The Israeli Scouts Tzofim Friendship Caravan has performed at the Bayshore Town Center in Glendale for several successive summers.
And the Global Youth Leadership Institute has brought participants in the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program to Milwaukee previously and had them visit Lake Park Synagogue.
But never before 2012 did the two groups happen to be in Milwaukee at the same time, according to Michal Makov-Peled, co-emissary from Israel to Milwaukee.
And so on Aug. 8, a group of about 16 Iraqi and U.S. students met at the synagogue with about 10 Israeli Scouts, Makov-Peled and her husband and co-emissary Ro’ee Peled, and LPS spiritual leader Rabbi Shlomo Levin.
As Makov-Peled explained it, one of the people working with the IYLEP group, Carolyn Swabek, contacted Elana Kahn-Oren, director of Community Relations and Israel & Overseas Engagement at the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.
The idea was that IYLEP group participants should spend some of their time in Milwaukee, Aug. 2-13, visiting religious institutions to learn about religious diversity and life for Milwaukee’s minority communities.
Kahn-Oren knew that the Israeli Scouts would be in Milwaukee during that time, and contacted Makov-Peled about having the Israelis meet these Iraqis, bringing together teens that probably would never have an opportunity to meet otherwise.
Given that Iraq is an Arab country and in the past was hostile to Israel, “Meeting Jewish people was already huge” for them, to say nothing of meeting Israelis, Makov-Peled said. “Of course, we were nervous.”
But the U.S. leaders of the effort “were excited” and wanted to add the activity to the schedule. Levin was enthusiastic about the opportunity to create those connections..
It turned out there was no tension “at all” between the groups during the hour they spent at LPS. “There was no politics at all,” said Makov-Peled.
The participants introduced themselves. Levin showed a Torah scroll and explained some aspects of Judaism. The scouts performed some songs. and The teens talked, asked questions, and exchanged social media addresses.
The scouts had not expected this sort of event at all, Makov-Peled said, “but it was still meaningful.” And Levin “did a good job getting people involved,” she said.
The IYLEP is a program run in partnership with GYLI, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and World Learning. It brings Iraqi teens 15-18 and adult educators to the U.S. for four weeks to meet U.S. teens, stay with host families, and generally “promote mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration between the United States and Iraq.” More information about it can be found at the website gyli.org.
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