Cooking Peace: An environmental-culinary summer camp brought together Jewish and Arab teenagers
Participants in the "Green Network" camp took part in a variety of experiential activities on climate crisis and nutrition, accompanied by a Jewish-Arab camp staff including leading instructors and chefs.
Against the backdrop of tensions between Jews and Arabs in Israel, the environmental education organization "Green Network" held the unique "Cooking Peace" summer camp this week at the Ben Shemen Youth Village. The camp was attended by 20 Arab and 20 Jewish teenagers aged 15-17, living in different places in Israel and representing a wide spectrum of perceptions and cultures.
The participants, most of whom had never met teenagers from different religions before, were selected after an extensive recruitment and interview process. They took part in enjoyable and educational cultural and social experiences on topics such as the climate crisis, cooking, nutrition, and more, thanks to content that focused on sustainability values and the value inherent in living in a healthy society and a beneficial environment. This included field activities such as visiting the 'Food Rescue' organization in Jerusalem and the 'Cooking Studio' in Tel Aviv. At the heart of the camp was the shared responsibility for an optimal future for the entire Israeli public, as participants held deep dialogues about what is important to them, as well as their fears about the future and their hopes.
The initiator of the "Cooking Peace" camp, Miryam Darmoni Sharvit from the "Green Network" organization, says:
"This is a groundbreaking project that is full of hope. The concept behind the initiative sees healthy food as a bridge that allows for connecting Jews and Arabs, which enables constructive engagement with the climate crisis as a common challenge for everyone, in a longing for peace and belonging to the place and appreciation of the human diversity in Israel."
She emphasizes: "Food systems are responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions and for much illness, especially among teenagers. Food connects people and gladdens the heart, and therefore at the heart of the camp was the connection of the teenagers to themselves, to the place, and to the culinary culture that has made Israeli cuisine one of the most popular in the world."
The camp was led by a Jewish-Arab staff, including instructors, alongside leading chefs who accompanied the project as graduates of a special scholarship program for Jewish and Arab chefs at the LYFE Higher School of Culinary and Hospitality in Lyon, France, founded by one of the fathers of French cooking — the late Paul Bocuse. Participant Muhammad Mahajna, 17, from Ar'ara in the Triangle, shared:
"In the camp, I felt just like at home thanks to the kind treatment I received from the staff, as well as thanks to the friends I made there who became like brothers and sisters to me. We were not in the camp like two separate peoples of Arabs and Jews, but as one united people for all intents and purposes."
The "Green Network" organization has been operating for nearly 30 years to develop awareness and drive environmental and social action in Israel among all sectors within the framework of science-based programs connected to cultures and the local space. The organization creates collaborations with local authorities that are preparing to deal with the consequences of the climate crisis, trains teaching staff and managers, offers study programs adapted to different ages, conducts activities among teenagers from all parts of the population, holds workshops for authority employees, accompanies groups and active residents, and more.
