Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Pages 49-50

Human Rights

Palestinian Children Capture Hearts At ANERA Dinner

Eight Palestinian children stole the show at the annual fund-raising dinner of American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) on Oct. 2 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. Four boys and four girls, ages from 9 to 11, from the Rawdat El Zuhur school in East Jerusalem danced their way into their audience’s hearts. The evening’s theme, “Hand-in-Hand, Building Schools Transforming Lives,” came alive as the fifth graders held hands, danced traditional dabkeh routines and radiated with excitement on stage.

ANERA honored the students’ proud principal, Salwa Zananiri. Rawdat El Zuhur was founded by Elizabeth Nasser in 1952 as a home for destitute girls. By 1971 Nasser had turned it into a complete elementary school, adding a kindergarten in 1979. If Principal Zananiri has her way, she said, the school will add more grades, since her children hate to leave when they graduate.

“Music and dance play an important role in our school,” explained Zananiri, who along with Mazin, a former student, accompanied the children to the nation’s capital. When the dance troupe won an award in April for best performance, beating 14 other Jerusalem schools, Zananiri racked her brains for a prize. Then ANERA, which supports the coeducational secular school, invited the students to visit Washington for a week and dance at the gala. For most of them it was their first flight and it took more than a day, including a four-hour security check at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Before their big performance, the Washington Report asked the children to talk about their visit. They went to the zoo, the Museum of Natural History, the Air and Space Museum, and had a VIP tour of the Capitol and the White House. They met Bo, the Obama family dog, and got to pet him. They loved eating chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers and buying gifts for their families at Target. They took hundreds of photos—many of them portraits of squirrels.

The children hadn’t met many other children, however, so this reporter asked them what they’d like to tell American kids. Reem Khatib, who wants to be an engineer, said she’d like to show American children around Jerusalem. Rand Wari, who wants to be a dance instructor, said she’d like to teach American kids how to dance.

Future surgeon Rayaan Abbassi said he wants to tell people at home that Americans are kind, generous and respectful of people from other countries. Qais Hujoj marveled that America is such a clean country. He got into the swing of things and started picking up paper in the street. Shams Badran said he wished he could take his parents to America, adding “there is nothing disturbing here.” Mahdi Abu Diab, who wants to be a doctor, said he noticed equality in America. Nada Abu Diab, who wants to be a pediatrician, said she liked the smiling faces at ANERA. Selina Hamad, whose mother and grandmother cannot live with her in Jerusalem because they do not have Jerusalem IDs, was surprised by how big the United States is.

At the dinner, ANERA president Bill Corcoran showed film clips of their hardworking staff in the West Bank and Gaza, who thanked Americans for their support. The scenes in Gaza and the West Bank are bleak, Corcoran said. Businesses have failed, people are stressed, and checkpoints make life difficult. Since Israel won’t allow building supplies into Gaza, ANERA’s staff is buying salvaged materials, sinks and doors from destroyed homes to use to refurbish schools.

Palestinians know that one investment can never be destroyed, Corcoran said: the development of a child’s mind. Everyone sacrifices to give an education to their children, he concluded. It can’t be taken away. Every Palestinian dreams for a peaceful future.

He joined hands with the children to sing, “We Shall Overcome” during the gala, and there was not a dry eye in the room.

For more information visit ANERA’s Web site: <www.anera.org>. Contact Rawdat El Zahur at PO Box 19796, Jerusalem, 91017 or visit <www.rawdat.org>.

   —Delinda C. Hanley