News
Ancient enemies; new friends
LoHud.com - The Hall Monitor: Keeping an Eye on Education
02.21.2008
By Casey Kaufman/Diana Costello
Dena Medhat and Hila Turkienicz appear like any typical pair of friends, laughing and chatting away as they walk to class together on the picturesque campus of Manhattanville College. Yet in reality, these two young people come from two completely different worlds.
Dena is a Muslim from Cairo, Egypt studying in Purchase, NY. Hila is a Jew, who grew up twenty minutes outside of Tel Aviv, Israel but now lives in Rye Brook, NY. Dena wears a Hijaab (head scarf) to class, while Hila usually has on jeans and a sweater. Until recently, these two girls seemed to have little, if not nothing, in common. Their respective faiths represented centuries of conflict and hatred towards each other.
Yet upon meeting as freshmen at Manhattanville, Dena and Hila realized how similar they truly are through sharing their personal histories, forging a long-lasting friendship that changed their ideas about the world.
Breaking down the unnecessary boundaries between cultures is a priority for Manhattanville College, located in Purchase, NY, which strives to constantly enhance its diverse, nurturing environment. Students from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and religions discover friendships and connections with one another which they might otherwise never have experienced.
Throughout its history, Manhattanville has been dedicated to delivering the promise of a superb higher education to students from all backgrounds. Currently 156 foreign non-U.S. residents attend Manhattanville, representing nations such as Afghanistan, Jordan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and Palestinian Territory. Since 1999, the school has been affiliated with Seeds of Peace, a non-profit program dedicated to empowering youth from regions of conflict to participate in peaceful dialogue in order to inspire coexistence and understanding among differing cultures.
More Seeds of Peace participants go on to Manhattanville than to any other college in the U.S. The school is passionately supportive of the “Seeds”, as Richard Berman, President of the college, affectionately calls them, recognizing that they are part of a larger goal of educating tomorrow’s leaders to be socially responsible and globally aware.
During their time so far as Manhattanville undergrads, Dena and Hila have learned how, despite their very different backgrounds, they are much more alike than they ever realized. Discussions about spirituality, politics, and lifestyles have opened up new opportunities for appreciation and compassion for one another.
“These types of friendships can lead to greater understanding about the world and its conflicts,” says Richard Berman, President of Manhattanville College. “Which goes along with Manhattanville’s larger mission of educating leaders for the global community.”
The girls have explored topics such as the reality of education systems in their respective countries attempting to conceal truths about their cultures, governments that aspire to control through manipulation and wars that have devastated their people. Suddenly the pain and frustrations they’ve both gone through seem to be something they can share and confide in each other about. They are realizing their experiences are bringing them closer, rather than farther, apart.
“People our age are the same. We have the same problems, we have the same heartaches, we have the same family problems growing up—we’re more similar than we think. Differences are differences—we share them and we cherish them,” says Dena Medhat.
“The problem is you never get to meet the other side if you live in Israel or the territories,” says Hila.
Manhattanville’s thriving international population has started various clubs and events like the International Bazaar, a day-long celebration of diversity that brings together nearly every student on campus. It is dedicated to inspiring tomorrow’s leaders to replace hatred with peace.
“Manhattanville gave me an opportunity to be heard,” says Dena, “And that’s very important to me.”