Tag Archives: East Jerusalem

Jerusalem All-Stars: Mid-Season Update

"We were not able to take our dynamic as a team for granted, and what came out of it was more solid because of the challenges we had at first."

The Jerusalem All-Stars shocked fellow league participants and fans by finishing the 2012 season in second place, showing everyone what is possible when you cooperate as a team.  (photo: Fran Meckler)

In 2010, the Jerusalem All-Stars, a team made up of both Arab and Jewish elite girl basketball players, ages 12 to 17, began competing in Israel’s National Youth League, the highest level of youth basketball in the country. It marked the first time ever that integrated teams emerged from East and West Jerusalem (Arab and Jewish communities, respectfully) and the first time ever that girls from East Jerusalem had the opportunity to participate in the league. Two years later, the Jerusalem All-Stars are a permanent presence in the league, and a force to be reckoned with. The Jerusalem All-Stars are now on a mid-season break until the beginning of March. What better time to catch up with them and see how the season has been going? For the three teams, the season has been a series of successes both on the court and off. Read on to see how the under 14, under 16 and under 18 All-Stars are doing.

Under 14

The youngest All-Star team has finished the first half of the season with zero defeats. Go girls!

Under 16

The Under 16 team is poised to take the regional championship.

The Under 16 team is poised to take the regional championship.

The Under 16 All-Stars have only lost one game so far this season, and are poised to finish the season in first place, which would catapult them to a higher division next season. Through their victories in basketball, the All-Star teams are showing that Palestinians and Israelis can be a winning combination. These girls are not just successes on the court, however; their team identity continues to be forged off the court as well. One recent example of this is the “coexistence sleepover” that took place earlier this month at a team member’s home. It is virtually unheard of in the Israeli-Palestinian context for kids from one group to visit the home of a peer from the other group, let alone for a sleepover party! But for these girls, it is all a normal part of being together on the same team, and normal is certainly something we could use a little more of in these parts.

“We were not able to take our dynamic as a team for granted, and what came out of it was more solid because of the challenges we had at first.” – Jerusalem All-Star Player

Under 18

This month's pot-luck dinner gave Palestinian and Israeli girls the chance to taste each other's cuisines.

This month’s pot-luck dinner gave Palestinian and Israeli girls the chance to taste each other’s cuisines.

The Under 18 All-Stars is the most competitive team of the three, competing in the national league, which includes all of the top players from around the country. They are in the top half of the league roster, having won the majority of games they have played. The team got off to a slow start, as it took some team members – those who had never met girls from the other side before – time to adjust to playing on a mixed team. One such player looked back at the beginning of the season and observed, “In the end it made us a better team because we were forced to learn how to work together. We were not able to take our dynamic as a team for granted, and what came out of it was more solid because of the challenges we had at first.” One example of how far the team has come socially is a recent pot-luck dinner that was held earlier this month at one team member’s house. Everyone brought tasty treats from home, which also gave Palestinian and Israeli girls the chance to taste each other’s cuisines.

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PeacePlayers serves diverse communities throughout Jerusalem

Twinning for children of Keshet and Beit Safafa

Twinning for children of Keshet and Beit Safafa

PPI – ME is proud to work in a wide variety of diverse communities throughout the Jerusalem area. It is extremely important for the program to deliver on bringing kids of all backgrounds together through sport. One of the reasons PeacePlayers is so effective and unique is that these kids are able to meet and interact with others in ways they never would have without PPI. Many participants claim that this is the only way they have met and became friends with people from “the other side.” Below is a short description of some of these communities:

Map of areas where PPI - ME operates

Map of areas where PPI – ME operates

Beit Safafa: In 1949, Beit Safafa was divided between Jordan and Israel, separating family members by a fence manned by the Israeli and Jordanian militaries. When Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, many families in the village were reunited. Beit Safafa is also a disadvantaged community with the median wage being about 2,400 shekels (or $600) per month. PPI-ME currently maintains five teams in Beit Safafa, serving boys ages 6 – 14 and girls ages 6 – 16, and Beit Safafa youth are also members of the Leadership Development Program [LDP].

Beit Shemesh: A socially conservative Jewish suburb of Jerusalem, with a less advantaged population that includes a significant immigrant population, many from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. PPI – ME currently operates one girls’ team in Beit Shemesh, many of whose members are new immigrants.

Esawiah: An Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem, which borders on the Hebrew University. The neighborhood, which is one of the toughest in the city, suffers from many injustices and inequalities that plague much of East Jerusalem. In August 2012, 3,000 students from the neighborhood protested the deficit of classrooms, with 800 children without a place to study. PPI – ME has been active in Esawiah since 2005 and currently has two teams there.

Givat Ram: Located in West Jerusalem, the Jewish neighborhood of Givat Ram is home to the Knesset and many other government agencies. PPI – ME has been active in Givat Ram since 2008 and currently has one team there.

One of our teams from the community of Beit Safafa

One of our teams from the community of Beit Safafa

Ein Rafah: A small Arab village on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Most residents descend from a single extended family. PPI – ME began working in Ein Rafah in 2010, and currently has one children’s team in the town.

Kiryat Anavim: The first kibbutz to be established in the Judean Hills, founded in 1920 by Jews from Eastern Europe. PPI – ME has worked with the kibbutz since 2011, and currently has one team there.

PeacePlayer’s work in these communities is extremely vital. In many cases this is the only activity offered to the children there.  The opportunity to be involved in a program that offers sport and peace education is extremely valuable as it empowers the children and the future of each community.  The goal of PPI is that these children will take what they have learned through the program and reach out to others to continuing the cycle of change.

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PPI-ME 2012 Peace League Tournament “Israeli and Palestinian Girls Balling Together”

The players take a break from their training to smile for the camera.

Intensity was high!  A year’s worth of hard work and determination at weekly practices and “Twinnings” compounded with the newfound knowledge of PPI – ME’s peacebuilding curriculum was finally culminating in a three hour event.  For the girls participating, it seemed so natural.  For onlookers, it was a pleasure to watch.

PPI – ME participants stretch in preparation for the big game.

Participating teams at PPI – ME’s annual Peace League Tournament hailed from East and West Jerusalem, Pisgat Ze’ev, and Mate Yehuda.  The girls have worked so hard to get to this point, and now, this was my time to see how they have progressed in basketball and leadership skills, attitude and behavior and sportsmanship.  It was beyond the intensity on the court, but rather the chemistry that spoke loud and clear: these girls are a family!

Participants were split into three integrated teams.  Once they were divided, they began playing against each other for a total of three games. Everyone was cheering during the tournament-style event – and not just for their own teams. The girls, who come from not only different areas of Jerusalem, but from very different upbringings, took an interest in the game when they weren’t the ones playing.  They sat in the stands with the other friends and families, and watched and cheered their new-found friends on the court.

Guest coaches provide feedback to their players during a time-out.

The Jerusalem All Stars (an integrated team that competes in the National Basketball League) proved to be the dominating team with some of PPI-ME’s most advanced Palestinian and Israeli players. They made their presence known on the court with an intense defense and a great chemistry on both the defensive and offensive ends of the floor.

It was truly a victory for everyone!  At the end of the event, medals and trophies were distributed to all the victors.  Everyone had a great time!

GO TEAM PEACEPLAYERS!

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Double the MiniFest, Double the Fun!

LDP youth led games and teambuilding activities during this spring's MiniFest.

After having such a great MiniFest this past December, we decided to have a second one this spring. For those of you who need a refresher, MiniFest is a special happening for our youngest (and cutest!) Palestinian and Israeli Kids. In December, the MiniFest boasted a holiday theme, and this time around the theme was fun, which is an important part of bridging divides, especially for children. And by reaching children as young as six, PPI is helping them grow up with co-existence as a way of life. And a fun way of life at that!

MiniFest's main objective: Having fun while learning to coexist.

And fun it was. Sixty kids ages 6-10 came down to the Hand-in-Hand gym from the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Beit Safafa and Esawiah, the West Jerusalem neighborhood of Katamon and from Ein Rafah and Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim, which are both located just outside Jerusalem. This event was a departure from the usual dribbling and passing of previous activities, with kids getting a chance to let loose on inflatable gymborees. As always, the youth of the Leadership Development Program (LDP) were there, leading team building games designed specifically to take place on the inflated playground.

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U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro + PPI – ME + USAID = Slam Dunk

Ambassador Shapiro held his own on the court, even up against PPI - ME's strongest players. Photo: Joel Dzodin

Who knew that the new U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro was a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court? This past Friday, about 20 Palestinian and Israeli teens of PPI – ME found this out first hand during a friendly game with the Ambassador and additional representatives of the embassy and USAID. The encounter with Ambassador Shapiro was modeled after a “Twinning,” so that U.S. Government players could experience for themselves PPI – ME’s methodology in bridging divides between Palestinians and Israelis through basketball.

PPI - ME's new American trainer, former WNBA player Edniesha Curry, was referee for the day. Photo: Joel Dzodin

Before the game, the Ambassador and the other U.S. government basketball players joined the youth of PPI – ME, who hailed from East and West Jerusalem as well as Holon, in a set of “twinning drills,” basketball drills designed to break the ice between Palestinian and Israeli participants when they meet each other for the first time. As explained at the event by Dr. Chad Ford, Director of the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding at Brigham Young University – Hawaii, and senior writer for ESPN, these drills involve team work and in some cases physical contact, both of which help counter the apprehension participants often feel at initial joint encounters. Chad is a longtime consultant and friend of PPI and worked with the organization to develop its groundbreaking peacebuilding curriculum.

Shaking hands at the end of the game, players come to understand that they are all winners. Photo Joel Dzodin

Following the drills, basketball players were divided up in to four teams, and were switched in at brief, regular intervals. PPI – ME teens competed on mixed teams with members of the U.S. Embassy and USAID. By playing on mixed teams, participants competed together, instead of against one another. The Ambassador, who was captain of his high school basketball team, held his own on the court, even up against PPI – ME’s top players.

After the game, Ambassador Shapiro praised the youth for their efforts towards peace. In addition to Ambassador Shapiro, attending the event were USAID Mission Director Michael Harvey, who also shared a few words at the event, highlighting USAID’s proud support of PPI; U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs Hilary Olsin-Windecker, U.S. Cultural Attaché Michele Dastin-Van Rijn and Director of the Democracy and Governance Office of USAID, Bradley Bessire.

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East Jerusalem-Beit Shemesh Twinning

After more than a year of Twinning together, the Beit Shemesh East Jerusalem girls are all smiles.

This past Tuesday, 15 Palestinian high school girls from East Jerusalem came to the suburb of Beit Shemesh for some Twinning action with Israeli girls their age. This is the second year that these two teams are twinning, so they’re already friends and, their Twinnings are full of laughing and horsing around, just as they should be.

Nastiya (left) shakes hands with fellow players after the Twinning.

The activity, which was led by Palestinian coach Ghassan and Israeli coach Shoshan, started out with a set of Twinning drills, most of which required the girls to split up into mixed Palestinian-Israeli pairs to work together to complete the drill. After that, the girls got together, and in Twinning tradition, played a game on mixed teams. By mixing into integrated Palestinian-Israeli groups, our girls were playing together instead of against each other. The group also got a special visitor: Nastiya, a long-time PeacePlayer, who graduated from high school and the Leadership Development Program in 2010. Nastiya, an Israeli who immigrated from the former Soviet Union, is in the middle of her compulsory military service in the Israeli army. Nastiya hasn’t forgotten us, though, and comes to as many PPI activities as she can fit into service. This is our goal for all of our PeacePlayers: That they will continue to be PeacePlayers in all of their future endeavors.

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PPI – ME Guests of honor: Win Sheridan and Brendan Tuohey

Brendan, Tal, Dan and Win (back row, l. to r.) at a girls' Twinning in Jeursalem

Last week, we received a visit from PPI board member Win Sheridan and Executive Director Brendan Tuohey, who made the long plane trip from Washington, D.C. to check out the work we’re doing on the ground. Although Brendan has been to the region numerous times over the years, this was Win’s first trip to the site. Win got a chance to meet hundreds of our Palestinian and Israeli kids in Israel and the West Bank. The action started immediately upon landing Sunday evening, when Win and Brendan traveled straight from the airport to the Hand-in-Hand School gym in Jerusalem, where they caught our session with women’s golf star Morgan Pressel. After that, we decided to give them a break and let them rest up for the activity-packed days ahead of them.

Win helps Ein Rafah Minis with a relay drill

The next morning started out with a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, led by a tour guide named Martin, who also happens to be the father of one of our longtime PeacePlayers, Yuval. He gave them some of the city’s rich and complicated history and also shared how happy he was that his daughter has had a chance to be a part of PeacePlayers. After that, Win and Brendan drove straight to Ramallah, where they caught a basketball clinic with Palestinian girls in the Jalazone refugee camp. Win got right into the action, lining up for relays together with our girls. And was that it for the day’s events? No way! From Ramallah, Win and Brendan drove back to Jerusalem, where they got to practice with a group of Palestinian and Israeli league players from East Jerusalem and Holon, and then catch a professional Eurocup game, witnessing Hapoel Jerusalem succumb to Ukranian team BC Donetsk.

Day three started with a trip to the Dead Sea, where Win, Brendan and a couple of our staff members got to dip in the extra buoyant, salty waters. Then it was once again back to Jerusalem for another Twinning, this time for one team from East and another from West Jerusalem. There they were also joined by Tal Alter from the PPI headquarters, who was visiting Israel with family, and American basketball player Dan Grunfeld. The Twinning was followed up by a session of PPI’s Peace Education Curriculum, led by members of the girls’ Leadership Development Program, who showed off their most impressive facilitation skills.

Win on the court with Jerusalem Minis

On the fourth and final day of Win and Brendan’s visit, we held the first “Minis” Twinning of the season for kids from Keshet School in West Jerusalem, and Beit Safafa in the East. After meeting the Jerusalem Minis, Win and Brendan got on the court with our Ein Rafa Minis, who despite the cold temperatures, were in high spirits! After that, it was sadly time for Win and Brendan to head to the airport. They both told us they are going home with good memories a plenty, and Win had some especially kind words to share about his first experience in the Middle East:

“It was truly awesome to be at the twinnings to witness it first-hand! To see Jewish and Arab girls and boys playing together as a team and having fun was incredible! It just seemed natural for them to be together and, obviously, true friendships are being built. The leadership session was excellent, as well! I have no doubt that some of the girls will emerge as true leaders and even some will become PPI coaches, but, regardless, all benefit a great deal from the program. The positive attitude, confidence, relationship skills, discipline, etc. they get from it will serve them well in the years to come. Overall, it was a phenomenal experience that I will never forget!”

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From the Court to Congress: PPI – ME and the Alliance for Middle East Peace

Sana Shtasel, Executive Director of ALLMEP, was PPI - ME's guest of honor last week.

On Thursday, October 27, PPI – ME got a visit from a friend from the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), who came by to catch a twinning in the city of Holon. ALLMEP is a coalition of 80 organizations, including PPI, which works to promote coexistence between Arabs and Jews, Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East. ALLMEP’s Washington, DC, team is tirelessly working to promote the work that PPI – ME and other organizations are doing and help policymakers understand how important it is to build peace from the bottom up. One of their greatest accomplishments to date, ALLMEP was instrumental making the support of Palestinian-Israeli grassroots organizations a priority for U.S. government agencies, most notably USAID, PPI – ME’s most substantial government partner.

Sana gives coaching a try.

Sana Shtasel, Executive Director of ALLMEP, was our guest of honor at the twinning, which brought together some of our top teen female athletes, including Palestinians from East Jerusalem and Israelis from Holon. The twinning was led by Basketball Operations Manager Vito Gilic’, who took the girls through a set of physically and mentally demanding drills, which left no room for prejudice and cliquism. Only through team work were these drills, specially designed to build trust and cooperation between our Palestinian and Israeli athletes, achievable.

Sana didn’t just sit in the stands and watch the action from the sidelines. She was right in there with our girls, coaching them and sharing with them her words of wisdom. “Peace power AND girl power! What a combination!” Sana exclaimed upon visiting the twinning.

“It is a privilege to witness the results of ALLMEP’s efforts to secure USAID funding for member programs, but, far more importantly, to experience PeacePlayers’ success in laying the groundwork for peace on and off the court.  The girls’ enthusiasm for the game was rivaled only by their fondness for their coaches and each other — terrific harbingers for the future.”

We are proud to be a part of ALLMEP, which is so important because it raises the profile of valuable grassroots community efforts. Too often, work like ours is seen as nice and heartwarming but ultimately futile. ALLMEP is helping educate the world at large that grassroots coexistence projects are a critical part of solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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From the Classroom to the Court: Ryan Hitz Offers His Take on PPI – ME

Ryan (far right) visits a PPI family in East Jerusalem.

This week, Ryan Hitz, a student at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, writes about his experience visiting PPI – Middle East this summer. He was part of a larger group that visited the program, which included NBA GMs, USAID personnel, and PPI Global leadership. 

I was first introduced to PPI-ME almost two years ago, when I sat in a business lecture given by Professor Chad Ford (of ESPN.com and Brigham Young University, Hawaii), where he talked about PPI and the impact it has had on his life and others. As he shared photos and then a video, I was touched with how this organization has been able to have a profound impact on the lives of all those involved.  The feeling of caring and peace was literally tangible. I left searching for this feeling. Having run successful businesses for more than a decade, I was at the time a business major. I looked deep within and could see I was really passionate about helping people. I changed my major the next day, opting for conflict resolution and joining the peace-building program led by Chad Ford.

Recently, I was invited to participate in the PPI program in the Middle East. This was a dream come true. Having learned so much about the program, I was finally able to observe and experience it first-hand. The week-long trip was filled with non-stop basketball drills, games and twinnings, which started literally hours upon arrival. On day one, I met the program staff, and I knew that PPI – ME had special leaders in place. When I saw the way the staff spoke of the children and how the children in action responded to them, I could see the mutual feeling of love and appreciation that existed between them. Everyone I met who was involved in the program was just beaming with excitement and joy. The court was full of cheers and applause, as well as laughter, and then tears. The tears came when a young Palestinian woman named Aisha rolled her ankle coming down hard after a charge to the basket. A fellow student, Mason Isom, and I were asked by Galit Sahar to help her take Aisha to the hospital.

In talking with Vito Gilic’ (PPI – ME Director of Basketball Operations), I said, “I have a hard time telling them apart”. He replied, “Isn’t that beautiful? That’s the success of the program.”

Ryan and a PPI youngster work together on a drill (photo: Joel Dzodin).

Mason and I carried Aisha off the court, up a large flight of stairs, and out to the car. Other than seeing each other on the court and smiling, this was our first formal introduction to Aisha. Accompanying Aisha to the hospital, Mason and I got a glimpse into the real life of another. As the doctors asked questions in Hebrew and then in Arabic we did our best to try to understand what was going on. When we were motioned to push Aisha to another room we did so. Sitting there in an unfamiliar medical center enjoying each others’ company was probably one of the most memorable experiences of my trip. The point is that one does not have to travel 10,000 miles to have a great experience. It happens when we slow down and connect with each other’s humanity. We did our best to help Aisha laugh and not think about the excruciating pain she was feeling. As we left the medical center we drove her home. Galit, Mason, and I sang “No Aisha No Cry” to Bob Marleys’ famous tune as we drove her home.

A bus trip up north was scheduled the next day and Aisha was there to join the team even though she was injured and not able to play. This is truly the essence of what it means to be a team player. Other team members lifted her up and helped her to get around as they too wanted her to be there with them.

When others ask me, “What was the highlight of your trip to PPI – ME?” I tell them: the people and how they have touched my life.

For many, peace seems like a lofty goal that is not actually possible. I am here to tell you it is possible. If children from opposing areas can play together then they can live together.

On our last night, we went on a walking tour of the East Jerusalem neighborhood where Aisha and several other PPI – ME kids live. We were able to meet with two PPI families and while the languages spoken may not have been shared, the ability to connect and feel love towards the other was. These moments are times I will forever treasure in my mind.

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The Jerusalem All Stars Spotlight: Meet Juman, Malak and Gal

This week’s post comes from Rifka Miyara, PPI – ME’s Development Associate. She spotlights three players on PPI – ME’s Jerusalem All Stars teams, which we’ve been following here throughout the year.

Juman (12) and Malak (11) are sisters from Palestinian East Jerusalem who have been a part of PeacePlayers for the past three years. The girls hail from Shuafat, a neighborhood bordering on the Shuafat refugee camp, which suffers from a lack of municipal planning, overcrowding, and pot-holed roads. Headlines from the past year shed light on the tension that plagues the neighborhood:

May 12, 2010 (Ynet News): “A group of 60 Jews marching in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon were pelted with stones after taking a wrong turn and entering the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat…The neighborhood’s residents began hurling stones at the unwelcome visitors. One of the Jews, in his 20s, pulled out a gun and fired in the air. Police forces dispatched to the area removed the group to the French Hill area.”

Despite the dismal reality of daily life, Juman and Malak keep a sunny disposition and find refuge in sports, in spite of the fact that it is a pursuit not “traditionally” acceptable for young women in their community. They are petite, agile girls with more of a passion for basketball than politics. Both sisters, who are outstanding athletes, play on the same team, which, according to Juman is “sometimes ok.” Although she is tiny, Juman is fast; the coach has even asked her to play on the older Jerusalem All-Stars team, which is made up of 13 – 15 year-olds, because she’s just that good.

Malak working on her dribble with Limor Mizrahi.

Juman and Malak have also brought their family into the fold, and their father is in the stands at almost every game, cheering them on to victory. Juman believes that being part of PeacePlayers is important: “It’s good for the future because it shows another side of other religions. And it’s basketball!”

Gal (16) comes from an Orthodox Jewish family in the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Shemesh, a town with staggering population growth and one of the highest immigrant populations in Israel, including immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia in addition to ultra-Orthodox immigrants from the United States. The city’s popularly elected local leadership belongs to a side of the political spectrum known to be less than sympathetic to Israel’s Arab population.

Gal’s family shows a side of Israeli society that often escapes the headlines, struggling under the weight of the country’s fiercely competitive brand of capitalism. They have also been less than pleased by her participation in the integrated league, and her father, a stern ultra-Orthodox man with a long black beard, forbid Gal from playing basketball with Arabs. Gal decided, however, that the opportunity presented by the Jerusalem All-Stars was worth defying her parents’ wishes.

Gal getting ready for practice.

Although she is now a proud PeacePlayer, it wasn’t always that way. When Gal first joined PeacePlayers, it was because the program offered basketball activities that her parents could afford, not because she was particularly interested in meeting Arab kids. In fact, she was terrified to be in close physical contact with Arab girls at her first integrated PeacePlayers event in 2006. Now, Gal is a proud member of the Jerusalem All-Stars, high-fiving her fellow players after every basket, regardless of their national or religious affiliations. She even takes a 40-minute train ride by herself 3 to 4 times a week to practice and play with her Arab teammates.

Part Two: Efrat and Seewie

This project is partially made possible by the generous support of the American people through USAID.

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