A Balanced Empathy
Professor uses The Lemon Tree to Explore Relationships
Between �The West and the World�
THIS AUTUMN, SEATTLE PACIFIC University
Professor of History Don Holsinger introduced
a new text to his sophomore-level
Common Curriculum course, �The West and
the World.� The book is one he hopes will
have as profound an impact on his students
as it has had on him.
Holsinger describes The Lemon Tree, a
true story about an Israeli family and a Palestinian
family written by journalist Sandy Tolan,
as meticulously researched and sensitively
told. �It shows deep understanding and
empathy for both Palestinians and Israelis,�
he says. In class, Holsinger�s students will
be required to read the book and write reflections
about its content.
In the process, he hopes that they will
develop a �balanced empathy� and begin to
see what people on both sides of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict have in common. �They
speak closely related languages; both trace
their ancestries back to Abraham; and their
basic values are similar,� says the professor.
�They also share a passionate attachment
to the same piece of land. The book really
helps students understand how much these
people share.�
Holsinger has been teaching courses in
the Common Curriculum � SPU �s general
education program required of all students �
for the last seven years. A specialist on Middle
Eastern and Islamic history, he participated in
a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation
that monitored the tense boundary between the Israeli and Palestinian-controlled sections
of the West Bank city of Hebron in 2000.
He shares these experiences with his
students in �The West and the World,� a
course that explores the historical interactions
between the West and other civilizations
from the dawn of the modern global
age to the present. Students examine a variety
of world regions with the assistance of
books, including Chinua Achebe�s Things Fall
Apart and thought-provoking films such as The Mission and Gandhi.
The central question of the course, says
Holsinger, is �How has Western civilization
influenced and been influenced by other cultures?�
Ultimately, he continues, the course
examines �Christian responses to a constantly
changing world.�
As conflict continues in the Middle East,
Holsinger believes The Lemon Tree�s theme
of reconciliation has potentially powerful and
far-reaching implications. �It�s about having
the courage to reach out and overcome a
natural human tendency to fear others,� he
explains. �My hope is that students will have
their eyes opened and their hearts touched
by this book. It inspires a vision of reconciliation
� for Israelis and Palestinians, but
also for other peoples around the world, and
here at home.�
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