Breaking Barriers: Peace, Reconciliation, and Acceptance by Ashley

Breaking Barriers: Peace, Reconciliation, and Acceptance by Ashley - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

David Harris-Gershon’s memoir What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife? should be read by all high school students before they graduate. In his gripping memoir, Harris-Gershon tells the story of how he comes to terms with the fact that his wife was almost killed in a terrorist attack while studying abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 2002. Terrorist Mohammad Odeh planted and detonated a bomb in the cafeteria that Harris-Gershon’s wife was having lunch in. The attack killed two of the couple’s friends, and left Harris-Gershon’s wife injured. The memoir is not about revenge, though it very well could have been. Instead, it’s about reconciliation, forgiveness, and the joining of two peoples who have been at war for years.

High school students should be exposed to this novel as it acts as a catalyst for peace-building and is relevant to happenings in the world to this day. Following a similar path as that with South Africa took with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Harris-Gershon sets out to find the answers he desperately needs to move on with his life. In the process, he learns about the separation between the Israelis and Palestinians, and how they are more similar than anyone thinks. In a time when American news is constantly telling the story of the battle for Israel, it’s important that students gain a new perspective. While Harris-Gershon himself was raised Jewish, and initially found himself on the side of the Israelis, he came to know through his journey that there are two sides to every story. In learning about the Palestinians and their struggles, Harris-Gershon was able to humanize the enemy in a way that so many have failed to do, opening up dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and encouraging people to be more open and understanding.

While the memoir focuses explicitly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, students can also take valuable lessons from the book and apply them to their own daily lives. On a small scale, students will learn how to engage with people they hold negative stereotypes of and come to understand the struggles of their peers, family members, and fellow humans in a way that will open them up to becoming more accepting and understanding citizens of the world. In doing so, generations to come can better understand how to handle foreign conflict, and foreign policy, and can encourage others to do the same.

In not seeking revenge, but rather seeking peace, Harris-Gershon stands as just one example of how knowledge of the “other” and acceptance of varying beliefs and ways of life can foster peace-building relationships, as he had with Odeh’s family. While significant in subject matter and time period to the students of today, this memoir can also transcend time and serve as a reminder of the power of human compassion and empathy, and therefore should be read by all students before graduating high school.