Everest Peace Project
Encyclopedia
The Everest Peace Project is an organization based in the United States
that promotes peace, teamwork and cultural understanding by climbing some of the highest peaks in the world by a team of individuals from various faiths and cultures.
by Ali Bushnaq, Dudu Yifrah and Micha Yaniv, members of the Everest Peace Project. The climb is the main focus of the documentary film Everest: A Climb for Peace.
Ali Bushnaq
Ali Bushnaq is a Palestinian
. He was born in Nablus
, but later he and his family moved to Jordan
. He went to college in the United States
. At the time of the expedition, he, his wife, and three children lived in Abu Dhabi
.
Ali is an athlete who has played rugby
, and run marathon
s. His climbing experience includes climbing Mount Shasta
in California
and several climbing expeditions in the Alps
and Himalayas
. In 2005 he summited Mount Kilimanjaro
, the highest mountain in Africa
.
In 2006 Ali reached the elevation of 7000 meters (23,000 feet) in his bid to summit Mount Everest
. Although Ali, who is not a professional climber, was not able to reach the top of Everest at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) , he became the first Palestinian ever to reach 7000 meters elevation. Ali believed that some of his Arab friends would no longer talk to him because of his decision to climb Everest with Israelis.
Dudu Yifrah
Dudu Yifrah is an Israeli who was born in Northern Israel. At the time of the expedition he was 32 years old. A member of the Israeli Alpine Club, his climbing experience includes summiting Mount Blanc, the Matterhorn
, Kamet
and others. He is also a great rock climber
, who has climbed almost every rock climbing site in his native Middle East
region. In 2006 Dudu summited Mount Everest
. He became the second Israeli to successfully climb Everest, reaching the top on May 18, 2006 at 6:51am .
Dudu served in the Israeli Defense Forces in an elite commando unit. At one point his unit was stationed in Gaza
. Six weeks after he came home after successful ascending Everest, Dudu was called to fight in the Israel-Hezbollah War.
The expedition leader for the project, Lance Trumbull, recalls talking to Dudu just before he was called for active duty, when Hezbollah was firing rockets to Northern Israel:
Dudu works in his family business, still serves in the military, and continues climbing in his free time.
Micha Yaniv
Micha Yaniv is an Israeli who was born in Tel-Aviv and who at the time of the expedition was 40 years old. Micha, his wife and three children live in Jerusalem. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
, where he received a bachelor's degree
in math and physics
.
Micha became interested in climbing in 1988, and is a climbing instructor for the Israeli Defense Forces. He is also an active member of the community, and a volunteer teacher for needy kids.
Micha climbs all surfaces, including rock and ice. He has climbed mountains around the world in Switzerland
, Italy
, France
, Peru
, Nepal
, Tibet
, India
, and is only one of a handful of Everest summiteers who has also climbed El Capitan in Yosemite. On May 18, 2006 at 9:35 a.m., he became the third Israeli who successfully climbed Everest.
When he is neither climbing nor volunteering, Micha is working on a Ph.D. in Geophysics
.
Lance Trumbull was surprised that Ali, who was not a professional climber, was able to climb to the North Col
in the same amount of time as Micha and Dudu did.
Yet even at 5,180 meters (17,000 feet) elevation, sitting in a base camp, the men often engaged in arguing about Middle East
politics. Lance Trumbull recalls one such exchange:
Trumbull understood how uneasy it was for the three men on different sides of the brutal war to overcome their differences, and to work together as a climbing team. On Everest, the ability to work as a team is often a matter of life and death.
Dudu and Micha reached the "top of the world", as Everest is called. Ali had turned back near the North Col. He was suffering from pneumonia
, and felt dizzy
and weak. Micha cried when he learned that Ali would not share the summit with them. Although Ali could not make it to the top, the Palestinian flag was carried to the top of the highest mountain in the world by Ali's Israeli teammates. The culmination of the entire climb came when Dudu Yifrah's "raised the sewn together Israeli-Palestinian flags on the summit of Everest and dedicated his climb to his new-found brother and climbing partner Ali Bushnaq". When Ali learned about this by radio contact with Dudu and Micha, he was deeply moved.
. The documentary has been hailed as a "tremendous achievement" by the Dalai Lama
and has received his endorsement.
. The climbers, of different nationalities and faiths, work together despite their cultural differences to climb the mountain for peace. Although there were 9 peace climbers on the expedition, the film focuses on Palestinian Ali Bushnaq and Israelis Dudu Yifrah and Micha Yaniv.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that promotes peace, teamwork and cultural understanding by climbing some of the highest peaks in the world by a team of individuals from various faiths and cultures.
Climbs
- In 2004 the Everest Peace Project climbed Mount ShastaMount ShastaMount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
to celebrate the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
International Day of PeaceInternational Day of PeaceThe International Day of Peace, also known as the World Peace Day, occurs annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to peace, and specifically the absence of war, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone. It is observed by many nations, political groups, military...
. - In 2005 the Everest Peace Project climbed Mount KilimanjaroMount KilimanjaroKilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
. - In 2006 the Everest Peace Project climbed Mount Everest on May 18; Dudu Yifrah unfolded a sewn together IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i–PalestinianPalestinian peopleThe Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
flag on the summit of Everest.
2006 climb
In 2006, there was an ascent of Mount EverestMount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
by Ali Bushnaq, Dudu Yifrah and Micha Yaniv, members of the Everest Peace Project. The climb is the main focus of the documentary film Everest: A Climb for Peace.
Ali Bushnaq
Ali Bushnaq is a Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
. He was born in Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
, but later he and his family moved to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. He went to college in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At the time of the expedition, he, his wife, and three children lived in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
.
Ali is an athlete who has played rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, and run marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
s. His climbing experience includes climbing Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta is located at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California and at is the second highest peak in the Cascades and the fifth highest in California...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and several climbing expeditions in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. In 2005 he summited Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
, the highest mountain in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
In 2006 Ali reached the elevation of 7000 meters (23,000 feet) in his bid to summit Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. Although Ali, who is not a professional climber, was not able to reach the top of Everest at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) , he became the first Palestinian ever to reach 7000 meters elevation. Ali believed that some of his Arab friends would no longer talk to him because of his decision to climb Everest with Israelis.
Dudu Yifrah
Dudu Yifrah is an Israeli who was born in Northern Israel. At the time of the expedition he was 32 years old. A member of the Israeli Alpine Club, his climbing experience includes summiting Mount Blanc, the Matterhorn
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...
, Kamet
Kamet
Kamet is the second highest mountain in the Garhwal region of India, after Nanda Devi. It lies in the Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, close to the border with Tibet. It is the third highest mountain in India Kamet is the second highest mountain in the Garhwal region of India, after Nanda Devi....
and others. He is also a great rock climber
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, who has climbed almost every rock climbing site in his native Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
region. In 2006 Dudu summited Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. He became the second Israeli to successfully climb Everest, reaching the top on May 18, 2006 at 6:51am .
Dudu served in the Israeli Defense Forces in an elite commando unit. At one point his unit was stationed in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
. Six weeks after he came home after successful ascending Everest, Dudu was called to fight in the Israel-Hezbollah War.
The expedition leader for the project, Lance Trumbull, recalls talking to Dudu just before he was called for active duty, when Hezbollah was firing rockets to Northern Israel:
Dudu works in his family business, still serves in the military, and continues climbing in his free time.
Micha Yaniv
Micha Yaniv is an Israeli who was born in Tel-Aviv and who at the time of the expedition was 40 years old. Micha, his wife and three children live in Jerusalem. He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
, where he received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in math and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
.
Micha became interested in climbing in 1988, and is a climbing instructor for the Israeli Defense Forces. He is also an active member of the community, and a volunteer teacher for needy kids.
Micha climbs all surfaces, including rock and ice. He has climbed mountains around the world in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and is only one of a handful of Everest summiteers who has also climbed El Capitan in Yosemite. On May 18, 2006 at 9:35 a.m., he became the third Israeli who successfully climbed Everest.
When he is neither climbing nor volunteering, Micha is working on a Ph.D. in Geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...
.
At the mountain
At the interim camp, Ali shared a tent with Micha and Dudu. He was the last one to arrive at the camp, and he was exhausted. His Israeli friends helped Ali prepare his meal, and let him sleep in the middle between them. As soon as Ali felt better, he helped Micha and Dudu, whenever possible.Lance Trumbull was surprised that Ali, who was not a professional climber, was able to climb to the North Col
North Col
The North Col refers to a sharp-edged pass or col carved by glaciers connecting Mount Everest and Changtse in Tibet. It forms the head of the East Rongbuk Glacier....
in the same amount of time as Micha and Dudu did.
Yet even at 5,180 meters (17,000 feet) elevation, sitting in a base camp, the men often engaged in arguing about Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
politics. Lance Trumbull recalls one such exchange:
Trumbull understood how uneasy it was for the three men on different sides of the brutal war to overcome their differences, and to work together as a climbing team. On Everest, the ability to work as a team is often a matter of life and death.
Dudu and Micha reached the "top of the world", as Everest is called. Ali had turned back near the North Col. He was suffering from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, and felt dizzy
Dizzy
Dizzy may refer to:* Dizziness, the state of being off balance-Nickname:* Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz trumpet player and composer* Johnny Moore , American rhythm and blues singer* Dizzy Reed, Guns N' Roses keyboardist...
and weak. Micha cried when he learned that Ali would not share the summit with them. Although Ali could not make it to the top, the Palestinian flag was carried to the top of the highest mountain in the world by Ali's Israeli teammates. The culmination of the entire climb came when Dudu Yifrah's "raised the sewn together Israeli-Palestinian flags on the summit of Everest and dedicated his climb to his new-found brother and climbing partner Ali Bushnaq". When Ali learned about this by radio contact with Dudu and Micha, he was deeply moved.
Documentary
Everest: A Climb for Peace is a documentary about the 2006 climb, and is narrated by Orlando BloomOrlando Bloom
Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starring in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood...
. The documentary has been hailed as a "tremendous achievement" by the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
and has received his endorsement.
Synopsis
The climb for peace expedition and the documentary which took five years to plan, execute and put together is about 9 climbers as they climb the north side of Mount EverestMount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
. The climbers, of different nationalities and faiths, work together despite their cultural differences to climb the mountain for peace. Although there were 9 peace climbers on the expedition, the film focuses on Palestinian Ali Bushnaq and Israelis Dudu Yifrah and Micha Yaniv.