Tasting the Sky (14 page)
Authors: Ibtisam Barakat
A Letter to Everyone
1981, Ramallah, West Bank
Like a bird flinging
Its freedom songs
Across the sky
Its freedom songs
Across the sky
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The small girl
I once was
Sings out this story.
I once was
Sings out this story.
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I see her smile.
I am midway from forgetting to remembering. I do not know how long it will take before I return to all of myself. Yes, an echo still warns: “Learn to forget.” But I am past this checkpointâI will never regret that I chose to remember.The window into the past frames the new road before me like a postcard. I want to send it to all of my faraway pen pals. Now I can answer their questions about my childhood.
Dear everyone: Written on my heart, all that I lostâmy shoes, a donkey friend, a city, the skin of my feet, a goat, my home, my childhoodâshattered at the hands of history. But my eternal friend Alef helps me find the splinters of my life ⦠and piece them back together.
A Song for Alef
Alef the letter
Is a refugee.
From paper
To paper
He knows
No home.
Is a refugee.
From paper
To paper
He knows
No home.
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Alef the letter,
He is the shape
Of a key
To the postal box
Of memory.
He is the shape
Of a key
To the postal box
Of memory.
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Alef the letter
Sits in the front
Of the bus
Of alphabets
To see.
He sees war,
He looks above it.
He sees war,
He looks below it
And beyond it
To see peace.
Sits in the front
Of the bus
Of alphabets
To see.
He sees war,
He looks above it.
He sees war,
He looks below it
And beyond it
To see peace.
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Alef knows
That a thread
Of a story
Stitches together
A wound.
That a thread
Of a story
Stitches together
A wound.
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Alef the letter,
He's the shape
Of hope.
Like me,
A refugee.
He's the shape
Of hope.
Like me,
A refugee.
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For me, My refuge.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
âPhilo of Alexandria
Where have you been?
Why have you not grown?
If asked,
We'll say we'd forgotten.
Why have you not grown?
If asked,
We'll say we'd forgotten.
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The one who called children
To grow
Had come and gone.
To us said nothing.
To grow
Had come and gone.
To us said nothing.
âTranslation from the Arabic song
“Ya Dara Douri Fina” by Fairuz,
lyrics by Rahbani Brothers
“Ya Dara Douri Fina” by Fairuz,
lyrics by Rahbani Brothers
The Middle East is a region of the world that many consider to be the cradle of civilization. Today this ancient land is struggling under the heavy weight of its history, crying out for understanding. The fight over the Holy Land, or the areas various people call Israel and Palestine, is at the heart of the current Middle East conflict.
Many wars and world events have impacted the Holy Land during the past century and have led to the current situation. These include World War I and the European colonization of the Middle East that followed; World War II, the Holocaust, and the urgent need for Jews to find a home; the subsequent creation of the State of Israel on land that was for the most part populated by Palestinian Arabs; and the wars of both 1948 and 1967, which took place between Arab countries and Israel.
The war of 1948 resulted in the establishment of the State of Israel on what used to be Palestine, leaving the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem under Arab administration. In June 1967, when the Six-Day War ended, Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and had taken over East Jerusalem.
The year 2007 marks the fortieth anniversary of the Six-Day War.
Tasting the Sky
is set within the framework of that war and the Israeli occupation that followed. Part I, “A Letter to No One,” takes place in 1981 and leads to remembering the Six-Day War. Part II, “The Postal Box of Memory,” begins on the first day of the Six-Day War and spans four years, ending in 1971. Part III, “A Letter to Everyone,” takes the reader back to 1981.
Tasting the Sky
is set within the framework of that war and the Israeli occupation that followed. Part I, “A Letter to No One,” takes place in 1981 and leads to remembering the Six-Day War. Part II, “The Postal Box of Memory,” begins on the first day of the Six-Day War and spans four years, ending in 1971. Part III, “A Letter to Everyone,” takes the reader back to 1981.
The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is one of the most difficult of modern times because both peoples, from inside their respective contexts, have justifiably strong attachments to the Holy Land. Reduced to its core, this conflict is about two peoples, both of whom have suffered difficult histories. A major obstacle to resolving this conflict seems to be the inability to find a common ground that would allow both sides to understand and accept each other's history and to become partners in achieving their similar goals of living in freedom and peace.
However, this is not only a struggle between two peoples. It is also an international conflict, fueled by religious and ethnic rivalries as well as a variety of economic and military interests. Many countries have an intense involvement with the Israelis and Palestinians. But the approach of siding with one group or the other, caring about only one rather than both, seems to add to the strife. Resolving this conflict is likely to require the constructive participation of many people in the world. A genuine solution must allow not only freedom and security for both Israelis and Palestinians but also room for both peoples to heal from having been victimized as well as heal from having victimized others. When achieved, this solution is sure to offer tremendous hope for all of humanity, since this conflict has become one of the great obstacles to world peace today.
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To learn more about the Middle East, and to deepen our understanding of both Palestinians and Israelis, it helps to share stories. Mine is one of many. Together, these stories can show us how all people are interdependent and have the same basic needs. Together, these stories may inspire us to join hearts and minds so that, with our collective wisdom, a solution for this conflictâand any otherâis possible.
The family in
Tasting the Sky:
Mirriam and Suleiman Barakat, with their children Ibtisam, Muhammad, and Basel
Tasting the Sky:
Mirriam and Suleiman Barakat, with their children Ibtisam, Muhammad, and Basel
The following resources may be helpful starting points in exploring some of the larger issues related to
Tasting the Sky
.
Tasting the Sky
.
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The Flag of Childhood: Poems from the Middle East,
selected by Naomi Shihab Nye (New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002). These poems first appeared in a larger collection,
The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East
(New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998).
selected by Naomi Shihab Nye (New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002). These poems first appeared in a larger collection,
The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East
(New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998).
The sixty poems for young readers in this outstanding anthology transcend separations, silences, and barriers and bring the people of the Middle EastâIraqi, Saudi, Egyptian, Turkish, Israeli, Palestinian, and many othersâtogether in a poetic homeland of openness, kindness, and beauty, under a borderless flag of childhood.
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The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East
, by Sandy Tolan (New York: Bloomsbury, 2006).
, by Sandy Tolan (New York: Bloomsbury, 2006).
This powerful narrative focuses on two families, one Israeli and one Palestinian, and the land, house, and lemon tree that unite and divide them. In a masterful weaving of historical and personal accounts,
The Lemon Tree
shows how the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe and colonialism in the Middle East eventually led to horrors in the Holy Land
between Jews and Arabs. The current situation between Palestinians and Israelis is rooted, like a tree, in the turbulent layers of the historical soil that nourishes it. The interdependence of Palestinians and Israelis in their losses, realities, and dreams is a source of hardship as well as hope. This balanced and impressively documented book is a treasure.
The Lemon Tree
shows how the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe and colonialism in the Middle East eventually led to horrors in the Holy Land
between Jews and Arabs. The current situation between Palestinians and Israelis is rooted, like a tree, in the turbulent layers of the historical soil that nourishes it. The interdependence of Palestinians and Israelis in their losses, realities, and dreams is a source of hardship as well as hope. This balanced and impressively documented book is a treasure.
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Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other,
by Thich Nhat Hanh (Berkeley, California: Parallax Press, 2005).
by Thich Nhat Hanh (Berkeley, California: Parallax Press, 2005).
With its emphasis on nonviolence and compassion, this book is an inspiring step toward world-community building. It highlights many courageous personal accounts of Israelis and Palestinians who are seeking peace, within themselves and with one another. The book came out of ongoing Buddhist “peace retreats” that took place in Plum Village in France under the guidance of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh.
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Promises
, a film by Justine Shapiro, B. Z. Goldberg, and Carlos Bolado (
http://www.promisesproject.org
).
, a film by Justine Shapiro, B. Z. Goldberg, and Carlos Bolado (
http://www.promisesproject.org
).
This film is a groundbreaking and well-balanced documentary about seven Palestinian and Israeli children between nine and twelve years old, living a short distance from one another yet existing in dramatically different worlds.
Promises
also explores the deeply moving moments when a few of the children cross the divide to reach for possible friends on the other side.
Promises
also explores the deeply moving moments when a few of the children cross the divide to reach for possible friends on the other side.
The study guide that accompanies
Promises
is an invaluable educational resource geared toward teachers working with middle and high school audiences. It includes teacher lesson plans that can be correlated to state standards for social studies, history, and language arts; creative activities; an excellent annotated list of related resources such as international newspapers, books, Web sites, and organizations; as well as contact information for peace groups.
Promises
is an invaluable educational resource geared toward teachers working with middle and high school audiences. It includes teacher lesson plans that can be correlated to state standards for social studies, history, and language arts; creative activities; an excellent annotated list of related resources such as international newspapers, books, Web sites, and organizations; as well as contact information for peace groups.
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Seeds of Peace
(
http://www.seedsofpeace.org
).
(
http://www.seedsofpeace.org
).
A vibrant organization that aims to create peaceful, innovative, and cooperative connections among young people from the Middle East, Seeds of Peace has been expanding to include other areas such as the Balkans, South Asia, and Cyprus. Seeds of Peace started out in 1993 with forty-six Israeli, Palestinian, and Egyptian teenagers and now has a network of over 2,500 young people from twenty-five countries on four continents. At the Seeds of Peace international camp in Maine, teenagers build friendships, learn leadership skills, and engage in a wide variety of activities that foster conflict resolution, understanding, cooperation, and respect.
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Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak
, by Deborah Ellis (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2004).
, by Deborah Ellis (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2004).
This daring book brings together the voices of twenty Israeli and Palestinian children between the ages of eight and eighteen. These young people speak about how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects their lives. Sharing a wide
range of experiences and viewpoints, they also express feelings, some raw and startling, others simple and ordinary. The book includes a brief historical overview of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an introductory profile of each of the young people that also provides context for some of the issues raised.
range of experiences and viewpoints, they also express feelings, some raw and startling, others simple and ordinary. The book includes a brief historical overview of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an introductory profile of each of the young people that also provides context for some of the issues raised.
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We Just Want to Live Here: A Palestinian Teenager, an Israeli Teenagerâan Unlikely Friendship
, by Amal Rifa'i and Odelia Ainbinder with Sylke Tempel (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2003).
, by Amal Rifa'i and Odelia Ainbinder with Sylke Tempel (New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2003).
This book offers an insightful and relevant account of correspondence between two eighteen-year-old girls, one Palestinian and one Israeli. The two girls met during an international exchange program but lost touch when they returned home to Jerusalem during the second Intifada. Two years later, in 2002, Middle East correspondent Sylke Tempel encouraged the teenagers to begin a conversation through letters to each other. During the months that followed, their candid personal exchanges opened crucial doors of understanding to each other's world. This moving book sheds much-needed light on the genuine concerns of both the girls and their peoples. It includes a short introduction by Sylke Tempel, a detailed chronology, and a glossary of terms.
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