Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp

An engaging picture-book exploration of a difficult topic, even for adults - namely, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict - Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp looks at the wider issue through a narrow focus, telling the true story of two children who attend the Menashe Summer Peace Camp, run by Givat Haviva, an educational organization that works on social justice issues, particularly promoting peaceful coexistence between Jews and Arabs. Starting with an introduction to the two children - Alya, a Palestinian Israeli girl living in the Arab village of Meiser, in north-central Israel, and Yuval, a young Jewish Israeli boy living in Maor, a moshav (a cooperative farming community where property is show more individually owned) near Meiser - then moving through a brief overview of the history of the area, and the (most) recent conflict over it, the book devotes most of its space to the various activities at the camp: the fun and games, educational field trips to a kibbutz and to an Arab village, and the exciting sleepover which marks the end of camp.

As author Trish Marx, who has traveled to Israel five times, once with photographer Cindy Karp to document the story of the Peace Camp, notes in her afterword, this story offers a "message of peace and hope not often heard from this region." For that alone, it is most welcome! Informative, without being overwhelming, it presents its topic evenhandedly, focusing, when the subject of violence arises, mostly on its effects on the children being depicted. It's amazing to think that these children - all citizens of Israel - live so near to one another, and yet, save for the Peace Camp, have almost no interaction with one another, or with anyone from the 'other' community. Such rigid segregation, while not alone responsible for prejudice and a lack of understanding between communities, can surely not be a help in changing them either! One wishes that more children had an opportunity to attend such camps... after all, these children may be Palestinian and Jewish, but they are all Israeli citizens, living within Israel proper. But what about children living in the occupied territories of West Bank and Gaza? Of course no organization can do it all, so thank goodness for what the Peace Camp can do!

Highly recommended to anyone, be they parent, teacher or librarian, looking for quality children's non-fiction about this thorny topic, one which presents its information in a non-sensational, non-biased manner, and which also offers some hope for the possibility of progress. show less

"Peace is a relative term in this lengthy photographic essay featuring Alya, an Israeli Palestinian girl, and Yuval, an Israeli Jewish boy. They meet in a summer camp in Israel that’s designed to teach children to replace feelings of fearful hatred with respect through dialogue and a sharing of activities. Commonalities and differences are emphasized by addition of the cultural appreciation of foods and religious traditions to the usual summer-camp fun of swimming, crafts, music and sports. A session on emergency rescue, something both children have experienced due to the prevalence of violent extremism, is meant to offer reassurance that authorities work hard “to keep all the citizens of Israel safe.” Karp’s action-filled color show more photographs incorporate family scenes with the daily camp doings, giving readers a sense of both Palestinian and Jewish life. The difficult political climate is touched on, but it doesn’t overshadow the admirable efforts of parents and educators to instill a healthy, mutual tolerance, the idea being that the beginning of peace requires separate respectful coexistence. A useful teaching tool and discussion starter for multicultural curricula. (Informational picture book. 8-12)" www.kirkusreviews.com show less

"Peace is a relative term in this lengthy photographic essay featuring Alya, an Israeli Palestinian girl, and Yuval, an Israeli Jewish boy. They meet in a summer camp in Israel that’s designed to teach children to replace feelings of fearful hatred with respect through dialogue and a sharing of activities. Commonalities and differences are emphasized by addition of the cultural appreciation of foods and religious traditions to the usual summer-camp fun of swimming, crafts, music and sports. A session on emergency rescue, something both children have experienced due to the prevalence of violent extremism, is meant to offer reassurance that authorities work hard “to keep all the citizens of Israel safe.” Karp’s action-filled color show more photographs incorporate family scenes with the daily camp doings, giving readers a sense of both Palestinian and Jewish life. The difficult political climate is touched on, but it doesn’t overshadow the admirable efforts of parents and educators to instill a healthy, mutual tolerance, the idea being that the beginning of peace requires separate respectful coexistence. A useful teaching tool and discussion starter for multicultural curricula. (Informational picture book. 8-12)" www.kirkusreviews.com show less

This book follows two kids, one Jewish and one Muslim, as they spend two weeks at an Israeli peace camp, a program for kids designed to foster communication and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. The text gives a brief overview of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and shows the family life of a Jewish boy and a Muslim girl who are both attending the camp. The strength of this book is emphasizing the differences between the two families while still sending a message of "Hey, we're all just people!" It will add to units on Israel and multiculturalism and may spark some good discussions.

This photographic essay presents the experiences of a group of Palestinian and Jewish children attending a summer peace camp together in Israel through the eyes of Alya, a Pastinian girl and Yuval, a Jewish boy.

Includes: websites, further reading, author’s note, glossary and pronunciation guide.