NEW YORK -- As the son of a Lebanese immigrant to Argentina, I feel a strong connection to what is happening in the Middle East, and at the futile attempts at reaching a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict in that region. To me, the way my father conducted his life -- and attempted to bridge the gap between Arabs and Jews -- is an example of how a harmonious relationship between these two groups can be established and maintained.
My father was cofounder of a well-known cultural organization named after the famous Lebanese writer Gibran Khalil Gibran. Lectures at this organization attracted dozens of intellectual Jews, whose presence in the Syrian-Lebanese Society, where the organization was located, didn't have a precedent. Even though many members of that society strongly objected to having non-Arabs -- particularly Jews -- attend the cultural lectures, my father was able to prevail and attract a multinational, multiethnic audience.
He did it not only through the force of his personality, but also by his practical example of somebody whom both sides could turn to for constructive and balanced advice.