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A Kuwaiti-Israeli Friendship:

A Formula for Peace in the Middle East

by Alex Jack

One is an Israeli, the other is a Kuwaiti. Their religious faiths are frequently in deadly conflict, but macrobiotics has brought Daniel Davis and Hussain Abdullah close together. The two young men feel a healthy, balanced natural way of eating and living is the gateway for friendship and peace in the Middle East. The two young men met this spring at the Kushi Institute in the United States where they came to study. Since then they have become fast friends, sharing a common dream of promoting personal and planetary health and peace.

Daniel, 31, was born and grew up in Jerusalem. After a stint in the Israeli army, he cooked in restaurants and developed an interest in nutrition, yoga, and alternative lifestyles. “I first heard about macrobiotics seven years ago,” he recalls. “It opened up something new in me.” Several months later, he went to India and stopped eating meat. Since then, he has primarily lived in Asia, teaching yoga and meditation with his wife.

Despite many positive changes in his life, Daniel experienced setback earlier this year. In Thailand, he was diagnosed with cancer in the right salivary gland. He had surgery to remove it and then returned home to study with Ginat and Sheldon Rice, leaders of the macrobiotic community in Jerusalem. Both Ginat and Sheldon healed themselves of cancer years ago before moving to Israel from the United States. They now give classes and provide counseling, and their students include many Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Thanks to their guidance, Daniel says, he is doing well and gradually recovering his health.

Hussain, 25, first heard about macrobiotics six years ago from Miriam Nour, who promoted it on her popular television show broadcast throughout the Middle East. “Miriam came to Kuwait, and I decided I’d give it a try,” he notes. “I felt better.” Beside the philosophy of yin and yang, he was especially struck by the similarity between the macrobiotic way of eating and the medicinal approach of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam. Hussain’s path also made him more interested in spirituality. He started reading and meditating and traveled to India where he studied Eastern philosophy and meditation. “I started to see the bigger picture,” he explains. “I’d been strict and close-minded. But the food helped me accept new ideas.”

Changing Food Patterns in the Region

“Since Jews came to Israel from the world over, it’s difficult to identify a single Israeli food pattern,” Daniel explains. “But falafel, hummus, and other traditional Arab foods form the foundation.”
Because his mother was American, his family consumed many Western-style items, including meat, chicken, eggs & dairy as well as refined grains and fresh fruit and vegetables. “There is a marketplace mentality in Israel,” Daniel points out. “The fruits and vegetables in Israel are better than in America. They are mostly local and freshly grown. Organic food too is now easy to find. Still the vast majority of people in the country eat too much meat, poultry, dairy, refined oils, and other processed foods. As a result, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions are rapidly increasing.”

The situation in Kuwait is even more challenging. “Kuwaitis today mostly eat in restaurants,” Hussain says. “Fast food is available 24 hours a day. People eat at night. There are meats 2-3 meals a day, people eat lots of chicken, diary, and sugar, and only white rice is consumed. They also eat a lot of fish from the Persian Gulf. It’s one of the most polluted waters in the world as a result of dumping from ships and aircraft and the big wars that took place there. People don’t cook anymore for themselves, or they hire their own cooks.”

Unlike Israel which grows much of its own food, including organic vegetables, Kuwait is mostly desert. The primary vegetables that grow are nightshades, though cucumbers, cabbage, zucchini, and a few other hot-climate foods are available in the marketplace. Vegetables and fruits are imported from other nearby countries, including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. Since the war in the Persian Gulf in 1990 when America intervened to turn back Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, the food supply has become increasingly Americanized.

Future Plans

After completing Level 3 studies at the K.I., Hussain plans to return to Kuwait City and give workshops and cooking classes. Already some friends have opened a small store to make macrobiotic staples, specialty items, and books and literature available. He would especially like to help adjust macrobiotic dietary
guidelines for his region to take into account its unique climate, environment, and atmospheric energy.
“There is a big difference between America’s and Kuwait’s climate, and the food has to be adjusted. That’s mostly the reason why I’m here studying at the K.I.,” Hussain points out. “If people learned how to do that, they will get better and will like to continue with the diet. The awareness of the relationship between food and health is increasing in Kuwait, and many people would like to change.”

Daniel also hopes to further macrobiotics in Israel upon his return. He is especially interested in bringing Israelis and Palestinians together and making macrobiotics more accessible to ordinary people. He plans to give workshops in meditation, Eastern philosophy, and yoga featuring macrobiotic cuisine, good music, and engaging conversation. “Proper nutrition is the base to forming clear thought and right action, and I feel the more we degenerate in our dietary choices, the farther we find ourselves from peace and happiness and the ability to understand the other side and the potential the Middle East has to flourish,” he observes.
“If we can form a common ground on the basis of diet and balanced lifestyle, the focus may very well shift from the political arena to the more local one, not depending on the media to form our outlook on the other, but meeting on a personal level and addressing the day to day needs of both people,” Daniel concludes. “A true understanding of yin and yang and the order of the universe can help us understand that Arabs and Jews were meant to teach each other valuable lessons, and our evolution depends on each other. We should thank each other for reflecting our weaknesses and start building a new foundation together.”

For those who read Hebrew, see Daniel’s blog on macrobiotics:
http://israel-macrobiotics.blogspot.com/
For informatioin on macrobiotic programs at the Kushi Institute,
see: www.kushiinstitute.org

Alex Jack is a macrobiotic teacher, counsellor, and author for over 25 years, has written many books including The Macrobiotic path to Total Health and The Cancer Prevention Diet with Michio Kushi, Aveline Kushi’s Complete Guide to macrobiotic Cooking, and a new book on Marlowe and Shakespeare. He is the founder and director of Planetary Health/Amberwaves, a network devoted to preserving rice, wheat, and other essential foods from the threat of genetic engineering. His new website offers information on macrobiotic health and healing at www.macrobioticpath.com