Crossing Borders:
The Search for Dignity in Palestine
American Mother of Three Palestinians Offers Insider Perspective on Prospects for Peace in Israel and Palestine
After more than three decades of personal and professional engagement with the people of Palestine, Christa Bruhn invites those interested in peace to see the contested space of Israel and Palestine through the lens of dignity.
“I walk across the still-invisible line, where the Wall will soon cut the town of Al-Ram off from Jerusalem. There, on the other side I find a flatbed with prefabricated segments in full view, like a toy truck with blocks on it, awaiting a child to put the pieces in place, set the sections neatly next to each other so his mother can praise him for aligning them just right. But these are no blocks, and this is no child’s play.
I am baffled at how Palestinians are walking around, going on with their day, as if nothing is happening, and yet their lives are being redefined one slab of concrete at a time. The Wall creates sides, borders, more restrictions on access, more confiscation of land. My stomach turns as I witness this crude vision of security become reality. One people’s security, another’s confinement. Gaza is already an outdoor prison. Now, the isolation of the West Bank behind concrete walls and electric fences is taking shape in front of me. Like in Berlin.”
– Excerpt from Crossing Borders
2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
First Place Winner: Non-fiction, Winner: Social Justice
2024 Nautilus Book Awards Silver Winner Multicultural & Indigenous
2024 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) Silver Winner: Best First Book Non-Fiction
2024 American Legacy Book Awards Finalist: Social Change
2023 Benjamin Franklin Silver Award in Non-fiction: Political & Current Events
2023 Royal Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention in Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
2023 American Book Fest Best Book Award Finalist in Multicultural & Social Change
“I walk across the still-invisible line, where the Wall will soon cut the town of Al-Ram off from Jerusalem. There, on the other side I find a flatbed with prefabricated segments in full view, like a toy truck with blocks on it, awaiting a child to put the pieces in place, set the sections neatly next to each other so his mother can praise him for aligning them just right. But these are no blocks, and this is no child’s play.
I am baffled at how Palestinians are walking around, going on with their day, as if nothing is happening, and yet their lives are being redefined one slab of concrete at a time. The Wall creates sides, borders, more restrictions on access, more confiscation of land. My stomach turns as I witness this crude vision of security become reality. One people’s security, another’s confinement. Gaza is already an outdoor prison. Now, the isolation of the West Bank behind concrete walls and electric fences is taking shape in front of me. Like in Berlin.”
– Excerpt from Crossing Borders
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Crossing Borders: The Search for Dignity in Palestine was released May 20, 2023 with Little Creek Press. This journey of curiosity opens up a world of celebration and heartache over the ways in which the loss of Palestine has manifested in the lives of Palestinians and Israelis as they grow more and more separate in a land they both call home.
Through my unique perspective as an American who has come to call Palestine home, Crossing Borders invites you to reflect on current and historic challenges Palestinians face living in the shadow of the state of Israel, and to witness the deep connection Palestinians have to their homeland that inspires them to keep on living their lives in spite of those challenges.
Along the way I face my own roadblocks, but never abandon my exploration of peace and justice in Palestine and beyond. In Crossing Borders I ask thought-provoking questions on how to come together in a place that is increasingly divided in the mind and on the ground as a test to us all as we collectively grapple with how to right the wrongs of history the world over.
As Israelis are driven by their own historic trauma to hold onto their Promised Land, all the while further alienating the Palestinians in their midst through the continued seizure of land for Israeli settlements, home demolitions, and the devastating blockade in Gaza, it is more critical than ever to find common ground to stand on before both sides sink into oblivion.
Along the way I face my own roadblocks, but never abandon my exploration of peace and justice in Palestine and beyond. In Crossing Borders I ask thought-provoking questions on how to come together in a place that is increasingly divided in the mind and on the ground as a test to us all as we collectively grapple with how to right the wrongs of history the world over.
As Israelis are driven by their own historic trauma to hold onto their Promised Land, all the while further alienating the Palestinians in their midst through the continued seizure of land for Israeli settlements, home demolitions, and the devastating blockade in Gaza, it is more critical than ever to find common ground to stand on before both sides sink into oblivion.
“All I see beyond the tangled maze of barbed wire is a deep, wide ditch along the fence that feels like a gouge in my heart. That life sustaining piece of land passed down from generation to generation has carved out a place in my heart. It is gone, but I can still see it. A ditch and a fence lie in its place, but I can still feel it. The trees are gone, but I can still taste their fruit. I could be shot dead if I try to go there, but I will not forget it.”
– Excerpt from Crossing Borders
I wear many hats that only enrich my ability to tell this story.
I wear many hats
that only enrich my ability
to tell this story.
(Photo: Christa Bruhn)
Christa Bruhn is an award-winning American author, photographer, and culinary artist with a lifelong passion for peace and justice. She is the daughter of a German immigrant raised under Nazi Germany and the mother of three Palestinian Americans. She holds degrees in International Studies (BA), Middle Eastern & North African Studies (MA), and Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis (PhD). She has published academic work on Palestine, peace education, and diversity and led and participated in roundtables on the future of Palestine and Israel. She splits her time between Madison, Wisconsin, and among her extended family in the farming village of Jalameh, Palestine.
Hope for the future in Israel, Palestine, and beyond...
Sometimes people ask me, “Palestine, where is that?”
I always respond with a question. “Do you know where Israel is?"
They always provide the same answer. “Yes, of course.”
“Well, then you know where Palestine is.
Palestine is Israel. Israel is Palestine.”
- Excerpt from Crossing Borders
Over time I have witnessed hopeful change in the US with the increasing awareness and understanding of racial injustice and inequality as well as in other contexts with the fall of the Berlin Wall and reconciliation in South Africa and Northern Ireland, and yet I am fully aware that we as human beings have a long way to go to live in peace with dignity. In spite of the perpetuation of conflict around the globe, I remain hopeful that when people come together and honor each other’s truth, they can find a way to move forward. Understanding what brings us together rather than what divides us plays a critical role in that process. Hopefully my memories will build bridges of understanding that foster the possibility of peace in the contentious space of Palestine and Israel and beyond.
