Jewish, Muslim and Christian Kids Camp for Peace

Washington: Jewish, Muslim and Christian kids from the US and Jerusalem came together at a Seattle summer camp. At a summer camp in Mount Vernon, Washington, the campers do plenty of classic camp activities. But Kids4Peace has a deeper purpose. The camp brings Jewish, Muslim and Christian 12 year olds from Washington State together with 12 year old Palestinians and Israelis, from Jerusalem, for 12 days. “Where I live everyone is Jewish,” says Meital, a Jewish girl who lives between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. “There’s different varieties of Judaism where I live, but there are no Muslims or Christians. But I have met Arabs before.”
Meital’s lack of exposure to other cultures and religions is exactly why the camp was established. “The organization was started in Jerusalem, in 2002, during a time of intense violence in the Middle East, in Israel/Palestine in particular,” says Kids4Peace Northwest regional director, Jordan Goldwarg. “And the goal has always been to bring kids together to talk about their religion, their culture, their heritage and to learn from each other. Also, just to have time and opportunity to be kids together and to grow up in a safe environment.”
Aviva, a Christian camper from Bellingham, says kids can make a difference in the world. “It’s us who can make the change,” Aviva says. “The adults have already made up their minds and most of them are not going to change in their lifetime, or at least not enough. So I think before we grow up we need to start actually doing something, not just hearing about it. But actually going out and spreading the peace.”