Bruno Hussar Paul Versluis (April 12, 2015) [From the Book Great Peacemakers by Beller and Chase] Isaiah (32:18) "My People shall dwell in an Oasis of Peace"" "Waah-at i-sal-aam" / Ne-vé shal-om" is Arabic and Hebrew for Oasis of Peace: an intentional community jointly established by Jewish and Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel. The village is located midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv-Jaffa. André [Bruno] Hussar was born in Egypt in 1905. His mother was French and his father was Hungarian of the Jewish faith. The family spoke Italian, French and English. Andre went to an Italian School in Cairo and after his father died he and his mother moved to France where he worked to support his family. During this time one of his best friends died and seeking meaning and understanding he began to read the Bible and began to feel connected to both Judaism and Christianity. He studied engineering in Paris and during these university years, he also contemplated the problem of evil and as he did he was drawn to Jesus. With his mothers blessing he become a Catholic Dominican Priest. He later reflected, I feel I have four selves: I really am a Christian and a Priest, I really am a Jew, I really am an Israeli and if I don t feel I really am an Egyptian, I do at least feel very close to the Arabs who I know and love. [P72] In 1950 he was ordained as a priest and took the name Bruno, after the founder of the Carthusian Order, Bruno of Cologne. He was Transnational, trancultural and mutilingual so his religious superior asked Bruno to spend a year in Israel to establish a Dominican center for Jewish studies. He was glad to do this work and eventually established the House of Isaiah in Jerusalem, a Jewish-Catholic ecumenical study center in 1952 dedicated to interfaith harmony, dialogue and prayer between Christians and Jews. He was also the priest for a small congregation of Hebrew-speaking Catholic residents and Israeli Jewish converts to Catholicism. In 1967, the Six Day War convinced him of the need to work for reconciliation between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, both Christian and Muslim. He felt that for the work of reconciliation to proper people needed to share in the
experiences of daily life so he began to dream of beginning a intentional community of both Arab and Jew. Bruno was aware of anti-semitic prejudice within his Catholic confession. He also believed that the foundation of the State of Israel was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. He was happy for the reunification of Jerusalem following the Six Day War and became more and more pro-zionist. He defined himself as a Christian, Jew and as well, a loyal citizen of the State of Israel. Latter, Israel s annexation of East Jerusalem and it occupation of the West Bank and Gaza created in him a even greater sense of urgency to build a village an oasis of peace, where Jews, Christians and Muslims would live together. Although his Zionism was not what we call Christian Zionism, he did not think the establishment of the State of Israel foreshadowed the Second coming of Christ, still it would prove to be complicated, delicate tension within his dream. In 1970, he settled upon a barren hilltop loaned to him under a long term lease by the Latrun Monastery. There was no electricity, no road or water. For four years Bruno lived in a shipping crate. He cut out a window and door. An 8 x 8 cube. He said, the worst part was not the hardship, but that after four years no one came to live with him, no one shared his dream. People on all sides risked being called traitors if they joined because of course someone is a traitor if they are willing to associate much less live with someone from the other side. So Bruno, he made a deal with God. He would give up his dream unless at least one Jewish or Arab family came to live with him and someone would give him some money to carry on his dream. One Jewish family arrived and the Pax Christi gave him some funds. Bruno said, they came to live here because they can t bear being in a country where two people can t stop fighting. They must do something to help them come together in peace. By 1984 there were the village had 70 members, equally divided between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. It was no utopia. There were arguments, sometimes between Jews and Arabs, but mostly just arguments between people who try to live together. Hussar believe their village was the only place in Israel where Arabic and Jewish children played together as equals, learned both Hebrew and Arabic, had both Jewish and an Arab teacher. They learned to appreciate each others identities while maintaining their own. He once said, Our children do fight, but not between Arabs and Jews; between a child and another child. He added, I ve
never seen a kid saying, Oh, Achmed is an Arab, or Moshe is a Jew. I ve never seen that. They called their school a school of peace. The following quotation from his autobiography, When the Cloud Lifted, tells about those early years. "We had in mind a small village composed of inhabitants from different communities in the country. Jews, Christians and Muslims would live there in peace, each one faithful to his own faith and traditions, while respecting those of others. Each would find in this diversity a source of personal enrichment. The aim of the village: to be the setting for a school for peace. For years there have been academies in the various countries where the art of war has been taught. Inspired by the prophetic words: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more," we wanted to found a school for peace, for peace too is an art. It doesn't appear spontaneously, it has to be learnt. People would come here from all over the country to meet those from whom they were estranged, wanting to break down the barriers of fear, mistrust, ignorance, misunderstanding, preconceived ideas - all things that separate us - and to build bridges of trust, respect, mutual understanding, and, if possible, friendship. This aim would be achieved with the help of courses, seminars, group psychology techniques, shared physical work and recreational evenings." Being a Priest, Bruno had envisioned that the village would have a strong religious identity. They discovered that most of the families who joined the village were agnostic and secular rather than religious. Bruno accepted this and appreciated their commitment to the value of peace and comuity. He continued his own contemplative practice of prayer as he bu9ld a small white dome he called the House of Silence where he would go to pray. With Isael s Lebanon War following the outbreak of the First Infifada, Hussar refrained from taking any public stand, though he did write in his 1988 book, When the cloud lifted, that the Intifada was: a natural consequence of growing pressure on the territories, due to the Occupation and Jewish settlements and it has given rise to inevitable and harsh military repression. [2]
Some of the Muslim residents began to protest against the oppression of the occupation, but Hussar dedication to Zionism did not change. He thought the Jews had a right, sanctioned by the United Nations, to live in a land of their own. At the same time, he declared In itself Zionism in not in any way against the right of the Palestinian Arabs to a national existence in the same region; the land is spacious enough for that. ( ) No Jew who truly lives in the spirit of the Torah can be indifferent to the fate of the Palestinian Arabs and their hopes. This land is their home too. You can see how difficult it is to maintain the rule of neutrality even among friends with reference to such complicated matters. Some would argue that The village was not able to establish significant connection with either Israeli or Palestinian society. A friend of Hussar by the name of Dubois, once remarked that bother he and Hussar, in embarking on a naive adventurous Zionism, had 'completely denied the Palestinian tragedy'. As of 5 years ago, 50 families still call the village their home. 200 students attend the School of Peace, may from the surrounding villages. They have trained over 500 people as moderators and conflict management and almost 50K people have attended their school for peace workshops. Bruno did in February 1996 and thousands of people from Israel and abroad gathered to say farewell. Hussar was nominated in successive years (1988, 1989) for the Nobel Peace Prize. Until 1989, the village lacked recognition as an Israeli village, but in September of that year the Israeli Ministry of the Interior finally granted the village that legal status. In the words of Bruno Hussar,..the [Middle East] conflict isn t, as it is nearly always represented, a fight between right and wrong, but a fight between two rights. The drama is this; both the people confronting each other have rights to the land but neither of the two [at least from what their representatives say] recognizes the rights of the other. The most solid rock of all is fraternal love. We can never go wrong with love. John Paul Lederach, was Professor of Sociology and Conflict Studies at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He s also a leading expert on conflict resolution programs like the School for Peace at Neve Shalom/Wahat al- Salam. Lederach commented, "Face-to-face immediate community initiatives
don t always answer the larger scale structural problems or what some people might refer to as root causes or justice issues." For example, in the Middle East conflict resolution programs, like the School for Peace, will not solve disputes over access to land, water or democratic government. "But," he adds, "it s not necessarily oriented at attempting to do that. It s, much more about increasing the capacity of the community to deal with the immediate, basic conflict in its own backyard." This tiny village is producing a community of children who are very much what their distinct communities would want them to be Christian, Jew or Muslim but who are able to be so with complete confidence in an environment of absolute respect for diversity and difference. It s a remarkable achievement that may yet inspire others when they too are finally done with making war. Grace Feuerverger wrote a book on Hussan and his village. She writes, it s a gift that nourishes her. "It makes meaning out of what seems so horribly meaningless," she says, "I, who have grown up in the shadow of probably one of the worst if not the worst catastrophes in terms of killings I, for one, need to find some meaning, some purpose to my life, to life. I have to hang on to the life force. That village offers me hope. In spite of the negativity that we re all facing in so many parts of the world, a place like Neve Shalom/Wahat al-salam gives us that sense that all is not lost. "And I think in our hearts we need that so desperately." From the "Will" of Bruno Hussar To my friends in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-salam I would like to say the following things: I am happy to live permanently among you. I believe death is not the end of life, but a kind of metamorphosis. This means a complete change of life, passing from a known to an unknown phase. I believe that in some mysterious way I will continue to be connected to you. If I have hurt any one of you, out of disregard or any other reason, I sincerely ask for your pardon.
Here in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-salam, we have one aim: peaceful reconciliation between our two peoples. In order to work fruitfully towards this aim, we need to have mutual understanding and consideration of each other here in the village. This means LOVE. I would really like us to do things together as an act of love, reconciliation and peace between all the members of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-salam. My thanks to all the wonderful members who came and are still coming to live and work here, for their sharing in building this village and community. I would like very much that you will organize this funeral so that it will really be an act of reconciliation, love and peace among all the friends, in an atmosphere of joy. Yes, joy, because I am staying in your midst, though in another form. My brothers, start your prayers in Jerusalem, in Isaiah's House. Now I want my fellows and friends, over and above all partitions of religions, opinions and philosophies, to be united in love and faith. Faith in the ultimate victory of love over hate - this is the real and deepest aim of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-salam. A righteous man once said: "In a place where there is no love, sow love and you shall reap love". It may happen that the one who had sown love will not reap the love himself, only the person coming after him. But, no doubt, every seed of true love will give - today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow - the fruit of love. This is the real aim of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-salam - to keep the hope alive and to sow a lot of love seeds in this dry earth of our land. The fruit will come in its time, on the day of harvest. (Bruno recorded this in Hebrew. Anne Le Meignen found the tape a week after Bruno's death.) Bruno was a person of love and dreams. He was a true priest, who loved and dreamed the best for his people. These two qualities, love and dreams [faith] seem to be necessary qualities of peacemaker. We learn this from Bruno, who I believe learned this from Jesus.
Poem by Dafna Karta-Schwartz, The time of parting has come, The cocoon has turned into a butterfly Flying to look for other regions. But just a minute, Bruno, I want to tell you just a few more words. Words of love For a man that for him love was the call of life, Love was the gate Through which many people passed - Jews, Christians and Moslems. You had a place for them all, Because you were looking and finding the beautiful in each person. You had the power to hold and accept, You had the endless patience To dream about Neve Shalom/Wahat al-salam. You wanted a center for three religions And received a dialogue between two people. Through all our disagreements, differences and contradictions You stood fast by the idea of "The Doumiah" That would bridge all gaps. After all, Sometimes we remember We are all equal in front of God.
We were left behind. Thanks to you, your power of faith and hope We live on this hill And raise our children. We part today only from your body. The power of your dream and vision stays with us The belief in love between people The belief in search and acceptance. Your dream stays with us as a heritage And continues to the generations of your children and grandchildren, Sons of three religions and two people, For us and all the friends and supporters. I hope we will learn and know How to keep this heritage. Sometimes we forget, wonder, Make mistakes, and close our hearts. I hope we can know and learn to accept from you This wisdom, The wisdom of love. Your dream will still grow and spread roots As more and more believing people Will join us. We would follow your path, The path of a modest, wise and innocent man. Good-bye Bruno, Fly in peace with the other butterflies.