Light Behind the Darkness Stories of Compassion from the Holy Land

Omar, Raouf & Claude Weil

ISBN 10: 1897508360 / ISBN 13: 9781897508367

Published by 0, 2009

Includes an inscription from authors. Moderate wear. A lot of the pages have a pen mark at the top (one would assume as a way to mark the page). No hassle 30-day return policy and free shipping within Canada. Expedited shipping available for $10 in some regions. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall. Seller Inventory # 4595

Synopsis:

A compilation of stories of the authors experiences during a conflict that is at the very forefront of the world s consciousness.

Weil is an Israeli Jew and Omar is a Palestinian, an unlikely combination for two such close friends. But this friendship proves that compassion--in the most unlikely places and at the most unlikely times--lives on in the hearts of even the toughest soldiers of the desert.

We think of soldiers as being hard, impersonal, and rough; even insensitive. But in these stories we learn that they can be tough, but oh, so gentle. They can become captivated by a sunset or a desert flower; by a child, an old man, a beautiful woman. They can be capable of acts of compassion.

About the Author: Raouf Omar is a Palestinian, born in March 1952 on the West Bank of the Jordan River, which, at that time, was part of Jordan. Since the Six Day War between Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, the West Bank was annexed by Israel. His family originates from Jaffa, a beautiful coastal city adjacent to Tel Aviv. In 1947, when the United Nations voted to partition the Holy Land into two countries, Israel and Palestine, war erupted. His family was driven out of its home. It settled in the Balata Camp managed and supplied by the United Nations.

Claude Weil is Jewish. He was born in April 1954 in Algeria, which was then a part of France since its colonization. His family originates from one of the twelve tribes of Israel that were scattered throughout the world following momentous historical events. In 1956, his family settled in France, as a colonial conflict was fast developing in Algeria. At the age of nineteen, having fully realized the scope and horror of what had happened to his people from antiquity through World War II and after, in a world still plagued with anti-Semitism, he decided to go back to Israel, which was fighting for acceptance by the Arab world. Most of the Palestinian people were caught in between in often very difficult conditions.

Raouf and Claude have been active participants in, and witnesses of, a tragedy that they believe can be resolved only by compassion grounded in fundamental human values, together with a good dose of realism, by all countries involved in the region. Today both Claude and Raouf live in Ottawa, Canada. Both families left behind a world they profoundly love, a tragically divided homeland their homeland.

When Claude met Raouf in his restaurant, they embraced immediately as long-lost brothers. In each other s presence, their souls find some peace. They decided to write this book to celebrate the triumph of Compassion.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Light Behind the Darkness Stories of ...
Publisher: 0
Publication Date: 2009
Binding: Softcover
Condition: Good