Tough for some to enter Israel
Hannan Adely * The Journal News * July 20, 2006
While hundreds of Jewish- Americans from across the country left their homes yesterday to make “aliyah,” or a permanent move to Israel, another segment of the population has reportedly had a tougher time entering the country – Palestinian-Americans.
An Israeli newspaper and an Arab-American organization reported last week that large numbers of Arab-Americans of Palestinian descent, even some who were born abroad, have been barred from entering Israel and the West Bank in recent months. Officials at the Israeli consulate yesterday said there has not been any change in policy, but the Arab American Institute in Washington, D.C., said it has collected reports from some 80 people who have recently been denied entry.
A ban could affect thousands of Palestinian-Americans in the U.S., including many people who live in the Lower Hudson Valley and have spouses, relatives or business in Israel and the West Bank. Locally, Palestinians fear they will no longer be able to visit family in the region.
“A Jew, who never really lived there and came from Russia or Poland, can go there and have land and a house, but myself, who was born there, grew up there, and even my forefathers grew up there, cannot go there,” said Nifa Hussein, a Palestinian-American who moved to the United States in 1978 and now lives in New City.
Hussein owns a house in a village outside the West Bank town of Ramallah and often travels there with his children to visit family. When he visited last month, he was allowed to enter the country with his American passport after several hours of interrogation, but Israelis took away his Palestinian ID card, which gives him right of residency there.
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said his organization is investigating allegations of a ban, which was first reported in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. His organization, he added, is considering taking legal action against the U.S. government for failing to protect the rights of its citizens when they travel to Israel.
“There is a general pattern of discrimination against Palestinian-Americans and Arab-Americans in general, which is to say they’re treated quite badly upon arrival or being banned from entry,” said Zogby, who met with United States officials yesterday to urge them to take action to remedy the situation.
But an official at the Israeli consulate said yesterday that reports of Palestinian-Americans being turned away without reason were untrue.
“If we have information that a particular person is trying to enter Israel to disturb public order, he might be questioned, but there is no change in the policy,” said David Saranga, consul for media and public affairs for the Israeli consulate in New York.
Nada Khader – a Palestinian- American and executive director of the WESPAC Foundation, a peace-and-justice organization based in White Plains – believes the alleged ban is part of a pattern of activity that has made it increasingly difficult for Palestinians to remain in the region. Khader referred to reports of American and European men and women being separated from their families.
Her cousin’s wife, a Swiss national, fears leaving the West Bank to visit her ailing mother because she has heard many stories of spouses being denied re-entry, Khader said.
Khader believes the policy is discriminatory toward Arabs. “This is confirming Arab-Americans’ feelings that Israel’s ultimate aim is the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Arab population of Israel,” she said.
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Mideast peace vision offered
Hannan Adely * The Journal News * April 6, 2005
YONKERS – There is a window of opportunity for peace between Palestinians and Israelis right now, and they must grab it before it slips away, Palestinian legislator and frequent spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi said last night at Sarah Lawrence College.
Ashrawi, a leading figure in Palestinian diplomacy, discussed her vision for Palestinian-Israeli peace in front of some 200 people, including students, peace activists and local Arab-Americans.
Now is an important time of transition with the recent passing of Yasser Arafat, a larger-than-life leader, and the free elections that followed, Ashrawi said.
“It signaled the Palestinian commitment to democracy and to a system of accountability,” said the longtime advocate for democracy. “It shows the Palestinian people are committed to reform.”
The Palestinians, whose economy and infrastructure were devastated by recent fighting, can’t do it alone, she said.
They need better living conditions through freedom of movement, job opportunities, and an overall end to occupation, Ashrawi said.
The construction of settlements in the West Bank and Israel’s security wall threatened the viability of a Palestinian state, Ashrawi said.
The wall is controversial because it cut into Palestinian land and divided Palestinian towns and villages.
Ashrawi hoped the United States would get involved in diplomacy, and said President Bush’s hands-off policy contributed to the troubles of the past four years.
She urged the United States to become a player in negotiations once again.
“The window of opportunity is not going to be permanent,” Ashrawi said. “We need positive involvement and positive interaction and possibly a coalition of the willing for peace.”
The audience that gathered in the half-filled auditorium was mostly receptive to Ashrawi’s views.
A few students expressed dissent, including one woman who shouted that Jewish students were being silenced at the event.
One student wanted to know what Palestinians would do to stop terrorism. Ashrawi responded they should be held accountable to the law.
Even on a campus like Sarah Lawrence, where students are known for their liberal views, there is dissent stemming over the Arab-Israeli conflict. That often plays out when students debate politics inside the classroom, students said.
“Lots of students feel emotional about it,” said Erin Rupp, 33, a Middle Eastern studies major. “There are Palestinians and Jews and Israeli students here who feel connected to it personally.”
For local Palestinians like Ali Hamideh, Ashrawi offered a positive perspective on a difficult conflict.
“She respects the other side, but she’s firm,” Hamideh said.
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Praying the way they learned
Hannan Adely * The Journal News * April 9, 2005
YONKERS – Majed Samarneh moved to the United States in 1970, during a wave of Jordanian immigration, and settled into the Nodine Hill neighborhood of Yonkers. There, he found friends from his hometown of Zarqa and places to eat and shop that reminded him of home.
He could not, however, find a place to worship in his native tongue, except for an Orthodox Church where some Jordanian Christians prayed. Like other Roman Catholics who came from the Middle East, he wanted a church of his own.
“We wanted to pray the way we learned and the way we knew,” Samarneh said, recalling that Arabic-speaking Roman Catholic priests would commute from Brooklyn to Yonkers to do weddings and baptisms.
Samarneh went on to help establish the Good Shepherd Church on South Broadway in Yonkers, which will mark its 30th year at a Mass and celebration tomorrow. Officially opened in 1975, Good Shepherd is part of the larger Church of the Immaculate Conception, also known as St. Mary’s.
Over the past 30 years, the church has grown from 25 to 160 families, most of them Jordanian, and a few of them Palestinian. Immigration from the Middle East has slowed, but the families continue to grow and thrive within Westchester County. The challenge now, say church leaders, is keeping an Arabic church relevant as its young members become more Americanized.
When the Arab community first started meeting in St. Mary’s chapel, many of the newcomers were trying to find decent work. They had tough jobs in factories, gas stations and fast-food restaurants. But these families, and especially the children of immigrants, eventually prospered as doctors, engineers, teachers and business owners.
Through it all, Good Shepherd provided a spiritual and social setting that helped unite the community.
Like a large extended family, parish members would meet old friends from their hometowns at the church, as well as cousins and other relatives.
“It’s important to have a parish to keep the Arab community together,” said the Rev. Sami Totah, pastor of Good Shepherd Church. “What keeps people together is the church.”
For Kamal Marjieh, 60, who moved to the United States in 1969, Good Shepherd was a place to worship, network and celebrate customs.
“The Middle Eastern tradition is about strong family ties,” said Marjieh, of Yonkers. “Through the church, we find strength of maintaining those ties.”
At the 1:15 Mass every Sunday, Marjieh and others arrive well-dressed, with their children filing into the pews beside them. Many first-generation Jordanians understand and speak Arabic, but they are about “80 percent Americanized,” Marjieh said.
To adapt to the changing population, Totah now says a bilingual Mass in Arabic and English. Young church members are also involved in church committees and event planning. Like their mothers and fathers, the teens and 20- and 30-somethings have become friends, socializing at church events and hanging out outside after Mass.
The tightknit Jordanian community also extends to three other Arab Christian churches in Yonkers: Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, Christ the Savior Melkite Church and First Arabic Baptist Church, which are all adapting to the times. With good leadership and close family ties, Marjieh believes the Good Shepherd Church will thrive for at least another 30 years.
“This is a strong base that will not be shaken,” he said, “and it’s just going to get stronger and stronger.”
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Quran starts in teachers workshop
Hannan Adely * The Journal News * March 20, 2005
PURCHASE – The teachers were gathered at round tables, answering a quiz about the Jewish scripture, the New Testament and the Quran. They were asked to match the holy book with the quotations, which included references to Adam in the garden, Moses parting the sea and the immaculate conception of Mary. To the surprise of some, the correct match for all of the above was the Quran, the Islamic holy book.
“For most people, this quiz serves as a wake-up call,” said Audrey Shabbas, who led the workshop, “Teaching about the Arab World and Islam,” at Manhattanville College in Purchase yesterday. “When talking about Judaism, Christianity and Islam, we’re talking about connections, not just similarities.”
Shabbas’ organization, the Arab World and Islamic Resources, conducts workshops nationwide to help educators understand Arab culture and history, as well as Islamic faith, and to bring that knowledge into the classroom.
The workshop included discussions about geography, the different populations of Muslims, and the connections between Arabs and Muslims and the United States.
Many of the 21 teachers who participated were history teachers, but others taught elementary school or art and came to the workshop to learn more about the traditions of the Muslim and Arab students in their schools.
Theresa Kubasak, who teaches second grade at a Manhattan school, said she wanted to learn more about her students’ backgrounds.
“It validates the kids’ cultures who are sitting in my classroom,” she said. “I have all kinds of kids who have experienced war and racism. They deserve to have a teacher who understands their culture.”
Louise Kuklis, an economics and global studies teacher at Edgemont High School, wanted to tackle her own assumptions and misconceptions.
“Ever since Sept. 11,” she said, “kids have had so many questions. They’re always wondering what is this religion that terrorism comes from. I’m trying to give them awareness of Muslim society.”
The American Muslim Women’s Association, based in Briarcliff Manor, sponsored the second annual workshop because members felt Islamic and Arab studies were missing from their own children’s education in Westchester schools.
Association President Zena Mikdadi said her son was often asked to speak about the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to fellow students at Dobbs Ferry High School.
Ola Nosseir, a native of Egypt, had the same feeling in her sons’ classrooms.
“We hope they (the teachers) go back and impart the knowledge to their students and feel more confident about teaching,” she said. “You can’t teach if you don’t know.”
Reach Hannan Adely at hadely@thejournalnews.com or 914-966-4053.
On the Web
· Educators can get more information by visiting the Web site of Arab World And Islamic Resources at www.awaironline.org.
· To learn more about the American Muslim Women’s Association, visit www.amwa.us.
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PLO chief hailed, scorned by locals
Hannan Adely * The Journal News * Nov. 12, 2004
He promoted peace; he promoted war. He was a people’s hero; he was a terrorist. His death will bring hope; his death will change nothing.
Hardly any contemporary figure stirs such conflicting reactions as Yasser Arafat, the longtime Palestinian leader who died in Paris yesterday at age 75. As news spread about his death, local residents and officials shared their views on the controversial leader.
For local Palestinians, the prevailing feeling was sadness.
“This was an old man who did everything for us,” said Ali Hamideh, a Palestinian born in Jerusalem who fled with his family to Jordan in the Six Day War in 1967. “He was the one who went all over the world to make people aware of the Palestinian cause, and he suffered so many years.”
Hamideh said Arafat’s leadership was inspiring. “He made us proud and got us closer to Israel,” he said. “He told us to sit down with Israel and make peace.”
But many local Jewish leaders said the opposite – that Arafat was an obstacle to peace.
Rabbi Ely Rosenzveig of Congregation Anshe Sholom, a modern Orthodox synagogue in New Rochelle, said he thought of Arafat as a terrorist.
“Yasser Arafat, in my judgment, is the father of modern-day terrorism,” he said. “He may very well have had ideas and aspirations for his people that were noble, but he sullied whatever good he might have felt inside himself with the cause of indiscriminate violence and random killing and the victimization of innocents.”
Rosenzweig, however, also said he did not want to dance on Arafat’s grave.
“In our faith tradition, we do not delight in the deaths of others, even our enemies,” he said.
Laura Lewis, who leads the Westchester chapter of the American Jewish Committee, hoped Arafat’s death would bring a fresh chance to reopen Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
“It’s truly my hope that the vacuum that’s created by his absence will be filled by moderate Palestinian leaders who have the capacity to bring their people to the negotiating table,” Lewis said.
Monica Tarazi, head of the New York chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, also hoped the situation could trigger new negotiations but was skeptical.
“I think the Israeli leadership and American leadership have used the figurehead of Arafat as an excuse to disengage from negotiations,” she said. “I find it hard to believe they would change their policy solely because this latest excuse is no longer available to them.”
The one stance that all parties seem to agree on is that, like him or not, Arafat was a figure of significance who kept Palestinian issues at the forefront.
Zena Mikdadi, a Palestinian American from Dobbs Ferry, said Arafat made many blunders. “But at the same time,” she added, “I think definitely he was a symbol of that country and a symbol of the resistance.”
Staff writer Joseph Ax contributed to this report.
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