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Arab-Jewish Circus Gives Trust Top Billing

(Chicago Tribune) Joel Greenberg- Aaron Tobiass and Murad Salman were juggling together the other day, tossing what looked like bowling pins at each other in a flashy show of young talent. Tobiass, 16, who is Jewish, and Salman, 17, who is Arab, were rehearsing for the Jerusalem Circus, a group whose 24 members train and perform together for mixed audiences. The emphasis is on teamwork and trust, rare commodities after nearly four years of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. "Here there are no Arabs or Jews, just circus performers," says the circus arts teacher, Slava Oleinik, a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine. "If you're on top and someone below you falls, you have to give him a hand, no matter who he is, otherwise there won't be a circus act. Here we see only human beings. It's a different world."
2004-08-27 00:00:00
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