PEACE BOMB for tolerance

energy for resale

An incredibly energetic, joyful, light and dynamic group of nine boys and seven girls, six Israelis and ten Palestinians between the ages of 15 and 17. The 2010 YMCA Youth Group, which is called "Peace Bomb, fighting for tolerance", had a very successful stay in Switzerland between June 29th and July 8th.

We saw a group of nine boys and seven girls, six Israelis and ten Palestinians between the ages of 15 and 17, "bursting" into our lives with incredible energy, joy, lightness and dynamism, blossoming in sum, composed of nine boys and seven girls, six Israelis and ten Palestinians between the ages of 15 and 17. We had heard that they had been working incredibly well since the beginning of their training and we were able to discover it for ourselves. Apart from the singularity of a near balance between girls and boys and an unusual imbalance between Israelis and Palestinians, it was the first group that, when they introduced themselves individually, only mentioned their names and ages. There was no reference to religious affiliation or nationality as in previous years. This choice was deliberate and thoughtful on their part, they wanted to present themselves as human, outside of labels. We know, however, that discussions were lively among them during the working sessions, so this choice was not an avoidance.

PROGRAM OF THE TRIP

They arrived in the evening of the 29th and went directly to Les Diablerets where, for three days, they were able to familiarize themselves with walking and the beauties of nature and the mountains with François Feihl. In Lausanne, as during every stay, they visited the city and its main monuments: the Cathedral, the Hermitage foundation and the Hopper exhibition, the Lausanne synagogue, went pedal boating on the lake and spent a day with their host families. In order to balance the means of expression, young people were also initiated this year, with great success, to capoeira by the Capoeira Academy of Lausanne; a unique and energizing blend of choreographed wrestling, capoeira is a Brazilian martial art disguised as dance (since it was forbidden for slaves to learn any art of wrestling and defense) with songs and a good dose of ethics (meeting and respect for the opponent, virtue of effort, giving of oneself without expecting reciprocity). They also visited Geneva, through formal visits (the Great Mosque and the Red Cross Museum) and a discovery game which was always much appreciated and which took them through the Bastions Park and the Reformers' Wall, St Peter's Cathedral and the Chapel of the Maccabees, the old town, the Flower Clock, the globes and of course the water jet. They were able to meet and talk with Rabbi Guedj, the former spokesman of the Grand Mosque of Geneva Hafid Ouardiri and Abbot Arbey.

In addition to the fact that for some it was a first to see together at the same table and engaged in a friendly and obviously ancient dialogue, a rabbi, a Muslim and an abbot, the young people were able to ask questions of current events (the meaning of the vote on the minarets) or more fundamental questions such as the question of the nature of Jesus, questions that testified to their desire to deepen and understand the paradoxes of one or the other of the religions and to receive answers to their questions. In spite of such a dense program and such an early dawn, the day in Geneva ended with the last rays of sunshine on two improvised and frenzied soccer games, the last of which was played between the host fathers and the youngsters and ended with an honorable score (for the fathers!) of 2 to 2.

BY WAY OF CONCLUSION

As always, the stay in a foreign land, peaceful and benevolent, powerfully united the group and the intense 24-hour coexistence made them take a new step in their friendship. What a pleasure it was to see "our" two daughters Siwar and Daisy chatting quietly and sharing night after night the same bed, and to see them evolve together during the day. We also know that upon arrival at Ben Gourion airport, the separation was difficult.
This portrait of the stay would not be complete without a special mention to the facilitators Haneen and Ohad who, through the respect and the great friendship they have for each other and their great professionalism, were able to guide the group and exercise authority both morally and spiritually.

Peer-leaders Lihi and Lena (who themselves came to Switzerland two years earlier during the 2008 YMCA trip) were valuable assistants and demonstrated the sustainability of such dialogue ventures in the medium term.