Miami Herald
Posted on Fri, Sep. 07, 2007
Keys woman gives peace a chance in Iraq
BY CAMMY CLARK
Wearing a beige business suit and bulletproof vest, Elisa Levy was being escorted by British security into an
armored car in Iraq when she heard an explosion and felt the ground shake. Car bomb.
The five-foot-tall Key West woman was unharmed. But the bomb on that May morning struck eerily close,
shattering windows of the hotel where she was conducting her mission: teaching conflict resolution and
negotiation skills to Sunni and Shiite community leaders.
It was one of three deadly attacks during her brief stay in what had been the relatively peaceful northern Iraq
city of Erbil. Levy was scared. But it didn't deter the former Peace Corps volunteer from completing the training
as part of an international project for a nongovernmental organization.
''How many times in your life are you going to get to do your work when people need it most?'' Levy said. ``It
always seems to me to be too little, too late. These people are in conflict now. The pipeline is not built. The
Sunnis hate the Shiites. Two tribal chiefs aren't talking. Could I teach them something they could go back and
use immediately?''
Levy and co-trainer Angela Oliver of New York say the eight-day training session went much better than
expected -- but its success won't be known for months or years.
The 22 participants from across Iraq learned not only how to negotiate and resolve conflict, but also how to
teach these skills to others in their communities.
Iraq native Ekraam al Gazzali, a poet who served as Levy's translator, wrote in an e-mail that nearly everyone in
the group has lost relatives and friends in the war.
Gazzali didn't mince words about her disdain for the foreign-led invasion, saying, ``I wish I could live far away
from the Americans, British and all those intruders who came with them . . . and took all my dreams.''
But Gazzali, a Shiite who wears a head scarf and ends all her correspondence with ''Stay Safe,'' wrote that Levy
won over all the Iraqis in the group with her friendliness and sincerity: ``Elisa was playing a humanitarian piece
of music in a way that she made me feel that I am singing while translating.''
Levy came to the Keys six years ago to recover from burnout. She was just 29 but already had earned a
master's degree from Columbia University in New York City, done a Peace Corps stint in Moldova, co-wrote a
book on gender-based violence prevention for the United Nations that is used worldwide by 200 organizations,
and developed a U.N. training program that has been replicated in 13 countries.
In Key West, Levy took a job as a mate on a charter boat to the Dry Tortugas, planning to stay only a few
months and return to a job on women's human rights that was waiting for her at the United Nations. But her
plans changed when she unexpectedly met husband-to-be Peter Green of Seaplanes of Key West.
''I thought if I stayed here, I'd have to leave my field of conflict resolution,'' she said. 'What constitutes conflict
down here? `That's my bar stool.' 'No, that's my bar stool.' ''
Levy chose love over the United Nations. She started her own seminar company, which has trained police,
teachers and pro sports teams on team building, conflict resolution and anger management.
But she missed her international work. Last year, she went to war-torn Kosovo. Then came the Iraq opportunity.
She took a month to consider it while weighing the risks and odds of success.
''How would they accept me? I was American, female and Jewish,'' Levy said. ``And I didn't speak Arabic.''
There was adjustment. For starters, she learned not to conduct exercises with men and women touching. But
the cultural differences were worked out. On the last day, Levy and Oliver were bombarded with gifts, hugs and
tearful goodbyes.
Levy is still overwhelmed by the generosity, showing a beautiful oil painting of a bleeding horse that represents
the Iraqi people's strength and sorrow.
''They realized we both were fully supporting their work,'' said Oliver, who met Levy at the World Conference of
Religions for Peace. ``They began sharing intimate and personal stories. They wanted to be heard.''
The day after the bombing, the training was moved to another hotel, with the community leaders sometimes
working until 3 a.m.
''I think the reason they were so motivated is these problems weren't in the past,'' Levy said. ``The problems are
so prevalent, so pressing, that they wanted to learn now in order to use the skills tomorrow, God willing.''
Levy said under Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi people weren't allowed to negotiate.
''If you didn't follow his directive, your life was in danger and so was your family's,'' Levy said. ``There wasn't the
idea of free will. I had never worked in a culture, including Russia, where the whole idea of negotiation was new.
We had to teach a lot about what a win-win solution is.''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2007 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
Posted on Fri, Sep. 07, 2007
Keys woman gives peace a chance in Iraq
BY CAMMY CLARK
Wearing a beige business suit and bulletproof vest, Elisa Levy was being escorted by British security into an
armored car in Iraq when she heard an explosion and felt the ground shake. Car bomb.
The five-foot-tall Key West woman was unharmed. But the bomb on that May morning struck eerily close,
shattering windows of the hotel where she was conducting her mission: teaching conflict resolution and
negotiation skills to Sunni and Shiite community leaders.
It was one of three deadly attacks during her brief stay in what had been the relatively peaceful northern Iraq
city of Erbil. Levy was scared. But it didn't deter the former Peace Corps volunteer from completing the training
as part of an international project for a nongovernmental organization.
''How many times in your life are you going to get to do your work when people need it most?'' Levy said. ``It
always seems to me to be too little, too late. These people are in conflict now. The pipeline is not built. The
Sunnis hate the Shiites. Two tribal chiefs aren't talking. Could I teach them something they could go back and
use immediately?''
Levy and co-trainer Angela Oliver of New York say the eight-day training session went much better than
expected -- but its success won't be known for months or years.
The 22 participants from across Iraq learned not only how to negotiate and resolve conflict, but also how to
teach these skills to others in their communities.
Iraq native Ekraam al Gazzali, a poet who served as Levy's translator, wrote in an e-mail that nearly everyone in
the group has lost relatives and friends in the war.
Gazzali didn't mince words about her disdain for the foreign-led invasion, saying, ``I wish I could live far away
from the Americans, British and all those intruders who came with them . . . and took all my dreams.''
But Gazzali, a Shiite who wears a head scarf and ends all her correspondence with ''Stay Safe,'' wrote that Levy
won over all the Iraqis in the group with her friendliness and sincerity: ``Elisa was playing a humanitarian piece
of music in a way that she made me feel that I am singing while translating.''
Levy came to the Keys six years ago to recover from burnout. She was just 29 but already had earned a
master's degree from Columbia University in New York City, done a Peace Corps stint in Moldova, co-wrote a
book on gender-based violence prevention for the United Nations that is used worldwide by 200 organizations,
and developed a U.N. training program that has been replicated in 13 countries.
In Key West, Levy took a job as a mate on a charter boat to the Dry Tortugas, planning to stay only a few
months and return to a job on women's human rights that was waiting for her at the United Nations. But her
plans changed when she unexpectedly met husband-to-be Peter Green of Seaplanes of Key West.
''I thought if I stayed here, I'd have to leave my field of conflict resolution,'' she said. 'What constitutes conflict
down here? `That's my bar stool.' 'No, that's my bar stool.' ''
Levy chose love over the United Nations. She started her own seminar company, which has trained police,
teachers and pro sports teams on team building, conflict resolution and anger management.
But she missed her international work. Last year, she went to war-torn Kosovo. Then came the Iraq opportunity.
She took a month to consider it while weighing the risks and odds of success.
''How would they accept me? I was American, female and Jewish,'' Levy said. ``And I didn't speak Arabic.''
There was adjustment. For starters, she learned not to conduct exercises with men and women touching. But
the cultural differences were worked out. On the last day, Levy and Oliver were bombarded with gifts, hugs and
tearful goodbyes.
Levy is still overwhelmed by the generosity, showing a beautiful oil painting of a bleeding horse that represents
the Iraqi people's strength and sorrow.
''They realized we both were fully supporting their work,'' said Oliver, who met Levy at the World Conference of
Religions for Peace. ``They began sharing intimate and personal stories. They wanted to be heard.''
The day after the bombing, the training was moved to another hotel, with the community leaders sometimes
working until 3 a.m.
''I think the reason they were so motivated is these problems weren't in the past,'' Levy said. ``The problems are
so prevalent, so pressing, that they wanted to learn now in order to use the skills tomorrow, God willing.''
Levy said under Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi people weren't allowed to negotiate.
''If you didn't follow his directive, your life was in danger and so was your family's,'' Levy said. ``There wasn't the
idea of free will. I had never worked in a culture, including Russia, where the whole idea of negotiation was new.
We had to teach a lot about what a win-win solution is.''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2007 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com
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