As I near the two-year mark in my role as Executive Director of this amazing organization, there are many parts of the job that feel natural to me.  We are blessed with a hard-working and dedicated staff, tremendous volunteers and supporters, and participants and alumni who continue to find ways to raise their voices as leaders of change.  

 

As I guide Hands of Peace during its 15th anniversary year, perhaps my biggest challenge is avoiding saying something that will alienate some in our community.  We are an organization that represents a broad spectrum of nationalities, ethnicities, religious traditions, and political perspectives.  Our role generally requires us to stay near the sidelines so that all in our community feel safe sharing their own opinions and experiences.  So how do I handle this month's column?   Sure, I can write about our program growth or tell stories about our Spring Benefits in Chicago and San Diego that would be uplifting.  While I guarantee those stories would not offend anyone, they would sound hollow when measured against the events from last week.  How can I ignore the divergent pictures of joy and despair, of celebration and devastation that emerged from Israel/Palestine last Tuesday?   I cannot honor the efforts of our young leaders - Israeli, Palestinian and American - by ignoring what occurred at the Gaza border, instead writing only about pleasantries.  I would be roundly and rightly criticized.  So let me start here:

 

In December, the Hands of Peace Board of Directors released a   statement  concerning the U.S. government's announcement on Jerusalem.   The feedback to our statement was mostly, but not universally, supportive.  Our premise for not endorsing the government's decision was that it was inconsistent with our   Common Values,  which hold that all people deserve justice, equality, self-determination and basic human rights.  It was our perspective, and one shared by the vast majority of professionals who work closely with Israelis and Palestinians, that the unilateral action of the U.S. government ceding Jerusalem to Israel missed an opportunity to advocate for both sides of this conflict.  Experience has taught us that one-sided actions have significant negative short- and long-term consequences. While long-term consequences are yet to be seen, the images of smiling government officials juxtaposed with pictures of Gazans carrying their wounded and their dead will forever be engrained in my mind. Whether one faults the U.S. government, or the Israeli government, or Hamas, or all of the above, it is hard to comprehend the statement that "It's a great day for peace."   For those in favor of the embassy move at this time, it may have felt like a great day.  But for peace?   Last week was a significant step backwards.

 

So what does Hands of Peace do now?  We continue to empower more young leaders of change, helping them find and use their voices both within their own societies and across societies.  We move forward in preparing this summer's delegations that will arrive in Chicago and San Diego in less than two months.  And we continue to provide support and guidance for Hands of Peace alumni as they intellectually and emotionally process recent events.   I have confidence that, in time, each will find a way to navigate these new challenges and grow as the young leaders I know they are.