Arab and Jew – activist friends in Israel

Zouheir Bahloul, an Israeli-Arab (and well-known sports announcer and recently, Knesset member) and Moshe Chertoff (a technical writer, and long-ago immigrant from Los Angeles) are friends and almost neighbors. Zouheir lives in the city of Akko, on the Israeli coast in the northern Galilee, and Moshe, in a small kibbutz a few miles north of there.

Zouheir calls them “bridge builders,” and both work hard in many ways, trying to create better relations between Jews and Arabs. They often meet and support each other, and sometimes even create joint activities.

The last few months have been tough times in Israel, with violence and casualties on both sides – and the tensions between Jews and Arabs have skyrocketed, with Israeli politicians getting more and more shrill and rigid. During these times, Zouheir and Moshe have both been outspoken against the dominant views of the situation, and have drawn on their friendship to face the many challenges they've come up against.

Harvey Stein is an Israeli-American filmmaker and video journalist living in Jerusalem. His feature documentary “A Third Way – Settlers and Palestinians as Neighbors” began screenings in Western Europe and the United States, in February, 2016. You can find out more about his work at: www.jerusalemny.com/athirdway