Source: Pioneer Press
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/gv/08-19-04-364262.html
On August 19, 2004 Pioneer Press reported, "They came together as strangers and parted after two weeks as friends. That was the goal of the Hands of Peace program, which for a second year brought together 16 Middle Eastern and 11 American teens for a peace-making mission that they and their adult sponsors hope will one day occur on a grander scale... The Jewish, Muslim and Christian teens from Glenview, Northbrook and Deerfield spent two hours nearly every morning talking over the complexities behind centuries of Mideast unrest with the Israeli and Palestinian teens. The 'co-existence' sessions were led by experienced facilitators, and the discussions were not sugar-coated... Interspersed with the intense exchanges were team-building activities and sight-seeing tours, including a fireworks display at Chicago's Navy Pier."