According to the paper, Sarah is Palestinian chairman for the Bereaved Families Forum, a group of 500 Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families who work for peace. He is also a senior research associate at George Mason University, [2] and according to the university's website, has spoken at hundreds of churches, synagogues and mosques on interfaith dialogue and lectured for international organizations and universities, including the European Parliament, Georgetown University, Columbia, Princeton, Brandeis, Yale, and Fordham. He is highly involved in the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement and has received the Silver Rose Award from the European Parliament, the Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East from the Institute of International Education, and the Eisenhower Medallion from People to People International.
Following is the article, in the original English.
"This Year [We Held] Our Own Memorial... We Watched 'Schindler's List'... Although It May Seem Strange For a Palestinian to Take Time Out to Remember the Holocaust, I Felt It Was an Important Step For Me"
"Recently, the world commemorated Holocaust Day with memorials, moments of silence, and time taken to remember the lives of loved ones lost. For years this day has been a source of internal conflict for me as a Palestinian, so this year my wife Marie and I decided to hold our own memorial by doing something I have put off for a long time: we watched the movie 'Schindler's List.'
"It was my first time seeing the movie, which tells the story of a German man who risked his life to save hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust. Although it may seem strange for a Palestinian to take time out to remember the Holocaust, I felt it was an important step for me. I needed to connect with those who suffered, and I needed to go beyond nationality to acknowledge the loss of human life."
"Growing Up, I Did Not Know Much About The Holocaust... I Think I Felt That By Acknowledging The Victims' Pain, I Would Betray Or Marginalize My Own Suffering [As a Palestinian]"
"I admit that growing up, I did not know much about the Holocaust. As Palestinians, we simply did not learn about it. There was a stigma attached to it, an understanding that Israel would use the Holocaust to lobby for sympathy, then turn and use the sympathy as a terrible weapon against the Palestinian people. So when I was asked about the Holocaust, I always felt that urge to say 'It was not my fault! I suffered for it too.'
"Deep down, I think I felt that by acknowledging the victims' pain, I would betray or marginalize my own suffering. Also, some part of me feared that if I sympathized with "the enemy," my right to struggle for justice might be taken away. Now I know that this is nonsense: you are stronger when you let your humanity overcome enmity. However, it took me time to learn this lesson."
"I Decided There is No Way I Can Understand and Communicate With My Jewish Friends if I Don't Learn their History... My Heart Was Racing as I Crossed the Threshold of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem"
"Many years ago, I decided there is no way I can understand and communicate with my Jewish friends if I don't learn their history, their narrative and their story. I decided that the Holocaust Museum would be the place to start my journey. My heart was racing as I crossed the threshold of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. I began looking at the pictures and reading the stories with the distinct awareness that I was the only Palestinian there. As I walked through the museum, however, my self-consciousness was replaced with shock. I could not believe how denigrated men could become to commit such atrocities. How could racism strip men of all humanity?
"A few days later, I shared with some of my Jewish friends about my trip to the Holocaust Museum. Many were surprised, and wondered what had prompted me to make such a visit. As I explained my reasons, I could see the walls that divided us crumbling apart. Yaacov, a Holocaust survivor, told me his personal story. As a young boy in Poland he had been separated from his parents and forced to pretend to be Christian, praying the Catholic prayers and attending church. His father was murdered during the war. One of my best friends, Rami, described the horrors his father suffered in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Again, my heart was gripped with pain and sympathy in hearing their stories."
"Visiting The Holocaust Museum And Allowing My Friends To Share Their Stories Was Pivotal For My Relationship With Them"
"Visiting the Holocaust Museum and allowing my friends to share their stories was pivotal for my relationship with them. I could understand where they were coming from. I could empathize with their feelings that the world is against them. The Holocaust had shaped their awareness of the world around them, and my understanding of this tragedy was important for them to successfully communicate with me.
"This is why I decided to remember the Holocaust this year. Watching 'Schindler's List,' I was moved by the story to a degree that I cannot describe. The connection I made with those who suffered the Holocaust goes beyond nationality, religion or race; it was the connection of one human being to another in the face of universally understandable pain.
"At the end of the movie, Oscar Schindler was given a ring inscribed with the words 'If you save a life you save the world,' a phrase from the Talmud. Today this statement stands true for all those active in bringing an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But in my story, I want to deliver a message to the cynics, the hopeless, and the ones who have given up on the quest for peace. This message is also to the many people who have questioned the grassroots initiatives, the meetings, the dialogue groups, the interfaith projects, the demonstrations against the killing of people, Arabs and Jews. If you can save one life, you are saving the world."
"Oscar Schindler Saved A Thousand Lives, And It Was Worth It - How How Many Lives Can You Save?"
"My challenge is this: Oscar Schindler regretted not doing more to save more people. He cried for not selling his car, his pin, and everything else in his possession just to ransom one more life. Governments, nations and even some religious groups donate billions of dollars for weapons, yet when it comes to promoting understanding, life and coexistence, our governments and people are broke. I want us to consider, can we put a price on saving one life? Can we put a price on saving the world?
"It is vital to protect our values and humanity regardless of the cost. Oscar Schindler saved a thousand lives, and it was worth it. How many lives can you save?"
Endnotes:
[1] The Daily Star (Lebanon), May 13, 2009.
[2] The website of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, http://www.gmu.edu/departments/crdc/aziz.html.
