PORT HADLOCK — Yaara Tal, an Israeli army veteran, and Deema Yusuf, a daughter of Ramallah, Palestine, will speak about their common hopes this evening in a free program at the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave.
In their 6:30 p.m. talk, the two young women will be joined by Dottie Indyke, executive director of Creativity for Peace, the nonprofit group that brought Yusuf and Tal together.
Yusuf, 19, is a Palestinian who came from her childhood home in Ramallah on the West Bank to attend Creativity for Peace’s summer camp in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2012.
There, she got to know young Israeli women she couldn’t have met any other way, and some of these have become her close friends.
Now a student at Lane Community College in Eugene, Ore., Yusuf’s plan is to continue studying international relations and business.
Her aspiration is to work her way up the ladder within the Palestinian government, ultimately becoming the first female minister of foreign affairs in a Palestinian state.
A woman of many facets, Yusuf is also a Palestinian folk dancer.
She led her high school’s troupe and still sees dance as a way to present Palestinian culture in a peaceful and creative way.
Tal, 23, grew up on a small kibbutz, or communal settlement, adjacent to Gaza.
She and her classmates would sometimes have to run to the shelters when alarms sounded, indicating that Kasam rockets from Gaza were heading their way.
Like most Israelis, Tal joined the army after high school.
She served at the border with Gaza as an observer, and though she believed in her role to defend her country, she also thought often about her friends from the “other side.”
Tal is now a student at Lane like Yusuf.
In their talk tonight, the two will discuss the transformations they have undergone during their years with Creativity for Peace and their dream of peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians.
“Everyone who meets our young women is changed by the experience,” said Indyke.
“They inspire with their courage and eloquence and instill hope that peace may actually be achieved in Palestine and Israel.”
‘Instill hope’
During their visit, Tal, Yusuf and Indyke also will visit classrooms and participate in assemblies at Port Townsend and Chimacum’s public schools.
Their trip to Jefferson County was made possible by longtime supporter of Creativity for Peace and Jefferson County resident Martha Trolin.
For more information about this evening’s program, visit www.jclibrary.info or phone 360-385-6544.
________
Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
