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September 26, 2008
Hoops for peace in the Mideast
Basketball camp draws Israeli and Palestinian children together in the spirit of teamwork.
RHONDA SPIVAK
Nine-year-old Canadian Dov Corne had the thrill of his life when he participated in a basketball clinic for Israeli and Palestinian children, led by the L.A. Laker's Jordan Farmer. The clinic was part of the Twinned Peace Sports Schools program organized by the Shimon Peres Centre for Peace.
Corne (who is the writer's son) and all of the Israeli and Palestinian children had an unforgettable experience when they played with the 21-year-old Laker's point guard, who is the only Jewish player in the National Basketball Association. Farmer communicated with the children using basketball as a common language, since he speaks neither Hebrew nor Arabic.
The Palestinian children, who arrived from Jericho and Tulkarem, and the Israeli children from Kiryat Gat all wore identical red jerseys given to them by the Peres Centre. Each team was mixed with Israeli and Palestinian children. Corne, who speaks Hebrew, sat with the Israeli children at the opening of the clinic, which was designed to promote teamwork and co-operation and help teach the meaning of co-existence.
"We are happy to have Dov come today to see the work we are doing to try to allow Israelis and Palestinians to get to know the other side, to break down barriers and to foster an atmosphere of reconciliation. The idea is that all kids can try to learn to play together. The kids find a way to communicate with each other. They give each other high fives," said the Israeli coach, Shachar Elyakim, who has been involved in this unique program for the past five years.
At the outset of the clinic, Farmer, who is the offspring of a Jewish mother and an African-American father, told all of the children, "We're going to have fun today. I've come a long way to spend time with you guys.... I think it's really beautiful that all of you guys can come together here to play...." Farmer's comments were translated simultaneously into Hebrew and Arabic by Palestinian and Israeli coaches.
Corne was included in the program after the Peres Centre was contacted and told he badly wanted to meet Farmer. When Farmer saw that Corne did not have a red jersey, as he was not a regular member of the program, he said, "Here, you can have my jersey if you want," giving Corne a shirt that the Peres Centre had made for Farmer. "Thank you, but I can't wear it because it's much too long, and I can't run in it," Corne replied.
"Having Jordon Farmer here gives the kids a boost of confidence. It means that heroes support a mixed group [of Israelis and Palestinians]. All of the children wear the same red jerseys and when you mix them up on teams, you really can't tell who's who," said Elyakim.
Corne had the opportunity to shoot baskets with the very talented Jericho-born coach Ferris Sweetie, a Palestinian who lives in Ramallah and teaches basketball at a private American institution both in Ramallah and Jerusalem. "The kids come here to see friends and make friends," said Sweetie, who hugged the Israeli coach when he arrived.
Sweetie, who speaks English and also some Hebrew in addition to Arabic, has been in the program for five years.
"I have made friends in Israel and I come to Tel-Aviv quite often to go to the beach. There isn't a beach near where I live.... I sometimes come for Shabbat to be with friends. I usually don't have any problem crossing the checkpoints."
Corne asked whether the Israeli children had ever gone to Jericho to play basketball and it was explained to him that, by law, Israelis are not allowed to go to the Palestinian Authority territories, for safety reasons. "But since you have a Canadian passport, you can come visit me in Palestine," Sweetie told Corne.
"We see our work here as starting to prepare the groundwork for a real peace that will occur at the political level one day," said Michal Rubin of the Peres Centre. "The situation can be complex. Parents of the children in some of the Palestinian communities are sometimes scared to send their kids to activities we have in Sderot. This kind of flips the situation on its head," she added.
At the end of the clinic, Farmer told the children, "Today, you played together and that's a start to finding a solution to the problems in the Middle East. Today, you learned basketball skills together. If you keep working on them, you will get better. It's the same in life. If you keep working on your relationships, things will get better."
According to Elyakim, who is very enthusiastic about the program, the Israeli and Palestinian children in the camp meet monthly, not only for basketball clinics, but to focus on cultural exchanges that promote tolerance. "For example, we took the Jewish kids to a mosque and they spoke to an imam. The Palestinian kids on the team met with a Yemenite rabbi, who spoke to them in a synagogue. They were amazed to hear him speaking Arabic. The Jewish kids also visited an Arab village during the fast of Ramadan. All of the children were at a summer camp at Kibbutz Galon. We take them to all sorts of different activities, such as museums and the like," he said.
He added that the Peres Centre's joint sports activities have been going on for almost eight years and "nearly 2,000 children are in the basketball and soccer clinics." The centre works with the Jerusalem-based Al Quds Centre for Democracy and Dialogue.
"We have noticed that [some] children who are in the Peres Centre's programs have kept in touch with each other through the Internet. They send each other e-mails," said Rubin.
But Julia Ayjib, a parent whose child is in the basketball clinic, said, "The Israeli kids in the group don't have a real connection with the [Palestinian] Arab children. It's good that they see each other and have joint activities, but they don't get to know each other well because they don't speak the same language. They don't get so close to each other."
Samir Sala and his son, Gassam, from Tulkarem said they like the program. When asked if they speak any Hebrew, Samir smiled and answered, "K'tzat [a little]."
Rubin said that even during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, the Peres Centre's programs continued. "Since 2002, none of our programs has ever been cancelled. During the war, the programs stayed the same. Because the centre is nonpolitical, we have the advantage at times of floating above politics and our programs go on regardless of what is happening in the political system."
When the clinic was over, the children lined up patiently to get Farmer's autograph. Corne got his basketball and his T-shirt signed. On the way out, he, like all of the Israeli and Palestinian children who participated in the clinic, had a big smile on his face.
"Can we do this again tomorrow?" he asked.
Rhonda Spivak is a Winnipeg freelance writer who spends several months a year in Israel.
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