A week or so back I mentioned a piece in The National about an international effort to get surfboards to Gaza that was being blocked by the Israelis. I looked into the story, and spoke with the guy who has led the effort, Seweryn Sztalkoper of Santa Monica, California. So, what’s the story?
Sztalkoper is 25, a Polish-born analyst at a hedge fund (whose family emigrated to the U.S. because of its connection to a Holocaust victim), a Muslim, and a surfer. Sztalkoper is hip; he has studied the Palestinian issue, but doesn’t like to get into arguments about it; and a couple years back when he read a piece in the LA Times by Louise Roug about surfing in Gaza–yes, journalism matters–he decided that this was where he could make his mark, something positive. Here’s Sztalkoper on his Pacific patio below. And here’s his website: Gaza Surf Relief. He started approaching surfing companies and other surfers.
The typical attitude of surfing moguls and surfers (as opposed to media moguls and journalists) was: Those kids need surfboards, let’s get ’em to them! A lot of guys gave Sztalkoper old boards, and a surfing magnate named Mark Kelly shipped him 15 new boards.
Sztalkoper teamed with a Jew in Israel, Arthur Rashkovan, and an American diplomat’s son, Matt Olsen, and last year–thanks to DHL, which contributed to the cause–they got 25 boards or so to Tel Aviv, where Rashkovan could store them. And not just boards, but wet suits, rash guards, and surfing logos. "All the accessories, to become a traditional Southern California-like surfer," Sztalkoper says.
Then the problem was getting the boards into Gaza. The boards were turned away again and again at the Eretz Crossing. The boards were deemed a security risk by the Israelis. Sztalkoper got this message from his friend Matt Olsen:
"I just got off the phone with a former colleague of mine who is one of the main players in the security establishment here and he just had a meeting with Nir Press, the head of the Civil Administration for Gaza, and they discussed the surfboards. According to him, the civil administration does not have a problem with the boards going into Gaza but the Israeli Navy has vetoed the shipment on security grounds. They are apparently concerned that the boards will be used to infiltrate Israel via the sea. The decision has apparently come from very high up in the Israeli Navy and this is not simply an issue of a local commander expressing his personal opinion.
…I am hopeful that they will be able to get something accomplished. I explained to them that there are already numerous surfboards, windsurfers and small sail boats in Gaza that could be used to infiltrate Israel and the import of more surfboards would therefore not raise the threat level above what currently exists. They will convey this message to the Israeli Navy and we’ll see if it has any effect."
Olsen was able to get four boards into Gaza by carrying them across in his hands. Israeli soldiers sent him along, maybe even knowing what he was up to. Then the Gaza war happened, shutting down the whole effort. Sztalkoper says he’s been told, "We can’t get any in, unless Gilad Shalit is released by Hamas… That’s the word on the street."
And there’s a Palestinian corruption problem. Sztalkoper just wants to get his boards to surfers, but a Palestinian with government connections has been trying to get the boards for himself. "He says you have to have a club officially registered. He says he was the first to register a club, so donations have to go to him…. His intentions are bad, to hold the boards for himself and monopolize the whole surfing scene."
(So let’s not just bash Israel here…) But the big problem is the border. Sztalkoper and his fine finned friends in Gaza have plans to start their own surf club, and register that. Gaza Surf, so that kids like Abdel Rahmal Al Haik, who is pictured at the top of this post, can hang 10 in Palestine. What can Americans do to help?
