Jerusalem speaker shares story in Rogue Valley of self-discovery journey

ASHLAND, Ore.– A local Jewish center welcomed a guest speaker from Jerusalem Wednesday night to hear his incredible story and message of unity.

Dozens of residents from the Rogue Valley met with Mark Halawa at Grizzly Peak Winery in a discussion put together by the Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Oregon.

Born a refugee in the country of Kuwait, Halawa was raised in a Palestinian Muslim family. He says while his parents were more secular in their teachings, he attended Palestinian schools, summer camps and youth groups that taught him to hate Judaism and Israel for the misfortunes it caused to his family and people.

“Years later now, looking at it I mean we were promoting hatred,” he said. “I was filled with hatred.”

When he turned 25, Halawa enrolled in Western University in London, Ontario to continue his education as his parents had wanted him to. It was there he witnessed the “mosaic” of cultures as Canadians call it and how all different types of groups, people and religions were able to coexist.

It was also at this time that he met a Jewish professor who engaged in polite but somewhat tense conversations about their backgrounds.

“I told him, ‘Listen, I didn’t hate Jews 100 percent,'” said Halawa. “Maybe 95 percent because my grandmother used to be Jewish.”

Halawa says his grandmother converted to Islam years ago in order to marry and live with his grandfather. According to Muslim tradition, religious identity is passed down through the father. But the professor told Halawa by Jewish traditions, Jewish identity is passed down through the mother meaning he was both Jewish and Muslim.

“The conversation was respectful. I thought that guy is crazy or he’s a missionary of some sort,” said Halawa.

But after speaking with his grandmother, she confirmed it was true causing a major questioning of the ideologies he had been taught for years. Halawa says for years he was taught to hate the very thing he himself was.

Since then, it has been an explosion of curiosity to understand both Islam and Judaism.

“I took my love for coexistence with other people to the highest level and really I just wanted to make peace somehow,” he said.

Halawa has since moved to Jerusalem where he has started a family and practices Judaism but still recognizes his Arab upbringing. He gives these talks all over North American and even in the Middle East where he says the people are very receptive to hear his story and most just want to live in peace.

“No matter what you are, where you come from, we’re all human beings under the sun,” said Halawa. “We all share a lot in common between us more than what divides us.”

He says he’s very hopeful about a future in the Middle East with the new youth growing up there that one day soon all groups will be able to co-exist just like his grandparents.

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