Peacecamp 2006

Dear peacecamp 2006-participants of all four groups!

Here I am, after 10 wonderful and exciting days we have spent together.
And I am asking myself whether I have given away the moment, whether I have missed the chance, the chance to tell you: Please don't give up.

Please don't give up the chance to shape your world, don't give up the chance to seek solutions even where there seems to be none. I know that our world faces seemingly unresolvable conflicts and problems. The conflict in the Middle East is but one of them. Europe, which through many centuries has seen bloodshed and wars between competing nations, is now consolidating to a united and proud continent, in which shared concerns have come to replace many of the national strivings, which have so often led to violence, war and bloodshed. And yet much needs to be achieved also in Europe; it is our task to protect and to promote what has been achieved and to ward off any tendencies that might stand in the way to peace, freedom and prosperity in our and other countries.

I was sad when I heard you say that there seems to be no solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East. I want to tell you that I do believe that there are solutions, even though we may not yet see them. I know that we are too few, too young, too unimportant to find solutions to political conflicts which generations of grown up people have failed to resolve.

And yet I am asking you to please not give up.

On the peacecamp, we were all confronted with difficult challenges.
Many of them seemed impossible, and yet, we managed to cope with them and succeeded in making a few missions impossible possible.

The whole peacecamp-project was such a challenge. When I first had the idea, everybody tried to dissuade me from it: I had no funds, no partners, no team, no tools, nothing. I did not know where and how to begin. The only thing I had was an idea and the strong wish to realize it, no matter how.

We have now realized the forth peacecamp within 3 years. This seems like a miracle.
We did it because we managed to "contaminate" others with the peacecamp-idea. I did not stop talking about it. I told everybody, everybody I knew and everybody I met about it. I asked my friends to help, to cooperate. And I found wonderful people, people who were willing to give a lot of their time and energy and to cooperate for no money, and for no other reason than just the gratification to make this "mission impossible" become possible.

On the camp, we all had to cope with mission impossible challenges. I saw you at the lake, when Uri or Nezar made you "suffffer" at tasks which seemed absolutely impossible to perform. I saw you combine your individual forces, your creativity and talents, I saw you unite as a group, as a team, in order to make the impossible possible. I saw you overcome your personal fears, I saw you take a risk; I saw you take all the risks that people usually tend to avoid in order not to make a fool of themselves, in order not to tire themselves, in order not to hurt themselves, in order not to be let down by others. And you did it. I saw you act as members of a team, rather than as individuals; when the team to which you belonged became important enough, you were able to overcome your own, individual fears and apprehensions for the benefit of the goal shared by all. This is how you could cope with the challenges and make the mission impossible possible.

I also saw you unite as a group in your attempt to question adult authority and although my first reaction to this was anger, I now understand how precious your "revolt" is to me in the retrospect: It now symbolizes for me your power as a group of critical young people, with your own critical judgement and the ability to disobey authority in a non-violent, peaceful and constructive way. It confirms my belief that you will not submit to rules or to rulers that you consider unjust or which do not lead you in the right direction. I therefore perceive you as immune to some of the diseases of society which often lead to injustice, discrimination, to violence and wars: you will not toe the line of any parties or leaders, but will rather voice your protest and unite with others in the attempt to find new goals and new ways in new, creative and non-violent manners.

When you, Israeli and Palestinian, can perceive it as your shared goal to live in peace and freedom in this Promised Land, which you both consider your homeland, you will find ways to tell others about it and find allies and tools apt to meet this challenge. When we, who live here in Europe, can make it our shared concern to assist and support your just quest for a safe homeland, we are all together on the right path into a better world and a better future.

Evelyn Böhmer-Laufer
August 1st, 2006

heey guys!
i know its boring to say i miss u cuz i know ur sick n' tired of readin that from all the participants but i'll say it anyway cuz i wanna MAKE U SUFEEEEEEEEER
(tnx nezar 4 this line :) )
anyway i wanted to ask u a question!
if we arrange a reunion of our own (not with the peacecamp) in i donno where would u come ? (in case the hadasa orgenaisation wont arrange one) k i'm waitin 4 repliments :D t.c all

Dear peacecamp2006 - participants

In accordance with requirements of our main sponsor, the European Union, and for further panning of the peacecamp-project, we would like you to answer the following questions.


Your answers will be put in the blog when ALL the answers have been collected.

Every 5th entry will win a prize.


1. Please write down the BEST experience you had at peacecamp 2006 (only one: please describe the experience/event )

2. Please write down the WORST experience you had at peacecamp (only one: please describe the experience/event)

3. Please put the following activities in the order of your preference from 10 (what you liked most) to 1 (what you liked least):

- music-workshop
- dance-workshop
- inner sound-workshop
- analytical large group
- outdoor-challenges
- culture evenings
- hanging out with friends
- amusement parc in Vienna
- open-day at Franzen
- evening at "Ma Pitom", Vienna

4. What would you improve/change in peacecamp?
Please write your recommandations.

Please send your answer to: bohmerATutanet.at
until August 31st, 2006

Shir Ha-Maalot - Psalm 121

According to Kabbalah, it is customary to have a copy of Psalm 121 in the delivery room during labor and at the time of birth. These holy passages arouse God's mercy for an easy birth and delivery.

Another reason given for this custom is that in this way a child's Jewish education begins at birth. The first images the child is surrounded with are Jewish holy objects. Later, these holy verses are placed within the baby's crib (in a safe manner), on the doorway to the baby's bedroom, and on the front door of the home.


Psalms 121

A Song of Ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains - from where will my help come? My help will come from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot falter; your guardian does not slumber. Indeed, the Guardian of Israel neither slumber nor sleeps. The lord is your guardian; the Lord is your protective shade at your right hand. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The lord will guard you from all evil; He will guard your soul. The Lord will guard your going and your coming from now for all time.

Dear adult and young participants of peacecamp 2006,
dear friends

I would like to thank you all for having shared this wonderful and UNIQUE experience with us. I know that it has not always been easy for you and us. we all needed to be patient and considerate,
tolerant and accepting, we had to accommodate and to compromise, but we all did it!

Unfortunately, we are again witnessing a time of unrest and violence in the Middle East. I am convinced that initiatives like ours CAN make a difference to the kind of world in which we live. We have seen ourselves what happens when people do not use dialogue in order to sort out conflicts and when words are replaced by acts: this leads to actions and re-actions, to acts of retaliation - and this, unfortunately, in the long run, leads to struggle with weapons, to war.

It is up to you, up to US, to shape our world and to find allies for our struggle for non-violent ways to cope with conflict. In this struggle, thinking and talking are the main weapons.

We have proven that we are capable to use these tools.

I wish all of you all the best,
good health, peace and love
and I hope that we see each other again, in peace and freedom.

A BIG HUG to all of you

Evelyn

I enjoyed the camp very very much (except losing my frogin':) camera. But I thank all of you for theese 10 days! It's maybe boring that everybody writes the same but I also miss you!!
And Hannibal, thanks for the cd! You sing really well!

Hi everyone! I enjoyed the camp very much, it was so funny, but now at home it’s boring and I miss you a lot. I would be very happy if I could see all of you again, but till then I would like be in touch with most of you. My msn adress: timi1391@freemail.hu Love: Timi

just checking if its working

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE TRUTH AND LOVE YOU ALL ALL ARE ***THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC***

LOVE IS THE STRANGEST THING THAT I KNOW
YOU KEEP IT AROUND BY LETTING IT GO***
AND YOU FOLLOW CLOSE AND YOU FOLLOW SLOW***
LOVE WILL TAKE YOU WHERE IT WANTS TO GO***


I SHALL NEVER FORGET THE WAY I FELT WHEN I PLAYED THE MUSIC SO LOUD AND NO BODY WAS AT HOME****
LOL***


WHAT A LESSON FOR ME***
YOU GOT ME***BUT GOOD***HA HA HA !!!
I HAD TO LAUGH AND LAUGH***
AND I WILL REMEMBER***
THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPNG ME TO REMEMBER MORE OF WHO I AM***

IN LOVE***
HANNIBAL

Dear Israeli and Palestinian peacecamp-participants,

can some of you very quickly write
1. an article about the peacecamp in FRANZEN
2. an article about the war with Lebanon - how and why it started, and your own perception of it?
Please send it quickly to
bohmerATutanet.at
BOTH may be published in a magazine here in Austria.
thank you
evelyn

(by Uri)
I won't say I miss you, although I miss you very much. So boring to wake up without Hannibal and go to bed before midnight :D

Anyway if I'm here I'll answer your questions Sahar: with train from Salzburg to Wien takes about 3 hours (and 40€). With pictures find 'Images' on the left if you're logged in and add image. I hope I could help you.

I'd like to meet you as soon as possible, till that write to me at: thrushne@monornet.hu and this is also my MSN.

Let's give evreybody a hug. Bye
Balázs

It took me years to login but in the end I managed...
Does anyone know how to upload pictures onto the site?
Anyway, I miss you guys and I'll be in Salzburg from August 18the until the 30th, so maybe we'll meet.
Does anyone know how long it takes to go from Salzburg to Vienna by train?

Sahar

hey guys i wanted to tell you that i really miss you all and that i really want to come back to austreia cuz here is verry boring :P anyway i just wanted to say hi and ask you to REMEMBER. if you wont I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER :):P:P okey take care all ;)

hugs and kisses
enas

I'm going to a camp for a week, so I can't write back in this 7 days...
I miss you
Remember: Denish
Ohh... I think we could use Remember as a special Bye between us :)
Maybe...

p.s. don't forget me! if u will: I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFERRR...!!!!! :P

hii everybody:) ,
now after a very lot of sleeping i'm not tired anymore:) but i started to miss all of u really much... and i don't wanna lose connection with u so here is my e mail addresses: 2fast2furious@easymail.hu or gyury16@freemail.hu and if u wanna get in touch with me this is my msn address: 2fast2furious@easymail.hu
hope you're well
and see u very soon
love&greetz from hungary:

gyuri:))