship.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Readers Forum Tagged With: Israel Education

Click here to Email This Post Email This Post to friends or colleagues!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Judith says

    November 10, 2016 at 10:04 pm

    Excellent article, well written

  2. Linda Cohen says

    November 11, 2016 at 1:31 am

    Brilliant article Hannah

  3. Alan Fox says

    November 15, 2016 at 12:43 am

    very well written. If only more people felt like this.

  4. Adam Kleiman says

    November 15, 2016 at 1:22 am

    Nice written .

  5. Daniel says

    November 15, 2016 at 1:38 am

    The recent Brexit and Trump elections demonstrate that the “other” is a problem of humanity, not just Jews/Israelis and Palestinians. As Hannah correctly points out, being ensconced in one’s own narrative is the greatest risk to eventual mutual understanding. Well said.

  6. Brian Kobrin says

    November 15, 2016 at 11:37 am

    Excellent article, beautifully written.

  7. Shimon Arbel says

    November 15, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    I recently returned to Israel from Los Angeles with Lufthansa. Before boarding at the gate, the Lufthansa gate-person, a Korean-American in her late 20’s asked to see with which passport I will be entering Israel. The conversation went like this (exact dialogue):

    SHE: Where are you resident?
    ME: Jerusalem, Israel
    SHE: What sort of people live in Jerusalem?
    ME: Jews, Christians, and Muslims
    SHE: What is a Jew?
    ME: A religion, like Christianity.
    SHE: Do they believe in Jesus?
    ME: No
    SHE: If they don’t believe in Jesus, what do they believe in?
    ME: God. Why don’t you go into Google when you go home today and read about Jews and Judaism?
    SHE: Good idea! Also, do you have camels in Jerusalem?
    ME: Yes, we also have camels.

    I then boarded.

    Apparently, Mr. Trump will make America great again …

Primary Sidebar

Join The Conversation

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world? Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.
Sign Up Now
For Email Marketing you can trust.

Continue The Conversation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Bruce Powell on An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Sara Rigler on Announcement: Catherine Reed named CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom
  • Donna Burkat on The Blessings in 2020’s Losses
  • swindmueller on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times
  • Alan Henkin on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times

Most Read Recent Posts

  • What Title for Henrietta Szold?
  • Jewish Agency Accuses Evangelical Contractors of “Numerous Violations” but Denies They Evangelized New Immigrants
  • An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Why One Zoom Class Has Generated a Following
  • The Blessings in 2020’s Losses

Categories

The Way Back Machine

Footer

What We Do

eJewish Philanthropy highlights news, resources and thought pieces on issues facing our Jewish philanthropic world in order to create dialogue and advance the conversation. Learn more.

Top 40 Philanthropy Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Copyright © 2021 · eJewish Philanthropy · All Rights Reserved