Building Bridges in Israel
March 1, 2007
Politics and Religion in Israel and Palestine
The second weekend retreat took place in the beautiful, old city of Jerusalem. Twenty-one Palestinian, Palestinian-Israeli and Israeli girls attended the retreat.
On the first night, the young women shared their excitement about meeting each other again in the opening circle. Participants were invited to speak about their individual projects. They were asked to share what they were doing, how it had been for them to do their project, what they had gained from it so far, and how they would continue doing their work. The participants were also asked to think about their personal goals for the retreat; these goals were then written on butcher paper, so that the participants could read them throughout the retreat.
On the second day, the group visited the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Veshem in Jerusalem. A tour guide explained the exhibits and answered the girls’ questions in the museum. After returning from the museum, the group had a short workshop in which participants were asked to write letters to a holocaust survivor.
In the afternoon, the participants attended a Shabbat prayer in a reform synagogue in Jerusalem. They also met with a member of the community and were able to ask questions and listen to a presentation about the synagogue and its reform community. After a festive dinner at the YMCA in Jerusalem, the group continued to an art therapy workshop that reflected on the intensive day and the feelings that came up for the participants during the day.
On the last day of the retreat, the group went on a political tour of Jerusalem, presented from the Palestinian side, during which the guide explained all the issues that Jerusalemites face in East Jerusalem, the effects of the wall, and how Jerusalem is divided. The group then had a “wall workshop” in which pro and con statements about the wall from different sources were posted for participants to read. Two girls were asked to explain the quotes they agreed with the most and then had to reverse roles and explain their partner’s chosen quote and perspective. The workshop continued with the girls using the communication skills they learned in the summer intensive program to have a group discussion about all the burning subjects they had: the separation wall, check points in the Palestinian occupied territories, different aspects of the Israeli army service, and more. The participants are now working hard on their individual projects, and look forward to meeting again at the last retreat in the spring.
"I thought that I reached a point where I cant stretch anymore, what we made during this retreat showed me that I didn’t even started." - Middle East retreat particpant.
Building Bridges in Israel Archive
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