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According to Joe Virata, director of theDiversity Initiatives Program at UCR, itwas Middle Eastern students who had theidea to work together. He says that yearsof tension, particularly between somePalestinian and Israeli student groups, hadbegun to take a toll.“Some students recognized thatconstant bickering is not what a universityought to be about. They have theirdifferences, but they should be able toengage with each other about them in acivil way,” Virata says. “They decided tocome together to work on a project and,in doing so, to work on their relationshipswith one other. They opened conversationsthat lead to collaborations, which canthen lead to a community.”The Laugh in Peace show on Feb. 22 wasa perfect opportunity for cross-culturalinteractions. It features Alper, a practicingrabbi who bills himself as “the world’s onlypracticing clergyman doing stand-upcomedy ... intentionally.” The ecumenicalpartners for his shows vary, but for the UCRperformance they were the Rev. SusanSparks, a Baptist minister, and AhmedAhmed, a Muslim born in Egypt who grewup in Riverside,A broad range of campus organizationsparticipated in planning the show andlaying the groundwork for a center,including the Armenian StudentAssociation, Pakistani Student Association,Lebanese Social Club, Hillel, MuslimStudents Association, Highlanders forIsrael, Coptic Club and the Students forJustice in Palestine. And while meetings hadtense moments with many voices anddiffering opinions, in time the studentsbegan honestly engaging with one another.Diab says that one of the biggestlessons the students learned was that theyare more alike than different. It is adynamic on display at the end of everymeeting, no matter how stressful orcontentious it becomes.“Somehow we forget everything andwe just talk to each other. It’s amazing,”she says. “Maybe it is that as students, wehave a connection to one another. We areall the same generation. We know whatthe other person is going through, whatclasses they are taking, how hard they are.These are the little things that bring ustogether and push us forward.”In mid-January, the group was faced achallenge when Students for Justice inPalestine sponsored an appearance of “TheWall,” a symbolic presentation designed toraise awareness of the Israeli/Palestinianconflict. Several Jewish students felt slightedby the event, which they felt promotedmisconceptions about Israel.But to their credit, many of thestudents were prepared for conflict toarise, and, rather than take sides, theyused it as an opportunity for discussion.“It was the elephant in the room, and itgot to be a very tense moment,” Viratarecalls. “But because of the work that hadbeen done earlier, we were able to reconnectwith those early conversations about ourpurpose, about why we were doing this.”The Laugh in Peace show went offwithout a hitch and received rave reviews,much to the delight of the organizers.“I can’t even express how amazing itwas when the night ended,” Diab says.“Everyone was just hugging each other.All the tensions, every problem justevaporated. It was magical.”But just days later, the groups’ bondwas tested again by a pair of on-campusincidents. On March 1, UC RiversideHillel was a co-sponsor of “Israel SoldiersSpeak Out,” which featured a pair ofreserve-duty Israeli Defense Forces soldiersspeaking about their experiences. Someindividuals protested the soldiers’appearance by walking out during theevent. Two days later, a vandal scrawledthe word “terrorists” on an Israeli flagoutside the Hillel offices.The incidents brought the scrutiny ofthe media and the public, with a focus onthe perceived feud between groups likeHillel and Students for Justice in Palestine.But the students working toward theMiddle Eastern center, many of whom aremembers of those groups, would not letthe incidents derail the cause. Instead, theyprovided another opportunity fordiscussion, which in turn gave their causemore momentum. All involved realize thatestablishing a permanent center will taketime, but the group is moving ahead byplanning events: a concert at the Barn anda screening of the film “A Separation.”“We were able to talk to each otherafterward and get honest opinions fromeverybody,” says Danny Leserman, a juniorapplied physics and engineering major andmember of Hillel. “If we hadn’t beenworking together, we never would havebeen comfortable opening up and talkingabout how we felt about what happened.”Diab says that both incidents furtherunderscored the need for morecommunication and for the center.“Perhaps if the person who defaced theflag had been given the same opportunitythat we have been given, they wouldn’thave done that,” she says. “They mighthave considered how the action wouldaffect the people they had been workingwith and talking to — their friends.”Leserman says that while he wasdisappointed by both the protest and theflag graffiti, he refuses to look at theincidents as a step backward.“Dissent is something you have toaccept,” he says, acknowledging thatindividuals from many groups haveexpressed concerns. “It seems that a lotof people believe that if you try to makesomething better and something badstill happens, then all is for nothing. Butthat is just not correct. We are movingtoward our goal of creating a space forrespectful, non-livid dialogue — theMiddle Eastern Student Center. It is notgoing to be easy, but I can see ithappening.”UCR Spring 2012 | 17