Letters from Parents of Project Atid Participants From Secular Parents: May 16, 2006 Talia and Chava Shalom! I would like to introduce myself as Ruty Zifroni, the mother of Tal from Maccabeem Reut High School, who took part in Project Atid this year. In addition to the short phone conversation we had, I want to write to you and to expand a bit on what I said. To begin with, I want to praise the idea of the project, and you two personally in particular, for the implementation of the project from its planning stages to its complex reality in practice. I think that the real substance of the project is some kind of critical seed in our daily lives in this amazing and not-so-simple country of ours. I really feel that even before our need as a nation and a people to survive in the presence of our enemies – a need that occupies such a central part of our experience here – we need to strengthen ourselves. We need to cultivate the connections and bonds that transform all our different parts into a whole that we hold within our souls. Understanding, openness – these are what can create the beginning of a connecting process between the different and equally legitimate segments of our people. As a mother who is raising three daughters, within a secular family living in an unabashedly secular environment, the "opening" to such a connection is definitely something that I want to give my daughters. We are trying to do this at home, too – to teach that it is possible to be attentive to what others are saying even if what I hear arouses me to anger and does not correspond to my own worldview. The process is difficult. It requires a lot of strength and good will and the ability to listen and compromise, which really are the basis of our shared existence together. For a teenager, this is particularly hard to understand. Here is where you entered the picture and roused within Tal considerable storms. I am sure that you sensed them and indeed were caught in some of the tempests that she threw in every direction. But this is really part of the process. This is the path we need to follow, on condition of course that such dialogues are conducted in a civilized, respectful and legitimate manner. It's ok to get angry. It's even necessary to get angry – because this shows that I really understand what is being said. It shows that I have begun the process and have not remained indifferent on the sidelines, letting things pass by without giving of myself. Tal gave of herself, and I think that she did this because you, Talia and Chava, gave so much of yourselves. You knew how to create a powerful stimulus that ignited the process, which of course is only at its beginning. I am convinced that through this project, modest yet deep, you have brought to our society positive connecting energies that will – each in its own way – help disseminate this process of negotiation and attentiveness in other places. Throughout the program, I understood from Tal her admiration for you and for the other girls in the program, who at the beginning seemed to her like some creatures from "beyond the mountains of darkness." Yet in time, they became simply girls her own age, peers, friends who beyond the opposing declarations and differing words, were interested in similar things. As proof of this, look at Tal's need at the end of the process to make those symbolic bracelets, from simple threads that really say everything about the desire to be woven together, one with the other, the desire to live together, the desire to connect. I again congratulate you on the "holy work" that you are doing. Please pass this message on to those in charge of the project, who also deserve our many thanks and much praise. I hope that you will continue working in the project and I promise, in another two years, to send you another offspring of the Zifroni family, my daughter Rotem, who is already waiting . . . Thank you again for everything, Ruty Zifroni From Religious Parents: To: Rabbi Shlomo Weiss Principal, Ulpanat Even Shmuel Shalom Rav! It is our wish to share with you our sincere feelings after reading the letter summarizing "Project Atid" that we received from the Yaacov Herzog Center. This year, as is well known, we all went through the experience of "the expulsion," an experience that has left us all with a deep scar, even if it has also forced us to open our eyes, to look around us and to understand better exactly who and what is the people of Israel, according to its diversity and its different opinions. Our daughter Nofar was involved in the events both emotionally and practically, and so she expressed her opinions in the matter. We for our part tried to moderate, to explain and to calm, and sometimes also to expose her to other sides, other views. And so we want to thank you, the educational staff of Atid, for knowing wisely just how in this charged time to expose the girls to the diverse people of Israel, who differ so in their opinions and ways of life, and all of this by means of guided encounters. We understood that in these meetings the girls connected with their peers in conversations, understanding and coping with questions relating to the Jewish people, its land and its Torah. Through careful consideration, study and social encounter, they were exposed to a different culture, and to differences that required them to express their own views while also listening respectfully to those of the other. We see in these encounters the right and measured way to expose the girls to different frameworks among our people. In our judgment, this is a very important stage in preparing the girls for "real" life, beyond their formal studies. We would be happy to hear about the continuation of this welcome activity in the future as well. May you see blessings from your labor! With our thanks and esteem, The parents of Nofar, Avi and Osnat Kanani Ein Tzurim From Parents in Ashkelon: To: Talia and Chava Facilitators for Project Atid Dear Talia and Chava, We received the summary-of-the-year report for Project Atid that you sent us. Thank you! When someone suggested to our daughter, Ohr Aharoni, that she participate in the Project, she was a little hesitant. But we encouraged and even urged her to participate, because we saw in the project a sign of progress, the opportunity for an expansion of knowledge and a social mingling between secular and religious Israelis. And indeed, after every meeting, our daughter Ohr would come back and tell us about her experiences, her impressions and how much she enjoyed the encounters, the arguments and the conversations that took place between the members of the group. We want to thank you for making it possible for our daughter to be exposed to and see other sides of the issues that are connected to the topics that were presented, and to learn from them. We will be very happy if the project will continue in the future, as well. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, Yardena and Yekutiel Aharoni Ashkelon From Parents in Be'er Sheva: 17 May 2006 To: Tsuri and Shlomi, Facilitators in Project Atid Subject: Project Atid: Youth for Tikkun Olam (Leaders of Tomorrow) My name is Shir Atia, and I am the mother of Oz Atia, from Amit High School in Be'er Sheva, who participated in Project Atid this year. I would like to say a few things to you: 1. The encounters in this project were especially important to Oz because he is still in the process of forming his own views on all the subjects related to Israeli society and life in general. (Oz is young and still sees things in black and white.) 2. After every session, Oz would come home and tell us about the discussions and about the activities, and a conversation would develop between us about the issues raised. 3. I am sure that Oz's participation in this project will have an influence on his behavior in the future and will help him to be a better citizen and a better human being. I thank you and everyone who played a role in running the activities in Project Atid. Respectfully yours, Shir Atia Mother of Oz Atia 29/2 Nachum Sarig Street Be'er Sheva