”The word ’peace’ is in our everyday life”

Hey friends, or friends to be.

At first, when I heard of Kim’s actions, I was so happy and relieved.
I felt like someone, out there, see more in me than just a headline in a dramatic scene at your local evening news.
He asked us to help him to show you, people of Sweden, the other side. Our side of the story. I told myself: that’s cool. First thing tomorrow morning, when my boss is not around.

Now I’m home. No boss around.
But I feel so tired. I feel small. I think of you guys in your beautiful country, how far you are from all this mess, and I have no idea how I can touch your heart.
How can I make you see my side of the conflict? What the f_k IS my side of the conflict? I’m confused like everybody else here. I’m 30 years old, grew up in north Israel and I’ve spent more nights in bomb shelters than I can even start to count – I’ve seen some things that no child should. Yet, now I’m older, and there’s no hate in my heart. Never was.
 I’m not a history master, I can’t tell you who started it all, I don’t even know if there’s hope for my little country. I don’t know the people from the other side.
But I have Arab friends, many of us do.

It’s not a perfect harmony, I won’t lie. Things here are so complicated that I don’t even know how to start. But I do know that in Israel the name ”shalom” (peace) is very common. For people, streets, restaurants, main roads, hotels, schools, villages and more. We answer the phone with ”shalom”, we use ”shalom” as a welcome greeting, and also as goodbye. The word ”peace” is in our everyday life. I was in ”Shalom Aleichem” elementary school.

We have so many songs about peace, about shalom – old and new – songs that are in our Israeli DNA for ever. You must know that. I feel like I have to tell you that. Of course we have our radicals. You have them too. They are everywhere.
The majority of Israel is a real peace seeker. You might find it hard to believe, but shalom, peace, is in our mentality.

But we are tired. I can feel it. I can see it in people’s eyes. It’s been 60 years of non stop fighting. We all got burned really bad. Sometimes I think we’re dealing with a brutal crazy terrorist, and sometimes I feel the need to reach out my hand to them, cause they probably  are tired, just like me.

”T”

Read this letter in Swedish.

6 reaktioner till “”The word ’peace’ is in our everyday life””

  3. Hey Roey,
    they will not break us, sometimes I think we will.
    Aren’t we too moral to leave in the middle east. I really want to reach my hand to peace but it is brutally being bit.
    I started to think about Australia, Sweden is too cold for me.
    🙁

    1. I really think that by staying you’ll be making our country better and stronger Look at the bright side – we have the greatest weather, loveliest beaches prettiest girls. The last years, GDP is growing and we have more growth and less unemployment than almost any country. Casualties from terrorism are decreasing. More Israeli arabs join the army and more palestinian factories pay taxes to Israel instead of the Palestinian authority, as they realize Israel is the best option around by far.
      Our Iron Dome anti-rocket invention will defend us from rockets in a year or two, Iran will hopefully be crashed by economics or it’s own young people, so in my view – we’re just a step away from heaven 🙂
      And besides, Australia has that hole in the ozone and Sweden like the rest of Europe will be Muslim in 30 years anyways …

  4. Hi
    Yes – life is being better everyday here in Israel. But I agree – we are too democratic too pluralistic too free for this world area. The ”spring” of the Aab countries brought just more fundamentalism and no democracy at all. I came from Italy to live here in Israel and I never regretted this. But I do not know how all this will end. Kim – help us!

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