Skateboarding for Peace in the Middle East has finally concluded, and the trip was a massive success! Read all about it! Those guys had an incredible time.
If you don't know what it is, a group of skaters went over to Isreal and used skateboarding and longboarding to promote peace! The idea seems rather preposterous at first glance. What would happen if you took 30 skateboards and 30 helmets and brought them to kids in Israel and the Palestinian Territories? Well that's just what they did! Here are some quotes:
Ettinger says the East Jerusalem demo was the highlight of the trip. "I held the hands of a Palestinian women who needed me for balance. I could feel how happy she was and that in turn, made me very happy."
Photographer Yair Hasidoff says he was very glad he got to participate. "No matter which child I photographed, all children had the same facial expression of pure happiness. I felt for that moment, the conflict was laid aside and everyone could enjoy longboarding. It was a rare and very special moment."
"I'll never forget the image of the one kid in Shuafot who ate a pita and skated at the same time," said Arthur Rashkovan. "But most of all, it is the memory of one skater in Jericho who wouldn't let me go - he kept calling me and shouting 'More! More!'"
Read the whole article for a lot more. The trip was amazing, and they accomplished a lot. I'm sure the impact of this trip will be felt for a long long time, both over there, and in the hearts of those who went.
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