All posts by jitli

Listen to this interesting interview to members of Peacemakers by a radio station in Mexico.

While Jerusalem’s Western Wall is on the itinerary of nearly every Israel group tour for teenagers, the Temple Mount above it is defintely not. So it was a bit strange to see about 90 teens wandering through the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque last week, as part of their two-week tour of Israel. The group wandered casually around one of the…

A slice of the crowd that turned out Sunday, July 23, for a rally for Israel at the Lawrence Family JCC LA JOLLA, Calif.- There were cheers as Israeli and American officials expressed solidarity against terrorism, but there were tears of hope as 40 Arab and Jewish teenagers spoke and sang of their friendship and mutual desire for peace. The…

There is so much that separates them. History. Religion. Politics. Culture. Violence. But for almost three weeks, 39 teenagers are trying to become their own community, citizens in the Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs International Teen Leadership Institute, known as JITLI (jit-lee) for short. Among them: 10 Israeli Jews from Sha’ar HaNegev, next to the border of Gaza; 10 Bedouin Muslims,…

Abdallah Kullab’s papers declared he was entering Israel for “humanitarian” reasons. In late February it was the only way anyone could cross at the notorious Erez crossing on the northern border between Gaza and Israel. His papers said he would return to Gaza the same day. He passed the electric security fence. The picture on either side of the border…