| HELPING TO UNDERSTAND at GIVAT HAVIVA |
By Lydia Aisenberg
Eduardo Sverdlin, who is originally from Mexico City but living in Maryland, is an 18 year old high-school graduate on a semester program in Israel.
Now toward the end of the 10 week program, together with Jewish students from his Rockville school and students from another school in Atlanta, Eduardo and his peers participated in a seminar at Givat Haviva dealing with sensitive issues regarding the Arab citizens of Israel, their relationship with the state and also that with their people, the Palestinians.
The large group of youngsters, whose program is based at the Hod HaSharon Alexander Muss High-School in Israel campus, spent their first month in Israel taking classes on campus and touring the country.
Following that period, it was a month of volunteer work either in a kibbutz or with Sarel. By the time the students came to Givat Haviva they had already packed a great deal under their belts and backpacks with regard to seeing, hearing and feeling Israel and different segments of Israeli society.
The program of the day with the International Department at Givat Haviva kicked off with a talk by a staff member filling in background as to who were the Arab citizens of Israel and the identity dilemma of those known to their Jewish fellow citizens as 'Israeli Arabs' – and who describe themselves as 'Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.'
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Following a long and even somewhat heated – but respectful – meeting with Israeli Muslim lawyer Amir Gara, who is a resident of Jatt village near Givat Haviva, the youngsters undertook a tour of the Wadi Ara area.
The tour concentrated on the geography of the region, the daily realities for the Arab citizens of Israel living in what is also commonly known as the Little Triangle, and also seeing and speaking about the Palestinian population living close by over the other side of the security fence and whose villages are clearly visible from the Amir mountain range.
Eduardo Sverdlin, who will be studying Electrical Engineering at the 200,000 student National Autonomy University in Mexico City in the fall, said the following about the seminar at Givat Haviva.
"In a short period of time today I have achieved a better understanding of the extremely close proximity within which the different communities live one with the other, and this strengthens even more the necessity for Jews and Arabs to find ways to co-exist in Israel.
"The issues we have been discussing today are not issues that can be put aside – they effect the day to day existence of Israel just as much as the issues which arise from the Palestinian areas," said Eduardo.
"Meeting with Amir Gara has allowed for us to experience first hand the difficulties of minorities in Israel and much more importantly made me realize if we are interested in the well being of the State of Israel we have an obligation also to the well being of the minority groups within."
Eduardo also said that he intends to participate in campus activities regarding Israel once he settles down at university in Mexico City and is hopeful to remain in contact with Givat Haviva, as do many participants of all ages who attend International Department seminars whilst visiting or studying in Israel.
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