When I was in 10th grade (in Tel-Aviv) a college student handed me a flyer on my way to school. It announced the formation of "Youth Against Racism," an effort in response to the election of the racist Meir Kahane to the Knesset. That first meeting was held in a circle on the ground next to Habima Theater. She explained the deal to 25 of us, 8th to 12th graders from high schools all over Tel-Aviv. "Youth Against Racism," she said, "is you."

And then she invited others to talk about what they would like to do to protest the election of an openly racist politician. This was my first lesson in organizing: bring people together around an issue, and ask what they want to do about it. It's also a central theme of what Change.org is trying to do: bring together the sneezers of social change, the folks most likely to infect others with the activism bug, and set them loose working with each to make a difference.

That's why I'm here. I left Israel in 2000, right before the second Intifada broke out. Since that time I learned what it feels like to be in exile; reading Haaretz in Hebrew every day, investing all my spare time in Middle East peace activism, and wishing there was a place nearby for fresh hummus, the way it's made in East Jerusalem.

It would be so good to return, if only for a visit. But... something in me says, only if there is peace. Only if Israel and the Occupied Territories turns into Israel and Palestine. When there is peace, I can visit my friends in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Beit Sahour, without feeling that I've walked into a prison while looking like one of the guards.

Kind readers, won't you help send me back? Won't you help all those in exile to return home, be they Palestinian or Jewish? The word "shalom" is often translated as "peace." Another way is "whole." Peace is a state of being whole, with all your missing parts. Right now, Israel and Palestine suffer the absence of peace, or wholeness and completion. Millions of us carry an Israel or Palestine in our hearts, and feel that absence every day. We yearn for Zion/al-Quds. Peace/Shalom/Salam is the only way back.

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Still curious about me? My American family moved to Israel in 1975, when I was six years old. I remained in Israel more or less until after a brief stint in the army. After earning a college degree in the U.S. I returned to Israel in 1995. While in Israel I helped found a Palestinian human rights organization (PHRMG), served as director of an environmental nonprofit (Green Action), and consulted with a number of social change nonprofits.

In 2000 I left for Washington DC to work for an Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian environmental network (Friends of the Earth - Middle East). In the years since then, I've immersed myself in how nonprofits use the internet for organizing, and finally got my dream job: working for Democracyinaction.org. In that capacity I get to meet many wonderful people, and sometimes even help them. You should be so lucky!