Yesterday, my team crossed over to West Jerusalem to support Israeli activists in their peace efforts. We started by holding a vigil with the Israeli group of Women in Black. Every Friday from 1pm to 2pm, a small group of women stand silent in protest of the occupation at Perez Square, a very busy intersection in the middle of West Jerusalem. We stood next to them and for an entire hour heard shouting and screaming! The level of agressvity is high enough that the police comes every Friday to protect them. My admiration went to them right away: these (now) old ladies hold a vigil there every week, answering questions to anyone who wants to dialogue with them, but never shouting back! Yesterday was the actual anniversary of their movement: 22 years! And as one of them said, "we hope we won't celebrate our 23rd anniversary."
Directly after that, we joined the Friday march that goes from West Jerusalem to Sheikh Jarrah, the famous Palestinian neighborhood destined to demolition and/or taken over by settlers. It was very moving to walk with a young crowd of Israeli protesting the occupation; very hopeful. However, it is hard to ignore that the march can happen only under the strict protection of both the army and the police. Furthermore, the Plaestinian homes and inhabitants of Sheikh Jarrah are in a very precarious situation; our team of EAs may well witness a series of house demolitions in the next months and/or see settlers move in.
I love the picture of the Women in Black sitting in quietly and smiling for peace. Seems to embody the spirit of non-violent communication and resistance. Maybe what's odd about the picture is how well it captures their spirit in its brightness and clarity. Looking at it, you can hardly imagine the violence and verbal abuse happening around them.
ReplyDeleteBonjour Madame Schmid, je ne vous écris qu'aujourd'hui car je ne savais pas trop bien comment utiliser un blog.Ce soir j'ai le bonheur d'avoir ma fille près de moi qui me donne un coup de pouce pour vous contacter ;)
ReplyDeleteJe me réjouis de vous lire et d'apprendre vos expériences. Je suis allée en Israël il y a bientôt 25 ans et j'en garde un souvenir lumineux mais les temps étaient différents. Ce qui se passe maintenant est triste.
Je vous envoie mes meilleurs messages et à bientôt.