Big Sur Spirit Garden

Transcription

1 Big Sur Spirit Garden A zocalo of art and culture Presents: A DANCE THEATER PERFORMANCE HOW ONE MAN MADE A DIFERENCE IN THE WORLD BY Making Peace With Qaddafi Friday, November 10 th 5pm Making Peace with Qaddafi is a one-person play which illustrates the joys, struggles, and reconciliation of one man s, and metaphorically, humanity s quest to find peace in the world. The play is born from Gerbi s visionary peace project, which helped heal the rift between Libya and its Jewish population, who fled their country as refugees in 1967 after the 6-day Arab-Israeli war. This peace project has since helped create diplomatic ties between the US and Libya. His Holiness The Dalai Lama has written, I pray that David Gerbi s project to build peace for his community in Libya may be blessed with success. David has also received support from the Office of the President of Italy, the Mayor of Rome, President Moshe Katsav of Israel, and many others.

2 Background David is a Jew who was born in Libya and lived there until the 6-day war in When the Arabs were defeated by Israel, Jews who had lived side-by-side with Arabs for centuries were no longer welcome in many Arab countries. The Jewish population in Libya went into exile. David was twelve years old when he and his family became refugees and settled in Italy. Their home and his father's shop were confiscated and never returned. David completed his education in Italy and ultimately became a psychologist. Today, he teaches in Italy, the United States, Israel and Japan. Soon after September 11, 2001 David went to Esalen, a human potential center in California. It was here, while the second intifada was in full force in the Middle East, that David went through a process of self-discovery and healing that led him to dedicate himself to making peace between the exiled Jews and Qaddafi. As Dr. Elio Toaff, Chief Rabbi Emeritus of Rome says at the beginning of David s book He found his own way to overcome the initial trauma of his exodus by becoming a citizen of the world and a man of peace. The first Jew to receive a Libyan visa While working towards the vision of returning to Libya David discovered that he had an aunt living in Tripoli. She was the last Jew remaining there. David wrote a letter to Qaddafi requesting a visa so he could visit his aunt and reunite her with her family in Italy. Qaddafi was moved by the letter as well as the book that David had written about his mission of peace. He approved David's visa application on humanitarian grounds. In 2002 David became the first Jew to get a visa to visit Libya since He fulfilled his dream to return to Libya after 36 years of being in exile.

3 A step toward normalized relations with Libya While David was visiting Tripoli, one of Qaddafi's key advisors noticed that David's passport had several American visa stamps indicating that he had made frequent trips to the U.S. He asked David if he would be willing to play a role in normalizing the relationship between Libya and the U.S. through unofficial channels. David agreed and soon after met with Eli Wiesel who agreed to help initiate the reconciliation between the US and Libya. David s next step was to fly to Washington D.C. to speak with Congressman Sam Farr and Congressman Tony Lantos staff about his experiences in Libya and the interest the Libyan government had in a rapprochement. Through his bridge-building efforts David made a contribution to opening a dialogue between the US and Libya. David also accomplished his personal mission. He met his long-lost aunt and brought her back to her family in Italy. The book Gerbi s inspiring book about his experiences has been published in Italy, Japan, and Israel. It was sponsored by the UN Refugee Agency and the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is currently writing a second book, Making Peace with Qaddafi, to be published in the US. In this work, for which His Holiness The Dalai Lama has written the foreword (full text attached), he takes the story from the personal to a universal level. David has also received support for his vision from the Office of the President of Italy, the Mayor of Rome, President Moshe Katsav of Israel, and many others. A Leadership Role for President Clinton David's wish is for President Clinton to play a leadership role in this peace-making effort. His request is for President Clinton to write an introduction for the book, "Making Peace with Qaddafi". President Clinton's endorsement will help David s effort to meet Qaddafi because Qaddafi admires Clinton and would be impressed by his show of support. Ultimately, David sees the possibility of President Clinton initiating a peace mission to Libya a mission that David would accompany him on to meet directly with Qaddafi. As a symbol of the reconciliation David plans to propose the refurbishment of a synagogue in Tripoli that has fallen into disrepair. This personal humanitarian effort would give President Clinton the opportunity to play a historic role in resolving the conflict between Arabs and Jews. It is a small but significant step that could be a bridge to a broader reconciliation between Arabs and Jews throughout the region. David has no self-interest in this endeavor. He has willingly given up any claim to his family s confiscated property in Tripoli, offering this gesture as a pledge for a constructive and lasting peace between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East. David lives in Italy and travels to the U.S. frequently. He is available to speak in person, by phone, or by with President Clinton s staff about this project. He can be reached at davidgerbi@costruttoridipace.it. His website (in Italian) is

4 You can also communicate with his colleague in California, Athena Katsaros, at or

5 Foreword to Making Peace with Qaddafi by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama Every member of the human race has an equal and inalienable right to liberty, not only in terms of political freedom, but also in terms of basic rights; such as, freedom from fear and want. Today, the actual number of refugees is, unfortunately, increasing even though there are many associations working for more liberty and democracy in many parts of the world. People from nearly every continent flee from their homes for fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, social class, or political opinion. Others leave their homes only in search of basic needs. As a Tibetan who has spent most of his life in exile, I am well familiar with all the hardships these people have to face. A refugee has a constant feeling of insecurity, because although he may be relatively free, he is not living in his own homeland. The loss of one s basic liberty, common to all refugees, can be compared to a trauma suffered by the abrupt loss of a landmine victim s limb. It is very difficult to accept the loss of rights and privileges which most of us take for granted. In his book David Gerbi describes how he and the entire Jewish Community in Libya became refugees more than thirty-years ago. However, rather than seek sympathy for their plight, he is asking support for his project to live again in a peaceful coexistence with his Libyan Arab brothers. His plans are to return to Tripoli one day. I, too, look forward to returning to my homeland and that of my ancestors. I hope and pray that David Gerbi s project to build peace for his community in Libya is blessed with success.