-I was born in Tehran, we left to LA when i was 2
-Why did you move to TelAviv?
-I was missing home, … it was the closest thing to Tehran 

Judith
33 TelAviv, from Tehran

-The first question that comes to mind is: why is your name written in Hebrew on your FB profile?
-The answer is that I’m Jewish.
Jewish people are not common in Iran. In fact, there are only 8750 Jews in the entire country.
It’s hard to really make friends here because we are so few and people misunderstand who we are and what we do. School was really hard for me.
I meet most of my friends online.

-Why did you change your profile picture to one that represents marriage equality?
-To me, it’s important to fight for LGBTQ rights because being gay in Iran is an offense punishable by death. I’m not afraid of the penalty. Freedom is the most important human right to me and I’m not going to give up fighting for it—no matter the consequences. Many other young Iranians feel the same.

-I see that  you post lot of stuff about Israel on your wall, why is that?
-It’s because I’m a Zionist!
-…Really?
-I’m a humanist, I’m Jewish, I fight for LGBTQ rights, and I’m an Iranian who believes in Israel’s right to exist.
-What does it mean for you to be a Zionist?
-It means that I see Israel as my true homeland. I hope to even make Aliyah one day.

-How do you imagine your new life in Israel?
-To feel free and safe among the people that I belong to. I’ve never experiences Freedom, Democracy, Justice in Iran.

-Can you imagine yourself coming to Israel and having to serve in the army?
-I’d be glad to join the military. It would be an honor for me to serve in the IDF.

-How about Bibi, what do you think about him?
-I support Likud party and Prime Minister Netanyahu and his policies.
-So you’re a Likudnik living in Tehran?
-Yes, ….:)
-Would you miss anything in Iran if you moved to Israel?
-Sure. My friends

Kiavash ,18
-Tehran

-One wish?
-Get to stay away from the explosions in Baghdad.
I moved from southern Iraq to Baghdad when i was 15, i wanted  to study art.
No much Culture in the south… Baghdad is way more open.
I lived on my own since, i’m an artist and it’s the thing i’m the most proud of.

Hussein ,20
-Baghdad

Last year, hundreds of thousands of people protested on the streets in Turkey
Nobody had told them to do so!
Before that moment,  I was feeling like i’ m  surrounded by dolls, deaf people… No interest in what going on in this country, in  what will happen to our freedom.
These events changed my perspective about Turkish society forever.

-Eray, 35, ISTANBUL

At an ATM, a woman, I think she was a settler, was having trouble dealing with the machine. I went over to offer some help…
she freaked out…
I guess she thought I was going to attack her.
It took her a few second until she realized that I was there to help.

-Amer, 30, Jerusalem

I regret i didn’t teach my grandma to read in Hebrew.
She was born in Libya. when she came to Israel she talked Hebrew, Italian and mostly Arabic.
She was 70 years old when she asked me to teach her to read and write Hebrew and I always promised : “next time”. I was thinking that she was too old. I was wrong.
She was so smart and curious and wanted to read a newspaper in Hebrew. eventually she passed away when she was 102 years old!

–Carmit, 43, TELAVIV

During the Israeli operation last summer, Ruth, my Israeli friend contacted me every day.
I felt that she cares about me more than any government.

–Rami, 33, GAZA

My father was a very dominating figure. my mother was his second wife. I grew up seeing him control everything and everybody. He was a perfectionist and always criticized my mother for everything. I hated when he criticized the food she cooked. Once my father saw me playing basketball and told my mother that I was not allowed to play with my male cousins. He said she should teach me some girls stuff. I yelled at him that I will play and won’t cook or do girly stuff. The next day he took down the basketball net.

–MAHJABEEN, 30 HYDERABAD

I wore a gas mask in Tehran as part of project that I did with a friend I never saw people looking at me like that! People here don’t usually look at each other. A kid followed us for an hour. Finally I took a photo wearing the mask with him!

–Farnoush, 21 Tehran

When sanctions are over, I will travel the world, starting with the USA. I have to visit New York.
What is the first thing you will do when you get there?
I guess I’ll go to sleep, I’ll be so jet-lagged.

–Anushiravan, 24, Metal Band Singer, TEHRAN

I travel through Google maps these days.
Starting point: Palestine
Destination: France
Google: No results for ‘Palestine’

–Haya, 22 HEBRON

Few days ago the salesman at the drugstore refused to place the change in my bare hand.
When I asked why, he explained that he was disgusted by me as a cross-dresser.
I appreciated his honesty.
Even for me, it took years to open up to myself. I was a thousand times more disgusted of myself than he was by me.

–Yuval, 39 TELAVIV

Suddenly I found myself with no friends, no girlfriend and no life around me.
When I saw that my school had been destroyed by a bomb and was full of refugees,
I understood that it’s time to leave.
I left the following week.

I used to love SYRIA. It’s like when you fall in love with somebody and then they turn out to be a monster.

-Tahha, 27, Aleppo

Being an atheist in the Arab world means you have to get use to feeling worthless. Your own family excludes you. Things that makes them laugh make you cry. Your words don’t make sense to them and you can’t stand their words anymore. Your dreams are their worst nightmares and your goals go against their will. I don’t know if my love for them can overcome my fear that one day they will turn against me… once they know who i am really

–Ahmed, 26, CAIRO

We’ve met through an Israeli-Palestinian breast cancer support group, hoping to find something “good” in cancer, and we found eachother.
“The real enemy is Cancer, a disease, it’s not man made conflict. We are breast cancer survivors, we fought a much bigger enemy than the Middle-East conflict, we fought cancer and WE WON.” .

–Ruth and Ibtisam
-Jerusalem (East and West)

“In Gaza everyone knows each other. In the morning it takes people forever to get to work and not because of traffic, No…Because you have to say hello
– Salam-Alaikom – to everyone you know.
A good morning greeting (Sabahu Al-khair) soon develops to a discussion about how’s everyone in your family doing.

When planning your day, consider 2 minutes for each family member and you’ll be on time.”

–Tamer
-GAZA

“One time I decided to let my beard grow. I expected people to tell me that I look sexy.
When my friends saw me they asked if I decided to become a terrorist. “

–Aniss 23
-Blida, Algeria

5  years ago my high school principal banned me from school for a few days because I had my eyebrows done!
I was one of the top students and had never skipped a class because I have always loved studying.
I had enough of those rules and laws, I was sick of them!
I quit school and started searching for a new country in which I could study.
The day my parents told me they could afford sending me to study medicine in Armenia was the best day of my life!

–Tara 21
-Mashhad IRAN

Today I found out that borders are sometimes just a product of our imagination.
I discovered a whole new world, right next door that for years I had been brainwashed into thinking was unavailable to me.
New landscapes, new smells, music, and tastes
New and amazing people.

–Marianna, 44 Nes-Tziyona
-Nes-Tziyona

I had to come out

I was twenty when my parents bought me the ultimate “babe magnet” – a convertible Peugeot 206. They thought i needed a little leverage to push me out of my shyness with the girls. I knew it’s time to kick down the doors of my closet.

My sister already knew about me. Coming out to her was in my terms. I guess it’s usually easier to come out to your siblings first. One day, my sister told me that mother asked her about the success of the “babe magnet”. I knew this is it! enough is enough! today is the day…

With my father i knew it’ll be easy or at least easier. He was a devoted fan of “queer as folk” TV series back in those days so the ground was set. The minute he came back home, i told him. “Don’t worry we are all good” he replied and while he was climbing up the stairs to his room he mentioned that the only thing he is disappointed about, is that I didn’t clean the mess i left in his room…

With my mother it was much harder…I couldn’t face her directly so I wrote a letter and my brother gave it to her….she didn’t take it well.  I was  expecting her empathy, her full support. Instead she sent me to a shrink. She thought I was confused and that it would go away. She didn’t tell any of her friends. Our relationship became extremely hard. I would shout and act aggressively. I couldn’t accept myself until she would accept me. At some point, I had to get away from her until I came to terms with myself. Only then, I could  bring her back into my life.

I guess it’s true what they say; once you go out of the closet, your parents go in. At least for my mom…

Then Boaz came… my lotto winning ticket!
It’s amazing how everybody loves him. Everywhere he goes he glows with positive energy.
My family adores him… sometimes I think they like him even more than they like me.
He is the ideal groom. And he loves me so much! He chooses me.

I never thought that anybody would love me this way.
If someone like Boaz loves me then I must be o.k.

We are together for four years now. Boaz wants children very much. I am not ready for it yet but for him I am willing… No more than two my love :)

-DAN ,33 דן
-TelAviv, ISRAEL

One evening recently, my mother asked me to wear something nice.
She said we were going to have company. I wondered what was so special about these guests..

A few minutes later, a man and his son arrived at our home.
The man explained that he and my father were good friends, and that he wanted to solidify that friendship through marriage.

I was shocked!
My parents never mentioned a word of this to me; I turned to my dad for help. My father always encouraged me to focus on my studies. It never occurred to me that he would want to marry me off at 19!
When the young man and his father requested that I quit my studies my father rejected the idea completely.
He did not think that his friend would be so closed-minded and ignorant.
I thank God everyday. My father has a PhD and wants me to pursue my own educational and career opportunities. What if he was not so educated? Where would I be? Perhaps barefoot and pregnant or married with two children, cooking, cleaning and baking bread all day long…

Today, I am a second-year university student majoring in English studies.

-Maroua ,22 
-Tetuan, MOROCCO

-One wish?
-Get to stay away from the explosions in Baghdad.
I moved from southern Iraq to Baghdad when i was 15, i wanted  to study art.
No much Culture in the south… Baghdad is way more open.
I lived on my own since, i’m an artist and it’s the thing i’m the most proud of.

Hussein ,20
-Baghdad

This year i visited  Jerusalem and Jaffa where my dad was born.
My whole trip was about going back in time and finding the missing pieces that belong to the puzzle of my soul. 

-Zeynep, 28, Yalova

 When people hear that I am a peace activist they are surprised. I come from a family with a charged past but I believe in living peacefully. It’s the only way to make a change.

I only hope that one day I will be able to say: “Hey, look, it worked.”

-Ahmad,19, Jerusalem

At a conference one of the Palestinians said that he likes “ptitim”, the Israeli version of couscous, while an Israeli said he liked the original Arab couscous.
Me, i don’t care, i like any kind of couscous…it’ s my favorite dish

–Taha, 21, Kairouan

1.

I am very passionate about movies and I’ve been working on a script for almost two years.
I pictured the main characters to be James Franco and Seth Rogen so I’ve been trying to get the idea to the two of them by any means possible. One day, I saw James Franco posting a “selfie” on Facebook. He was in Morocco, filming the movie “Queen of the Desert.” I screamed with joy.
I had only about 80 dollars on me.
I took a bus to the city of Ouarzazate and started looking for him.
I had no idea what I was doing. 

more…

–Mouad, 22, OUJDA

I wanted to be a diplomat but my father didn’t let me join the ministry of foreign affairs. 
He wants me to be a surgeon, just like him.

In Arab societies parents think they have the right to interfere in your life.
On the other side..it creates a special bond.

–Hany, 29 Cairo

Before he died, my father would take me to help him pick olives from our grove.
Mom packed our lunch – cheese and yogurt, tomatoes, olives and oil to eat under the olive trees.
By the end of the day, we loaded the 50 kilo bags full of olives on the back of the donkey.
My father always let me ride on top of the bags, walking beside the donkey, making sure I don’t fall off.

–Mutasem, 33 Ramallah

I was born in Mosul, Iraq.
When i was 7 we left. At that time you could just take a plane from Mosul to TelAviv…. now it’s different.
We left everything behind, but the few things we could take with us on the plane.
For a while, we lived in an immigrant camp, in tents, until we moved to TelAviv.
Since then, I live here in the apartment upstairs. I like it, sitting in the sun, in the afternoon. It’s the best medicine.

–Mordechai, 75,TelAviv

After all we’ve been through, we ended up living in Thawra Baghdad, a government housing project from the 50s that has grown to become a city within a city, where people live together in tight confines, almost on top of each other.
As a multimedia artist i find comfort knowing that from Thawra came some of the finest poets, thinkers, football players and visual artists.
Once, i took a taxi from Thawra to visit my childhood city of Mahmoodiya, a stone throw away from the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon. As asphalt road ended, there set my city: neglected with different street names, yet bearing all my memories. I thought of what I’ve lost and what I’ve gained, what is broken beyond repair and what can be redeemed.

–Ali, 21 BAGHDAD

I’ve been dreaming of getting into the modelling industry, but I haven’t done it because it’s difficult to be an openly gay model in the Middle East.

Pics: my passport + me the age of  3
–Feras, 34, DAMASCUS

-In 67 my father fought the war in Sinai, he was a foot soldier
-Mine too, he was a paratrooper

–Mohamad, EGYPT
–Ronny, ISRAEL

I was born in Cairo, Egypt.
My mum is from the Philippines and my dad from Ghana.
I’m an Israeli
At the age 6, we moved to Israel. we lived in Jaffa, surrounded by Jews, Arabs and other international kids from my school.
In 2006, for just one month, the ministry of interior set a law: All kids that came before the age of 10 and were living in Israel for over 10 years, could get a citizenship.
I was a perfect match!
After years of living in fear, hiding from everyone, i could finally SETTLE DOWN, walk the streets with confidence, create myself a real home.

–Cynthia, 26, TelAviv

My girlfriend and so many people I knew died in the war. I couldn’t continue living In Syria anymore. My father sold the house to smuggle me and my brother out of the country.

On the boat, everything got soaked with salty seawater. The food got wet because of the high waves and by day 6 we ran out of clean water to drink. We were weak but too frightened to sleep. The smugglers made us leave our life jackets because the police would spot us. We were 200 people on a 25 meter boat in the middle of the sea. It took us 14 days to reach Europe.” .

–Harle 22
-Syria – – – > Germany

“My mom urged me to leave Syria after I was almost killed a few times. I took Bueno with me from Aleppo. It was Bueno, Layla, my friend, and I and we took care of each other when we were in Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon and Turkey.
The war has forced many people to drift apart. Many people lost someone they cared about. I feel lucky that I had my friend, Layla by my side.
It wasn’t easy but we did it!!”

I named him Bueno because he’s as sweet as the chocolate Kinder-Bueno!

–Deema 27
-Syria

In school I had very few friends. I kept to myself. When I turned 20, I decided to open my heart and try new things. I traveled alone, I made new friends from all over the world, went dancing, dated girls, learned languages… And as part of experimenting with new things, I also started to smoke. My first cigarette was in November 2000. I believe I can stop any time but I keep delaying quitting.

–Ahmed 29
-Cairo, Egypt

I will never forget that moment, I held her hands and we kissed.

Islamic laws try to force families to prevent intimate relationships between young people,
but they will never be able to stop us from loving each other.

–Behnam 20
-Tehran IRAN

In Iran, I used to go to a Vipassana center.
One day I arrived there to see the police arresting some people who were inside.
They closed the center for no reason and my name and address were on file in the office.
I knew this meant I would always have to look over my shoulder, so I decided to leave the country and now I’m a refugee in Turkey.

-Araz ,34 آراز
-Born in Tehran, Iran, Lives in Yalova, Turkey

In Syria, military service is mandatory.
I was very unlucky and was drafted into the worst unit.
Words can’t describe how difficult my service was. Our commanders often punished us for no reason. They would wake us up at 2:00AM, throw water on us, and leave us naked, even during the coldest nights of winter. But I was also lucky that I was part of the last group of soldiers to be released from duty since. I served for only 2 years.

The best day of my life was the day I was released from the army.
I felt as if I had been reborn, like I was walking on air.

-Fouad ,27 
-Aleppo, Syria

I never thought I would have to run away from my loved ones as a result of fear.
Being a homosexual in the Middle East, that sums up my entire life’s struggle.

I would literally be dead without my international friends. After my father forced me into an arranged marriage through death threats, the only way I was able to save myself was through my best friend in Australia. She met a girl on a peace website and together they organized my escape from Lebanon to Turkey. I would definitely have been killed without the help of my guardian angels.

Ben ,22 
-Lebanon

-The first question that comes to mind is: why is your name written in Hebrew on your FB profile?
-The answer is that I’m Jewish.
Jewish people are not common in Iran. In fact, there are only 8750 Jews in the entire country.
It’s hard to really make friends here because we are so few and people misunderstand who we are and what we do. School was really hard for me.
I meet most of my friends online.

-Why did you change your profile picture to one that represents marriage equality?
-To me, it’s important to fight for LGBTQ rights because being gay in Iran is an offense punishable by death. I’m not afraid of the penalty. Freedom is the most important human right to me and I’m not going to give up fighting for it—no matter the consequences. Many other young Iranians feel the same.

-I see that  you post lot of stuff about Israel on your wall, why is that?
-It’s because I’m a Zionist!
-…Really?
-I’m a humanist, I’m Jewish, I fight for LGBTQ rights, and I’m an Iranian who believes in Israel’s right to exist.
-What does it mean for you to be a Zionist?
-It means that I see Israel as my true homeland. I hope to even make Aliyah one day.

-How do you imagine your new life in Israel?
-To feel free and safe among the people that I belong to. I’ve never experiences Freedom, Democracy, Justice in Iran.

-Can you imagine yourself coming to Israel and having to serve in the army?
-I’d be glad to join the military. It would be an honor for me to serve in the IDF.

-How about Bibi, what do you think about him?
-I support Likud party and Prime Minister Netanyahu and his policies.
-So you’re a Likudnik living in Tehran?
-Yes, ….:)
-Would you miss anything in Iran if you moved to Israel?
-Sure. My friends

Kiavash ,18
-Tehran

I don’t reject the idea of an arranged marriage.

It’s different these days. You can take time to get to know one another, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s fine. My family has already received the names of potential husbands for me, but at the moment I’m focusing on my studies. School is almost over, I’m 24 years old and soon I will run out of excuses.

WOW! You don’t look like an enemy.

An Israeli guy and I got into a same elevator in a hotel in Bulgaria. He said something in Hebrew to me that I didn’t understand. I asked him: “Do I look like an Israeli to you?” He said: “Everyone in this hotel is Israeli. Say shalom and see how many people will shalom back.” I said shalom, and after we laughed he asked me where I came from. I said, “Iran”, and he said, “Wow, you don’t look like an enemy.” I told him: “it’s because I’m not one.” He laughed. It was that easy.

–Shirin, 19, Tehran

When ISIS came to Iraq, families ran from the war zones. They lost their houses and everything they owned.

We had a government that wasn’t doing anything for us so we started to collect clothing from the people of the city and distributed them to the refugees.

We struggle to do this because we lack the appropriate financial support.
Most of the refugees are from Mosul, Tikrit, Diyala and Ramadi. Most of them are Arabs and Turkmen. I personally helped the displaced families of Tal Afar and Mosul.

–Muhammad,25,Kirkuk

During the major war in Darfur, the Sudanese activist community cried out for help and media attention, but their voices never made it outside of Sudan’s borders. I can only imagine how much worse things could have gotten if it wasn’t for George Clooney. His visit changed the whole game. I don’t think he’s really aware of the significant difference he has made. On behalf of all the lives he saved I want to say:

Thank you, 
George Clooney.

–Mohamed,27,Khartoum

Not wearing Hijab was not an option for me. I was eleven when my father ordered me to wear it.
Now it’s very hard to take it off.
When i was born He named me after my cousin. She was my second cousin who got killed by terrorists, for not wearing a Hijab. My dad decided to move us to another town just so I won’t get killed the same way

-MANAL, 23 Sellaoua Announa

When I was 7, My mother gathered all that was left from our family’s jewels and bribed a german lady to smuggle me out of the ghetto. “I will follow you” my mother promised. 

I was smuggled out inside a wooden closet.
I never saw my mother again.

I was totally alone, moving from a shelter to an orphanage, from a brothel to a monastery…  
I didn’t trust People
I valued my life according to four principles; food, clothes, heat and a roof over my head.

Before the war I had a happy childhood. We lived near Krakow.
I remember my Mother’s meticulous care for our home.
War started when i was four and I quickly learned the difference between fear and anxiety.
Fear is specific. It’s the fear of the dark at the hole my father dig in the ground to hide us, like the fear of roaring german dogs, the fear from the sound of the leather whip lashing.

Anxiety is something you can’t put in words but holds you by the throat, it’s like always feeling cold to the bone, like a heavy cloud upon your very own existence.

I don’t remember when I lost my brother Ben-Zion.
I was holding his hand In one of these “actions”, as the nazis were gathering all the ghetto population in order to decide who is work-worthy and who is worthless.
the german officer was sitting, pointing his stick at people
-left
-right
my mother ordered us to go hide
-hold-on your brother, go, go
an officer caught us and brought us back to the gathering place
it was mayhem, the shouting from german soldiers, the crying of people for their faith, for their children’s faith.
I don’t remember when or where my hand slipped from it’s grabbing
i don’t remember when i lost my brother Ben-Zion. I lost him forever.

I lost all my family at the holocaust. Everybody. For years i’ve cried for being an Orphan but today…, i cry for my parents, for what they had to go through
for the sacrifice they made for me.
Today i’m still afraid of dogs
when one is passing by, I have my grandchildren holding my hands
Today, whenever I hear someone talking about the annihilation of Israel, I get this feeling that you can’t put in words but holds you by your throat.

–Zahava, 80, Petah Tikva, ISRAEL

You need to be talented, successful and polite if you want to win the Ideal-Egyptian-Girl contest.
I won it 3 times.

–Sara, 25,Cairo

My parents met in Poland, just after the war. They were the only survivors of their families. My brother was born in a refugee camp in Germany. I was born in Jerusalem. My parents never told us about what happened to them “there”, and we never asked.

When I was 10 years old, listening behind a closed door, I found out that my father had a wife and two children who were killed during the war. I ran and asked my brother if he knew about that. He said yes. We never mentioned it again. I don’t need the Holocaust Day to be reminded of what happened. Everyday of my life, I feel as if I, myself, were at the death camps.

–Batya, 64, Tel Aviv

Ten years ago my brother, Dan Talasnikov was killed by terrorists in the North of Tulkarem, in the West Bank.
Dan was a paratrooper, but before it, he loved life, he studied theater, played guitar… and he searched for love.
While writing these lines, I am sitting at Ein Karem hospital, waiting for the birth of my third child  

My Heart is today with all grieving families,
may we live to see peace …
-Jan Talasnikov

“if anything happens to me, i want people to remember how funny and happy i was “
–Dan Talasnikov, 1984 – 2005..

-DAN, 1984-2005, ISRAEL

I was born and raised in a religious Israeli settlement in the west bank called Immanuel…. If you look on the map, it’s near Nablus
At some point, like many of my friends did, I moved to an ultra orthodox Yeshiva in the city of Bnei Brak. It is concidered a standart phase for those who want to deepen their religious belief – we call it ‘getting stronger’.
When I arrived to the marriage age i knew i have to look outside the Ultra orthodox’s community to find me a life partner. In the ultra orthodox world it’s all about classes and blood line. I wasn’t born to an ultra orthodox family and in their eyes, I wasn’t religious enough for their daughters.
I like the religious world, there is always someone to tell you what to do. sometimes at the Yeshiva it was a bit to much. People can easily turn you into a robot.
I left. I tried to be a Braslev for a while (Jewish Hasidik)…. but it wasn’t for me.
I live in Rishon. Married. A 2 and half little girls.
I’m a taxi driver part of the day, bus driver the other part.
I’m at least 15 hours behind the wheel every day.
Still religious.. Kipa Srouga (embroidered yamaka.. call me a freelance.

–Arie, 36, RISHON LeZion

It’s the first time so many Ethiopian Israelis are on the streets all together, i see many people here that i don’t know, but i feel they are part of my tribe, i feel proud….
They always say Ethiopian are quiet and peaceful…..not today…..i’m feeling full of anger, i’m so frustrated….
The Ethiopian soldier last week, attacked by police….it’s just one case,… it’s happening every day, all the time. So we came to TelAviv today to make it stop, to let people know about it. We were born here, we’re giving our souls to this country, it is time that this country give us back some love.

So can i take a picture of you?
Why do you ask all these questions and why do you need
a picture…..you sound a bit like the police…?
I’m not , i just like to tell stories
Ok, but you can’t show our faces…you never know

–Rachel, 22
–Malka, 21
MAY 3 TelAviv

“I studied art. At that time i was going through some difficult times.
My girlfriend of many years left me with no explanation.
I tried to use Art to express my anger, my loneliness, but my teachers were too conservative.
They thought it was an inappropriate to talk about my feeling for a woman.
They tried to make me paint birds and flowers.
so i left.
That was 10 years ago.
Today i’m in a Metal Band.
This year i am leaving Iran…” .

–Josef 29
-Tehran, IRAN

“My father moved our family from Sudan to Saudi Arabia for his work. We stayed there for 18 years. With my dark skin, thick hair and wide nose I was an easy target for bullying. I was bullied constantly all the way through high school.
I will never forget the brutality I had to go through and I would never understand why.
Being a victim of bullying made me kind and tolerant to others; and thanks to Oprah Winfrey I’ve learned how to cope and prevail.”

–Ahmed 24
-Sudan

I am disappointed at myself for not leaving my ex before.
I forgave her so many times, hoping that she would change
I believed her when she said that she loved me, but she hurt me so many times
I kept giving chances.

–Shadi 29
-Bethlehem

“I was always proud of my Iraqi heritage. Whenever I look at my ancestors’ pictures and recall the Middle East of years back, I feel amazed and ashamed. I am amazed by the normality these pictures portray. I am ashamed because I can’t look into their eyes and honestly tell them that we have done our very best to create a better and more peaceful Middle East.”

–Ronit Chitayat Kashi 53
-TEL AVIV

I fell in love with my best friend’s sister and i married her.
We live together and have the most beautiful days and nights. She gave birth to two beautiful children, Gamal and Rawan.
The first time I saw her was at her father’s supermarket. I felt my heartbeats. I felt strange things taking place in my body. I knew that it was love at first sight. I adore my wife. She is beautiful. She is all of my life!

-AHMED ,28 أحمد
-Gaza, 28

I am the first stand up comedienne in Iraq!

I have wanted to do stand up since I was 18. I would write jokes and share them with family and friends. They were my first real audience.
In 2013, I volunteered with TEDx Baghdad. One of the speakers was a “no show,” so in order to fill the slot, I suggested to do a stand up show.I had less than a day to write the script and practice
this was My first-ever stand  in front of over 750 people.
It was incredible!
The best feeling in the world is to make hundreds of people laugh, especially since our country is in such a miserable state.

-Maryam ,25 
-Baghdad, IRAQ

-I hate lies, I hate the war and borders between countries, I want peace and friendship, I wish people respect animals and the planet, I wish my country to be a free country, where people can dance with joy on the streets….what else do you want to know about me?

Maliheh ,25 
-Tehran

-I was born in Tehran, we left to LA when i was 2
-Why did you move to TelAviv?
-I was missing home, … it was the closest thing to Tehran 

Judith
33 TelAviv, from Tehran