Left to right: Tom Longhill, Dan and Jake Filson visiting the Givat Haviva Jewish-Arab Center for Peace in Israel
Taking time out from holidaying during their recent stay in Israel, Mancunian brothers Dan and Jake Filson – and Mancunian friend Tom Longhill – spent a day visiting the Givat Haviva Jewish-Arab Center for Peace and the Wadi Ara region.
Internet consultant Dan, a Habonim-Dror graduate and former movement worker and his younger brother Jake, also a Habbo graduate and director of the movement’s Ofarim camp in Norfolk this summer, are familiar with Givat Haviva’s shared citizenship projects having during their movement years attended seminars at the Wadi Ara campus.
“We have always taken an interest in the promotion of peace education and the work done in this field here at Givat Haviva,” Dan Filson told lecturer and study tour guide Lydia Aisenberg of the International Department.
Dan is presently living and working in Manchester whilst his brother Jake will shortly be commencing his final year studying philosophy at Bristol University.
Tom Longhill, a close friend of Jake’s since their school days at Manchester Grammar, is studying politics and sociology at Bristol University and visiting Israel for the first time.
“Although I am not Jewish I have always known about events in the Jewish community, and particularly the Habonim-Dror movement, through my friendship with Jake and other Jewish students at school. At university I often find myself being in a position where I can discuss certain topics with other students from a different viewpoint due to this friendship,” said Tom, keen to learn about educational projects encouraging encounters between Israeli Jewish and Arab youth and adults.
Tom, Dan and Jake participated in a tour of the Wadi Ara region incorporating traveling along a portion of the security fence, visiting a checkpoint in the Dotan Valley in the West Bank, the Shaked block of Jewish settlements in the area as well as meeting with Palestinian businessmen in a local village.
“I knew this would be a really interesting day but just how interesting I had no idea,” said Jake at the end of the Givat Haviva visit and tour.
“Having dealt with so many aspects of politics and Jewish-Arab relations in Israel over the years, both in the movement and as a student, today has shown us just how much more there is to learn,” said Dan who was impressed with the MASA-Givat Haviva Intensive Arabic Semester programme for overseas students.
“This programme is definitely a very unique addition to the study opportunities on offer in Israel and hopefully we will be able to interest more students from Britain to participate in this five month course when we get home,” he added.
Whilst in the village of Barta’a the British students had a chance meeting with Najeeb Abu Rakia from the village of Meisar near Givat Haviva.
Najeeb, for many years a fieldworker for the human rights organization B’Zelem, met with a group of Union of Jewish Students in July during their field trip to Israel prior to beginning the new academic year in October. The meeting, organized by the International Department, also included a talk by Dr. David Mendelsohn with regard the Arab citizens of Israel and the Palestinians.
Some of the members of that group were friends of Dan and Jake Filson’s and they had heard “excellent reports” about that activity from them and decided to take time out during their holiday for a likewise experience. Whilst in Barta’a village and discussing the visit of the UJS students and their conversation with Najeeb, the man himself appeared across the street having gone there shopping with his wife – and so a formal introduction made and the promise by the Brits of definitely coming for another visit when next in Israel
Left: Dan Filson with Najeeb Abu Rakia; middle – the visitors with Palestinian Rateb Kabaha in his East Barta’a barber’s shop and right, map reading in the Dotan Valley.
Photos & text: Lydia Aisenberg
September, 2010
