Real Co-Existence Between Arabs and Jews
Dear Peacemakers,
Yesterday I had the hounor to meet Ruthy Miller and her husband in my home. They are two people who are making history in the relations between Arabs and Jews in this area.
They are the real co-existance between Arabs and Jews.
I attached a report from the Independent Newspaper which published in the United Kingdom:
Living Experience: The enemy within
While conflict rages around them, one Israeli woman has taken a bold step by welcoming into her household a Palestinian man and his sick son
By Diane Taylor
Sunday, 16 March 2008
There has never been any love lost between the Israeli government and the Hamas-led administration in neighbouring Gaza, but this month has seen the violence escalate again. Following rocket attacks by Hamas on Israeli towns, Israel retaliated in a five-day operation that left more than 100 Palestinians dead. Last week, Israel's Deputy Defence Minister, Matan Vilnai, issued a warning that Palestinians faced a "shoah" (the Hebrew word for a great disaster, often used to refer to the Holocaust) if they continued to fire rockets into Israel. Commentators now say the aspirations of the two sides are so far apart that any sort of peace deal seems impossible.
It is against this backdrop of hatred and carnage that a five-year-old boy and his father have found themselves living with the "enemy", an Israeli family in Ramat Gan, a town bordering Tel Aviv.
Sayed Murannakh and his five-year-old son, Muhammad (known as Hamady), had come to Israel from Gaza after Hamady was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Sayed had lobbied the Israeli government for permission to have his son treated in Israel, where the facilities are far superior to those in Gaza.
When Hamady's treatment finally began in the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center last May, an Israeli woman, Ruth Mueller, 55, was making daily visits there to her niece, who had been injured in a car crash. "I noticed that Sayed never left Hamady's side," she says. "He was absolutely devoted to him and I could see there was a very special bond between them." It wasn't long before they got chatting. Hamady spoke no Hebrew but Sayed, who had worked as an electrician on building sites throughout Israel before they stopped giving work permits to Palestinians, spoke the language fluently.
Due to the recent violent incursions, movement of Palestinians out of Gaza into Israel is virtually impossible. All Palestinians in Israel are considered a security risk, so Sayed and Hamady were closely monitored. During the surgery and subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment they were instructed to remain within the hospital at all times. So Ruth began to meet with them every day, bringing with her small gifts for Hamady from the outside world.
By the time Ruth's niece had been discharged from hospital, such a strong bond had developed between the threesome that Ruth continued to visit every day. "My family told me I was crazy to go all the time but I felt I'd started something and wanted to see it through," she says. "I would spend two or three hours playing with Hamady and talking to Sayed about our families, what had happened in the news, all kinds of things. As strangers in my country, I wanted to welcome them. Sayed had left his wife and six other children behind for an indefinite period in order to save Hamady's life."
However, at the end of November last year, following a visit back to Gaza to see their family between treatments, Sayed and Hamady lost their hospital room. For a while it looked as if the entire treatment process would be in jeopardy, until Ruth stepped forward and offered them a place to stay in her small three-bedroom flat. "I invited them to move in with us," she says. "I don't know what my neighbours thought about us moving two Palestinians into our home, but what I do in my flat is my own business." Over time, the rest of Ruth's family – her husband, Steven, and their children aged 16, 24 and 26 – have also became deeply involved.
"Of course it's been very upsetting to see Hamady so sick, but Sayed has got used to that and so have we," says Ruth. "It has become part of his life and part of our lives too. At the moment Hamady is well, but we don't know what the future holds."
Sayed has taken great care throughout the gruelling treatment to explain to Hamady what is going on. "He has been incredibly brave throughout," says Sayed. "He is a long way from home, but he is always very co-operative." Every night after the hospital visits Hamady falls asleep on Ruth's sofa, clutching Sayed's hand.
The harmonious union of the two sides, especially in the light of current bloodshed, is so unprecedented that Ruth got a visit from Fredi Gruber, of Israel's Channel 1 TV station, who featured them all on a news programme a fortnight ago. "There's a process of demonisation of Arabs," says Gruber. "We are talking about 1.5m people in Gaza who are all different from each other. You can't label them all as terrorists.
"What has happened here shows that a humanistic approach is also an option – there is a way for Israelis to live in peace with Palestinians. The Muellers are a typical Israeli family, they're not big political activists. Dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians is one thing but for an Israeli family to move a Palestinian father and son into their living-room for several months is quite another."
Ruth is more matter of fact about the situation. "We share the same ideology," she says simply. "Sayed is a true peace lover and so am I. We both seek to solve problems not in a violent way." Living under one roof has proved to be a harmonious experience that the leaders of the Israeli government and Hamas could perhaps pick up tips from.
"Sayed is a darling. If I say I'm going to do the washing-up or make a cup of tea he jumps up to do it before I can," says Ruth. "It is a heavy burden looking after a sick child by yourself and with this arrangement Sayed has been able to share that burden."
This week, Hamady's treatment comes to an end and father and son are soon due to head home. Although it is too early to say what the long-term outlook is, in the short term Sayed is unequivocal: "Without doubt this treatment has saved his life. It has been such an enormous help living here."
And has the escalating conflict between Israel and Gaza caused problems in their relationship? "Not at all," they both reply. "We are both anti-war and peace-loving. When we see on the news that people are dying in the conflict, it hurts us both, no matter which side they're on."
"Living with the 'enemy' is an experience I never thought I'd have, but it shows that like-minded people can live together in peace. even if they come from opposing cultures," says Ruth. "You can gain so much from other people if your mind is open."
Yesterday I had the hounor to meet Ruthy Miller and her husband in my home. They are two people who are making history in the relations between Arabs and Jews in this area.
They are the real co-existance between Arabs and Jews.
I attached a report from the Independent Newspaper which published in the United Kingdom:
Living Experience: The enemy within
While conflict rages around them, one Israeli woman has taken a bold step by welcoming into her household a Palestinian man and his sick son
By Diane Taylor
Sunday, 16 March 2008
There has never been any love lost between the Israeli government and the Hamas-led administration in neighbouring Gaza, but this month has seen the violence escalate again. Following rocket attacks by Hamas on Israeli towns, Israel retaliated in a five-day operation that left more than 100 Palestinians dead. Last week, Israel's Deputy Defence Minister, Matan Vilnai, issued a warning that Palestinians faced a "shoah" (the Hebrew word for a great disaster, often used to refer to the Holocaust) if they continued to fire rockets into Israel. Commentators now say the aspirations of the two sides are so far apart that any sort of peace deal seems impossible.
It is against this backdrop of hatred and carnage that a five-year-old boy and his father have found themselves living with the "enemy", an Israeli family in Ramat Gan, a town bordering Tel Aviv.
Sayed Murannakh and his five-year-old son, Muhammad (known as Hamady), had come to Israel from Gaza after Hamady was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Sayed had lobbied the Israeli government for permission to have his son treated in Israel, where the facilities are far superior to those in Gaza.
When Hamady's treatment finally began in the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center last May, an Israeli woman, Ruth Mueller, 55, was making daily visits there to her niece, who had been injured in a car crash. "I noticed that Sayed never left Hamady's side," she says. "He was absolutely devoted to him and I could see there was a very special bond between them." It wasn't long before they got chatting. Hamady spoke no Hebrew but Sayed, who had worked as an electrician on building sites throughout Israel before they stopped giving work permits to Palestinians, spoke the language fluently.
Due to the recent violent incursions, movement of Palestinians out of Gaza into Israel is virtually impossible. All Palestinians in Israel are considered a security risk, so Sayed and Hamady were closely monitored. During the surgery and subsequent radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment they were instructed to remain within the hospital at all times. So Ruth began to meet with them every day, bringing with her small gifts for Hamady from the outside world.
By the time Ruth's niece had been discharged from hospital, such a strong bond had developed between the threesome that Ruth continued to visit every day. "My family told me I was crazy to go all the time but I felt I'd started something and wanted to see it through," she says. "I would spend two or three hours playing with Hamady and talking to Sayed about our families, what had happened in the news, all kinds of things. As strangers in my country, I wanted to welcome them. Sayed had left his wife and six other children behind for an indefinite period in order to save Hamady's life."
However, at the end of November last year, following a visit back to Gaza to see their family between treatments, Sayed and Hamady lost their hospital room. For a while it looked as if the entire treatment process would be in jeopardy, until Ruth stepped forward and offered them a place to stay in her small three-bedroom flat. "I invited them to move in with us," she says. "I don't know what my neighbours thought about us moving two Palestinians into our home, but what I do in my flat is my own business." Over time, the rest of Ruth's family – her husband, Steven, and their children aged 16, 24 and 26 – have also became deeply involved.
"Of course it's been very upsetting to see Hamady so sick, but Sayed has got used to that and so have we," says Ruth. "It has become part of his life and part of our lives too. At the moment Hamady is well, but we don't know what the future holds."
Sayed has taken great care throughout the gruelling treatment to explain to Hamady what is going on. "He has been incredibly brave throughout," says Sayed. "He is a long way from home, but he is always very co-operative." Every night after the hospital visits Hamady falls asleep on Ruth's sofa, clutching Sayed's hand.
The harmonious union of the two sides, especially in the light of current bloodshed, is so unprecedented that Ruth got a visit from Fredi Gruber, of Israel's Channel 1 TV station, who featured them all on a news programme a fortnight ago. "There's a process of demonisation of Arabs," says Gruber. "We are talking about 1.5m people in Gaza who are all different from each other. You can't label them all as terrorists.
"What has happened here shows that a humanistic approach is also an option – there is a way for Israelis to live in peace with Palestinians. The Muellers are a typical Israeli family, they're not big political activists. Dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians is one thing but for an Israeli family to move a Palestinian father and son into their living-room for several months is quite another."
Ruth is more matter of fact about the situation. "We share the same ideology," she says simply. "Sayed is a true peace lover and so am I. We both seek to solve problems not in a violent way." Living under one roof has proved to be a harmonious experience that the leaders of the Israeli government and Hamas could perhaps pick up tips from.
"Sayed is a darling. If I say I'm going to do the washing-up or make a cup of tea he jumps up to do it before I can," says Ruth. "It is a heavy burden looking after a sick child by yourself and with this arrangement Sayed has been able to share that burden."
This week, Hamady's treatment comes to an end and father and son are soon due to head home. Although it is too early to say what the long-term outlook is, in the short term Sayed is unequivocal: "Without doubt this treatment has saved his life. It has been such an enormous help living here."
And has the escalating conflict between Israel and Gaza caused problems in their relationship? "Not at all," they both reply. "We are both anti-war and peace-loving. When we see on the news that people are dying in the conflict, it hurts us both, no matter which side they're on."
"Living with the 'enemy' is an experience I never thought I'd have, but it shows that like-minded people can live together in peace. even if they come from opposing cultures," says Ruth. "You can gain so much from other people if your mind is open."
Tags: arabs, co-existance, jews
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Maya on
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Wow - thank you so much for posting.
I so deeply believe that the human approach is the way. To look into each other's eyes and see the human being.
I am so happy to read such beautiful stories - may there be more of these:)
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Permalink Reply by varda gershon on -
Ruth and her family is an example how we can ride through brainwashing of years animosity toward final point to recognize the human factor that will unit us to our needs for each other.
There is a lot more to do even between ourselves to raise counciousness and express more humanity and amplify compassion as an exercise toward action for peace. Ruth has done much more than any peace talk would achieve she built the bridge upon which we will be able to cross into each other heart and form the sense of confidence that will allow the peace
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Permalink Reply by Mick on -
Thanks Saeed, lovely story. I have always believed that if organised groups like Hamas, Fatah and Islamic Jihad who are seeking to destroy Israel weren't involved, we would be left with stories like the above. I have seen both people on the individual level, and both Israelis and Palestinians are wonderful kind generous people, who deserve far better than this conflict.
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Permalink Reply by Noam Vazana on -
Dear Saeed,
thank you for sharing this beautiful article with me.
I totally agree from what's written in there besides one sentence:
people from opposing views/opinions can live in peace with each other
if they only accept each other for being what he/she is.
Please send my regards to both families, for their approach and for good health!
No fights, no blame, no prejudice.
Make peace.
Smiles :)
Noam
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Permalink Reply by Yigal D. Kahana on -
This is a wonderful story.
To Adeeb, I must ask:
You say that without the occupation problem, the boy could have received treatment in his hometown.
Well, as I see it, without Israel he would not have received this level of treatment. The occupation saved his life.
If the PLO, et al, had invested in hospitals the way they invest in war, they could indeed have treated him in Gaza or Ramallah.
So criticize "the occupation" all you will. That's only fair, and your right.
But so is giving credit where it's due.
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Permalink Reply by Christine Quelch on -
Yigal, you presume too much. There is no credit to be given to Israel. You forget, when you talk about Israel, you are talking about the Holy Land. With or without the Jews, the area would today, be prosperous. Maybe even more so! Christians also love the Holy Land, and Christian tourism alone would keep every Arab in Palestine healthy and wealthy, and very happy.
Furthermore, the holy sites and ancient relics would be in much better shape, along with everyone’s nerves.
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Permalink Reply by Yigal D. Kahana on
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Christine,
You're just wrong about that.
Your assumptions are incapable of being proven, and all too easy to make.
But a look at the neighboring societies does not reveal a hint of evidence that you can be correct.
The area was certainly not very prosperous when the Jewish immigration began in earnest in the 1800s.
And the infant mortality rates are far far higher in those parts of the Muslim world that
have not the 'blight' of Israel to deal with.
The way I see it, without the state of Israel in place, the Holy Land would be just as much a paradise as Darfur and Somalia.
And all Jewish holy places would be completely off-limits to Jews, as they were under Jordanian rule between 1948 and 1967.
Maybe that would not upset your nerves, but please don't presume yourself to speak for 'everyone."
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Permalink Reply by HYaari on -
Ah, I so missed this "peace maker," the way she never adds anything positive to a discussion, but manages to not only attack someone but simultaneously toss in an anti-Semitic clanger and lay a votive offering at the feet of the holy cow of sacred Palestinianism.
When I worked at Hadassah Hospital we once had to shut down an area to secretly revieve some Saudi notables who had surreptitiousely flown to Israel to receive medical treatment unavailable anywhere in the entire Middle East,.
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Permalink Reply by Yigal D. Kahana on
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Adeeb,
"Please note that Palestine will have good hospitals and good medical treatment as soon as they finish getting bullets out of the occupation victims."
That's just facetious. Like the wonderful hospitals they have in Darfur - where either there is no Zionist occupation, or the occupation is being perpetrated by the Muslim Brotherhood?
You say you can't see how an extreme dati leumi person could be involved in peacemaking.
I say, how can someone actively in denial of significant parts of reality be part of peacemaking?
There are real problems with Israeli policies and institutions. I don't deny that.
But you're being so overbroad here that it is distinctly unhelpful, the way I see it.
This is a wonderful story, and not really something we need to argue about.
Sincerely,
Yigal
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Permalink Reply by Yigal D. Kahana on
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Hi Adeeb,
No, the words you are putting in my mouth are things I would never say.
And I know full well how Arabs developed universities and medical schools
when most Europeans were still illiterate. I know Arabs/Muslims were a predominant society between the 700s and 1600s.
But I'm talking about NOW, not thousand-year old history.
Have you read Fuad Ajami's "The Dream Palace of the Arabs"?
He explains it far better than I can - the obstacles and challenges of modern Arab political and social organization.
I'm not talking about genes or anything inherent, or "racial."
I'm talking about forms of social organization and what can be expected of them under which circumstances.
Nothing more.
Peace,
Yigal
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Permalink Reply by Corey Gil-Shuster on -
Thanks Saeed, To return the favour, here is a similar story from a few months ago- a Palestinian family in East Jerusalem take in an evicted Jewish family: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/922719.html
Adeeb brings up a good point- we tend to think and act differently as individuals and as groups. As individuals we can have amazing relationships with each other but once we “put on” our group identity, it becomes much more difficult; it stops being about you and me and turns into thousands of years of history and millions of people on each side. Our leaders deal on the collective level and ignore the individual level. Groups like this create change at the individual level which (if there is enough of us on both sides) can create changes at the group level as well.
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Real cooperation can only happen if the goals and context are clear, perhaps toward a common political platform. Dialog for its own sake has not historically worked in this country. There have been dialog groups between Israelis and Palestinians sin…
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basil said:
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This is a work in progress group that is a peace for Palestine group, to help build a strong Palestinian camp internationally. The Israelis have Gush Shalom. We need to network with them and other groups. We have to be another voice.
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