While most people only experience the violence and turmoil in the Middle East through TV and newspapers, Annette Thomas experienced the tension first-hand on several occasions.
Thomas developed an interest in the plight of refugees at an early age through her mother, a Czechoslovakian refugee.
While traveling in Jordan to visit friends in 2002, a picture in a newspaper caught Thomas? attention. The Independence Township resident said the picture was of an eight-year-old Palestinian refugee boy who, according to the newspaper, was shot when leaving his tent for a piece of candy. The picture of the deceased child surrounded by friends kissing him good-bye made a huge impact on Thomas.
Trips to Palestinian refugee camps continued to change the way Thomas looked at affairs in the Middle East.
‘I had no idea about what was going on. Our media does not tell both sides of the story,? said Thomas.
Over the last few years, six visits to the Middle East, including three to Palestine, left Thomas wanting to tell the story of what she saw and heard.
Her latest trip, with the Michigan Peace Team, produced photos and a personal narrative published in the Washington Reporter on Middle East Affairs. The narrative describes an Israeli military raid of a refugee camp in Jenin.
‘The Israeli military raid of the Jenin camp that took place in the dead of night, leaving the Palestinians no chance of resistance, had become a human tragedy,? wrote Thomas.
During her 2? week trip, Thomas says she saw firsthand many struggles by Palestinian refugees and was impressed with the way she was treated. She recalled one incident in particular. While visiting a family stricken by several medical hardships, she was touched when they offered her the only chair they owned.
‘The spirit of the people is amazing? If they have one cracker left, they give you that cracker,? said Thomas.
Thomas said the goal of the Michigan Peace Team is to send Michigan residents to observe regions of violence and share what they have seen and witnessed. On this trip, she stood alongside people from many other countries including Denmark, Sweden, Wales and England.
‘The team was comprised of ordinary people, but those I traveled with were extraordinary and very courageous,? said Thomas.
In order to travel with the Michigan Peace Team, Thomas underwent an array of interviews and training sessions to ensure she could handle the sometimes tumultuous atmosphere.
‘The Michigan Peace Team tell you never to touch, never to yell, never to be aggressive, none of that. They will tolerate none of that. If you show tendencies, they will not allow you to travel on their team. It’s strictly about peace,? said Thomas.
During her travels, Thomas and a friend were arrested at an Israeli checkpoint for taking photographs. She recalls feeling intimidated as the police took her passport and moved her from building to building without saying anything. The situation was resolved when the friend she traveled with called an Israeli police officer he knew to speak on his behalf.
Thomas? experience overseas led to an interesting job offer from LIFE for Relief and Development out of Southfield, Michigan. Through contacts made on her journeys, Thomas said she was offered a job working with orphans and women in Baghdad.
Although interested in the offer, Thomas could not fit the job’s work and pay schedule to adequately maintain her role as sole provider for her household in Independence Township.
Being cognizant of the controversy and powerful sentiments attached to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Thomas stressed that she does not blame the people, but wants others to be aware of what is going on.
‘I don’t want to insult anyone on either side, its not their fault. You have extremists on both sides. But by and large both groups of people just want peace; but the governments won’t allow it,? said Thomas.
Thomas? passion for traveling should come as no surprise considering she spent the first six years of her life living in Germany.
Thomas said her father was a symphony conductor and violinist in Germany with three Ph.D.’s who moved the family to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1961. The move was prompted by a group of American professors who convinced him to immigrate to the United States.
In 1964, her father took a job at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Thomas would spend the rest of her childhood there and eventually graduate from NMU with a foreign language degree and an art minor.
During her time at NMU, Thomas recalls knowing of Tom Izzo and Steve Mariucci, who were acquainted with some of her friends. Thomas said the two now famous coaches had plans and followed them.
Moving to Waterford in 1979, Thomas took a job at the Warren Post Office, but transferred to the Clarkston Post Office in 1982, where she works currently.
Thomas lives with her daughter Stefani, 17, and a student at the University of Michigan-Flint and her son Nicholas, 23, who attends Baker College.
When not discussing politics or interacting with her family, Thomas enjoys the company of her two cats and dog. She adopted her dog, Harry, from an animal shelter in Auburn Hills. She also enjoys listening to jazz music.
After all her travels, Thomas reflected on her experiences.
‘I’ve never wanted a lot of things. I’ll never have a lot of things, but I’ll always be rich from the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had,? she concluded.