Winograd experience at March of Hope

Note:

This was written in October. In December we had the opportunity to return to Israel and catch up on what has been going on with Women Wage Peace. See our report on that as well.

Carol has been working with Women Wage Peace since she learned of them in 2014 through her work in the Women's Leadership Forum of J Street. When we met with WWP leaders during our April trip to Israel this year, we found it so exciting that we decided we had to participate in march they were planning. Carol described her involvement in a blog post on the J Street site, Why I'm Participating in the March of Hope.

Carol was instrumental in arranging support (both financial and publicity) for the group in the United States and has been in contact with the organizers about publicity throughout the planning. On this trip, we became much closer friends with many of the organizers (and their supportive husbands). One of the most striking things about the organization is the way they work collaboratively, rather than through the usual hierarchical leadership structure. Most of the work was done by independent subgroups, and leadership rotated as the many plans were made and carried out. Whenever a woman suggested something they could do, she was encouraged to take the leadership to implement her idea. WWP followed a feminist model of how to get things done through cooperation and collaboration.

There isn't room here to talk about all the remarkable people we met and worked with, so we'll single out a few who were particularly notable. Before that, here is a quick tour of the places we went to (which were only a fraction of the events overall).

We arrived on Monday evening and were whisked from the airport to a big public event at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam/Oasis of Peace, a bilingual, bicultural community devoted to coexistence, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. On the flight overnight to Israel and at that event, we had our first chance to get acquainted with Leyhma Gbowee (see more below). At the event, hundreds of people gathered to hear a range of speakers, including Leyhma, Helen Legal, the French Ambassador to Israel, Knesset member Ksenia Svetlova, and Riman Barakat, who was the Palestinian co-CEO of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), Talks were interspersed with inspiring music by star Israeli performers such as Achinoam Nini (Noa).

After the event we got a ride back to Jerusalem, where we were fortunate to be able to stay in a lovely apartment owned by our friends Gloria and Mark Bieler (Gloria and Carol were roommates and close friends on a USY trip to Israel in 1959!). The unfortunate part was that after arriving there around 1am, we had to be in Tel Aviv by 7 on Tuesday to catch the next day's events. After the overnight flight, this was the second day of the continuing theme "So who's got time to sleep?"

On Tuesday we joined 30 women (and a couple of men) on a bus that started in Tel Aviv. Some were journalists, many of them were organizers of the march, some other visitors (more later). Our first stop was at a point right on the border with Lebanon, in Metula, the northernmost town in Israel.

In the picture you see Leyhma talking, along with Metula's mayor, in front of the barbed wire and concrete walls of the Lebanon border. The several dozen people there for the Women Wage Peace event were watched over by well-armed Israeli and UN soldiers and we could see Lebanese soldiers through the fence. Carol walked closer to the border fence so I could take a photo of her with the barbed wire and was quickly shooed away by an Israeli soldier. The crowd was enthusiastic and we listened and sang. One of the people speaking was one of the original founders of the "Four Mothers" movement that helped get Israel to withdraw from its occupation in southern Lebanon in 2000.

The bus then took us to Umm al-Fahm, of the largest Arab cities in Israel, with a population of 50,000, nearly all of whom are Palestinian citizens of Israel.

We had visited there on our previous trip to Israel and to attend a meeting of women organizers at the same community center where the Women Wage Peace event was held.

There was a diverse audience of all ages, which to our delight included 18 year old Marah Mahamid, the daughter of Sahar, the Palestinian woman who had hosted us on the earlier visit. Marah is obviously an excellent student and has applied to Hebrew University, Tel Aviv, and Haifa and hopes to study in the US one day. She is impressive and will definitely become a leader! As with the previous event, there were lots of speeches, young musicians, and general shmoozing. Leyhma told a story of two women in her group, one Muslim and one Christian, who had been friends for 30 years. An interviewer asked them how they had been able to stay connected across the divide. One said "When I look at her, I don't see a Muslim, and when she looks at me she doesn't see a Christian. We see a woman, a friend, a partner."

Then it was back on the bus to go to the sunset event on the beach in Tel Aviv.

I (Terry) have to admit that at one point when Carol went up to the front by the stage to join a group of women dancing, I took advantage of the comfortable lawn to take a short snooze. It was a great event for all.

After the event, Carol was invited with a select group of women to a dinner at the Herzaliya home of Eti Livni, a former Knesset Member. It included Carol, Leyhma Gbowee, Tzipi Livni (a major current politician), Esther Guluma, former Regional Director of UNICEF for West and Central Africa, Brigadier General Israela Oron – Former Deputy National Security Advisor, and a number of other powerful women leaders.

Terry was relegated to a small men's dinner at a lovely beachside cafe, with Eti's husband Yitzchak Livni (a prominent intellectual, author, and radio personality) and his friend Oded Gera, who is a 7th generation Israeli.

As you might expect, we got back to Jerusalem around midnight (it's about an hour ride), and had to get up at 6am to catch another bus for the hour's ride into the desert.

Wednesday was the big day with two headline events. The first was the march at

at Qasr el-Yahud, described on the main page. As dozens of busses arrived with thousands of people, we sang, danced, and mingled next to the ancient monastery.

There was a procession down the hill to the site where (in legend at least), the Israelites crossed into the promised land, and also where Jesus was baptised. In 100 degree heat we listened to more stirring talks, including a deeply poetic one by a pair of teenage girls, one Israeli and one Palestinian who are close friends. The appreciative audience included the two of us in our sun-resistant white clothes (white was the color for the march) and wide-brim hats.

After the formal event, we went down to see the Jordan River.

What you see here is the entire width of the river as it heads into the Dead Sea. The ramshackle shelter on the other side of the river is in Jordan, and as you can see, the border here its pretty casual. As Israeli and Palestinian tourists dipped in the water from one side, Jordanians were doing the same a few feet away. Carol wanted to dive in, clothes and all, but was persuaded (by guess whom) that a foot-dip would suffice. So now she has been "baptized" at the holy site on the Jordan.

One of the biggest concerns we had on the trip was the result of spending a bunch of time after the talks were over, with things like foot-dipping. By the time we walked up from the river to where the busses were gathered, our bus from Jerusalem had left and we saw it go up the hill. We had left our bag in a friend Sarale's car, and she too had sent a message saying she figured we had gotten back on the bus, and would bring us the bag in Jerusalem. Pretty much everybody had left by then.

We trudged up the hill to the monastery in the 100 degree afternoon sun, hoping to find someone with a car. It was 3pm and Carol hadn't eaten since the night before (and our food was in Sarale's car on the way to Jerusalem). As we wandered and wondered how we would get back from the desert, we were picked up by a lovely couple, Anat and Doron, who were the designers for all the march materials, and were checking for stragglers. Our straggles ended. They brought us to a rendezvous with Sarale's car, and we got back to Jersualem in fine shape, in time to eat and have a bit of rest before the culminating rally in the evening, in front of Netanyahu's house. See more about the rally in the main page.

We went to bed near midnight again, exhilarated and exhausted, with Carol humming the Prayer of the Mothers continually.

Thursday and Friday were more restful, with no big public events. On Friday there was a small event in a sukkah erected in front of Netanyahu's house (this is a standard place for Israeili political demonstrations and events of all kinds). It's walls were sections of the Peace Quilt

We joined for a Kabbalat Shabbat and songs of peace, and then went to our friend Hamutal's home for a quiet, lovely shabbat dinner. We took a flight in the middle of the night and arrived back in San Francisco (via Amsterdam) mid-day on Saturday, tired but very energized.

PEOPLE WE MET

As we said above, this is only a tiny sampling. Lots more stories to tell when we see you.

Leymah Gbowee

One of the most memorable aspects of our trip was the opportunity to meet and hear Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate from Liberia.

She is a giant leader and a fantastic speaker. She carries the weight of somebody who's done it, and the charisma of powerful preachers. Being in her presence and hearing her speak was a privilege, an inspiration, and "a call for duty". We heard her speak 6 times over those three days, both to large audiences and small. Each and every speech was different, strong, eloquent, and completely memorable. In one of her talks she told a story about a woman who worked with her on the peace and reconciliation after the war was over. As part of her healing work, this woman was working on trauma recovery with boys who had been child soldiers in a horrendous war. She talked with one boy, who looked at her quizzically, and said "I know you. I was the one who killed your daughter." When asked whether she would continue to work with him, she said yes, that although it was hard, it was the only way to bring reconciliation and healing to the troubled country.

You can read about Leymah's experiences in her book: Mighty Be Our Powers

Huda Abu Arqoub

Huda is a Palestinian peacemaker, whom we have had the privilege of knowing for many years. Those of you who saw the J Street presentation of the Justice and Peace (Tzedek v'Shalom) award to Carol in 2014 heard her as one of Carol's two introducers (along with Member of Knesset Merav Michaeli).

Huda is now the regional director for the Alliance for Middle East Peace, which brings together 90+ organizations of Palestinians and Israelis working for co-existence and peace. She was prominent in many of the events, including the two large events on Wednesday at Qasr el-Yahud and in Jerusalem. You can hear her Jerusalem speech at the rally in front of Netanyahu's house (intro is in Hebrew, her speech is in English).

Yahaloma Zehut

Yahaloma is Mizrahi (middle-East Jews) of Egyptian descent, and a leader in WWP. She is from Ofakim, a poor development town near the Gaza border.

Yahaloma and Carol had both wanted to talk with each other during the events, but time and language barrier had prevented that. On Thursday, they were able to have a very long conversation,with Rivi Diamond graciously serving as the translator for about two hours. Her story is incredible. She has faced a tremendous amount of resistance in her community, which is very conservative: 60% of the people in her town are split between the two orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah, and another 30% in factions of Likud, Netanyahu's party. She established her credibility by being a leader in bringing government resources to her town, especially for dealing with the trauma of rockets, being very close to the Gaza border. But it has taken tremendous courage for her to speak out openly about peace and about partnership with Palestinian women, when few in her community are open.

When Carol asked her what gives her strength and courage, she said two things: One is the youth. Knowing that they will have better opportunities than she did keeps her going. Two is her inner voice. She knows deep inside that this is why she is on the earth and what she needs to do. She is our own Leymah Gbowee. Her story is impressive and deeply moving.

Marcenia Richards

Marcenia is a Christian pastor and was the founder of Fierce Women of Faith, an interfaith organization dealing with violence on the streets of Chicago. She came to Israel in solidarity with women working against violence. Her trip was paid for by the Jewish Federation of Chicago.

Here you see her on the bus we took to the Tuesday events, creating a square to add to the peace quilt. Her depth of understanding from her different religious perspective enriched our conversations.

Ulfat Haider

Ulfat Haider (right), an Arab Israeli from Haifa, was one of the two leaders who mapped the route of the "Uniting Israel Trail" and co-led the 14 day walk from the north of Israel to Jerusalem. She is a fitness teacher and ultra-marathoner. In 2004 she went on Antarctic expedition with 4 palestinians and 4 israelis to explore co-existence, and she has been instrumental in organizing the Palestinian community within Israel. She was one of the speakers at the big Jerusalem rally, as well as at other events, and is a great example of the strength that women bring to the cause of Peace.

Lili Weisberger, Yael Admi, and many more...

It is impossible to single out leaders of the large and collaborative group that planned and carried out the March of Hope. Two of the most active (and now close friends of ours) were Lili Weisberger (whom we met in our initial meeting in Jerusalem in April), and Yael Admi (whom we hosted for a fundraiser in our home in May).

Lili is the one with long dark hair in the front of the march here, holding a sign. Lili was ever present and ever energetic at the many events we attended. She gave powerful talks, and her enthusiastic spirit inspired many. We have dozens (maybe hundreds) of emails from her over the last few weeks, as all the details got worked out. She embodies the hopeful, determined, energetic soul of WWP.

Yael Admi (front right) and her husband Yoel were the heart and soul of the logistics for the march. Their van went from one end of Israel to the other, carrying posters, sound equipment, quilts, shelters, and much more. They were always there when things needed to happen. They were in charge of fundraising as well, and made a trip to the US, including an event in our home in May. They were (as were many many of the organizers) absolutely tireless and dedicated.

And let's put in a word here for the men. Although the march was organized and led by women, there were a good number of men at all the events, as you can see from the photos. Yoel and many other husbands served as a support team, providing both material and emotional aid so that the women warriors could go all out and wage peace, make the March of Hope a success. We appreciated being with couples whose relationships and ability to work together felt like ours. Through the activities and informal "down times" we made friendships that will be long-lasting.

We were tremendously blessed to get to know the wonderful people who made this event happen.