All Nations Café

by Dhyan Or

Yesterday, we had a meeting of young Israelis and Palestinians, as well as internationals, at the Home of Hajj Ibrahim on the Mount of Olives.    

The idea came from Adi, one of a group of 18 year old Israelis who postponed their army service for a year after finishing high school to go and live together in a community and learn about some of the realities of life in this country in order to make a change. Although they come from varied towns and villages, including settlements in the West Bank, for most of them this was the first visit to a Palestinian neighborhood, and obviously to a Palestinian home.    

At her request, we also invited young Palestinians from East Jerusalem; although this was a busy time, one day before the Palestinian legislative council elections, In’am and her friends Suheila, Fauzi and Rawan, all working together in a children project at the Shu’afat refugee camp, made an effort to come and meet Israelis, not wearing uniform, which is also not common for them. We also had the pleasure of having Ra’ed, a local Hebrew and Arabic teacher and a peace activist, Mohammad, Ibrahim’s Son, Ali, Ibrahim’s ardent nephew, as well as some neighbors who watched and listened from windows all around.    

Hajj Ibrahim, with the help of some of the residents in his home, who also attended the meeting, namely: Claudia (from Germany), Liz (UK), Judy(Italy), Kevin (France), David (UK), Robin (South Africa) and his little son Jeremiah, prepared a wonderful setting on the roof and balcony, which, with some squeezing, accommodate the crowd of about 70 people with tables laden with colorful fruits, cookies, drinks and delicious knaffe, and welcomed all the guests whole heartedly.    

Everybody introduced themselves, mainly in English, with some Israelis showing their skills in spoken Arabic, which made everybody laugh; and then I asked each group (Palestinians, Israelis, Internationals) to state a personal vision for the Middle East (the credit for this question goes to Stanford, a process psychologist and a friend).    

Here are some of the visions people shared:    

“We must, as Jewish, as Palestinians, look for a solution to our problem, because nobody can solve it from the outside, we must look for our peace inside, in ourselves, I think this is the first point, and we can start from this point.”    Inam, Silwan, East Jerusalem    

“My vision is that one of the people in this room, on this roof, will be the Rais [leader] of the Israeli side and I hope that one of the Palestinians in this room will be the Rais of the Palestinians, maybe then the change will come ..”  Jonathan, Herzliya, Israel    

“You should welcome a one state in this country, because you are cousins, you are very similar in your characteristic, originally you had the same sort of culture, and you can live together.” David, UK    

“I agree with David, Palestine to me is not only the West Bank and Gaza, I believe in a one state solution which includes everybody.” Ra’ed, A-Tour, East Jerusalem    

“I think there is too much ignorance.. we should start educating people.. nobody is really talking to each other .. I think this house is a good start .. it gives hope” Ari, West Jerusalem    

“There are no enemies, just two wounded nations .. fantastic to meet you all .. such good hearts”    Liz, Glastonbury, UK    

Alongside the optimistic voices, people on both sides acknowledged the Israeli and the Palestinian wish for independent and safe states, and said that the situation seems grim at the moment, but they are determined to change it.    

Some of the Israelis who live in West Jerusalem said they will come back to Ibrahim’s Home in the future, now that they know a place like this exists.    

Suheila, a Palestinian law student, said she will not forget the faces and the eyes of the Israelis in the meeting, and that in the future, when she will perhaps be in a powerful position, will kindly remember them, as she also hopes that next year, when the Israeli group is going to serve in the army, and perhaps some will be stationed in East Jerusalem, they will also remember her face.    

For me, hearing the realistic yet hopeful words of these young people gave me great support and inspiration to continue working for a bright future in the Middle East, knowing that, in the words of Khalil Gibran, these are the children of tomorrow, and no smoke will veil their eyes and no jingle of chains will drown out their voices, and although they may be few in number, the difference is as between a grain of wheat and a stack of hay… They are the seed dropped by the hand of God in the field, breaking through its pod and waving its sapling leaves before the face of the sun. It shall grow into a mighty tree, its root in the heart of the earth and its branches high in the sky..    

by Reeka

Welcome to the AllNationsCafé 2006 !  Nice to have you here ! Are you visiting us for the first time ? Come join a tour on our site… see the place, the rooftop café, the permaculture garden, meet interesting people from all over the world, enjoy a cup of original fair-trade coffee on the terrace or take some time to browse through our small info-bookshop supplying you with the latest activities from networks in Israel… or lean back on one of the fluffy sofas and just listen to the Arabic music compiled by a young Palastinian DJ. The AllNationsCafé experience picks you up wherever you need it.

You make your way up the hill. The Mount of the Olives is welcoming you with a walk up the steep road. Takes you past the entrance to the gates of the Garden of Gethsemane and the AllNationsCafé-Guest-House right next to them.
You look up and are surprised. The big ‘AllNationsCafé – welcome friend !’ metal sign above some stairs shows you that you have found the place you want to see. You have read about this place in your Lonely Planet for the first time, have followed the event list on the web-site for weeks and heard about it on the Hebrew radio on your first day in Israel… a place, famous for its unconventional concept, its unique multicultural program and a profile that stands for quality and taste. And now you’re there !

You climb up the stairs, shaped in organic curves and covered with colourful mosaics by local artists.
A small terrace opens before you. It is nice and cool up here, a roof of green leafs covers the wooden plateau and a composition of big terracotta pots with Oleander, bamboo plants and flowers creates an almost forest-like atmosphere. Small groups of tables and chairs, all handcrafted by artist woodworkers, and sofas with red fluffy cushions offer you to take a seat… not many are vacant. You see people of all ages sitting and laughing, playing board-games or exchanging thoughts in a concentrated conversation. Small sculptures and pieces of art-work from all over the world draw your attention – this place has been visited by many international life-artists who have felt the urge to leave a gift !

You make your way through to the open entrance door, towards the music playing inside, an interesting fusion of Arabic Traditionals and electronic subculture beats. The scent of Turkish Coffee and nagila welcomes you as you enter the coffee shop. Only now can you see how small a place the AllNationsCafé is – a tiny house built from local stones, into the slope of the hill. ‘Almost like a cave !’ you think as you proceed to the bar – and immediately like the friendly atmosphere inside.
A modern and yet tastefully chosen interior design pleases your senses on first sight. Main colours are white, red and black, the colours of the AllNationsCafé. Two large windows open to the terrace and in the back part of the room an open door leads to the garden and the ‘rooftop garden café’. Light wooden tables and chairs match the small bar and the buffet displaying dishes and cakes of the day. A modern Syrian painter’s pictures are exhibited on the wall, showing scenes of the everyday life in the capitols of all Middle Eastern Countries. The room is clean and well set up.
Shelves on the walls contain books, handycrafts and frames with pictures and poems. One corner is set up with a wooden notice board displaying the work of activists of all parts of the country: a strong network has grown between organisations and initiatives – the ‘New Jerusalem Vision Initiative’ is now reaching out to both the Knesset and the Ramallah Headquaters, joining negotiations with new and fresh concepts of coexistence and cooperation.

You sit down at one of the tables next to the board.’What is your order, please ? ‘. The friendly face of a young Indian girl appears in front of you: Sheila, 18, born in Puna as a Jew, now in Israel with her family – and the first of her friends to withdraw from the Army Service ! Doing two years of voluntary service in non-profit projects instead: The AllNationsCafé is the first one she chose. ‘The diversity of the program and its openness for any kind of creativity fascinated me from the first moment I heard about it.’ she tells you later. ‘I joint the team… and it really changed my life !’
The international AllNationsCafé-network is a perfect opportunity for anyone to find the right connections for his personal project: Artists, writers, journalists, political activists, religious and secular, all are connected through the AllNationsWeb, a medium that has reached international standards and is informing about AllNationsCaféActivities in Israel, Palastine, Europe, Canada and the US… an exchange program is now being set up for more volunteers who want to share their free energy with the world.

A first glance at the menu makes you ask for a moment to consider. A range of international dishes and local specialities sounds too good to be true – all made from organically grown fresh ingredients and bought through FairTrade organisations.
You order a ‘Kenia Highlands Ice-Coffee’ and some fruit cake and lean back in your comfortable chair, taking a rest from all the new impressions.

After an hour of contemplation and conversation with Sheila, she takes you outside to see the garden and the rooftop.
‘It’s a permaculture garden’, she explains, ’showing the simple principles of self-sustaining systems put into a design for small units of land. Basically suitable for any land-owner of a small  property… could be an existential contribution to the life of many… and would really make a difference in our ecological crisis !’
She shows you around: herbs and flowers for bouquets frame the paths through mixed beds with small bushes and veggies. A ‘Chicken tractor’ draws your attention: a large cage without a floor keeps 5 chicken inside. ‘Only for two hours a day !’ she assures – ‘they loosen the soil for the new beds, so we don’t have to do it.’
The compost is situated in a distance from the building – a new system using Effective Microorganisms and the chicken dirt to turn the kitchen waste into highly nutritious and fertilizing soil within less than 4 weeks– without using any chemicals.
You can hardly see any irrigation pipes, because the ground is already after 1 ½ years covered with shrubs and mulch plants. ‘We only irrigate 3 months a year in the hot season. The rest of the time is maintained with a watering system that uses grey water from the village above and runs it in pipes under the surface. The organic plant sewerage beds on its way clean it so well that we could even drink it.’
A young forest of fruit, nut and olive trees leads you down again.

A small wooden bridge leads to the second terrace on the rooftop of the building. The sun is going down – can you believe it, so late already ! – and the cotton sun shades have been taken down. Sinai atmosphere welcomes you with carpets, pillows, matraces and low tables. Some people sit together and play music, others take a nap or read one of the brochures from the bookshop.
You find a free space on one of the pillows and decide to stay for a bit longer. Instead of meeting your friend downtown later, you call him and order him to come here instead… and get to know a magical place with an incredible potential.

After you indulged a large dinner with your friend and stayed for a presentation on a school program that is organized by local parents, you get on one of the regular AllNationsCafé-Shuttle-taxies… another good idea that secures the financial existence of young local drivers and ensures a constant access to the site – because even in critical times, AllNationsCafé-cabs are allowed through roadblocks.

You reach home and review your day. A very inspiring experience you’ve had. Not the last time – that’s for sure !

The All Nations Café, which is on tour this summer around the Middle East and the World is still opening its gates in Gethsemane garden on occasion to receive a beautiful crowd of people from all nations who come to share their song, dance and good spirit.

Last Friday at the cafe in Jerusalem was a lot of fun. Hila made a wonderful yoghurt and cucumber (Tsaziky) salad with olive oil. Lisa prepared a refreshing organic lemonade. Claire, just back from France and soon going to Delhi, came with to share travel stories and helped a lot in the kitchen.

Some of our best musicians showed up. Masoud with his wife Karen and with his Oud accompanied Yael Tai in a magical medieval song. Then he played an Arabic tune for Hila’s oriental (belly) dancing, joined by Daphna and Yael. Miriam played us her new CD, recorded a few days before. In this CD, she is singing peace songs in Hebrew, Arabic & English, and Masoud is playing the oud.

It seems like the cafe became a Jerusalem landmark for tourists. Daphna and Yael passed a couple of Americans with their Israeli guide on a tour of the Old City and told them that the All Nations Café is the place to go. They turned out to be very talented musicians themselves, and doing creative work with youth in L.A. and in Egypt. Batya, a good friend who is moving from west Jerusalem into the walls of the Old City (against the regular flow), has come with another American who are involved in trauma healing in Seattle.

Khaled Ansari, from the family that owns the cafe, entertained two friends, one of them is Ismail from Jabel Mukaber, a frequent guest who came in right after the Friday prayer at alAqsa mosque across the road.

The sun was lowering behind the picturesque churches and mosques of the city, the heat of the day was giving way for a cool breeze of Shabbat setting the atmosphere for the closing of another magical event at the All Nations Café.