At-Home with Gila Svirsky

Jerusalem
9 July 1999
Subject: A Housewarming for Peace

Friends,

Yesterday’s housewarming was truly heartwarming, as hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians gathered at the newly completed home of Samir and Arabiyyeh Shawamreh, commemorating one year since its first demolition (there have been two), and celebrating the triumph of our determination to right that injustice. There were speeches by leaders of every Palestinian and Israeli peace organization that had participated in the collective rebuilding, but the most eloquent of all were the eyes of Lena Shawamreh, now 16, as she smiled out at the crowd of new friends and allies gathered at her new home. We dedicated this a “Peace Home,” as the sign (in Arabic, Hebrew, and English) now affixed to their front door reads. Who would dare demolish a home with so much love and hope suffusing it? And Atta Jabber, whose own home near Hebron was rebuilt and demolished three times, stood by quietly, awaiting his own turn for a housewarming. It will come.
We promise.

Shalom / Salaam,
Gila Svirsky