Meet Alicia - A Young Agent of Social Change

Alicia Kamien Kazhdan (MEET Class of 2018) has a strong interest in arts, technology, and Israeli-Palestinian projects. She is an artist, a freelance graphic designer, and a first-year BA student in New Media and Technology at Musrara – the Multidisciplinary School of Art and Society in Jerusalem. She’s turning 20 this month, and her vision for a better society is already clear and sound. 

Growing up in a religious Jewish environment, Alicia was not exposed to any bi-national interactions until she enrolled in MEET. Before, her contacts with Palestinians were very limited, filled with fear, and lacking human context. In retrospect, she said, “MEET was an eye-opener for me, especially the friendships and bonds I created during the program with Palestinian people, with whom I’m still in touch and have a deep connection with today.” Participation in the MEET program changed her perspective and shaped her future activism in people-to-people initiatives in Israel and the West Bank. 

Alicia has recently completed a year of volunteering in a Jewish-Arab Waldorf kindergarten in Jaffa as her national service. She is involved in multiple bi-national initiatives that facilitate interactions between Palestinians and Israelis, such as Peace Now and The Parents Circle. She believes that participating in local grassroot projects, whether it is picking up olives in the West Bank to support local farmers or doing sports together, is a fundamental need and a natural way of bridging the gaps, creating bonds and solidarity between the two nationalities, between neighbors – simply, between human beings. “Not partaking in any activism, would be like sleepwalking”, she told us. 

Recently, together with a group of Palestinian and Israeli friends, she is part of a bi-national female soccer team in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. She aspires for herself and society to strive for movement and change, and to constantly challenge the status quo. Inspired by what she’s learned at MEET, Alicia plans to further develop multidisciplinary initiatives that integrate technology, humanities, and arts for social change.

We’d like to wish Alicia all the best on her 20th birthday, and a successful continuation of her education and civic engagement!