Let their be peace on earth and let it begin with me.
Let their be peace on earth the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our father brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.

I opened The Star today and encountered an article about a young musical group called “Strings of Freedom” from the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank having travelled to a seniors centre near Tel Aviv to play for the residents. The musicians didn’t know their audience were survivors of the holocaust, many of them didn’t know the holocaust had even taken place. The audience didn’t know their musicians were young Palestinians.

The chances for peace and friendship we can have when we don’t know who we’re talking to. The event was part of Good Deeds Day which is sponsored by one of the richest women in Israel. The reaction in Jenin has resulted in the orchastra being shut down with many claiming the young people were exploited for political gain. I guess it is all about perspective.

As I read the reports on this, the lyrics above came to mind. Many years ago, when my now adult niece was in grade 4 and I was Legion President I invited her class to sing that piece at our Remembrance Day service in the local park. To me, their young voices singing this piece represented all that was right about Remembrance Day. It is not a day to celebrate war but to honour the cost of piece. A day to remember the past and pray for peace in the future. Read the rest of this entry »