In another first for the awards, this year's honorees are all women.
By TORI CHEIFETZmarie medina 248.88(photo credit: Courtesy)
This Tuesday, three outstanding female journalists will be given the Eliav-Sartawi Award for Middle Eastern Journalism, for their efforts to promote understanding between people in the Middle East. The ceremony, which is to be held at the West Jerusalem YMCA, begins at 7 pm and is followed by a free public concert with Israeli singer/songwriter David Broza and the Palestinian band, Wala'at, headed by Kher Fody.
Since its inception in the year 2000, the award, which is given out annually by the international organization Search for Common Ground, has been presented in a number of locations both in the Middle East and internationally. This is the first time the award is presented in Jerusalem. Named for Lova Eliav and Dr. Issam Sartawi, advocates of Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, the awards honors journalism that promotes new perspectives and understanding of cultural differences. Eliav, who will be present at the event, served as a Knesset member for 18 years and Secretary-General of the Labor party - a position he lost for calling for negotiations with the Palestinians.
Search for Common Ground is an international organization, founded in 1982, that works to transform the way the world deals with conflict. They believe that dispute resolution should move away from adversarial approaches and towards collaborative problem solving. Through work with local partners they help to find culturally appropriate means to strengthen societies' capacity to deal with conflicts constructively - to understand the differences and act on the commonalities.
In another first for the awards, this year's honorees are all women. They are Tala R. Rahmeh of The Electronic Intifada, Barbara Sofer of The Jerusalem Post and Marie Medina of BabelMed. Rahmeh, whose entry was about her mother's chemotherapy treatment at an Israeli hospital, is not surprised by the all-female line-up, "I really believe that women have an amazing capacity to open their minds and breathe life into all the efforts for peace surrounding them."
Sofer, whose article recounted her attendance at a multi-faith conference in Jordan, understands the importance of recognizing the humanness in others, "I really hope we, both Palestinians and Israelis, begin to courageously understand and feel the humanity of each other, be brave enough to tap into the dark corners of our relationship, and refuse to stop at the surface."
The location of the event and the musical talent are also significant with respect to the search for cultural understanding amidst a sea of prejudice. John Marks, president of Search, admits that in addition to a love for the building, he felt that the YMCA would provide, "a safe space for all those involved."
The night's musical talents, Broza and Wala'at, are each proponents of dialogue and understanding as regards the Middle East conflict. Broza is both a supporter of Search and a past recipient of an award for his song, 'In my heart.' Fody, who heads Wala'at, is also known for his peace activism. Also, as an Acre native, his performance is seen as particularly significant.
Summing up her feelings regarding the power of journalism to effect positive change, Rahmeh offers, "I think journalism and writing are one of the few venues where one can seek real, substantial peace. Not only because they bring awareness but because they allow the writer to be honest with his readers. It widens the space of exploration and wonderment."
For more information and to read the winning articles visit www.sfcg.org and www.commongroundnews.org or call (02) 581-2049.
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