| Biking brings Israelis, Arabs together |
GAIL LICHTMAN
Israel Press Service |
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Less than 10 miles separate the Israeli Arab village of Ein Rafa in the Judean Hills from Moshav Zlafon. Yet despite their proximity, they might just as well be on two different planets.
Ein Rafa's children attend Arabic-language schools, while Zlafon's children attend Hebrew-language schools - never meeting or interacting. That is, until a special bicycling project brought them together.
Coexistence on Wheels is a two-year project that brings together youth from Israel's Arab and Jewish communities to ride bikes. But the project goes well beyond sport. It also aims to promote tolerance and mutual understanding and break down stereotypes by exposing Arab and Jewish youngsters to one another's customs, religions and traditions.
The idea started with a trip to South Africa by members of Lamitnadev, an independent nonprofit organization in the Judean Hills-Beit Shemesh region that encourages volunteering and social involvement. There they observed how biking was used to bring black and white individuals together.
"We were very impressed and thought we could do the same for Arab and Jewish children back home," says Eitan Hevrony, chairman of Lamitnadev.
So Lamitnadev, which means "for the volunteer," joined with the Samson Bike Riders' Organization and the Judean Hills Arab-Jewish Coexistence Association to create Coexistence on Wheels. The project is conducted in collaboration with the Abraham Fund Initiatives, a nonprofit organization that promotes coexistence and equality between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel.
"Coexistence on Wheels utilizes the shared love of the sport, the cooperation entailed in joint training and riding, and Jewish and Arab teens working together as an off-the-beaten-track approach to intercommunity cooperation," says Lee Perlman, director of programs and initiatives at the Abraham Fund Initiatives.
Working with 13- to 15-year old boys from the Israeli Arab villages of Ein Rafa and Ein Nakuba in the Judean Hills and the Jewish moshavim of Zlafon and Aviezer near Beit Shemesh, Coexistence on Wheels kicked off its initial program with some 20 participants - 10 Arab and 10 Jewish - in June.
The group meets every second Friday for different activities, which include learning to ride, biking techniques, bike safety, bike maintenance and care, navigation and building and maintaining bike paths. Although the Arab teenagers speak Hebrew quite well, the Jewish youngsters do not speak Arabic.
"I came because I wanted to learn about biking," admits 13-year-old Odi from Ein Rafa. "But I also wanted to meet Jewish kids and improve my Hebrew. I have learned how to ride and I have also made new friends. When the Jewish kids visited Ein Rafa, we hosted them and showed them around. That felt good."
Dvir, 14, from Zlafon, says he loves the biking and the trips. "I learned a lot about riding and taking care of the bike. At first, it seemed a bit strange being with Arab kids when our soldiers are fighting Arab terrorists. I learned that there is a difference between terrorists and the Arabs who live next to us. The visit to their village was a lot of fun. They were very polite and made us feel at home."
The group is led by an Arab and a Jewish coordinator who were specially trained for this project by the Wingate Institute and the Samson Bike Riders' Organization.
Since the boys come from families that do not have the means to provide them with bikes and helmets, Lamitnadev gives them all the equipment they need.
Every meeting opens with some kind of a social game designed to break the ice and to impart the values of coexistence, tolerance and social awareness. Then it is generally off for a ride - each time in a different area, with historical explanations provided by the group leaders. The project also includes two visits to home communities - one Arab and one Jewish - to get to know how each group lives.
"If not for this project, our youngsters would not be riding bikes," explains Alla Barhum, the Arab coordinator of the project. "This sport is not well developed in the Arab sector. Coexistence on Wheels enables (the kids) to learn about biking and at the same time build important connections with their Jewish peers."
Israel Goldstein, the Jewish coordinator, also notes that the boys in his group would never have been involved in bike riding or in any coexistence activity if not for the project.
"They come from the lower socioeconomic strata and their parents could not have afforded the equipment or the lessons. For many of them, this is the first time they have been involved with Arab teens. At our first meeting, two of the boys told me they were afraid to be with Arabs. Now, they are at ease biking with them."
"I can't say that they have entirely integrated," notes Dror Halevi, director general of Lamitnadev. "They are still more or less two separate groups. They work and ride separately and are still a bit suspicious of one another. But the biking is the trigger for getting them here. Without this project, they would probably still be living next to one another and never meet. Through sport, we can work towards building coexistence and instilling social values."
This month, the teens are beginning to learn about bike mechanics and at the end of the program they will receive certification that will enable them to teach the skills and techniques of mountain biking, as well as bicycle maintenance, to others.
"Since one of the goals of Lamitnadev is to promote volunteering," Hevrony states, "we are hoping that some of the boys will return to their communities to lead the project for a new set of teenagers. Next year, we would like to start a group for kids in fourth and fifth grades and have this group's graduates serve as the leaders. My dream is to see Arab and Jewish kids from Coexistence on Wheels continue riding and go on to compete in national competitions."
"Bicycling as a focus of common interest and a tool for mutual understanding and dialog is clearly an innovative approach to coexistence education in Israel," concludes Perlman. "The activity shows great potential for serving as a nationwide model in bicycling and other branches of sport." |
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