Jews and Arabs in point blank range

June 23, 2009 - 7:32 PM by David · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, General, Music, coexistence

point There are plenty efforts to attempt and bridge the wide social and cultural gap between Jewish and Arab teenagers in Israel, but there aren’t many that speak to the kids in their own language – music and video.

Windows for Peace, a non-profit, Tel Aviv-based organization that attempts to promote understanding between Israeli and Palestinian youth through media-related educational programs, is in the midst of running a two-week workshop for 15 teenagers, aged 15-17, from Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Bethlehem. By the end of the two weeks, the goal is to write and record a song, and make a video for it.

They’ve invited music professionals from London-based music college Point Blank to conduct the workshop, Jaffa and Bethlehem. Point Blank usually works with underpriveleged British teens, but according to its director, Rob Cowan, the same principles apply to the Jewish and Arab teens enrolled in Israel.

“Our group members are usually disaffected kids in danger of getting in trouble with the police, or just falling by the wayside of society. We’re just applying the same model as we do at home for Israelis and Palestinian kids, not because they’re marginalized, but because in music, there’s a channel to bring them together,” said Cowan.

The group of Israeli and Palestinian teens will record an original track and make an accompanying music video to explore issues relevant to their lives and experiences. The resulting music video will be disseminated via TV and the Internet, with the hopes of showing young people in the region that communication with the ‘other side’ is not only possible, but desirable and fruitful, according to the organizers.

According to Windows for Peace director Ruti Atsmon, the teens in the project have been working together through Windows for Peace for between one and three years. And though, like most teens, they’re tuned into music and video, they don’t necessarily possess any special musical or visual skills.

“We see the project as another tool to develop communication between them and as a start for them to create more in the future,” said Atsmon.

That may be quite lofty – it would be nice if they just got a good song and video out of it.

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