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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Thank you for sending the haaretz article - I think it helped all of us here feel whole and that we are on the right track.
I completely agree that our governments don't and cant see us on an individual level and its up to us to work from the heart on the human level and to bring transformed conversation and positive work with each other to the national level.
Shalom and Saalam,
Maya
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Permalink Reply by varda gershon on -
I think we all need to fight the core of evil inside of our people and refine the core of good . The influence and action of evil which inside; fights and mongers war and is destructive to our common interest. We need peace and not fights . We need justice that will be equal, we need systems that fights the imbalances. Where equality and justice rules, where the different parts of the system works well with the people is where peace finds grounds.Presently in Israel there is too much power for the rich who rules the country with all its different branches of the system. It has its own private police-that the rest of us pay from our taxes and they pay from bribes. They have the judicial system with its purple gowned justices serving the rich and powerfull. Society is being divided by the people who are worth living and the people who are so called worthless whose money and assets being stolen by the rich and powerfull.The so called human toys. Unless we get hold and restrain their power we loose our lives and our community of the real human beeings who are well intentioned and thrive for peace.
The government of evil , the government of the rich and powerfull do not care for all of us they care for their own pockets and their own interest. The present government causes irreversible harm to innocent human beeings whose life and assets their control out of evil.
This discussion focused on the beauty in the human beeings found within both people we have to enlarge the circle of the good and increase their power as oppose to the destructive evil .The power should be given to the real people to form the government of the people who will care for our human interest and not feodals with their slaves which will live and die according to their egocentric notions.
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Permalink Reply by ghassan al murannakh on -
hi
my name is ghassan and I'm the biggest brother for hamady.
all what I want to say that ruthy and her family give my brother more than any body can thought. she was her grand mother,she was near him when he was taking his treatment,she give him the love and what had writen in the report is just little from what she have do with my brother.
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Permalink Reply by Neri Bar-On on -
Is he better now?
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Permalink Reply by ghassan al murannakh on
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yes his helth is good now
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Permalink Reply by Corey Gil-Shuster on -
Thanks for the update. and welcome to mepeace!
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Permalink Reply by amiera on -
Hi Ghassan,
The story is beautiful... and I am so happy to hear that Hamady is better now. My younger brother died to Leukaemia (cancer) when he was 14 years old. I know how difficult it is to see someone that you love so much go through that pain. I have faith that Hamady will continue to get better and grow to be really healthy. His struggle makes him very, very special.
Thank you for sharing your story with us...
all my love and best wishes,
Amiera
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Permalink Reply by ghassan al murannakh on
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thanks amira for ur reply
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Permalink Reply by ghassan al murannakh on
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yes thats right
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Permalink Reply by Yigal D. Kahana on -
We really should be emphasizing stories like this
as they both demonstrate our mission
and prove the lie of those who claim that Israel is all bad, and a total failure.
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Permalink Reply by ghassan al murannakh on
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you are right
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Permalink Reply by David Gould on -
I have come late to this wonderful story and since these events recorded here fresh blood has been poured out in the vain warfare at the beginning of this year. My hope is that all people will see that violence can only produce pain and that co-operation like this Ruth Miller and her close friend the Palestinian Father with his sick child is this only way that makes any sense in this world. I wish that we did not have to fight over the Holy Land (Israel and Palestine) as it belongs to all the children of Abraham...sure families bicker but at the end of the day we have only one world to share and only one life with which to show our love for each other...as we approach the time for the Jerusalem Hug on 21st June 2009 I wish our leaders could see the people rather than the causes, the needs rather than the rights, and the value of each person regardless of who gave them birth...and be a family again...
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