After an unlikely relationship between a Rabbi and an Arab man
began two years ago, a UCLA class was created to discuss the
conflict occurring in their homeland.
In October 2000, Fadi Amer, former president of the United Arab
Society, submitted a column to the Daily Bruin arguing the need for
Israelis and Palestinians to treat each other like humans.
After reading this column, Hillel Director and sociology
lecturer Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller contacted Amer.
“Fadi you are my brother in peace,” Seidler-Feller
reportedly said.
He said that Sociology 195D, which is titled “Voices of
Peace,” was created as a response to this need to help
students see both Palestinians and Israelis as humans.
“The class is about learning to say the Palestinians are
right and the Zionists are right,” he added.
The first class was taught by Seidler-Feller in winter 2001. He
attributed the success of that first class to a joint effort by
Amer and the United Arab Society.
Amer graduated last year and has been succeeded by history
doctoral candidate Shawki El-Zadmeh. As a secular Palestinian,
El-Zadmeh helps balance the political perspectives being discussed
in the course.
“(Seidler-Feller and I) do share some differences
regarding the solutions to the conflict,” El-Zadmeh said.
But to the students in the course, Seidler-Feller and El-Zadmeh
represent the effort being made to reconcile two opposing
sides.
“Shawki looked at me and said, “˜Chaim, if we
don’t do it, who will?'” Seidler-Feller said.
He added that their bond is strengthened by a common vision.
“Two peoples, living side by side,” Seidler-Feller
said.
Though the class is focused on solutions to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the most important thing is that it
creates a dialogue between students of different backgrounds, said
Gustavo Gutierrez, a fifth-year history and sociology student.
“This conflict has a way of dividing students. (This
class) provides a forum for students to express their
opinions,” he said.
In addition to a weekly seminar, each of the course’s 81
students are required to attend a discussion section. But unlike
other UCLA discussions, these are lead by fellow undergraduate
students.
Jaime Rapaport, a fourth-year international development studies
student, is one of two student discussion leaders. Though she has
no intention of going to graduate school in the near future,
Rapaport invests hours every week into directing discussions and
preparing section material.
“I want to help people understand one another and the
conflict,” she said.
Rapaport emphasized the need for interaction and communication,
particularly among people who have different stories to tell.
“People can learn a lot from one another. This conflict is
about people’s own personal narratives and memories,”
she said.
Members of the class include active Israeli soldiers,
Palestinians, and an array of students who are not directly
affected by Israeli occupation.
The differences among students can cause discussions to get
heated, but at the heart of disagreements is a shared concern for
peace and resolution in Israel and the surrounding
Palestinian-occupied areas.
“The class encourages looking towards the future and
towards peace,” said fifth-year history and sociology student
Alex Kaplan.
He added that the class benefits students in areas outside the
conflict as well.
“You can apply these lessons to any human
relations,” Kaplan said.