During the Gulf War I went to Israel and lived in a home for retarded children, helping to put gas masks on the children and take them to the sealed room during the bombing.  Many of the workers left when the bombing of Israel started.  It was wonderful living in a Jewish home where I learned more about the Jewish customs and how it felt to not know if a bomb would hit where we live and the fear that enters the heart when the the bomb alert screams through the night.  I also went through the memorial of the Holocust in Jerusalem, with the Jewish people which gave me a deeper understanding of their pain.  Their comments and expression of sorrow as we walked through the building, echoed world wide pain that something like this could have even happened.

On the week-ends I went to be with the Palestinians, to share food and friendships with them, wondering why people couldn't learn how to communicate and reach out to one another so there would not be so many conflicts, killings and displaced people.  The Palestinians greeted me very friendly as did the Israeli people.