In the centre of the church hall a dozen youngsters were seated in a circle together with three adults. All held an olive branch in their hands.
The group consisted of eleven-year-old Jewish, Muslim and Christian boys and girls—two boys and two girls from each faith. The adults were advisers from each of the faiths. This was a training meeting of Kids4Peace in the town of Raineh on the outskirts of Nazareth in Galilee.
Kids4Peace is an interfaith educational program initiated by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. I first visited the founder in Jerusalem three years ago, but I was formally re-introduced when he met with a group from Knox, Agincourt, Ont., while we were on a pilgrimage tour in Jerusalem last March. We were excited by the presentation, and chose to host a congregational dinner as a benefit event for the program when we reported to the church on our trip.
After I accepted my current locum position in Galilee, I discovered that my new colleague in ministry ran a Galilee chapter of Kids4Peace. His group finished their training program each year with a visit to Canada to holiday with an equally varied and balanced group of Canadian youngsters.
In my first week in Galilee, my wife and I located our new colleagues. In our second week, we attended their weekly meeting. That brings this story back to where I started—that circle of eleven year olds in the church hall with olive branches in their hands.
The youth were strangers learning about others whom their culture and community encouraged them to regard with suspicion. “Peace” is a difficult concept for eleven year olds. They knew that the olive branch was a sign of peace. They were asked what it might mean in their family and in their school. Each one, clutching the symbol, attempted an answer. They also attempted to express their understanding of other difficult concepts—trust, freedom, security and so on. They discovered the negative effect of suspicion and distrust. They discovered how their wants negatively affected the same value for others. But it was not all heavy stuff.
On another visit, we saw them supporting each other in a four person high human pyramid. On another visit, the twelve were standing on or supporting each other standing on four chairs shouting and laughing together—as they saved each from a ‘crocodile infested floor.’
They learned from each other what they did when they went to worship—on Fridays or Saturdays or Sundays—and why they went.
After three months they came to Canada. At the end of camp, and the end of the course, the participants shared with others what they had learned. Last year’s was in Knox, Agincourt where parents and congregational members were visibly moved by the insight and understanding of the Israeli Jewish and Palestinian Arab Christian and Muslim youngsters enjoying each other.
They were building peace one young life at a time. I look forward to seeing them grow together in Raineh, Galilee in the weeks ahead, and later seeing them celebrate each other in Canada.
