Lina Salamah - RII
Gender Project Associate
United Nations Population Fund
Amman, Jordan
August 16, 2009
“I believe that my mother Rahel is exemplary of the best
and greatest hope for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples”
It is with great pride and great honor that I submit this letter for my mother Rahel Warshaw-Dadon for supporting her grant proposal of Reiki for Peace. I have known and volunteered with Rahel for the last six and a half years in my role as a Reiki student member of Reiki for Peace. I am not prone to hyperbole but Rahel is simply one of the most gracious and warm-hearted I know. She is bright and analytical, but more importantly, she has the extraordinary ability to communicate with anyone she encounters, and make each person feels that she cares about his or her issues and concerns. She has a genuine and profound positive of Reiki energy that puts people at ease and allows them to feel safe, harmonized, and respected.
In 2003, I took first degree Reiki from Rahel in West Jerusalem. This was during a year that some consider the peak of the second Intifada, and I was the only Palestinian student among five Israeli students. We discussed many fundamental concerns regarding social intervention, the ongoing conflict and daily tensions. Additionally, we discussed issues of cultural immersion and integration, two elements that are tragically ignored in this region. One of my most memorable conversations was with an Orthodox Jewish man, who was not aware of the situation in Ramallah, where we were placed under 24-hour curfew for weeks at a time. Working with Reiki permits the students to be relaxed enough to engage in such discussions, and they helped us grapple with the troubling issues that most people shun. Once the course finished, I maintain my spirit and optimism in the face of difficult life. I remember that I told Rahel that “Reiki changed my life forever!” Indeed, waking up everyday and having my Reiki gives me the strength and the belief that the new day will be better than the last.
In 2008, I took the second degree Reiki course with Rahel in Philadelphia. This course helped me to learn a great deal about the social challenges that concern me the most: peace and conflict resolution. As a daily observer of conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories, I have experienced the extreme conditions of military siege, curfew and gunfire. I have witnessed countless people either shot or shot at, held at gunpoint, detained without explanation, beaten and used as human shields by the Israeli army. I believe that Reiki can respond to these catastrophes in a holistic manner. Reiki will empower future students to be effective in situations that are encumbered with inequity, particularly with victims of conflict.
The unique attributes Reiki for Peace could bring to the students that there is nothing more sacred than peace and cultural integration. It will bring the students’ strengths reside in their ability to listen to different people and their willingness to help others through Reiki sharing. I believe that my mother Rahel is exemplary of the best and greatest hope for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, despite the very real challenges imposed upon her both under the continuing military occupation and her struggle for approaching Reiki within Palestinian and Israeli societies; she approaches each day with a bold vision for an open heart fulfilled with Reiki energy. She is dedicated to working with people of all religions and nationalities to make peace. Her wisdom and her spirit will vastly enrich Reiki for Peace.
Sincerely,
Lina Salamah