Clara, I too grew-up in the time of terrorism and the idea that all Arabs were the bad guys. It is very interesting to see how times have changed and I remember the first time I came across an Arab support group. It seemed odd. Since then, as a Holocaust and Genocide Studies student, I have looked further at both sides of the conflict and further understand the grayness in which you refer. A point that the Pathfinder course makes that stays with me is that to choose a side, one must do so with discernment, evaluating both sides of the conflict, but also that choosing a side does not mean that you have to agree with everything.
