Ryan Moore, News Editor
Featured image courtesy of Ariella Sibony
Israel Peace Month has kicked off with a slew of events, one being Artists 4 Israel, which took over the East Bear Pit in Central Square on Monday to paint murals in support of open dialogue.
One of the artists, Vincent Santorella who is based in New Jersey, wanted to attract people they could debate, dialogue with, and converse about what everybody believes is going on in Israel.
Santorella, who in 2013 painted in the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Tel Aviv, says each part of Israel is quite different.
“I was painting at nine in the morning and a school of kids walk by and you hear gunfire and a war zone in the background,” he says. “What was detrimental to me and my psyche was kids walking by and just being okay with it. It’s just normal for them.”
Excalibur asked Santorella what he thinks of Israel Apartheid Week, which is set to begin Monday on campus.
“I’m a firm believer that there are three sides to every story. One side, the other side, and then the truth. I’m not one to profess either side,” he says.
Santorella talks about a painting gig in Texas where a couple of Palestinian protesters began demonstrating beside his paintings, with “silence” written on duct tape over their mouths.
“Us as artists, we’re all about expressing yourself so we’re not going to tell anybody not to do something,” he says.
“We’re not going to tell you not to protest. We’re not going to tell you not to express yourself. They were even allowed to paint on the back of the wall. So, that being said, we incorporated them with it, we painted shalom and salaam.”
When they were done painting the wall, the protesters opened dialogue and said they’d like to be part of the next project Santorella’s team puts together.
“I’m not the one who funded this event, but I’m an artist. I’m about it. I’ll paint with you, no problem.”
Sponsors for the York event include StandWithUs Canada, Hasbara Fellowships Canada, Canadian Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, Masa Israel Journey Canada, Size Doesn’t Matter, and Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Ariella Daniels, president of Hasbara at York says Artists 4 Israel has brought dialogue to another level at York. The artists have proven to them that art can be used to promote peace and promote dialogue.
“We support any type of initiative which shows the complexities and diverse perspectives of the Israel-Arab conflict,” she says.
“As long as such an initiative is created on the basis of mutual respect and understanding, it would show results and be successful.”
Hasbara believes it is the university and student governing bodies who are responsible for creating activities and campaigns which spotlight diversity in opinion and perspective on campus.
“The only way this can happen is if differences between students are embraced and seen as an opportunity to learn more. Dialogue is the way to education, coexistence, and peace.”
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