A Ray of Hope

Finally a bit of good news on the otherwise bleak landscape of Arab Jewish relations.

"(Toronto) special to the CJN - Yalla, a journal of creative expression that promotes dialogue and communication among Jewish and Arab youths, is being launched next week in Toronto and Montreal.

The contributors and editors are mainly Jews and Arabs aged 18 to 30. Yalla was launched in 2004 as a publication that was Canadian in scope. The new edition features voices from the United States, England, Jordan, Israel and Palestine.

Yalla's editors are homegrown, with connections to McGill University and the University of Toronto. They include senior Jewish editor Rachel Davidson, senior Arab editor Dina Awad, Jewish editors Lisa Anthony and Ran Goel, and Arab editors Rasha Srouji and Adam Allouba. Meena Rafie, an Afghan Muslim, is the producer.

'The editorial board'’s mandate is to let the authors speak for themselves. We want to take the reader on a journey with the youth who are tied to the Holy Land, so that they can understand how their lives are affected by this conflict,' says Allouba.

The launch will feature readings and performances, which Davidson considers ' the “physical incarnations of our hopes and dreams for Yalla, instead of people on either side of the picket fences screaming at each other.' "

See the full story in the Canadian Jewish News