Calling the community of peace leaders!

On April 20th, which is the week of Passover, we, MiddleWay members in Israel, Arabs and Jews, are going on our main annual peace walk (see attached invitation and learn more about us in our site: www.middleway.org).

I would like to invite each and every one of you, in your respective countries, to join us in this walk for peace. I would like to encourage you to organize a simultaneous walk, on the same days, as a demonstration of support for our common cause. Your support would be a great inspiration for us. It doesn't have to be an identical walk, neither in numbers nor in days. You can gather your friends or family, choose a destination (it could be a stroll in nature) and just walk peacefully and quietly, in a line, connecting with this center of inner peace and wisdom, which we all have in us. In the breaks, you can form a circle, sharing and reflecting on this unique experience you're going through. Knowing that at the same time, all over the world, people are walking the path of peace, especially in these horrible days of war and madness - would be so inspiring!

However, If you can't or won't join this initiative, for whichever reason, don't feel obliged to do so in any way. Just mark down these walk days in your calendar, take a few moments of silence, and be with us in your thoughts and heart at these times. You will radiate this encouraging energy to all of us out there!

A very important part of the peace walks, is to arouse public awareness through the media. In Israel, we've been very successful and received quite a lot of coverage. Apart from that, we're connected to many Internet sights, and if you organize a local walk, we're sure to spread this initiative in whichever way we can. It would be very helpful if you could send out the word also to your local media. Just imagine how powerful this community of international peace walkers would be! Come and join us in unity!


Thanks,
In peace
Ilan

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This initiative harvested the following responses:

Dear Ilan -
Your Peacewalk is a formidable idea - will be with you in spirit for sure, & will also do a walk here in Toronto, perhaps only with my family, or perhaps with many others - will aspire to the highest numbers - will put the word out & see what happens... April 20th happens to be the day before my birthday, always a time of great reflection for me, so this is further incentive to walk with you & your diverse peace marchers. Also, here in Canada, we celebrate 'Earth Day' on April 22nd, giving thanks & commitment to better caretake our Mother the Earth - many eco-groups hold festivals, there will be artists, musicians, drumming & dancing ... A fitting complement to your powerful protest & rallies for Peace. Many blessings to you & your colleagues in this initiative -
May Peace prevail - Katherine Marielle - peacevoice /Peace Leadership

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Dear Ilan,
Firstly, I walked two times yesterday with two different friends, both of whom were moved by the experience itself and in hearing about your group and what you do. One is a woman who is often very troubled in her life right now and it meant a great deal to her to participate in some way in the service of peace. It was as if I was giving her this fabulous gift.

In peace,
Miranda

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HI Ilan
Just to follow-up: On Apr 26, at 1:00pm DS/EST, 20 woman (many mothers and grandmothers) walked single fine, in silence, wearing a white sash in on a circular route in our village in rural Ontario, Canada in support of your Passover Week Walk.

peace to all
Bev
Beverly Hunter

On the last day of the walk, I went to my women's writing group for two hours in the morning. There, Jutta, who was in charge that day, suggested we do a 10-minute free writing on "sweet." With the march very much on my mind, this is what came out. It's impressionistic with the more current impressions coming out first and a bit added later. I hope to write an actual article about the walk soon.


SWEET

Sweet are Leor's smiling eyes, gazing, unafraid into mine
Sweet are Asher's curls, surprisingly streaked with gray
Sweet is Zohar's smile, three days in coming
Sweet is Nir's crocheted white hat, sitting roundly on his head as he leads us into the here and now,
Galit's hair, moving in the breeze as she meditates at dawn
Sweet are all the open faces, the accepting hearts, the lit eyes, the feet planted firmly on the ground.


Sweet are the outdoor toilets, expertly dug, surrounded with green and latched
The food prepared by many hands, tasty every time.
So so sweet are the pink and yellow and blue and purple ad red flowers, greeting us on the path,
The blue sky, endless here out of the city,
The panoramas of trees, hills, valleys, forests - a feast for urban eyes;
The hands and hearts and words and hugs of our cousins, B'nei Ishamel.


And the difficult things, are they also sweet?


The pain of being an Arab in Israel. Is it lightened when shared?
The pain of being part of an occupying country,
Of not feeling, not seeing, not wanting to know the suffering just around the corner,
Of seeing habits manifested, mirrored,
Of seeing needs, met and unmet
Of walking silently together, one long line, friendly, peaceful, keeping on going, day after day, come what may.


Sweet is the slowing way, way, down that makes it easier to be here now;
The hands that collect trash along the way;
Ayala's young, mocha-colored skin, radiant in the fading afternoon light, as she leads us in Council.
Sweet is the Council, inviting us to speak and listen from our hearts,
Stephens' teachings on compassion and the blocks to it,
Sweet even is the opportunity to face hatred and anger, to feel them as a knife wound in a softened heart, to hear the answering words form in the mind and to continue walking silently behind Rachel and in front of Bat El.


So sweet is the warily-anticipated homecoming to my high strung family, of wanting to make them a celebratory meal with cookies for desert, (even tho it's not Shabbat) of feeling their calm in response to the widened space that followed me home from the walk.


Sweet are all of you walkers, Arab and Jewish, whose hearts touched repeatedly all week;
Sweet are the young, capable, committed organizers and the loving energy between them.


Sweet is the Creator for giving us this beautiful planet upon which to walk for peace.


rtm