Tag Archives: West Jerusalem

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.