Forsan Hussein takes charge

KARIN KLOOSTERMAN ISRAEL21C

A young Muslim Israeli is set to make the Jerusalem YMCA financially sustainable and to transform the established meeting place for three faiths into a dynamic peace centre.

Mahatma Gandhi once said that the happiest man is the one who never left the village. That said, Forsan Hussein, the new chief executive officer of Jerusalem’s YMCA, who has been dubbed the “Israeli Obama,” left his village in Israel some time ago. But his roots in that village have helped him grow into one of the most influential of Israel’s young Arabs – a man whom many believe represents the new generation of Middle East thinkers. His latest challenge is to take the helm at the Jerusalem International YMCA.

Hussein has worked as a spokesman for the Abraham Fund, a U.S.-based organization that promotes dialogue and programs to further the Arab-Israeli peace process – and has obtained degrees at Brandeis University and John Hopkins – and an MBA from Harvard.

For the past eight months, Hussein has been the chief executive officer of the Jerusalem YMCA, where international diplomats and activists from East and West Jerusalem meet for intimate tête-à-têtes in the café, and host larger and more lavish functions.

One of six children, Hussein was raised in the Israeli Muslim Arab village of Sha’ab, 15 minutes east of Acre in the western Galilee, population 6,000. Although he completed high school with a near-perfect score of 98 on his exams, Hussein couldn’t afford university and went to work in an industrial park.

He discovered an opportunity to study in the United States on scholarship, after reconnecting with a friend he had made at age 10, when he attended Shemesh, a summer program aimed at fostering friendships among children from his village and the neighboring Jewish communities.

Handpicked by the Abraham Fund’s chairman, Jewish philanthropist Alan Slifka, to be a recipient of a scholarship to study at Brandeis (an Arab and a Jew from Israel are chosen for the scholarship each year), Hussein’s is something of a Cinderella story. However, he isn’t entirely comfortable with the analogy, or with the Barack Obama reference.

“I heard that, but I don’t really get too much into these things. I hold Obama at a very high standard, and I am glad that [what I do] makes them react. They see a young CEO with the renewed energy to make this a better place for all of them,” he said.

Since his time at Brandeis, Hussein’s work and studies have been dedicated to interfaith dialogue and coexistence projects. A resident of Jerusalem’s Arab Abu Tor neighborhood, he believes that he is the first non-Christian to take on the job of managing the Jerusalem International YMCA. Unlike usual Y establishments, which have come to be known as affordable, simple places to stay the night or go for a swim, the Y in Jerusalem is a cut above. The old building, described as the “most beautiful YMCA in the world,” attracts mainly an affluent crowd.

The soon-to-be-married Hussein is hoping to use his life experience to turn the Jerusalem Y into something bigger than it is already.

“I was born and raised as a Muslim. What sets me apart here is that my appointment is groundbreaking. I’m the first Muslim to head the Y since it was established,” said Hussein, whose duty it is to ensure that the Y gains financial independence.

“My goals here are to make the Y financially sustainable and profitable, its programs relevant and excellent. What I can tell you for sure, is that we are trying to make the Y an example of what Jerusalem should be –- a dynamic interfaith peace centre,” said Hussein.

“In our renewed vision we want to position it, and develop and empower its ethical values and moral citizenship. There will be many different activities tackling this,” he continued.

“We will try to capitalize on the divers[ity] of the Jerusalem community, what Jerusalem is, and what this entire region can be, the way Lord [Edmund] Allenby described it,” he said, citing Allenby’s words from a 1933 speech, now emblazoned on the wall at the Y: “Here is a place whose atmosphere is peace, where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten and international unity fostered and developed.”

Of this new opportunity, Hussein said, “I come from a very modest place. I’ve honestly lived a life so far that I would not have imagined in my wildest dreams and I have been very pleased with these opportunities.... I believe the more you give, the more you get, especially in being part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Those who have given much have much to get back. My role as a moral citizen is to contribute to the well-being of my societal values of tikkum olam in the three religions.”

Hussein calls himself a Palestinian Israeli, but said that the words don’t matter much. “I am Palestinian in terms of nationality, or peoplehood. But I am also an Israeli, as a citizen, someone who is loyal to Israel, it being my only country.

“I’ve been given something by my community and, now, the privilege to serve this community of Jerusalemites of the west and the east,” Hussein said, expressing his hope that he will usher people from all over the Middle East through the majestic centre doors.

Returning to the Gandhi quotation, Hussein said that he often reflects on his home village. “The village, the mountains, the olive trees planted by the Romans. Sometimes I enjoy hugging a tree, even. There is something grounded in that environment. It gives me an ability to relate to people and analyze situations. But I’ve also got my Israeli street smarts, plus the people in Israel are kind and willing to help.”

Of the building itself, Hussein told a reporter, “The Jerusalem International YMCA is a sermon in stone. This is known as the most beautiful YMCA in the world, it’s one of the most beautiful buildings in Israel. There are inscriptions in Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic. The 12 pine trees in front of the building symbolize the 12 disciples of Jesus, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 followers of the prophet Mohammed. There are 40 arches, recalling the 40 years the Children of Israel were in the desert. Every arch is decorated with a plant, animal or bird taken from one of the monotheistic traditions.”

Israel21C is a nonprofit educational foundation with a mission to focus attention on the 21st-century Israel that exists beyond the conflict. For more, or to donate, visit israel21c.org.

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