By Jenna Weberman
After an insightful Shabbaton in Alon Shvut, our cohort had the pleasure of meeting with Andie and Noor from “Shorashim,” a grass-roots activist movement aimed at building understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. Shorashim translates to “Roots,” a word which embodies the goal of the organization; as a grassroots movement, Shorashim, or Roots, is aimed at building trust and recognition between both sides of the conflict to ultimately create a peaceful political reality in Israel. They seek to help Palestinians and Israelis feel empathy to one another, to better understand both sides’ history and sense of ownership over the land. Ali Abu Awwad, a founder of Shorashim, explains, “there can be no harmony until we [Palestinians and Israelis] see the humanity of the other side.” Having the opportunity to see Shorashim’s space firsthand and to hear about their transformative mission to create this harmony and was thought-provoking, inspiring, and eye-opening.
We first heard from Andie, who explained the journey that brought him to where he is today. He walked us through his background growing up in America and his decision to make Aliyah, to return to his “home”. In Israel, he is an open-minded religious Jew, living in Alon Shvut. As someone living in a settlement and working alongside Palestinians to create peace, he is in many ways a pioneer. Through explaining both his personal goals in being involved with Roots and the organization’s goals, it became clearer how two seemingly opposing sides could have more in common than one may initially think.
Sitting next to Andie, Noor spoke next, explaining his connection to Roots. He shared his experience growing up in Jerusalem, being relocated, and how his life evolved as he contemplated his identity as a Palestinian refugee. He had previously been involved with an organization that planned to carry out an attack on Israelis, but after meeting Israelis firsthand, he began to see them “beyond the frame of ‘occupying soldiers’.” He decided to join roots after meeting with the organization’s founders and is driven to take steps toward a political solution. He continues to organize Palestinian-Israeli events and to speak about his experience in the conflict and how they motivate his drive to find peace.
Roots values dialogue and respect, as foundational building blocks in creating a partner for peace. The organization recognizes that although Israelis and Palestinians reside right next to one another in the West Bank, they live in great separation.
Stereotypes exist on both sides, reinforced by aggression both in the media and in person. Shorashim explains that ultimately, stereotypes create a downward spiral of greater distrust and inability to see humanity in the other side. To combat this, Shorashim facilitates projects and workshops that foster individual relationships and dialogue which help people on both sides to break down stereotypes and form a social foundation that enables future political agreements.
Through facilitating programs and building a safe space for dialogue, Roots works to replace stereotypes with better understanding. Regardless of one’s political views, it’s clear to see that Shorashim is a truly unique and special place. Roots recognizes that there will be many disagreements on both sides, in terms of history, present realities, and future solutions. But through creating a safe space for constructive dialogue, individuals on both sides can begin to understand where others’ views stem from, and work to build solutions. Although undoubtedly challenging, Shorashim’s work is an example of the power individuals have to create change, even at the grassroots level.
