microphone. all right. crisis averted. why haven't we seen you lately? when are you going to make some more money? anybody else have a question? all right. thank you. thank you for coming. >> for more information visit jeff himmelman.com. >> what are you reading this summer? booktv wants to know. >> i'm looking forward to reading robert caro's lyndon johnson. that is going to take some time.

i spend of my -- most of my time reading simon and schuster books. >> canada is the next book i will read. >> for mayor in where -- more information visit booktv.org. >> jen marlowe talks about sami al jundi who after a bomb he and his friends were building exploded was imprisoned by the israelis. and coexistence in jerusalem the disorganization that brings together is really and palestinian news, to bridge the divide between the two societies. >> good evening. it is wonderful to see you here. it is great to be here.

so many of my friends, i heard from some many people, community for writers and books, great honor to have a chance to be here with you tonight. it is honor mixed with sadness because my co-author sami al jundi would love to be standing here with you tonight. he would love to be with me because for al jundi one reason we wrote the book was his belief in the necessity of engaging in dialogue with communities. the opportunity to be here and share with you directly his thoughts and his ideas and to hear in response your thoughts and your ideas and your questions, that is what it is all about. the reason he is not here is he has not yet been granted a visa by the u.s. government. he applied for and on

march 30th, 2009, and he has been waiting since then. he hasn't been rejected. he also has received the visa. it has been in the administrative process since the time i got from the consulate when i was inquiring about it. it is a mystery and not a mystery why he has not gotten the visa. the reason is he has received multiple visas in the past. received two for five years and been to the u.s. and a dozen times if not more. every time has been furthering his work. either he came because he was accompanying israeli and palestinian youths to go to a summer camp to get it to be engaged in intensive dialogue or he was furthering his own education like when he spent the summer at the eastern mennonite university peace building

institute. so why particular this time when he applied he has been delayed and being processed is unclear. but the reasons the u.s. government and the consulate gave him what became obvious in their questioning of him is they were concerned about his security record because tammy spend ten years in israeli prison from 1980-1990 and he was in prison because of an action he took as an 18-year-old kid. he was committed to wanting to fight for his people's freedom and fight for his people's dignity only knew one way to go about that and that was by becoming a fighter and you will hear a little more about this as the evening progresses. he and two france began building a bomb they intended to use against israeli police. exploded prematurely. one of his friends was killed on the spot.

he and his other friends were greatly injured and taken from the hospital by the israeli security service, interrogate and tortured and spend ten years in prison. you will hear a lot more about this but it was in prison that he realized he was as committed to people's freedom and his people's dignity, the choice about how to fight for that is through nonviolence and reconciliation and that became his life's working two decades since he got out of prison in 1990. so for some reason not clear to me the u.s. government chose to focus on the action he took as an 18-year-old kid rather than a decade of life work he has spent since then trying to build the possibility of a peaceful reconciliation between

palestinians and israelis. i would hope members of our government would support and encourage and want voices like is to be heard in this country and would want stories like sami al jundi's to have as wide a platform as possible but because he couldn't be here, fortunately there is a clip of him featured on a documentary film and the documentary film was made by an incredible organization called just division and the entire mission is to use media to support the work of grassroots palestinian and israeli peace builders. some might have heard about a film that will be playing in rochester and a film festival happening in june. a new film just premiered a few weeks ago called my neighborhood and sami was using the first film called encounter point. i want to start out sins sami can't be here in person at least giving you the experience of

meeting him through film and getting a chance to hear from him in his own words looking into his face a snippet of his wife's story and after the clip i will read from the book and talk more about the process of writing it with sami. this is what i was trying to do. and doing anything to get it to start projecting. there we go. just one moment for the projector to warm up and we will be ready to roll.

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we heard bits and pieces of his experience in prison and his choices when he got out of prison when he decided to devote himself to nonviolence and devote himself to dialogue and reconciliation. when we hear these stories we say to him sami, you should write a book and sami would turn to us and dismiss it and say what are you talking about? there is nothing interesting about my life story. it is very ordinary. he would say it was very ordinary. i will get back to that statement in a few moments about his life story and saving his life story was ordinary. we sorts of encouraged him and he didn't seem interested and wasn't until a few years later in 2006 that sami and i both met

disappointing ending with the organization we worked with and in sami's case, and a great -- was really low at that time and struggling with depression and i was back in the state's and trying to encourage him and during one of those conversations you know that book you and all your friends said that i should right? i think i am ready now and i asked are you really serious? is this something you want to do and he said i would like to do that and we talked for a middle while longer and that the end of the conversation we decided i would fly out the next month and start working with him and start developing the book with him. at the time when i made the offer to go to jerusalem, at the time i did it because sami was someone i loved and i knew he was hurting and needed something to feel good about and writing

this book, being able to look in the eyes of people who were mocking him, he had defended -- had fired him and treated him in humiliating ways that he would look those people in the eyes and when they were laughing at him he would be able to say i am writing a book now. that is what i am doing. initially when i made that offer i made it because i wanted to do something for sami and of course had no idea. i couldn't have anticipated what working on this project with sami would do for me. ..

>> of course, any people containable couple there is. but that is part of the palestinian experience. the refugees were part of the war, his mother from zachary have now all part of the is really musharraf that to the father was the site from the most famous massacre 1948 before it is really was declared. the paramilitary groups

massacred over 100 civilians. for those who know if you are on the road to tel aviv right there at the entrance. so many family experiences 1948 his own earliest memories was the war 1967 and remembers fleeing under gunfire taking refuge under a bakery and he talks about what ended up happening. his years in prison. an enormous amount of men spent time in prison. it could be 18 months or

three years if you wave a palestinian flag. hiss prison experience is part of the narrative. it is a very ordinary story but not to what we have access to year we are so much more exposed and familiar with the jewish and israeli narrative. if you grow up at the jewish american i have holocaust literature reading the diary of anne franken imagining i was hurt and what i would do. i was raptured by the excess. a friend of mine is a

professor and asks the kids if you know, anything about holocaust. the vast majority raise their hand. what about the palestinian term that talks about the catastrophe for the displacement that the heat -- began in the wake of the creation of may be a smattering of kids. there is a huge gap of knowledge of the zero this story was ordinary it was because of that reason. the other part this he is so

extraordinary out of that narrative came from one whoso deeply committed and there could be peace are reconciliation but sammy is not unique that he seeks non-violence. many people are committed to principles of nonviolence. we say we do not want to kill each other so we have to live together with peace. that is not extraordinary but sammy goes beyond that with the belief if the situation was true equality

where everybody's lives were equally respected not only could they live together but create an incredible society together. the holy land could be the best place there is so much to live and so much to gain if the partnership's were predicated and sammy said he does not recognize the distinction between that your children and my children. there was no such saying each side's children. fe are all hours.

it is a very quintessential life story and the extraordinary human being and the vision that came out to that is what made me so passionate about riveting the book with sami. it was a four year process. i spent a good joke working on the book of sami al jundi. i began to lose the distinction between myself's and him. i would be in jerusalem one teeing to point* out of places of his childhood.

the this is where i used to play marbles. [laughter] no. i was not a young boy. [laughter] sami used the word spiritual even though before that i considered him as close as a brother and thought i knew about his life but i only hit the tip of the iceberg. i just want to read a couple of samples. i selected a few sell you can get to a sense of the journey. you can get a little sense of this transformation.

of want to start of 2017 was five years old. he was living in the old city of jerusalem when 1967 war broke out and he fled to the bakery. the passage this after the fighting had ended. that hold neighborhood broke down that is when israel occupied but as the drumbeat started sami was a five year-old kid.

but it was under jordanian control but that wall that separated is just 2430 meters away but the kids he was playing with the rumors started to circulate and one rumor participated in particular. that the jews had tails like a cat. he thought that was cool. nobody had a tail. the war have been they were hiding in bakeries the next

morning he said the issues are coming to count us. my mother was agitated. counting? my father said it will be okay. answer the questions. to of them word dressed and soldiers uniforms. what are they doing my whispered to my a brother correct probably looking for guns one-man remained with us he had a floppy hat. how many people live and house the asked if there bit? >> we are to family is. name and birth date he asked my father and mother? he'd jot it down. mother asked why you asking

this? so we can issue identity cards. as the floppy hat was writing down the birthday he said what is your son doing? >> i was behind floppy hat to trying to examine his bottom. [laughter] what redoing? i wanted to see his tale. what did it look like? i don't know. when he turned around we crane to our neck but we side nothing resembling a tale. maybe it did in his pants. when the soldiers came out

there was no sign. i was bitterly disappointed. [laughter] in happens years later after sami was out of prison he and colleagues started a dialogue group it was people of sami own age they said we heard the same rumors on the other side of the wall. [laughter] next segment is a few years later. he is 17 years old and sami

decided they would be resistance fighters and that was through making plans and then in the meantime his mother came down with an illness that was a a brain tumor. sami decided to drop out of school. although he was a bright student family had high hopes and he had made the choice he would become a fighter. the future would like we find him killed or imprisoned or exiled.

and he dropped out. >> now my neighbor have a job and a large israeli factory they needed more workers. and then to talk to the supervisor the factory was built on the ruins of my father's village. the big blond man many looked at him disdainfully. they were delivered sections of cabinets shuttling back and forth. i wrapped the cabinet's in thick plastic. preparing them to be shipped. we were barked orders.

arabic was added to whatever adjective. there rose only one other non arab working with us. the iranian do. he combed his thinning hair with a toothbrush. he did not fear the abuse. after all he was only one step away from being era of. i hated to work in the factory. where is your job? i have to tell them. i or my eyes. tears sprung to her eyes

when i told her. do you still have the house there? i could not tell her only one seen remained and it turned into the insane asylum. sami please. bring me something. a walk to the heart of the place and saw the crazy people wondering. i plucked of big and 11 and gave them to my grandmother. she breathed a the fragrance of her village. there are no figures in the world from like here. staring out the large window , all of the workers were traders and i was the

worst. we were disrespecting the blood that was spelled out. maybe those were in the demolished village how could i justify myself? the floor wrapping next cabinet by car to the woods across the face i did it the next day and the next day then i mix to the electric signals with a forklift a couple weeks later. i found a way to sabotage the work. i was figured out. sami you have to stop this. you will cause problems for all of us. >> i have no idea where you are talking about. it was obvious i was the

culprit. i will fire your ass you disgusting arab. if you want to call the police. called them you cannot fire me. i quit. i never returned. i always imagined customers and wrapping the new cabinet's only to find the arabic words made in various. >> one paying about carrying the story we had a three stage process stage one was him very being and i would try to righted down verbatim. i did not want to record him but to we wanted to feel

that we were writing the book together, not interviewing. there is satisfaction at how many pages we had done. then be put fill holes with more information. then we bled add the sensory details. so at one stage i found this story but when he told me the first time i worked in a cabinet making factory but i did not like it for about six months so i quit. [laughter] then a year-and-a-half later i got back to it. then they said tell me a little bit more. then the story came pouring

out. of always makes me wonder what other holes ims to borrow when did i not identify a particular story? the next piece is a few years later during his time in prison. in the video it is clear he spent so much time reading. they had a huge influence. but he may did the choice -- made the choice to engage in reading. but it was fascinating to learn the palestinian prisoners had an intricate incredible community that included and education

system, all different forms of self governance, a democracy, leadership, one time that meant contraband radio. then the janitor would take the paper and that is how the prisoners got the news. it was very intricate. that then to design elective is together. the red cross bought a one book and would pass out of blank piece of paper and then they would bind the copies then they had two

copies of the book. fascinating details. there were only two times per day they were not reading zero or 16 in a circle discussing and reflecting on what they're reading. one hour was in the prison courtyard which was "the hour of sunlight" that they got every day. that actually came from the poet the title of the book he said we have a life we have this five what makes earth worth living? the final days after september and "the hour of

sunlight" after a prison. and the other hour was they played a famous egyptians song. his songs were one hour-long. >> i was homesick. the one hour work each evening had bet similar effect. the voice with emanate each of us in a separate world. the one time of day we allowed ourselves to indulge in our memories. of its bend the entire hour closing myself off from my cell mates. my mother. she loved me more than anybody else in the world. by getting myself locked away i broke her heart. this song penetrated each

part by wondered if she thought about me at that moment and if she was crying. baker's myself for the times i shouted at her. i remember her warm voice. she said the kinder gentle and it sounded like a prayer. she would ask god to protect me and remove any bad person who from bypass then pressing her head she would make a copy of my face she knew instantly if i was happy or sad. she read my face like brio. by 12 the same of this thing here. to stop the tears i would force my thoughts to my

classmates. some friends may be in universities or starting families. what did they think of me? was i a hero or have by disappeared from their consciousness? my home, playing cards, when the song was finished the guards shut off the loudspeaker we returned to the books. >> the final piece is now zero years later 1997. the was out of prison about seven years and that bet jewish-american man that was at a summer camp that brain this is really an palestinian kids together.

no it was just a camp but at home there was nothing to continue the process. they met sami early paddies thought that was exactly what he wanted to do so he started to develop a program. the passage, is very early on in the doing the work with that is really an palestinian youth. you met your own? i have. dark hair but 20 heat and by the s to the passover dinner. so-so the peace activist so

i look forward to the opportunity from the heart of israeli society. she knew i was excited. the parents were happy but it would not lead me to be imprisoned again. i did not to mention where was going. there must have been 50 people crowded around. i slid into a chair your own siblings, a cousins grandparents from morocco who spoke hebrew with their bad. it reminded me of ramadan.

they were all around the table. it looked like the children's book per car was surprised when your grandfather started to chant they were part of the ceremony connected to ritual according to the instructions i tried to pay attention what foods we were supposed to be and when i knew from the q'uaran that hearing yet read aloud by my family gave a new perspective. gossiped plaster rose louder. nobody seemed to mind a grandfather was still

chanting anti-didn't seem disturbed. the moroccan and israeli food was delicious. her father was part of the largest party the conversation was intense, passionate, open, w arm. voices are raised because there was so much competing noise. no silence and none at all. at the end of the meal they entire family saying wild baying being on the table. they were wonderful. yesterday's a was in the supermarket and answered the cellphone in arabic and the day before a soldier tried

to show the five was barely tolerated. i felt safe and welcome and wanted i wanted to bring as many palestinians to israeli homes the five had that opportunity how different would my life have been? >> i have a few comments but i want to to invite questions or comments or thoughts or responses, we could have some real conversations. if anybody has a thought to or question or comment.

>> many israelis and palestinians are opposed rumble sides with palestinian society there is normalization it is defined differently but bringing israelis and palestinians together. to see their not already accepting the power was your experience that was supposed to the type of work you we're doing it in jerusalem? >> a very complex question

so i will do my best. absolutely is really is and palestinians are opposed to the dialogue based work. what is considered normalization, there is different definitions criticism is when there is such a power imbalance without confronting the power the criticism of reinforcing the power structure by focusing on relationship building that

needs to be addressed. the counter argument how will people be aware the power structures are so an evil? that is what made them aware and politicized them. been for me personally i choose to support work that is joining or engaged in direct action non-violence so the villages where the wall was built but then of nonviolence but the work

that i am drawn to. sami continues to pay a high price. the army and people needed to confront the status quo that can only have been through dialogue. i do not like to speak for him but i believe that is what he would say. he faces a lot of opposition. and then it cash in the capital. he was a hero and a freedom

fighter. and with the deep belief of necessity but then to rectify the problems this that answer the question? you probably know. sami is a soldier. one possible title was soldier of peace playing off of his last name. sami al jundi. >> i read the book. i appreciated it but at the end i began to be very

concerned four sami. what is he doing now? >> the book and that a point* where sami went through us deep depression especially the whole life and reputation was humiliated from the organization he worked so hard to promote to. that i wish i could say everything is wonderful. he is still struggling working as a cashier in the grocery store. that is not what he wants to

be doing more should be doing using the tremendous resources why he is so passionate. with the israeli prison it is hard to get the work. he had question marks with international organizations. much like humanitarian aid is important but the international peace industry be began to feel skeptical. he feels stock but that he keeps the embers going with

his passion and energy and that is the way he can express what he wants to say. and one of his poems is being published in an anthology and he continues to find ways to stay engaged and to keep the four kid said. and to see everybody moving in that direction. >> what led you to the work? and what about the place to

meet sami and the journey? >> guy had very little background of our knowledge of the conflict the leg europe as a jewish-american i was in the u.s group movements, summer camp and drawn to the social justice aspect. looking back there was a crisis so my memory was ignored. i remember all arabs were terrorists.

with the impact on the palestinian lives. the poll question that was the social justice training ground that their received a fellowship and might have been two days in jerusalem but just spent the old day talking. i read tom friedman but that was the first time that i had never heard about this before. how the occupation impacted

human lives. i spent five hours talking to one person than another. one merchant said there will be a war to start this year and you should leave. this was during the peace process. during the local period. i had no idea well they were hopeful the reality for palestinians word checkpoints were blossoming and settlements for eating land and it was worsening. the merchant was wrong with his timing it did erupt in the fall of 2000. but that sentiment was right

on. there is a quote the trouble is once you see it the camera is say it. there was no internal and angst. talk about the real internal turmoil that could be a painful process. now i know i have more to learn. so the question why is what do i do? that put meat on the path where i met sami and what

you have heard. >> can you say something about the betrayal? did you write in arabic what lay wage britain initially? >> the first about the betrayal that is exhaustively written in chapter 14 but where a brief overview, it is not so of different from other organizations and mission statements and the mission and is all about tolerance and respect and the dialogue

certainly is not a unique example. in some ways operating in the middle of the conflict it was a reflection and was playing out that time. that was the broad brush stroke. it should have been written in arabic but english is

sami third language so he narrated in his most difficult language. but he was so politic and could express his points even when he had to work around vocabulary. we talked about if somebody else could be in the room with us to speak fluently with an interpreter, that it was his choice that will lead interfere with the dynamic. there were parts when he was detailing his experience of torture and would be shaking at the end.

initially that trust and relationship grew would expose so much. sami is not proud of the action that he took at 18. he had to decide if he was ready to expose that to the world. he was shaking saying i feel the service is about to to come grabbed the right now. there was a lot of trauma involved in the process. and then to create for those

conversations. going along with the previous question the activities with palestinian children have zero can people have a common bond? is everybody in jerusalem bilingual? can everyone understand arabic? how they work out which language? is english used as a neutral language? >> that is an excellent

question. i a have become so fascinated with those dynamics. jerusalem is divided in every sense of the word. there might as well the with house separated the communities are. they do not all speak common languages. english is the 88 to be neutral but that was problematic. israelis had better education with english van palestinians. one group passes better master's -- mastery and also

working with interpreters then there is the third party interference. the fascinating experience it is all citizens of israel. jewish israeli and palestinians fall spoke fluent hebrew. everybody learns english then this second language is french or arabic.language is french or arabic. some kids insisted on speaking in english even though he brew was better but because of dominance in they were making a point* we have to learn your language you do not have to learn hours.

it is more when then my third so there was some active resistance. so many fascinating dynamics. >> what struck me about the book is how excepting he was with his prison sentence. 10 years. that is the exact opposite regardless of how guilty you are. is that indicative of his peers or special just for him? >> i am not sure how to answer that question. my sense is it was expected.

even if for sentencing he was a year and a half with the military trial and prisoners told him what to expect with the process and imprisonment. and even those who work criminals who stole a car or political prisoners and sometimes the longer the prison sentence the more cachet you have as a free them fighter. he was the 18 year-old kid. he was expecting and the lawyer prepared that was the

sentence. in conclusion i want to share a story. you might remember the story i was talking about palestinian citizens of israel that people don't realize. when they talk about the palestinian is really conflict, it does not leave space where 20 percent of us in israeli citizens are indigenous living within the borders since 1940 before the occupation and they could manage tuesday when so many fled or were expelled. one participant was a 17

year-old and his whole life was committed to the peace work since he was 14 years old with his palestinian peers and colleagues. he was described as the kid with the 100-watt smile. in 2000 when the war broke out demonstrations also broke out in the north villages and also you look up october 2nd to put on his peace t-shirt to see what was happening and when his parents heard they went to try to bring him home. they could spot and easily.

the always were the t-shirt. the police climbed over the rail the police caught up to him and beat him on the back and he felt then they could not see him. but they heard the shots. the doctor that examined him which was very difficult to get the ambulance said the wound looked like he was shot point* blank face down in the back of the next.