Dalia Landau, founder of the Open House in Ramle, Israel, tells her story to Spiritual Directors International interfaith pilgrims.

Landau's story is published in the book, The Lemon Tree. This open letter was first published in the The Jerusalem Post:

The story of Open House in Ramle must be told through the voices and the relationship of Dalia Landau, co-founder, and of Bashir Al-Khayri, whose family built and lived in the house until they were forced out by the Israelis in 1948. We offer below two pieces that taken together deepen our understanding of the Open House story, offering hope that through compassionate understanding a way past the on-going tragedy may be discovered.

Even if Dalia and Bashir have never been able to reconcile their historical narratives and ideological positions, they agreed to dedicate their shared home for interrelated
purposes: Bashir wanted a preschool for less advantaged Arab children. Dalia wanted a community center where Jews and Arabs of all ages could engage in activities promoting reconciliation through the twin ideals of justice and loving-kindness. Open House offers tangible testimony to cooperation despite deep ideological differences caused by such disparate life experiences. Read more.

Links
SDI blog post: "The Lemon Tree: A Story of Expulsion and Safehaven in Palestine"
Dalia Landau’s “Letter to a Deportee”
For a photographic journey from TIME
Suggested resources for SDI 2010 Interfaith Peace Pilgrimage: Israel-Palestine