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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
December 29, 2006
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| December 5, 2006 |
Use Your Hands To Do Something For Peace – Mr Israel Nagaoker |
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| Israel Nagaoker points to the land after which he was named |
When Israel was created in 1948 as a homeland for Jewish people, the Nagaoker family rejoiced in Bombay. Part of a tiny Jewish community in India, the Nagaokers had longed to live in a place where they could practice their faith fully in a large community. It was difficult to pack up and start their lives over, but they felt so grateful for their new country that they even named their son after it. That son, 33-year old Israel Nagaoker, joined Peace Boat's 55th voyage for one week as a Guest Educator to talk about his experiences with war, peace and reconciliation in the land where he was born. |
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| Mr Nagaoker talks about the hardships Jewish people have faced |
“Jewish people have often been attacked, so they always feel like they need to protect themselves,” Mr Nagaoker told Peace Boat participants. He gave examples of how Jewish people were used as slaves to build the pyramids 2,000 years ago, how they were dispersed around the world by the Romans, how they were persecuted during the Holocaust, and most recently, how they have been attacked by suicide bombers. Checkpoints in Israel have been set up to protect Jewish people from being attacked by such bombers, he explained. |
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| At a charity auction on board the ship, Mr Nagaoker helps raise funds for Palestinian refugees. |
What, however, is it like to be a Palestinian prevented from traveling to work, school, and even hospitals by those checkpoints? What was it like to be a Palestinian forced to leave one's home to make a homeland for someone else? Mr Nagaoker opened himself up to find out by participating in a programme to facilitate communication between Israelis and Palestinians several months ago in Germany. “It was so nice to just be in a room together and talk like kids,” he said. Through that programme, both sides were able to cry together, laugh together, and better understand one another's needs. |
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| Imagine these Palestinian refugee camp children playing with Israeli children |
While on Peace Boat, Mr Nagaoker asked his audience to close their eyes and imagine what peace would look like in the Middle East. In his own vision, he said, his future children were playing and studying with Palestinian children. He then announced the decisive action he planned to help make that vision a reality: “When I return to Israel, I am going to go to the army and report to them that I no longer want to be a soldier,” he said. In Israel, military service is compulsory for three years, and for one month out of every year after that initial service has been completed. Mr Nagaoker's decision to refuse further service could subject him to incarceration and wide social disapproval. Many in the audience were deeply moved by his decision, but he asked them not to clap for him. “Use your hands to do something for peace instead,” he urged.
After disembarking in Jordan, Mr Nagaoker shared an emotional reunion with Rami Nasser Edin, a Palestinian who had helped organize the exchange programme in Germany. Mr Nasser Edin has also served as a Guest Educator on Peace Boat. When Peace Boat left Jordan to continue on its journey, both Mr Nagaoker and Mr Nasser Edin were present at the port to wave farewell to the ship. The sight of the two men with their arms slung around each other in friendship inspired deep hope in many. Anyone wishing to share their own decision to take action for peace can reach Mr Nagaoker at 20 Mapu Street, P.O.B. 11518, Tel Aviv 61115, Israel. Email: hakeshet[at]netvision.net.il |
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