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It started out as a fun pastime, making a new friend. But when 12-year-old Jessie Serfilippi of Delmar went months without receiving any letters from her new pen pal, she became nervous.

Jessie's friend lived in Israel, in the center of the war in the Middle East.
After doing some research, Jessie became more educated on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and wanted to do more to help - not just her friend, but all children being affected.

"I really just wanted to help the kids over there," Jessie said. 

Now 15, the Academy of Holy Names sophomore has done more than her share to improve life for Israeli and Palestinian children.

She found that Hand in Hand, a program which boosts Jewish-Arab education programs and teaches both ethnicities to live together, was the perfect organization to join.

For everyone
"The main thing was helping both Israelis and Palestinians," Jessie said. "I found one organization, but that only helped Israelis. Then I found Hand in Hand and saw it helped both, and thought, 'This is perfect!'"

Jessie started out by donating money to the organization, but felt the urge to do more. In an effort to take things into her own hands, she started making crafts, including candy trees and Christmas ornaments, and sold them at craft fairs. 

She donated the money she raised to Hand in Hand schools in Israel. The program quickly took notice of Jessie's generous contributions and extended to her an invitation to a reception in New York City, which included actress Debra Winger.

While the experience was thrilling, Jessie remained focused on her overall goal: "I just hope to make peace - at least locally. Especially with kids."

Three years have passed, and Jessie has still not heard from her pen pal. But that's not stopping her from encouraging others to take part in the tradition. Due to her efforts, her classmates at AHN now have their own pen pals in the Middle East. 

Occasionally, they take time during class to write to their friends.

Steps toward peace
"I feel like it's helping," Jessie said. "I feel like [my classmates] learn a lot by just seeing it. They're more aware now."

Jessie is certainly more aware of the painful conflict in the Holy Land. "I just wish they could agree to share the land," she said. "Fighting is never the answer."

Still, she hopes her peers can make things better for the future. Jessie talked about all the steps today's youth - including her younger sister, Abby, a sixth-grader at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Delmar - can take toward peace in the Middle East.

"I hope that we become more educated about the conflict," she said. "We're the next generation that will have to try and solve the problem. We just have to realize they're our friends, not our enemies.

"Don't judge by how people act," she continued; "but who they are once you get to know them."[[In-content Ad]]

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