It hurts me.
Noticing how much people don’t understand each other.
Violent protests that happen.
Hatred spewing out like Niagara falls.
Endless amount of casualties.
We don’t know how to communicate with one another.
But if I feel this way
there must be more like me feeling the same.
I grew up in a Jewish Israeli right wing environment.
At school I was taught about the conflict as a “By The Way”.
All I knew came from history, stories of war and political agreements.
I never got to experience it.
When I drafted to the IDF, I was trained to identify the “enemy”, to always be on guard.
There, I encountered the conflict for the first time.
Through the IDF’s “eye” I learned about the “other side”.
It didn’t feel right, somewhat unsettling.
Right after my service I joined Tech2Peace.
An NGO that brings together Israelis and Palestinians.
It was new to me, but I came with an open mind.
Through dialogue sessions and Hi-Tech activities,
we managed to form a connection with one another.
I became close friends with people from the “other side”.
I documented and shared stories that deserved to be heard.
They weren’t my “enemy” nor was I theirs.
We all wanted to live in peace and harmony.
I grew from these personal connections.
3 years later, I see these small connections are making a change.
The gap filled with hate, was replaced with friendship.
I will strive to share my experience.
To share with those who are stuck in the same way I grew up.
To prove that it’s possible to replace hate with love.
I believe that community building is a start to a stronger Peace.
That is why I do what I do.
Micha Silverman is a 25 years old Jewish Israeli who grew up in a city called Bet Shemesh.
Currently at a “bridge” point, he is waiting to start studying for his BA in Physics.
Micha works on many projects to promote peace, such as creating promotional videos for an organization he’s proud to be a part of – Tech2Peace. This org brings Palestinians and Israelis together through dialogue and Hi-Tech activities.
His passion is to create content and to learn new things along the way.
