In Palestine and Israel: Writers and Activists Light the Way to Peace

Although separated by both religion and language, Palestinians and Israelis have in common an appreciation for and devotion to literary expression as essential to life and as a powerful means of making their case to the world. A shared poetic heritage can contribute to eventual understanding and acceptance. Many Arabs and Jews around the world are profoundly involved in the work toward that goal. In this unit, high school students will use a range of resources—print, electronic, and personal—to acquaint themselves with the broad scope of historical, geo-political and religious forces that have brought Palestinians and Israelis to the brink of either destruction or reconciliation.  Students will discover the interplay between historical events and literary expression, and both the uniqueness and universality of Palestinian and Israeli biographies, fiction, and poetry. They will discover the already-existing ties between Jews and Arabs in and through literature and will develop a familiarity with a fascinating variety of individual and organizational efforts to forge mutuality in action.