YOUTH PROGRAM STUDY GUIDE: I AM -YOU ARE

INTRODUCTION

The three films that will be shown in the Youth Program all were made by Jewish and Palestinian young people living in the Jerusalem area. They participated in "I Am -You Are," a project on self-identity through filmmaking run by the Jerusalem Cinematheque/Israel Film Archive. The first film, "May," tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who is the daughter of an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian. The second film, "Zoo," follows a Palestinian young man as he learns about Israeli Jews while working as a caretaker at the Bible Lands Zoo in Jerusalem. In the third film, "Holycity" Israeli and Palestinian young people visit religious sites of Christians, Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem and explore their significance.

ACTIVITIES TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE "I AM - YOU ARE" FILMS

1. These three films all relate to the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The Maine Sunday Telegram article (click here for the article) on this website gives a glimpse of the conflict from the viewpoint of an Israeli reporter who grew up in Portland. Use the sources listed below to give students more information about the conflict.
2. "Holycity" addresses the way that major religions and cultures come together and collide in Jerusalem. Have students identify at least three sites in Jerusalem that are considered holy by Christians, Muslims and/or Jews. The "Jerusalem, Capital of Israel" website has descriptions and photos of several such sites.
3. The "I Am - You Are" project seeks to build greater understanding between Israeli Jews and Palestinians by having them work together on a project. Ask students if they ever had to work on a project with someone who they did not like or trust. Describe that experience, and what they learned from it.
4. The young people who made these films pay a price on a daily basis for living in a war zone. When watching the films, consider how that manifest itself. What are they risking by reaching out to those on the other side of the conflict? What could they gain from doing so? How does the conflict affect May, who has no choice about belonging to both worlds- that of the Israelis and the Palestinians?

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITIES

1. What did you learn from the films? Were you surprised by anything they depicted? Did the films change your perspective on anything? How?
2. As a class, decide on one or two questions to email the film makers. Decide how you will use the information that they provide. You can reach Noa Balbinder at balbi@internt-zihav.net, Itamar Goren at mmig@netvision.net.il, and Amit Aven at aeven@hotmail.com.
3. Are there any groups in your school or community who are in conflict (i.e. Somalis and neo-Nazis in Lewiston, gays and straights in many high schools)? What are different elements of these conflicts (e.g., politics, ideology, religion, economics, language)? What happens to young people caught in the middle of such conflicts?
4. What could you do to try to address the conflicts in your community identified in the previous question? Investigate what resources in your community are available for young people to create media. Consider what type of media project you could create to build greater understanding between those on both sides of the conflicts. Design such a project.
5. The young people in Jerusalem created films as a way of getting others to understand how the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict affects their lives. Do you think films can change attitudes? Give examples (i.e. "Birth of a Nation," "China Syndrome," "Hearts and Minds," "Bowling for Columbine"). Do you think that films/videos are playing now more of a role in shaping public attitudes in the U.S. than in the past?
6. People accept actions by loved ones even when they fly in the face of their political views. For example, May's grandparents had qualms about intermarriage between Jews and Arabs but nonetheless grew to love their son-in-law or daughter-in-law. Describe an experience in your own life of someone accepting behavior by a loved one even when it conflicts with their views about controversial issues such as abortion, gay rights or intermarriage.
7. Consider the viewpoint of May's uncle, who could not accept his brother marrying a Jew because he believes intermarriage never works, or her aunt, who sees nothing Jewish about May and her brother. Contrast that with the attitude of May's father, who reaches out to May's Jewish relatives and eats her great-grandmother's gefilte fish as a sign of respect even though it is "disgusting" to him. Write a letter to one of those characters, explaining why you agree or disagree with their viewpoint.
8. The "I Am - You Are" project began before the latest intifada. Investigate how the intifada has affected the project in particular, and the daily interactions between Israeli Jews and Palestinians in general. How might a war with Iraq change the equation? The websites below have information on this topic.
9. Seeds of Peace runs a camp in Maine that brings together young people from opposing sides of several world conflicts, including Israeli and Palestinians. Read about the history of Seeds of Peace, as well as the other projects on the website that seek to bring together Israeli and Palestinian young people. Find a way that your class can get involved.

WEB-BASED RESOURCES

1. A wealth of background material about the Middle East and related lesson plans can be found at:
www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast
2. The "Jerusalem: Capital of Israel" website (www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00j60) is run by the Israeli government. It has a lot of background information about the city, its history, religious and tourist sites.
3. May lives in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, a village in Israel established jointly by Jews and Palestinian Arabs of Israeli citizenship to demonstrate the possibility of coexistence. The community maintains a comprehensive website (http://nswas.com) with news stories, photos, volunteer opportunities and other information.
4. Information about youth projects to promote coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis can be found at: http://freechild.org/PromotingCoexistence.htm
5. Learn about the Seeds of Peace camp in Otisfield, Maine and other Seeds of Peace activities at: www.seedsofpeace.org


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