Normally when someone goes fishing, he hopes to reel in a big trout or bass, but for Imad Abu-Kishek, an administrative and financial assistant visiting from Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, his biggest catch while living in Waltham was human.On a hot July day, Abu-Kishek took his sons Fayeq, 9, and Fares, 6, down to the Charles River to relax in the sunshine and hope for some bites. When they arrived, the river was halcyon and nearly empty except for the presence of a lone elderly boatman. It appeared to be the start of a perfectly lazy summer afternoon. Then, the day's serenity was suddenly interrupted with a large splash, and a cry from one of Abu-Kishek's sons; the boater had gone overboard. Abu-Kishek sprung into action.

"I threw a rope for him, and he caught it immediately, and I started to pull him to the edge of the dock," Abu-Kishek says. "He was too heavy, and he kept slipping from my grip. He slipped from my hand, and I could not imagine losing him."

Abu-Kishek sent his sons to a nearby Mexican restaurant for help, and they returned with a Christian missionary. So, Muslim and Christian, side by side, they pulled the man to safety. This was one catch that Abu-Kishek was not about to throw back.

In a sense, the collaborative effort in this fisherman's tale is a good metaphor for what Abu-Kishek is trying to achieve with his work uniting religions. On the one hand, he is working at Brandeis as the assistant to University President Jehuda Reinharz for financial and administrative affairs, and supervises the financial department and the budget.

But Abu-Kishek's real passion involves working side-by-side with men and women of differing religious backgrounds. As a member of the People's Campaign for Peace and Democracy in Israel, Abu-Kishek works with Muslims and Jews in an effort to find a solution for the conflict in the Middle East. The group focuses on regular citizens and has collected over 400,000 signatures from both Israelis and Palestinians who urge for the existence of two states, one named Israel and the other named Palestine.

"In order to create change, we need to create a force on the government from the bottom up to urge leaders to make a solution," Abu-Kishek says. "It's important that we focus on grassroots instead of politics. We don't focus on leaders because we fear that they do not want to make a solution. But, if we show them that people from both sides agree and have the same principles, it puts pressure on [the leaders]."

Abu-Kishek says that there are many obstacles to overcome before peace can happen. He says one of these problems is the new wall that the Israeli government is building to divide itself from Palestinian territories-on land that the Palestinians feel they deserve. This wall cuts out 20 percent of the West Bank and Gaza from Palestinian sovereignty, which when intact, represented 22 percent of what was once Palestine. Feelings about this wall vary greatly, as demonstrated by its two different nicknames. According to Abu-Kishek, the Israelis call this wall the "Defense Wall," while the Palestinians call it the "Apartheid Wall." Abu-Kishek says that one thing is for sure, though: As long as these different views remain prominent, there cannot be peace.

Another major obstacle that stands between Israel and peace is the discussion over holy sites.

"The real conflict is over the Dome of the Rock and the [Western] Wall," Abu-Kishek says. "What I hope people can realize, is that neither of these places belong to us anyway, they belong to God. It's also important for peace, to realize that we have the same god, the god of Abraham. Neither Jews nor Muslims should have sovereignty of these places."

Even though Abu-Kishek believes no group should claim ownership to the holy sites, he does realize that pragmatically, people should have some control over certain places. For this reason he believes that the Jewish people of Israel should manage the Western Wall, while Muslim Palestinians should manage the Dome of the Rock.

Abu-Kishek says that one of the hardest parts about coming to the United States has been leaving behind his connections both social and professional. In order to combat this feeling of isolation from his home, and to help the cause that he is most passionate for, he continues on a quest for peace. Although most of his work with the People's Campaign for Peace and Democracy takes place at his home in Palestine, Abu-Kishek is taking advantage of his time at Brandeis as well.

"We have done a lot of work at home, but we are at a point where there is no solution without the help of international communities," says Abu-Kishek. He says part of his goal here "is to make this population aware of the real problem in Israel and Palestine. Right now there could be fighting for another 40 years, and for what? We don't want to give the Devil the opportunity for us to kill ourselves."

Abu-Kishek says that he wants to take special advantage of the fact that he is at a place like Brandeis. First, he says being a Palestinian in a place with Jewish ties gives him the chance to appeal from the other side of the issue.

"I know that Brandeis is supported and created by a Jewish community," he says. "[Being here] allows me to explain my side of the conflict to my colleagues in order to get support to find a solution. It's good to be here because the main goal of this university is justice. In order for there to be a solution in Israel, I think we need help from international places just like Brandeis.