NAME — Ben Dorson
AGE — 18
In the midst of a tumultuous city sits a stronghold of peace, a building that has stood strong through centuries of fighting, acting as a safe haven for people old and young.
The building is the YMCA and the place is Jerusalem, a city whose history is as violent as it is rich. The Jerusalem International YMCA -- Young Men's Christian Association -- was founded in 1878 during the Ottoman Empire and has weathered the times from the British Mandate for Palestine to the creation of the state of Israel.
The Y, a Christian organization, may seem an odd fit for Jerusalem, with its large populations of Arabs and Jews. Yet it is one of the few places that brings together these groups.
This summer, 10 teens from Israel, along with two adult chaperones, spent a week at Flat Rock YMCA camp near Shelbyville. Half of the group was Arab and the other half was Jewish.
Lina Moharib, 16, an Arab, explained the Jerusalem Y's role: "The Arab neighborhoods are both Muslim and Christian, and the Israeli neighborhoods are mostly Jewish. They are separate, one in the east and one in the west. The YMCA comes between them, and it brings people from both sides."
The Jerusalem Y presents programs that appeal and reflect these diverse faiths. Its preschool and kindergarten welcome children of all backgrounds with an aim "to facilitate coexistence between Arabs and Jews on a daily, ongoing basis," according to its Web site.
Next month, Norris Lineweaver will leave his job as president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis to lead the Jerusalem Y, after only two short trips to the city. The fifth-generation Methodist and 56-year member of the Y said he looks forward to the challenges of this unique institution.
"I am so proud of the Jerusalem Y in that it hires and maintains a staff one-third Christian, one-third Muslim and one-third Jewish," he said. "In many ways, that is the leading edge of coexistence in Israel, and it's been practiced over many years."
Lineweaver's experience extends beyond Central Indiana.
"I bring with me a lot of experience in other cities, including Addis Ababa of Ethiopia, where I worked with the YMCA. I have been very active in raising funds for the Jerusalem Y and telling their story. But essentially when I report in November, it will be my first opportunity to really get to know the city for the first time," he said.
Lineweaver is not naive about the challenges of living in a country as fiercely divided as Israel, where cement walls, barbed wire and fencing divide Israeli areas from Palestinian areas. He is especially concerned about the emotional toll these barriers take.
"The wall is not just a wall," he said, describing one such barrier. "It's a wall 18 feet high. There is an eight-foot berm on each side, a road, another eight-foot berm, a fence with electrified fence and cantina wire, another eight-foot berm, another road and an eight-foot berm and another fence. You're talking about a swath going through the land that is larger than the swath of the Texas interstate highway system."
"So it's not just a wall. For a young person to overcome the physical barriers, they must overcome the psychological barriers, whether they be Arab, Israeli-Jew, European-Israeli or African-Israeli. That is a huge barrier to overcome."
Adding to the separation is the emotional distance between Israeli children of different faiths. "They go to separate schools. The only times that they can see each other is at the university, but at that time they will not speak to each other because they don't know each other," said Yoav Levy, 15, a Jew.
This is compounded by the attitudes of people of different faiths, whose views are often passed down through generations.
Lina explains, "I take all of my opinions from my parents. I see that they are right and that is why I take them. If I didn't see that they were right, then I wouldn't take them."
Lineweaver's biggest challenge "is overcoming the fear of abandoned hope," he said. "In the absence of hope, people do desperate things. If we can keep hope alive among young people and the people who call (Israel) their homeland, then there's hope for peace."
He thinks young people will be the voice of change in the region.
"The young people are finding their language and voice of coexistence, and they're modeling something new and different that they may or may not have learned or been encouraged in by their parents," he said.
Lineweaver sees promising signs, pointing out the ease with which the Muslim and Jewish youth lived together in the United States, first in Nashville, Tenn., and then at Flat Rock.
"The young people from Jerusalem probably shared with you that they have no problem living together, eating food together, having fun together, coming to the Y together."
But even away from their homeland, the divide is evident. While at Flat Rock, the Jewish youth ate at one table, and the Muslim youth ate at another. Neither group would talk about the prospects of peace, saying that they didn't "discuss politics."
There is hope the Jerusalem Y can serve as a unifying force. "The YMCA is where Jews and Arabs can meet and mingle together," Lina said. "It is possible (elsewhere), but we just don't."
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Mallory Jones, 15.
REPORTER: Malachi Carter, 13.