ENOUGH ! !!

Windows Hebrew-Arabic Magazine for Youth No. 22 November 2006

Security nde n ce Freedom

Indepe Life
 Windows is published by Windows – Channels for Communications, NGO Contents: English original magazine
Children’s Rights Around the World 3 4
A child shall have freedom of expression 4 6
PO Box 56096, Tel Aviv – Jaffa 61560 We, the Young Journalists 6 10
Tel. 03-620-8324, Fax: 03-629-2570 Where it all began 8 14
winpeace@netvision.net.il “Grandma, where were you in 1948?” 9 18
“Grandpa, do you remember anything about 1948?” 10 20
PO Box 104, Tulkarem Fairuz, our Ambassador to the Stars 12 22
winpeace_tulkarm@yahoo.com Tel Aviv – Tulkarem – Tel Aviv 13 24
Aviv Geffen: The Voice of the Youth 16 30
www.win-peace.org Summer 2006 17 32
Enough! 20 38
Editors: Rutie Atsmon and Zahiya Kundous Art for Change 20 40
Arabic-Hebrew translation: Zahiyeh Kundous Shakshuka (recipe) 21 42
Hebrew-English Translation: Rayna Moss Mother Tongue 21 44
In Spite of It All 21 46
Thanks to: Eihab Kadah, Abir Zaribi, Mahmoud Tanji, Eyad Abu Sarari, Majdi Yunes,
Gal Reich, Barak Meiri, Majed Yunes, Noa Baider, Michel Hadad, Efrat Wolfson, Editors’ Note
Eman Fahouri, Limor Tevet, Yussef Asfour. Shalom and Salaam to All,
This year was difficult for me. That’s because I don’t really like to write, and sometimes it
Graphic design: Nina Jawitz was hard for me to find ideas. And also because it was hard to understand one another
within our editorial board. There are different religions, a different language, culture and
customs that are unfamiliar. There is also the distance of many kilometers between some
of us, and the border and the checkpoints and the permits that are required in order to pass
through them.
This issue was published with the support of the European Union,
the U.S. Embassy, the Anna Frank Fund, the Marche Region in Italy, Nevertheless, we wrote and met. Despite all of the difficulties, the joint meeting helped us
to understand the other side. Because in Jaffa, for example, where I live, when something
Windows for Peace Italy and Windows for Peace UK. happens, people say that it happened because of the Jews, and when I spent time with
the Jewish children, I saw that not everything that happens in Jaffa is because of the
Jews and even when it is, it isn’t because of all of them. I learned that one shouldn’t make
generalizations.
The members of the editorial board and I would like you to understand what we wrote from
both sides, just as we understood.
This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union.
The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Windows and can under no We hope that you like this magazine.
circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union. Yours,
Rajeb and the young journalists

2
pages 4 and 5

Children’s Rights Around the World

All over the world, children and youth suffer under a harsh and
unfair reality. The same goes for our region. It is important for
us to understand that things don’t have to be this way. In fact,
we must change the situation. We might not be able to affect
what happens in the world just yet, but as youth, we can take
responsibility and work to change what is happening in our part Photo caption: Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A five-year-The development of the child’s personality,
of the world. old child with AIDS. talents and mental and physical abilities to
State parties shall respect and ensure the their fullest potential …
rights set forth in the present Convention Photo caption: Kabul, Afghanistan. Girls at a school
to each child within their jurisdiction … for street children.
irrespective of … race, colour, sex, language, State parties shall take all feasible measures
A child who is seeking refugee status or who … the right of the child to be protected from religion, political or other opinion, national, to ensure that persons who have not attained
is considered a refugee … shall … receive economic exploitation and from performing ethnic or social origin … the age of fifteen years do not take a direct
appropriate protection and humanitarian any work that is likely to be … harmful to the Photo caption: Johannesburg, South Africa. part in hostilities …
Street children.
assistance child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual,
State parties undertake to protect the child
Photo caption: Refugees from the city of Faluja in moral or social development In all actions concerning children, from all forms of sexual exploitation and
Iraq, living in a refugee camp near the city without Photo caption: A village in China. A ten-year-old girl whether undertaken by public or private
water or electricity. sexual abuse …
has left school and supports her disabled parents social welfare institutions, courts of law,
and her brother in school by collecting garbage. Photo caption: Pagak, Uganda. Many children in
State parties shall take all appropriate administrative authorities or legislative Uganda are kidnapped and serve as
measures … to protect children from the illicit … the right of the child to the enjoyment of bodies, the best interests of the child shall soldiers in the rebel army.
use of narcotic drugs … and to prevent the the highest attainable standard of health be a primary consideration.
use of children in the illicit production and and to facilities for the treatment of illness Photo caption:
trafficking of such substances … including … the provision of adequate Cambodia. Orphaned children.
Photo credits page 5
Photo caption: Ukraine. Street children nutritious foods and clean drinking water photoby Ella Moscovitz
injecting drugs. photo by Shaina Morrison
photos by Image Bank Israel

3
 pages 6 and 7
“The child shall have the
right to freedom
of expression”
Doesn’t anyone tell them
to stop? Doesn’t
anyone resist?
Salaam,
Gaza is divided into several areas. The
city of Gaza in the north is the center of the
Gaza Strip, Beit Hanoun is nearby, Rafah is
near the border with Egypt, Deir al-Balah is
in the middle, and there is also Khan Yunis,
where I live. For the last six years, since the
outbreak of the second Intifada, all areas
of life have been affected by the chaos of
war. Imagine waking up every morning with
stories of massacres and murder. Imagine
wounded people everywhere. That is what
my life is like. The Palestinian fighters have
their own methods. No one knows who they
are, and those who do, don’t talk about
them. People try to protect them because
they protect us from the Israelis. Every
person who loves his land is convinced
that he is fighting for the good of his people.
I don’t think that the Israeli soldiers feel
that way. I only see the Israeli soldier in
the tank and the bombs that he fires at us,
without seeing who he is firing at. Many
children are murdered for no reason. I don’t
understand what is going on, how can they
4
do that, doesn’t anyone tell them to stop?
Doesn’t anyone resist? Soldiers are “a band
of murderers”— that’s what the grown-ups call
them. How is it possible to talk to Jews when
you see what is happening in the streets?
A youth from Gaza
“This whole conflict is a mistake”
Shalom,
In my opinion, the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is illogical and it is conducted by
childish governments who aren’t prepared
to compromise. I’m not saying that one side
is right; this whole conflict is a mistake. The
main problem is that even when the Israelis
are prepared to make concessions, the
Palestinians want more and don’t mend
their ways (terrorist attacks, firing missiles,
etc.). Therefore, the Israelis only make the
Palestinians’ lives more miserable, which
makes them angrier, and the endless cycle
continues. No one is happy with the cycle and
the only thing that it produces is casualties,
hatred and misery. Now, the opinion that I
described is compatible with a leftist outlook,
so you may wonder if I am really a right-
winger, so yes, I am a right-winger. My rightist
view is expressed in my belief that no matter
what we do, there will be violence on the road
to peace, at least on the part of one side,
because each side is trying to prove that it is
stronger. Therefore, there will be fanatics who
of outlook, and that way, there will be no
won’t accept peace and will insist on being
violent. So peace and violence walk hand wars. When I went to visit her, we drove to
in hand, and it is our goal to separate them. her family in Rahat (because she lives in
Edan, 14, Tel Aviv Beersheba), and they were very nice to me. A
while ago, there was a fight between the Arab
children and some Jewish children, and I
went to Loretta and told her that even though
“We go to a school with
Arabs and Jews” I’m Jewish, I didn’t care that people were
fighting with them, I would still be her friend.
To Windows magazine, Now, we do projects together and spend most
of our time together.
Our names are Kim Foneta and
Kim and Loretta, Mevo’ot Hanegev
Loretta Abu Siam. We go to a school with
Arabs and Jews. The school is called
Mevo’ot Hanegev.
My name is Nahla. I live in
Loretta: We have been friends since Kim Nablus, and I’m 13 years old.
came to Nitzanei Hanegev school in the
south [of Israel] in the fifth grade. Sometimes, I liked the idea of your magazine, so I
we argue and don’t speak to each other, but participate in it, hoping that there will be peace
we make up quickly. When she first came, between Israel and Palestine, because we
she asked me about my ethnicity, and I told are the victims. We have been denied many
her that I was a Bedouin Arab. things, and mostly we can’t go to places that
we used to love to visit, like Israel. And we
At first she was shocked, and she didn’t can’t reach our school to study because of the
believe me, then she accepted it and found Israeli occupation. I wanted to tell you that I
out that there were many other Arabs at like to draw, and I drew you a flower of the
school. peace that I dream of.
Kim: I didn’t think that I would get along
with her, but now I know that we are real
friends, and my outlook has changed, “We could be expelled
because I come from a place where there at any minute”
were no Arabs, and everyone said that I am Fardous, age 15, from Manda [Galilee].
they were terrorists and bad people. Now,
I make a distinction between Arabs that I wanted to address the racism that we suffer,
I know and Arabs who are terrorists. I the Arabs of ‘48 or, as the world calls us, the
think that every person needs this kind Palestinians within the Green Line. I never find
pages 6 and 7
anything in the media about this issue that I want to share my opinion on the subject and
deprives us of our most basic rights.
People think that we live in safety without
any worries! They don’t know that we could
be expelled at any minute. Because they (the
Jews) have started in the Negev and with
the Judaization of the Galilee. People don’t
know that youngsters die because they are
Arab and cling to their land, that when we go I think that people should not remain silent,
places, Jews look at us with eyes filled with because innocent people are being hurt and
hatred and contempt.
Why?!!!
Because we are Arabs and we cling
to our land!!?
When will it end???
pages 8 and 9
“At 4:00 a.m., while we were
sleeping, more than 20 soldiers
surrounded our apartment. The soldiers
started to pound on the doors with their
guns and shouted: Open the door … ”
Layla
letter published in Issue 19
Dear Layla,
I want to write a response to Layla’s story in and some other children spoke about when
the dialogue section of the “No Walls” issue you went to Italy. I don’t know if in the end
of Windows.
on your letter. I participated in a discussion
Scouts on the subject of the humiliations
and how the soldiers operate. I want to say
that I really don’t understand this issue. I
think that they are doing something low and
degrading, there is no thinking behind those
actions.
there’s nothing right about it. I wanted to
ask how you feel now, after some time has
passed? I wanted to know if the soldiers did
that awful thing again? I wanted to tell you
that although I don’t know how it is to live
like that, because I’m relatively distant from
the whole thing, but in a way, I’m connected.
Maybe because I take Arabic lessons at
school, maybe because I go to a mixed
school, and maybe because my family is
close to the issue.
I want to tell you that I really appreciate the
fact that you live like that and perhaps even
inspire me to go on, to know, and even to
help out in some way.
Dear Layla,
My name is Sapir. I read everything that you
you managed to deal with all of the anger,
but I know that if I was in your place, I’d also
try to think about the soldier and his family,
pages 8 and 9
or simply imagine what I would have done “I’m already 11 years old,
if I were in his place. Because in the end, and I’ve never seen the sea”
every person has a conscience and maybe
the soldier is not really a bad person. We, the children of Palestine, are denied the
most simple things in the world. I’m already
You don’t have to think about whether to kill 11 years old, and I’ve never seen the sea. I
the soldier, because if the soldier doesn’t wish I could go to the beach and to the park.
have a heart, you certainly do, and I don’t I don’t like wars and killing. I ask you to open
believe that you are capable of killing the way to Jaffa, Jericho and Gaza, so that
anyone. I see that in the way that you care we can go to the beach. I want to play with
for your grandfather and your uncle. children from Israel. I ask that the wars and
the killing stop.
I know that if I were in your place, I would My name is Dana, I’m 11 years old, I live in
want to humiliate him more than to kill him, Sawiyeh, a village near Nablus.
so that he would feel what you felt.
Sapir
Lamiya from Nablus:
I hope that the war won’t
be repeated. When I heard about your magazine, I wanted
to participate, and the time has come for me
To the children of Lebanon, to participate. I wanted to tell you that I have
suffered a lot from the conflict between Israel
Hello. My name is Eden, and I go to Hand- and Palestine, which has destroyed our future
in-Hand School, fifth grade. I was hoping
and our dreams. We are innocent and we
to write a letter to you with all of my love. are not involved in what is going on. At the
In my opinion, the war that took place was
beginning of the Intifada, I was very afraid of
the worst thing in my life. I was in Nazareth the tanks and of the Israeli soldiers, but now
with my grandfather and grandmother and
I’m not afraid, because I know that there are
the noise from the Katyusha missiles was some Jews who love peace and want peace.
loud and frightening, and I would shake with At the end of my letter, I hope to visit your office
fear when I was outside and would hear the in Israel to meet youngsters and to volunteer
warning sirens. with you. I also hope to study Hebrew, so that
But you suffered from the missiles I can be in touch with you.
and Katyushas fired by the IDF Photo captions and credit page 9
soldiers, and I’m very sorry for that. photo by Arafat Abu-ram
I hope that the war won’t be repeated. a bulldozer blocking the entrance to the village
Sawya with piles of earth next to Nablus 5
 pages 10 and 11
We, Young Journalists
The Young Handler Contest
I made it!! After almost a year of training,
I won first place in the Young Handler
contest.
I am Illy, and since I was little, I have
loved dogs. Last year, I joined courses
relating to the world of dogs. One of the
courses was called the Young Handler
course.
I want to explain what this course is: in
a regular dog contest, the dog itself is
tested, but of course the presentation
also important, and how much attention
the dog receives can determine how well
it is appreciated by the judges. On the
other hand, in the Young Handler contest,
the attention is focused on the person
presenting the dog. That means how the
person handles the dog, how he communi-
cates, if he is attentive to the dog and the
other way around: how the dog responds
to the person's orders and leadership.
For me, it wasn't only a place for handling
the dog and competing with other people,
but also a place for a social gathering.
People and their dogs come to the shows
from all over the country, sometimes even
6
from abroad. This clearly shows that it is a
gathering place for a wide variety of people
from all classes, from all areas, of all ages,
from children to old people.
This is also where I meet good friends who
also like dogs, older people who are experts
in the field, and it is also a good opportunity to
exchange experiences and to learn new things
about dogs and their characteristics. The shows
usually take place on weekends, and there is
always a festive atmosphere. I intend to go on
with this hobby and learn a lot more about it.
Illy, Tel Aviv
“You never know when soldiers
are coming”
My name is Ichlas. I'm from Nur Shams refugee
camp, and I'm 13 years old.
Do you like the summer vacation? - and poems.
Yes, everyone waits for the summer vacation
very patiently so that we can have fun, play
and go on trips. But when the vacation comes,
we start to get bored, because we spend most
of the time at home.
Why do you spend most of your time at
home?
Because there are no places or public parks
to visit close by to spend our free time and
enjoy ourselves. Special places, like the
water park, are far away, and it's hard for
my parents because of the difficult
economic situation.
What are your favorite hobbies?
I like to swim, but unfortunately, last year I
only went once with my family to al-Waha
water park to swim. The reason is, like I
mentioned, the economic situation and the
security situation. Because we never know
when the Israeli army is going to enter the
area, and it's dangerous.
What do you do in your free time?
At home, I help my mother clean and put
things in order. When we finish, I spend my
time watching television … I like to watch
movies, the music channels and children's
programs, reading the newspaper and
especially the star page.
I like to get updates on
singers and read stories
Basketball on
the Roof
I am Miniar, from Tulkarem refugee camp.
I want to tell you that I feel bored during
the summer vacation, because I can't keep
busy with my hobbies. For example, I like to
play football, and I can't play because we don't
have any playing fields. There is a field across
from my house, but I can't play there because
it disturbs the neighbors and because my
parents won't let me play there; they're afraid
of the cars that drive through. We can't go far
from our neighborhood because the Israeli
army comes into the city and into our camp
unexpectedly.
I also like to play basketball. Because there
are no playing courts and the school where
we used to play is closed, I got a paint bucket
and hung it on the roof of our house for playing
basketball.
I also like to swim, but I can't, because of the
Israeli closure. We can't go to the pools in our
area for many reasons. For example, because
the pool is far away, and the entrance fee is
high, and the economic situation is bad and
doesn't allow us to go. It's also because of
the occupation, especially after the boycott
of the Palestinian Authority, and government
employees are not getting paid. We don't have
parks or playing fields. We don't have anything
except the computer (which is usually broken)
or television, so that we can see the world and
the children in it. We hope to live like them,
to take trips and play without fearing a stray
bullet that will lead to our graves.
page 12
Sports Are Fun
I am Avriel, age 12, and I live in Tel Aviv.
I like football, basketball, softball, ping pong, open to all young people, and it is affiliated
and swimming.
But tennis is among my favorites. I play once
a week, learning and training.
Sports are fun, something you can
take your energy out on. Sometimes
there's too much energy in your
body, and sports can be relaxing. It's
also fun, because it keeps you busy
when there's nothing else to do,
and usually it doesn't cost
anything. You can get a
ball and play. In school,
I'm in a sports class. That
means that in addition to
the regular classes, I have
six hours a week of sport
classes!
“For example, we went to a
demonstration …”
Didi and Adva, age 14, Tel Aviv
The Working and Studying Youth Movement Photo caption page 13
was established in 1924 by youth workers members of the youth movement on a trip in the Negev
who organized to protect their rights in
work places and to provide a framework
for activities in their spare time. The blue
shirt symbolizes the working class and the
red drawstring symbolizes the movement's
socialist positions. Today, the movement is
with socialist youth movements around the
world.
We joined the Working and Studying
Youth because we knew a lot of kids in
the movement, including friends from
school. We enjoy it a lot, because it's
lots of fun and interesting, and there
are also issues and values
that are important to
us, such as equality
and social justice. For
example, we went to a
demonstration against the closing
of the Dov Hoz vocational school,
and not only because our meeting
place is there. Other groups also
demonstrated, because we were
angry that due to budget matters, a
school was being closed that was
the last opportunity for youths who
had left other schools to learn a vocation and
get ahead in life. We also hold activities for
the younger age groups, there are exciting
trips, and much more.
page 13
The French horse, for example, has muscles
and can bear heavy loads, because its body is
Rajeb and the Horse large, and especially its head.
For as long as I can remember, since I The pony is the smallest of horses. Little
started to remember my dreams, I have loved children love it and ride it. The pony is calm
horses. I remember once, when children in and mild-tempered. And there is the Quarter
the neighborhood rented a horse and beat Horse, which is calm and is used for farming.
it with a spiked stick because the horse The Thoroughbred is fast and tall and is used
wouldn't go with them; the horse lost a lot of for competitions because of its high stamina.
blood; and it died near the beach. Since that
I hope that there are no more people who are
event, I have loved horses and loved taking
insensitive towards animals. I hope that horses
care of them. I started to search the internet
can live securely alongside humans.
for interesting facts about horses and how
to care for them. Rajeb, age 13, Jaffa
Relatives of mine had horses, but I didn't like
to ride them, because I knew that whipping
them hurt the horses. I only liked to walk with
them. Later, I learned that there is a way to
ride horses without hurting them. I learned
that method from my cousin, and I started
riding horses. Then, I began to understand
their minds, when a horse wanted me to get
off, when to run with it, when to walk, and
when to dance with it.
There is a way to let a horse dance. I tug
lightly on the rope and the horse moves and
starts to dance. That is the talent of Arabian
horses. Arabian horses like to run, but their
bodies can't bear heavy loads or pull carts.
7
 page 14 page 16 Children were taught by the village sheikhs
and in classrooms called “kutab.” The children
“Suddenly … the peaceful would sit on rugs and study the Qur’an, reading,
Trying to understand village was filled with writing and math, with the school year ending
blood and bodies” with the celebration of completing the reading
where it all began Photo captions pages 14 and 15
of the Qur’an.
A Canaanite figure, thousands of years old.
We meet and talk. Sometimes about By Amina, from Tulkarem Refugee Camp
A ceramic shard about 2,000 years old, with ancient Planned weddings were announced three
home and school. Sometimes about the Hebrew writing. Sabarin is a village on the coast, north of months in advance. After the date was
situation, and sometimes about how we The Western Wall in Jerusalem symbolizes the Haifa, a 45-minute walk from Faradis. About
sanctity of the location of the Temple. announced, the village residents would start
got into this situation. So we're going 1,750 people lived in Sabarin in 1948.
The Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque in their preparations. The families would buy
back to what happened long ago, trying Jerusalem. Muslims faced in the direction of the presents, such as meat, lentils, rice, sugar
to understand where it all began. mosque during prayers before they started to pray in There were many wells in Sabarin, and the
the direction of Mecca. This is the third holiest mosque and flour. When the wedding date approached,
for Muslims and it symbolizes religious unity and the saying was that wherever you dug in the
The British took over the occupation of universality of Islam. people would light bonfires to light up the
village, you would find water. Agriculture
Palestine/the Land of Israel from the A Jewish wedding in Jaffa, 1899. village at night. The grooms would ride on
was the main source of employment
Turkish-Ottoman rule during WWI. The The Clock Tower in Jaffa, before 1948.
horses and the brides on camels, and singing
before 1948. Fertile trees, vegetables and
League of Nations, an international British policemen searching a Palestinian car
and drums would be heard all over the village.
fruits were grown. The village people,
organization that preceded the United for weapons. At that time, people would sing “The Balfour
men, women and children, worked hard
Nations, decided in 1920 to give the British policemen searching for weapons i Declaration shall fall — Palestine is Arab.”
n a Jewish town. and sold their produce to cities such as
British a mandate (power to rule) over the Haifa. Transportation within the village People sensed the danger of the settlements,
region. In 1917, the Balfour Declaration and to other places was on the backs of but they didn't know what to do. Our relations
(named for the British Foreign Minister), animals. Few people purchased vehicles. with the Jewish neighbors were good. They
guaranteed the establishment of a People would wait impatiently for the would spend the night with us and we stayed
national homeland for the Jews with the harvest season, until the British arrived, with them, we were together in celebrations
condition that nothing would be done to who owned the land, and they deliberately and in sadness. Suddenly, the peaceful village,
violate the civil and religious rights of the planted wheat in order to weaken the beautiful and free as a bird, was filled with
non-Jewish inhabitants of the land. village's economy, what is known as blood and bodies, the moans of the wounded
In 1937, the British Peel Commission “deliberate impoverishment.” Not only that, and the noise of the bombardments. The good
visited the region and recommended but people had to pay taxes to the British. relations were replaced with resentment
the establishment of two states as a This situation forced the villagers, who had and hatred.
solution for the conflict. Both sides no money, to sell part of their lands to a Photo captions page 16
rejected the commission's conclusions. company called PICA, which they thought Sabarin in 1944 (top) and today (left)
was an Arab company, but later turned out Germany 1934, harrassment against jews becoming
(From Wikipedia). more frequent
to be a Jewish company. So they waited for
page 17
one harvest season after the other in order Manshiye during the 30’s
to finance their children's marriages. Manshiye today
8 Youth in the youth village Ben Shemen during the 30’s
 page 17
“Manshiye Neighborhood
is now the Boardwalk”
In 1930, my mother's family lived in
Jaffa, in a neighborhood called Sakneh
Darwish. It is now called Jaffa D. Then, the
family moved to Ajami, and they live on
Dudaim street. My father's family lived in
Manshiya neighborhood, which is now the
boardwalk, near Hassan Bek mosque. They
also moved to Ajami, to Kikayon street.
Rajeb, Jaffa
May: Why were the names of the streets and
neighborhoods in Jaffa changed?
Rajeb: In my opinion, the names were
changed because now there is a new regime
that doesn't want to keep the Arab names. A
name is a sort of historic relic that is erased
so that they can say that no one was here
before. Nevertheless, the Arabs managed
to maintain some of those relics, like the
mosques.
Photo captions page 18 and 19
distribution of water during the siege of Jerusalem 1948
Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz concentration camp
Jews being sent from the Warsaw Ghetto to a
concentration camp
pages 16 and 17
“My grandfather came
to this country from
Germany, at the age of 15,
in 1935 … after they fled
from there … ”
By Adva, age 14, Tel Aviv
I have spoken several times with my
grandparents about the period before
the state was established and before the
expulsion of the Arabs who lived here up
to that time. My grandfather told me that he
came to this country from Germany, at the
age of 15, in 1935, with his family, after they
fled from there before the outbreak of WWII.
My grandfather lived in the Ben Shemen
youth village near Lod. The youth village
was established by his uncle, Zigfried
Lehman, in 1927. The youth village was
located near Arab villages, and there were
friendly relations during the day – the sheikh
from the neighboring village would often
host children from Ben Shemen in his home,
but at night, people would fire at the youth
village from the neighboring Arab villages.
My grandfather's story sounded suspicious,
because the Arabs in the neighboring
villages had no reason to shoot at the
children. I asked him if he knew why. He said
that there was no reason for the shooting.
I tried to understand the neighbor. Perhaps
they fired because of different events that
took place in the country at the time that
made them develop hatred for the Jews. But
I can't justify firing at a place where most of
the residents are children who don't pose a
threat. I remembered what my grandmother
told me that until the beginning of the 20th
century, there were hardly any people in this
country. Only when the large waves of Jewish
emigration from Europe began, of people
who fled during and before the Holocaust,
the economy flourished. There was a need
for many products and for workers for
construction. Many Arab families who were
seeking sources of income emigrated from
the neighboring countries and came here to
find what they sought.
pages 18 and 19
“Grandma, where were
you in 1948?”
By Inbar, from Tel Aviv
I always knew that my grandmother had But grandma's story started much earlier.
stories. I just never dared to ask. With the What happened to you in Europe? I
questions, came the story: mean, before you emigrated?
“In 1948, I was in Jerusalem. It was at the
beginning of the War of Independence …
so I went from one war to another.” My
grandmother laughed as though it were
a joke. “Jerusalem was under siege; the
Jordanian Legion was bombing. There were
no supplies of food and water, and there were
many shortages. We actually stood in line
(when there was anything to stand in line for)
to bring buckets of water home. Water was
rationed, and so was kerosine, because at the
time, cooking was done on kerosine stoves.
You had to fill them with kerosine and light the
fire, and that's how we cooked food.
“It was a difficult period of war and hardship.
At times, during the war, there were actual
shortages of food, so planes or helicopters
would throw down packages of food. The
packages were distributed among the
residents of Jerusalem. That situation lasted
for several months. It was impossible to reach
Jerusalem by the normal route, because
the roads were blocked by the Arabs; the
Jordanian soldiers fought and fired there, until
there was a ceasefire for a while. Then the IDF
soldiers managed to take Latrun, which had
been held by the Jordanians, and they opened
the road between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.”
-
“I was in the Budapest ghetto (in the capital
of Hungary) with my mother and brother. My
sister was in the Auschwitz concentration
camp in Poland, and for a whole year, we knew
9
 pages 18 and 19
nothing about her. We survived the time in
the Budapest ghetto under conditions that
you might say were not good. We worried
a lot about whether or not she was alive. At
the time we didn't know about Auschwitz,
we didn't know that such a place existed.
We knew that a large part of our family
were not in our ghetto that they had been
transferred somewhere else, seemingly
to work, but we didn't know where. Later,
we found out that my grandfather had been
sent directly to the gas chambers. When
the Jews arrived at Auschwitz, there was a
man there by the name of Dr. Mengele. He
selected the people: to one side for death,
to the other side for work. Two of my aunts
who were still young women survived. And
my sister who was also at Auschwitz was
very lucky, because Mengele asked her in
German: “Why are you so pale?” (after she
had spent several days in the closed train
before reaching Auschwitz), and he sent
her to the gas chamber. She didn't know
where she was going and she walked in the
direction that he indicated. Suddenly, he
stopped her and asked another question:
“Do you want to work?” and she said yes,
of course. Then he told her to come back
and walk in the opposite direction. That's
how she stayed alive.
We lived through a year of war, a very harsh December 1947.”
year. Not only as Jews, but as Hungarian
10
citizens. The Allies (the British and the
Americans) bombed Hungary massively. They
bombed Hungary to fight against the German
soldiers, and on the other side there was the
Red Army, the Russian Army, approaching
Hungary. That was actually the second-to-
last year of the war, 1944. In 1945, Germany
surrendered to the Allies.”
When did you come to this country?
“I came here from Budapest, Hungary, through
Yugoslavia. We spent a whole month in
Yugoslavia until we arrived, illegally, at Haifa.
We went in what was supposedly a freight
ship that's what it was considered. It wasn't
a passenger ship. There were 4,000 of us
aboard. There were very difficult conditions
on the ship. It was called “Knesset Yisrael.”
I came here for the first time in 1947, when I
was 18 years old. We arrived at Haifa and the
British forcibly transferred us to their ships
and wouldn't even let us land. From there, they
took us directly to a detention camp in Cyprus.
I spent an entire year in Cyprus. From there,
the British took us to a detention camp in Atlit,
on the shore, south of Haifa. I was released
from there, and I wanted to get to Jerusalem,
because my father was there. We rode in
armored cars, because of the Jordanian
soldiers. That's how I got to Jerusalem in late
Why did you come to this country? microbiology. I got my MA and then I married
your grandfather. I worked for 30 years as a
“We came here because of everything we researcher at the research lab at Hadassah
suffered in the Holocaust. We felt that we Hospital in Jerusalem.”
needed a place that would be our state,
where we wouldn't be unwanted citizens. page 20
We were motivated by the memories of that
period. Our desire was to replace that other
country, the one we didn't like. In any other
country, we would have been foreigners. So
“Grandfather, do you
we decided that the State of Israel would be remember anything
the place where we would be free.”
about 1948?”
How was the transition for you?
By Ahmad, from Jaffa
“The transition was very hard for me,
I went to my grandfather for the first half of
because I didn't know the language. The
the interview, very hopeful that he would have
veteran residents were not friendly towards
information about 1948 and the years before
us. I did my academic studies later on. I
that. I was embarrassed to go in, thinking that
never felt that I had mastered the language. I
my grandfather might be sleeping, and I might
would sit in the back rows out of shame and
disturb him. I tiptoed in and saw him resting on
the veterans were much more popular, with
the sofa. I kissed his hand, despite his efforts
the teachers and with society in general. It
to pull it away.
was hard. The economic situation was also
very difficult; we had left everything behind, Grandfather, do you remember anything
and we came here with just backpacks with about 1948?
minimal supplies. We couldn't live here like
“Many people think that the elderly know
human beings.”
everything about those days. Few people
What did you do when you came here? remain from those times, and those who remain,
don't remember exactly what happened at the
“In 1948, I started to study nursing, because
time.”
I needed to make a living. Later, I felt
that I wanted to go on to more serious My grandfather tried to recall and started
things. I went to university and studied to speak:
 The next time, grandfather opened the door
and welcomed me.
Grandfather, why didn't you leave with the
others?
“I had a lot of merchandise, and I was afraid
“At that time, there were about 120,000
to lose it. That's why I didn't leave. I was
concerned about my sister and my wife, so I
residents in Jaffa. After the Jews arrived, gave them money to travel to Lebanon. That's
only about 3,900 remained. The Jews put what happened, they went to Lebanon. My
up barbed wire fences and checkpoints to wife returned after things had calmed down,
prevent us from moving within the city. When but my sister died before she had the chance
I'd leave the house, I wouldn't see anyone to return.”
in the streets — everyone stayed at home,
Where do you live today, in the same place
fearing for their lives.”
you lived in 1948?
I had to leave my grandfather's house early.
“I used to live in the building that was the
He didn’t like my sudden departure and I
French Hospital, on al-Hilweh Street, which is
understood that he had a lot more to tell me
now called Yefet. But when the Jews arrived,
and that he felt good telling me his stories.
they ordered us to leave our neighborhoods
“I want to tell you what the Jews did to us,”
and to move to Ajami. While removing us from
he said.
our homes, they also put
up barbed wire fences
Why were there barbed wire fences and checkpoints in Jaffa?
and checkpoints in the
The people who remained in Jaffa and in the villages around it were
city. When I left home
gathered by the Israeli army into Ajami neighborhood and barbed
to go to the mosque, I
wire was put up around the neighborhood. Out of fear of resistance, had to show them my
the neighborhood was placed under martial law, just like the other
ID card, and they would
areas of the country, where Arabs remained. There is a dispute
keep it at the checkpoint
about when martial law ended in Jaffa. The official date is 1953, but
until I returned. Later
although the fences were removed, the monitoring and intervention
they removed the
of the security establishment remained way into the ’60s. Martial law
checkpoints in the city
in the other areas remained in force until 1966.
and it was possible
to go from one place
Photo captions page 20 and 21
Palestinian fighters on the Jerusalem front
to another.”
Palestinians fleeing to the diaspora.
page 21
“Arab children in Israel
up to the ages of 15-16,
don't know what Nakba
means”
By May, from Tel Aviv
When Palestinians say Nakba (“disaster”),
they refer to the expulsion of more than half
of the Palestinian people over the course
of 1948, from the territory that became the
State of Israel.
750,000 people were uprooted from their
homes and lands in the 1948 war. Some of
them fled to save their children when the
battle approached their villages, some fled
in panic after hearing about the massacres
in other villages (for example, in Deir Yassin,
near Jerusalem), and some were forcibly
expelled by the victorious Israeli forces.
The goal of the Israeli side was to capture
as much territory as possible, in order to
forcibly establish a state with a Jewish
majority and as few Arabs as possible.
Now, 58 years later, the people who were
expelled from their homes live as refugees
in various Arab countries, in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories, and in Israel. Those
who live in Israel do not have the same
rights as Jews.
For many years, the Ministry of Education
forced students at Arab schools to celebrate
Independence Day with singing and dancing.
The children sang songs in Hebrew without
understanding the words. Now, those
schools are required to hang Israeli flags. In
addition, Arabs are not permitted to conduct
ceremonies or sound a siren in memory of the
Nakba, because their schools are under the
strict supervision of the Ministry of Education,
which does not permit any discussion of the
subject.
My father thinks that this goes beyond not
having “freedom of expression.” He says that
people like my grandparents are afraid to talk
about the Nakba: “You can't compare it to the
Holocaust, but it's like people who suffered a
terrible experience in the Holocaust and don't
want to talk about it.” That's how it is for some
Arabs, like my grandparents.
Arab children in Israel, until they are 15-16
years old, don't know the meaning of Nakba,
like most of the Jewish population, because
there are people who are simply afraid to talk
about it. People don't talk about it because
they want to forget, so their children don't
know what Nakba means. And there is another
reason: Arab citizens are afraid that talking
about the Nakba will cause them trouble with
the government, because their situation is bad
already, and talking about the Nakba will lead
to their being expelled from their homes.
Since I was a little girl, I knew that there had
been a war that people had been expelled.
Until a few weeks ago, I didn't know that there
was a term, Nakba, and that people mourned
the event.
11
 pages 22 and 23
Fairuz, our Ambassador
to the Stars
By Ichlass, Wisal and Risal
Fairuz was born under the name Nihad
Hadad in Ceder Mountain, Lebanon, on
November 12, 1935. Her family lived
modestly in al-Balat, an old neighborhood
near the capital, Beirut.
Fairuz was considered to be one of the
most famous singers in the Arab world and
in the whole world, and she is a legend in
her own time. Fairuz liked singing from a
young age. At a school party in 1946, she
was heard by teacher Mohammad Fleifel
of the Lebanese Music Conservatory and
he announced that he had discovered a
talent. Despite her father's refusal, Fleifel
managed to convince him and promised
that she would only sing national songs,
and that he would support her musical
education.
Fairuz's first big step came in 1952, when
she began working with the al-Rahbani
brothers, Assi and Mansour. The al-
Rahbani brothers produced hundreds of
songs with Fairuz that revolutionized Arab
music, due to their being shorter than was
customary, their simplicity, their range of
themes and their musical depth. She sang
12
Shadi
Performed by Fairuz
A long time ago, when I was a young girl,
a boy used to come from the nearby woods
His name was Shadi
Shadi and I
about love, children, sadness, and joy, about used to play in the snow,
the homeland and about mothers. A lot of her we sang for each other
songs were featured in 12 musicals. and ran in the wind
We carved our names in the rocks
Fairuz sang songs that were written by and the wind bit our faces.
many poets and composers, before kings
and presidents, and she starred in the most One of those days,
prominent festivals in the Arab world. She the world was smothered with fire
was given many nicknames, including “our Some people began fighting
ambassador to the stars,” because of her against other people
sublime and delightful voice. In addition,
Fairuz starred in many plays, including Lulu,
The Ring Vendor, Bridge of the Moon and and the fighting spread to our hills
Mayas al-Reem. Shadi ran to watch
I got scared — I yelled:
In 1955, Fairuz married Assi al-Rahbani and Shadi, where did you go? Shadi!
had two children, Ziyad and Reema. After the He disappeared; he could not hear me
death of her husband in 1968, she tried to work The valley took him in
with some of the prominent composers and Since that day, I never saw him again
writers of the time, including Falmoun Wahba Shadi was lost for ever
and Zaki Nassif, but she mainly worked with
her son, Ziyad.
Snow fell and melted away
Despite her advanced age, Fairuz still twenty times
delights audiences in the Arab world with her I grew up, and Shadi
wonderful voice. remained the boy I knew,
playing in the snow.
 pages 24 through 28
Drawing by Mikhael Nadav
Tel Aviv – Tulkarem
– Tel Aviv
Didi visited; Adva, Inbar and May
interviewed her when she got back
We heard that Didi had gone to
the Territories*, and we were very jealous
of her. Why? Because we miss the young
journalists from Tulkarem, and we want to
see how things are going over there. It isn't
fair that only she gets to go.
They tell us that Israelis are prohibited
from entering the West Bank and Gaza.
That simply isn't fair, because we're
being prevented from getting to know the
Palestinians who live there. The only thing
we could do was to hear the story of her trip
from her.
“We traveled from Tel Aviv to Bil'in, from
there to Jerusalem, bypassing Ramallah
and driving through villages to Tulkarem.
There, we visited the Windows center and
the refugee camp.”
*explanation of terms in this article are
on pages 14 and 15
What did you see in Bil'in?
“From a rooftop, we saw the wall. Earlier, in
Tantur, I saw the wall that encloses Bethlehem,
so I wasn't surprised by what I saw.”
Where does the wall pass?
“The wall passes in the middle of the village,
between the houses and the lands.
“After Bil'in, we continued to Jerusalem …
“We drove along the Abu Dis wall. We
wanted to get to Sur Baher, but they wouldn't
let us. The road to the village was closed
with a steel gate and a soldier stood there,
making sure that only residents of the village
entered. He claimed that it was dangerous
for Jews to enter the village. We continued to
Abu Dis, a neighborhood east of Jerusalem,
which was not included in the area that was
annexed to Jerusalem in 1967. Suddenly, on
a bend in the main road, we saw a wall that
simply blocked the road. Cars can't pass,
but people climbed the fence beside the wall
and crossed to the other side. If they really
wanted for people to be able to pass through,
they would have made an opening in the
wall or something. As it is, it's not difficult
to pass it, but it's hard for old people and for
pregnant women. Little children and babies
are passed hand-to-hand. It's just to make
life hard for them. It's really stupid to put a
wall there, because it's no problem to climb
over. I felt sad for the old people who couldn't
climb over the wall. The wall separates
between neighbors in one neighborhood, not
between Palestinians and Israelis, which
might have been the intention.
“On the way to the Qalandiya checkpoint, but not in the alleys. I didn't see any buses.
which is the main checkpoint on the road The condition of the streets is very bad. There
from Jerusalem to Ramallah, there was are lots of walls with holes from tank shells.
a terrible traffic jam. We couldn't go on; Yussef's house is full of holes from bullets. In
we stood there for an hour. There were the alleys, we met a lot of children. There were
dozens of cars waiting. We realized that we children who surrounded the cameras, and
wouldn't be able to reach the checkpoint. children selling popcorn for one shekel.
On one side there were shops, and on the
other side, the Ram wall, which is named “In the territories, they use Israeli money — they
for the neighborhood which it divides in don't have their own currency. That's part of
two. We went into an alley and there we the occupation. A Palestinian who uses Israeli
circumvented the checkpoint, and drove money feels that he doesn't have a state of
his own, but that he's part of Israel and under
towards Tulkarem …
its control. That is frustrating. The houses
“The road passes through beautiful aren't painted. It's all concrete, as though the
landscapes; we passed by Palestinian construction was never finished.
villages and [Israeli] settlements. We
didn't go through checkpoints. I thought “The roads and alleys were very dirty, but
that there would be checkpoints, but I also inside the home, it was very clean. The entire
knew that there were roads with none. The extended family live in one three-storey house.
taxi driver asked other drivers where there The grandparents on the ground floor, and on
were checkpoints, and he planned the route the upper floors, in each apartment, there is a
accordingly.” brother and his family.”
What did you think of the Windows center Did you feel that they were happy to see you?
in Tulkarem? “They received me very nicely. In the street,
we were swarmed, because we had cameras.
“The center in Tulkarem is really nice. I didn't
think that it would be so big compared to the At first we spoke in English, but then Eyal, who
was with us, spoke in Hebrew and said that
center in Tel Aviv. It's located in a village
he was from Tel Aviv. That didn't change the
called Dunabi, which is between Nur Shams
attitude. They asked me if I was an Arab.
refugee camp and Tulkarem refugee camp.
“We returned to Tel Aviv, straight to Dizengoff
“In the refugee camp, I met Yussef from our
Center mall — it was a different world. Suddenly,
editorial board near his home. We went to
you start to understand what it's like to live in
his grandmother's house. It was odd to see a place like a refugee camp that up till then,
how we live here, and what hardship they you had only heard about.”
live in over there. The streets are run down,
Photo Caption page 24
with sewage flowing, narrow alleys that Visitors at a house that was built on confiscated land
aren't paved, streetlights on the main road, 13
 ?
pages 24 and 25
page 24
Why are Israelis prohibited from entering
the West Bank and Gaza?
The response of the IDF spokesperson: “At the start of the ‘Ebb
and Tide events' (the second Intifada), the commander of the Israel
central region announced that it was absolutely prohibited for
Israeli citizens to enter Area A*. The order was issued following
warnings concerning the intentions of terrorist activists to carry
out attacks and kidnappings against Israeli citizens entering
West Bank
Palestinian cities and villages.”
*Area A comprises parts of the West Bank which, according to Gaza
the Oslo Agreements, are under the full responsibility of the
Palestinian Authority, as opposed to the other parts, which are
under the full or partial responsibility of Israel.
page 25
What are the “Territories”?
? The officers replied that the construction on the settlements had
While the Palestinians use the geographical term “West Bank,” Israelis use the term “Territories.”
On June 5, 1967, a war broke out between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria. The war lasted six days,
and in the course of the war, Israel occupied the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula and the Palestinian Gaza
Strip (which up until then had been under Egyptian military rule), the Syrian Golan Heights, and the
Jordanian-controlled Palestinian West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel claimed that the war began
as a pre-emptive strike against the Arab armies, which were threatening to attack Israel. The Arab side
claimed that it was surprised by the war. The Arab defeat in the war was decisive and became known
among the Arabs as the “naksa.” At that time, the territories were called “liberated territories” by Israel,
which considered them to be part of the historic Land of Israel. From that time to the present, the Arabs
have referred to the territories as “occupied” and they also consider the land to be part of their historic
homeland. The struggle over the territories still continues.
14
Abdallah from Bil'in told us:
For centuries, maybe longer, the village of Bil'in has been
located on the hills west of Ramallah, a little to the east of
?
the Green Line. In recent years, about half of the village's lands have
been confiscated for the purpose of building the separation wall, for
expanding the settlements that grew around the village, and even to
build a new settlement. The village residents demonstrate against the
confiscation of the lands and against the building of the separation
wall on their lands, and they hope that their protests will prevent the
tragedy.
The residents said that building on land that was taken by force
cannot be legal, and in protest, they placed a mobile home on their
confiscated land. The soldiers who guard the area hurried to move it
from there. The residents set up another mobile home, and it, too, was
moved. The residents asked the army officers, how is it that a mobile
home that is set up by a person, legally, on his own land, is moved, yet
the illegal houses of the settlers are not?
been approved by the [Israeli] village council, and a legally built and
existing structure won't be moved. And what is a legally built and
existing structure? The officers replied: if there is a constructed room,
with a window, a door and a roof, it is legal.
On a rainy and cold night, after many preparations, several village
residents went to the confiscated land, carrying sacks of cement and
sand, wood and tools. Because of the rain, the cement wouldn't dry.
The cold froze their hands. But before dawn, the construction was
completed. On the following morning, the soldiers arrived, and asked
in surprise: who approved this construction? The residents told them:
the village council.
Will the house remain standing? Will it be dismantled? More about
that in our next issue.
pages 26 and 27
The Annexation of
Jerusalem
? page 27
Immediately after the Six Day War, the
Knesset passed a law that authorized
the government of Israel to apply Israeli
law to territories within the Land of
Israel (within the borders of the British
Mandate). The government decided to
apply Israeli law to East Jerusalem that
is, to the territory that the Jordanian
authorities had defined as the municipal
territory, and in addition, to adjacent
villages, towns and open areas. The
international community does not
recognize the application of Israeli
law, and considers East Jerusalem
to be part of the Occupied Territories,
and the Jewish neighborhoods that
were established there to be illegal
settlements. The Israeli government
claims in international forums that
the application of Israeli law is not
annexation, but the Supreme Court
has ruled that East Jerusalem is an
inseparable part of the State of Israel.
(From Wikipedia).
Photo Captions, page 25
regional map of Bil’in: red-the route of the
wall, green- the green line. (1967border)
page 26 The Abu Dis Wall: since our visit,
the wall has been completed in such a
way that the only way to cross it is through
special gates
page 27 a terrorist bombing
Why is there a wall anyway?
?
page 28
What are the refugee camps? ?
(From the website of the Israeli
Ministry of Defense). By Minyar, our young journalist in Tulkarem
The “seam area” (the route of the fence and To this day, the Palestinians live under the shadow of the occupation. The issue of the
the wall) was formulated over a long period refugees is the most prominent issue in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and without
of time by the National Security Council solving this issue, the conflict will never be solved. The refugees must return to the
together with other parts of the security villages and cities from which they were expelled, for peace to reign in the region.
establishment. The route is mostly based on
Some of the refugee camps in Palestine: Qalandiya and Jalazoun, Tulkarem; Jabalya
the most correct location from the aspect of
and Khan Yunes in the Gaza Strip. In Jordan: al-Baqa'a and al-Wahdat; Sabra and
security, in order to prevent terrorists from
Shatilla in Lebanon; Khan al-Sheikh and Khama in Syria.
entering the territory of Israel.
The Palestinians left their homes and their lands when they were expelled by the
Based on the precedent of the security fence
Israeli occupation, and they were settled in an area that was small for the number of
in the Gaza Strip and along the northern
people, an area that could not be expanded. They are very poor, and they cannot afford
border, it is possible to positively conclude
to buy houses. The Palestinians in the camps suffer from economic, social and health
that a physical obstacle has proved its
hardship.
efficiency and since it was erected in
1996, most infiltration attempts have been
prevented. The difficulty in executing page 29
terrorist attacks out of Samaria, due to the
security fence, has led to a
significant decrease in the
number of attacks within the
Why do people remain in the refugee camps?
The residents of the refugee camps refuse to leave the camps, because
?
they want to preserve their status as refugees. Leaving the refugee camps
State of Israel. is considered to be forfeiting their right to return to the cities and villages from
which they were expelled by force.
page 28
A refugee camp, 1951 Why are the houses in the refugee camps not painted?
The well known film director
Terry Gilliam touring the Tulkarem Due to the poverty of most of the camps' residents, people don't spend money on
refugee camp as a visitor of Windows. paint, and they leave the concrete exposed. In addition, the refugee camps are
Windows Centre, Tulkarem based on the idea that the construction is temporary, so there's no use investing in
page 29 anything beyond necessities.
A small street in Tulkarem refugee camp
The refugee camp Nur Shams
Dizengoff Center Tel Aviv 15
 pages 30 and 31

Aviv Geffen
The Voice of the Youth
By Adva and Didi to negative responses among parents and Aviv Municipality Square. Geffen sang The Song of Hope
As a member of a family of artists, Aviv teachers. the closing song at the rally, “Crying for Lyrics and music: Aviv Geffen
Geffen grew up in a very musical and Many young people felt that Geffen was You,” and he was the last person to hug
Rabin before he was assassinated. One Let's walk towards the dream
artistic atmosphere, and, from a young age, their spokesman. Many adults felt that he With no race or nationality
he played instruments and wrote songs. represented the young generation, and not week later, a rally was held in memory of
Rabin, and Aviv was invited once again to Let's try
Even before he became a rock star, Geffen always in a good way. It was said that he Until it gets good
behaved in a manner that drew attention, was a negative influence on youth and he perform the sad song. The song became
the anthem of the “candle youth,” the name Until it happens
wearing heavy makeup and dressing in a was accused of not performing military
provocative manner. When he turned 18, service, of wearing makeup and dressing given to hundreds of young people who
in 1991, he recorded his first album, Only provocatively, and of promoting drug use and would gather at the square for many weeks Let's bury the rifles
the Moonlight, for which he wrote and even supporting suicide. His fans considered after the assassination, to light candles in Not the children
composed all of the songs. In the album, his behavior to be a sign of courage, and Rabin's memory. Let's try
he raised issues that would continue to they especially valued the issues that he In recent years, Aviv Geffen underwent Until it gets good
concern him in the future: love, betrayal, addressed in his songs, personal issues as a change. He calmed down and became Until it happens
the army, the draft, violence, peace, well as social and political issues. more moderate and has started to perform
drugs and parents. At the same time, his abroad. He said about himself that he is Let's conquer peace
performances with the band The Mistakes, Aviv Geffen also considered himself to be “creating in an age-appropriate manner.”
a peace activist, and he wrote many songs Not the territories
were very successful.
about the security and political situation. So let's try
Soon afterwards, Geffen joined the team of Although some of his performances were Until it gets good
the educational television show A Matter cancelled due to his leftist ideas, and even Until it happens
of Time, and wrote the song that made leftists found it hard to accept his statements
him famous to the general public, “Now It's against joining the army, he continued to
For eternal freedom
Cloudy.” Young people identified with the succeed.
For my children
song, especially because of the screamed
So let's try
line “we're a fucked-up generation.” His The person who was prime minister at the
Until it happens
performances grew larger and turned time, Yitzhak Rabin, actually appreciated
into mass hysteria, and Geffen became a Geffen and invited him to perform at the
huge star in Israel. The scream also led peace rally on November 4, 1995, in Tel

16
pages 32 and 33
“The child shall have the right
to freedom of expression”
Summer 2006
“With time, we learned how to identify
the location of the falling missiles”
Yahalom, age 14, Kiryat Bialik
When the soldiers were kidnapped on the
Lebanon border, no one in Haifa and the
suburbs area thought that it would effect
them. We thought that it would end with a
statement by the Prime Minister and maybe
a few attempts by commando forces —
maybe that's what we wanted to believe. The
government took it seriously because if they
kidnap soldiers and see that nothing is done,
they'll continue to carry out kidnappings.
Israel's air raids started – first on a relatively
limited scale, and later, there were so many
aerial operations that we heard planes
overhead every few minutes.
The bombings from Lebanon were severe.
First on Kiryat Shmona – a city that finally
alerted the rest of the north to the dangers
of the situation — then on Nahariya and
Safed, cities that hadn't been hit in many
years. Following the bombardment of the
Dahiya neighborhood in Beirut, there were
also attacks on Carmiel, Acco, Haifa, and
the suburb,
Tiberius, and,
later on, even
south of Haifa.
As a resident of
the Haifa suburbs, I didn't know about the
routine of war because that was the first time
that Haifa and the suburbs were in the fray
(thanks to the improved Katyusha missiles
with the longer range). When Haifa took one
missile hit, in Stella Maris neighborhood,
we knew that it was the beginning of the
war in our city, Kiryat Bialik, as well. The
emergency routine began: anyone who had
a bomb shelter opened it and stocked up on
water, food and games for children; we also
had a TV set in our bomb shelter. We were
always prepared to go to the bomb shelter.
There was a heavy tension that affected us
deeply. We started to sleep in my sister's
room, because it is an inner room, and
luckily for us, we live on the first floor, so
there was no danger of a missile coming
through the roof, and it was easy to run
down to the shelter. The sirens (which were
sometimes false alarms) caught us in every
kind of situation: while eating, in the shower,
sleeping, while watching TV or talking on
the phone, and every time, I hurried and
was the first to reach the shelter. I'd watch
my neighbors coming into the shelter one by
one, until the alarm ended.
The first few times, it was hard to leave
everything in the middle and run downstairs,
but after a few times, we got used to it.
There was a pleasant atmosphere in the for themselves. Hezbollah wanted to kill as
shelter, because everyone would talk or many Israelis as possible, but the number of
watch TV. It was just a little stuffy, because Lebanese who were killed was much higher
of the crowding. We made lots of calls to the and the scope of the disaster was much larger.
family to make sure that everything was all It's true that Israel managed to enter Lebanon,
right. I was a bit scared when I heard that a but it did not achieve the goal of getting back
missile fell on my grandmother's neighbors’ the two kidnapped soldiers.
house, but luckily, it didn't explode. With
time, we learned how to identify the location This war was the first one that I have
of the falling missiles by the sound, and experienced personally. In the course of the
war, I felt fear and anxiety. I'll never forget
we learned what were the “rush hours” for
missiles, to be prepared — and most times, the missiles that I saw over my house, and
we were right. the missile that fell in the yard. I won't forget
the sirens that were sounded and that scared
Afterwards, my sister and I moved to the people, who were afraid to go out into the
center of the country, staying with relatives. streets and tried to protect themselves. We
Then, we went to summer camp in Jerusalem, simply didn't know when we would die. It's
which ended one day before the ceasefire. hard for me to describe the city during that
We dragged out the time so that we would period. Something precious died in that war.
return home only when the ceasefire went
into effect — a period without missiles. Bashara, Me'iliya Village
“Something precious
died in that war” “I don't understand
war affected me very deeply. The T h e anything anymore”
issue of the Sheba'a farms, for which no I don't know when or how it happened, but one
solution seemed to be found, is what caused
day, I simply learned that a terrorist attack was
Hezbollah to kidnap the two soldiers. In my
started by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The smartest
opinion, Israel could have avoided the war
thing for Israel to do was simply not to respond.
from the beginning, if it had given up the
As strange as that sounds that's what I think,
Sheba'a Farms. Only rarely is there a winner
and I'm not the only one. Countries all over
in war, but usually, both sides lose. the world, even Muslim countries, denounce
In the case of this war, both sides lost, and the actions that Hezbollah is carrying
didn't achieve the objectives that they set out in Israel.
17
 page 33
The problem is that along with that, Israel
is bombing Beirut and appears to the other
nations to be a merciless country whose
real goal in this mess is to destroy all of
Lebanon. It hurts me to hear that Katyusha
missiles are falling in the north, and it hurts
me even more to know that the Hezbollah
organization and Israel have declared an
open war against each other.
It hurts me to know that soldiers are going
to spend entire days in a war that has
no logical direction and that they may
end their lives there. I don't understand
anything anymore, but I know one thing: if
Israel stops bombing Lebanon, the nations
of the world will be able to support it
more easily and unite against all sorts of
terrorist organizations, including Lebanon
itself. There is no solution that seems to be
more promising right now than a political
solution. And
I'm very afraid,
even though I
live in Tel Aviv.
Eli, Tel Aviv
Photo Captions, page 35
Lebanese people leaving their houses because of
Israeli bombings
An Israeli family in the north in a bomb shelter
because of Hezbollah bombings
18
page 34,35.36 and 37
Summer 2006
Several days after the war ended, we met
in the Windows office in Tel Aviv, reporters
from Tulkarem and from Tel Aviv. We had
waited all summer to meet, but during
the war, there was a total closure on the
territories, and the reporters from Tulkarem
didn't get permits to enter Israel.
The truth is that we wanted to go to the
beach. People who live under occupation
and closures want to enjoy a single day
of freedom and not think about wars. But
there were also lots of questions that we
wanted to ask and many things that we
wanted to say. Afterwards, we went to the
beach.
Bashar: The Israeli army killed a lot of
civilians, but Hezbollah is fighting against an
army, not against civilians.
Adva: But Hezbollah bombed the whole north,
a civilian area.
Bashar: Only 51 civilians were killed, but
many more soldiers.
Adva: It doesn't matter how many were killed.
They tried to target civilians.
Bashar: They struck back at Israel in an
attempt to defend themselves.
Adva: But Israel went into Lebanon
because Hezbollah kidnapped soldiers from
Israeli territory.
Bashar: Hezbollah kidnapped the soldiers
in order to free Palestinian and Lebanese
prisoners who are in Israeli prisons.
Ichlass: Those prisoners are Palestinian
freedom fighters who tried to defend their
land.
Risal: There are prisoners who are innocent
– they only spoke out against the occupation
and maybe they said that they wanted to
carry out an attack, but they didn't really
mean it. They are in prison for talking.
What is Hezbollah?
The literal translation of Hezbollah is
'The Party of God.' It was established
in southern Lebanon in 1982 as a
resistance movement to the Israeli army,
which occupied the area at that time.
Wisal: There are many people who are
arrested for no reason, just because they
are Palestinians, or because they are
members of political parties that oppose
the existence of Israel.
Risal: There are people who are angry about
the presence of the army in Palestinian
cities, and they throw stones at the army,
and that's why they are arrested. In other
cases, there are Palestinian freedom
fighters who are wanted by the army, and
they hide with families.
When the army finds
them, they also arrest the
people who hid them.
Minyar: Yesterday, a rela-
tive of mine who was wanted
was arrested. They were looking for him for
a long time, and collaborators told the army
where he was. He was wanted because he is a
Palestinian fighter, and he fired at soldiers.
Adva: Who are the Lebanese prisoners?
Bashar: Some of them are Hezbollah soldiers,
who fought in the north. The Jews define them
as terrorists, but we Arabs consider them to be
fighters, heroes.
Adva: We are told that they terrorize Lebanon
that they take over civilians' homes.
Bashar: That is propaganda.
Adva: But they walk around with guns.
Bashar: When Hezbollah soldiers walk around
with guns, it's to protect the Lebanese civilians
and to encourage them. If Hezbollah hadn't
fought, Israel would have occupied Beirut.
Adva: But the Israeli army bombed lots of
places — it's stronger than Hezbollah.
Bashar: That's all planes. If Hezbollah had an
air force, it would destroy Israel.
Adva: We weren't shown many Lebanese
casualties.
pages 34, 35, 36 and 37
Bashar: If you had watched Arab TV stations, May: I was on vacation in France and I was continued to attack Beirut, he would attack Bashar: Israel won't
you would have seen them. Hezbollah has very worried, especially when Hezbollah Tel Aviv. We were glad; we weren't afraid. leave the territories. It also
a TV station, al-Manar that shows what is threatened to hit Tel Aviv. wants to occupy Lebanon,
Adva: When they said that they would bomb to have a bigger state.
happening in real time: they showed the
Bashar: Did you listen to Nasrallah's Tel Aviv, I was afraid. But I was angry, when
battles in Lebanon and also a lot of reports
speeches during the war? I saw the planes flying over the sea towards Adva: That may be what the right
from Israel.
the north, and I knew that they were going to wing wants, but there are also leftists, who
Adva: What kind of leader is Nasrallah? bomb Lebanon. think differently.
Adva: In Israel, the television was required
to censor itself, not to show what was Bashar: He is a combination of a religious
Bashar: Nasrallah apologized for Palestinian Risal: There are good and bad people.
happening, so that Hezbollah wouldn't know leader and a military leader.
citizens of Israel being killed. He asked the
exactly where the missiles were falling and Adva: It's not a matter of good and bad, black
Adva: Doesn't it bother you that a religious Palestinians in the Haifa area to leave until
learn to aim better. and white. There's no such thing. There is a
leader — and in fact religion — encourages the war was over.
range of views, on the right and on the left.
Risal: Al-Manar shows everything and violence?
Adva: The war could have been prevented if Generally, the left thinks that there is a place
reports on the number of casualties. Israel
Bashar: Not violence, self defense. we didn’t fight with each other all the time. If here for both people and supports a non-
doesn't do that.
there were more contacts between Israelis violent solution, dialogue and coexistence.
May: How do you know that their reports Adva: Even if it's for the purpose of self and Arabs, more people would have opposed On the right, on the other hand, there are
are real? defense, it's still violence. the war, because they would understand a lot of religious people, who believe in
Bashar: So what is Israel doing? Israel also that there's no reason to fight. ‘Greater Israel.'
Risal: Because they document everything.
claims that it is operating in self defense, Wisal: If we understood each other better,
Wisal: They reveal information that other and it uses a lot of violence against the Really???
the war wouldn’t have broken out.
TV stations don't. They show a lot of live Palestinians.
reports. Minyar: Future wars can be prevented if
Do you think differently?
Adva: When the war started, I didn't Israel leaves the Occupied Territories, and Were things said here that
Bashar: I felt that Hezbollah had won. understand what was going on. I was told that there is a prisoner exchange. anger or outrage you?
at night soldiers had been kidnapped, so the
Wisal: I was afraid that Tel Aviv was in
danger, and that you would be hurt.
army was bombing Lebanon. Immediately May: What does that have to do with the Were there other aspects
afterwards, there were Katyusha missiles Lebanon war? of the issue that was
Risal: I felt empathy for the Lebanese. I falling all over the Galilee. In Israel, we were Bashar: We are all Arabs and Muslims, we debated here that were not
felt their pain, because I also live under afraid that Hezbollah had missiles that could
reach Tel Aviv.
have the same blood. The Jews fight against addressed, and that you feel
occupation. us and against the Lebanese. They're a you need to mention?
Ichlass: I felt victorious. Because we Bashar: They do have such missiles. But the common enemy.
Palestinians suffer from Israeli aggression, war ended before they had a chance to use Write to us!!!
May: If Israel wasn't in the territories, would
and here are people close to us, managing them. Nasrallah said that if the Israeli army there have been a war anyway?
to overcome the Israelis.
19
 pages 38 and 39
ENOUGH !!!
May:
In my opinion, enough with war, which
does no good for anybody and not only
causes violence and murder, but also
taking the lands, homes and lives of other
people. Both sides kill each other for racist
and nationalist reasons, and that has to
stop.
Rajeb:
Why the killing and the insensitivity?
Personally, I am fed up with this situation.
Isn’t what happened in the past enough?
Hasn't the occupation of the Palestinians
for all these years been enough? When
will things calm down? One of these days,
will we be able to live together, satisfied
with our reality?
Risal:
Without war, there will be peace. Peace
with the Israelis is possible, if the war
ends. I hope that each of us can live
securely in our own independent states.
Ahmad:
Enough with racism. Enough with
inequality, with evil, and with wars. I want
everyone to be happy along with me and
to get what they want.
20
Wisal:
I dream of a fully independent life with safety
and freedom, and people living together.
Illy:
It can't be that people dying in the territories
has become part of the routine. It doesn't
have to be that way! It's strange to think that
without wars and terrorist attacks, many
people would still be alive.
Minyar:
I want to live without murder, to go out …
To go out … To come to Tel Aviv, without
roadblocks on the way.
Adva:
No side gains anything from what is
happening. We are wasting our lives on
a needless bloody war. These wars make
us all nervous to the point of insanity, the
violence in society increases every day,
everywhere. It's absurd, seeing my little
brother, four years old, playing with a toy
gun. That scene makes me ask: doesn't he
deserve to play with his friends without guns
and without running after his playmates,
yelling: “I'll kill you!”?
ART pages 40 and 41
FOR CHANGE
I Am Ishmael, 1997 and Palestinians experience every day.
Suleiman Mansour His paintings are directly influenced by
photographs that appear in the Israeli media.
Ishmael, the theme of the exhibition, was
the son of Abraham and Hagar, and he was Chic Point, 2000-2003
the father of the Arabs. The roses symbolize Sharif Waked
the martyrs who were killed in the course of
Chic Point is a seven-minute video film that
the Intifada, defending their homes.
describes an imaginary fashion show, based
Sacks, 2000 on the regulations of the checkpoints in the
Marwat Issa territories. In the film, men wear revealing
clothing so that the soldiers won't have to check
Marwat lives in a small village, not far them when they pass through checkpoints.
from the place where her grandmother Chic Point is a sad reminder of the way in
lived before the which the conflict has a severe effect
1948 Nakba. The on the private lives of more and
ceramic sacks are more people.
reminders of the
This Isn't Switzerland, 2003
1948 expulsion of
Arianne Litman-Cohen
the people of Bir'im
and other villages.
Arianne hung this huge poster on
The villages were
the front of a building in Jerusalem.
totally destroyed,
The poster shows a landscape in
their inhabitants sent into exile, and
Switzerland, the landscape of Arianne's
the buildings and natural resources
childhood, covered with graffiti: “This isn't
left to decay.
Switzerland.” Within the building, she
Let's Have Another War, 1996 exhibited the Jerusalem Scrolls, together with
David Reeb photographs of the Abu-Dis wall. The graffiti
on the poster reminded the artist of the graffiti
David Reeb's paintings express feelings on the wall.
of fear, anger and danger that Israelis
pages 42 and 43 pages 44 and 45 pages 46 and 47 Back page

Shakshuka Mother Tongue In Spite of It All

Recipe Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
4 eggs
2-3 large, ripe tomatoes, cubed
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 red/yellow/orange bell pepper
Cooking oil
Spices to taste:
I like to add black pepper, cinnamon sticks,
nutmeg and thyme or basil. Some people
prefer to first fry a lot of onion.
Preparation:
1) Heat oil in a frying pan and add
cinnamon sticks and/or chopped onion.
2) Dice the bell pepper or cut it into strips
and add to the frying pan.
3) Add spices to taste.
4) Let the pepper soften for a few minutes.
5) Add the diced tomatoes and mix. Wait for
the sauce to bubble.
6) Add the eggs.
7) You can grate nutmeg over the pan and
add more spices, such as thyme or basil.
8) Cover and wait until the eggs cook and
are firm.
It's important to me
(Arabic-Hebrew) The meetings strengthen our
determination to create a world in which that you don't treat
What is your name?
Ma shemcha?
My name is Gal.
‫אا‬ Jews and Arabs will live together in
equality, cooperation and friendship. everything you are told as
Shmi Gal. Illy: I come to Windows to meet other people
and to express views that I would not be being obvious. What one
And what is your name? Eish ismak? able to express elsewhere.
My name is Jamal. Ismey Jamal.
Rajeb: I come because I believe that the
person tells you, might be
Where are you from? Min wein enta?
I'm from Tulkarem. Ana min Tulkarem.
situation will improve. In spite of everything,
I come with hope. I come and use all of
contradicted by someone
And where are you from? M’ein atah? my power and ability to help change the
situation.
else. An event that
I'm from Tel Aviv. Ani m’Tel Aviv.
Arabic and Hebrew come from a
Bashar: I come to swim in the sea, to feel a appears in a history book
little freedom, to breathe the air, and to eat
single source, and have many ice cream. in Israel will be different
similar words, such as:
Didi: Although what we do is relatively small,
it has an impact.
from the same event
Rosh-Ras (head)
Af-Anf (nose) Wisal: It's important for me to know the when it appears in a
Ozen-Azen (ear) others, to know their opinions. They might
Se'ar-Sha'ar (hair) have different opinions than my own. I didn't history book in Palestine.
Ayin-eyn (eye) believe that there were Jews who wanted
Yad-Yad (hand) peace — I thought that they all wanted to kill
Beten-Beten (stomach) us.
Regel-Rajel -(leg)

Enjoy!
‫זز‬
Drawing by Mikhael Nadav
21