Other Sydney events with Micha Kurz and Sahar Vardi
Sun 12 Aug 2.30 pm
Holy Trinity Anglican Church
cnr Seaview & Herbert Sts Dulwich Hill NSW 2203
Sun 12 Aug 5.30 pm
An Afternoon Tea discussion with Progressive Israelis – Micha Kurz and Sahar Vardihosted by the Australian Jewish Democratic Society
Micky’s Cafe- 268 Oxford st, Paddington
Sun 12 Aug 5.30 pm
An Afternoon Tea discussion with Progressive Israelis – Micha Kurz and Sahar Vardihosted by the Australian Jewish Democratic Society
Micky’s Cafe- 268 Oxford st, Paddington
Mon 13 Aug 6.30 for 7.00 pm
Sydney Mechanics School of Arts, 280 Pitt St Sydney CBD
www.ajds.org.au
Other Australian events (6-30 August)
Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne
www.ajds.org.au
Other Australian events (6-30 August)
Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne
A brief
overview of the speakers: Micha Kurz and Sahar Vardi
Come and
listen to two exciting and young members of the Israeli peace movement!
Micha Kurz
is 31 years old. He was a former
soldier turned peace activist. He
helped co-found - Breaking the Silence - a group of former Israeli soldiers
that collects hundreds of testimonies describing the realities of controlling
the Palestinian civilian population under military rule.
Sahar Vardi
is 23 years old. She is a
conscientious objector and has spent time in prison on multiple occasions by
taking a stand against serving in the Israeli armed forces, whilst it continues
to occupy Palestinian lands.
The visit of
Micha Kurz and Sahar Vardi to Australia has been organised by the Australian
Jewish Democratic Society.
Biographies of Micha Kurz
and Sahar Vardi
Micha
Kurz was
born and raised in Jerusalem. After more than 10 years training teenagers as
community leaders with the National Youth Movement, Micha worked extensively
with new immigrant communities in Israel, mainly youth from Ethiopia and the
Caucasus. He went on to implement one of the first leadership training programs
with Bedouin youth in Israel. At 19 Micha was drafted to the Israeli Military
as a combat soldier, and after 3 years stationed in the Palestinian city of
Hebron he attained rank of Master Sergeant and received an honourable
discharge.
As a
result of his experiences in the army, Micha co-founded “Breaking the Silence”
in 2004 with a small group of soldiers from his unit. The organisation of
former Israeli soldiers has since grown to collect hundreds of testimonies
describing the realities of controlling a civilian population under military
rule. It serves as a moral mirror to Israeli society. Breaking the Silence has
been instrumental in ongoing debate around occupation and military policy
within Israeli society.
Micha went on to travel and began meeting with
grassroots community organisers internationally, recognising that effective
local community organising is often the best strategy to deal with political
inaction. In 2009 he returned to his home city and launched Grassroots
Jerusalem and its Merkaz Al Kul (Centre for All), a project that maps social
inequalities, justice issues and environmental problems together with community
projects that address them in and around the Jerusalem area. Micha has
spoken internationally, including with Jewish and Palestinian communities in
the United States and Europe. His efforts to link Palestinian and Israeli
grassroots leadership with supporting communities in the Diaspora are geared
towards weaving a common strategy for realistic lasting peace and justice in
Jerusalem.
Sahar
Vardi has
lived in Jerusalem her whole life. At 15 she began working with Ta'ayush
(Living Together) a movement of Arabs and Jews working to break down the walls
of segregation by constructing a true Arab-Jewish partnership through concrete
joint action. Much of Ta'ayush’s work focuses on accompaniment for West Bank
agricultural communities facing settler and military violence. At 18 Sahar was
conscripted to the Israeli Military and refused to serve. She spent several
months in Military Prison for her
conscientious
objection and wrote at the time,
Sahar and Micha co-host a weekly radio program in Jerusalem discussing current
affairs and community action in the Holy City.
Discussion topics
*What
are everyday people doing to get on with living respectfully alongside one
another considering the long term political stalemate? Focusing on grassroots
initiatives for peace and justice in Jerusalem.
*Democratic dialogue around conscription and military policy within Israeli
society - what does it look like? Why is it important? Is it permitted and is
this changing? Including engaging Jewish communities abroad in such dialogue.
*Demilitarisation and nonviolence in the context of a conscript society. What
are the effects of the ongoing occupation and conscription on Israeli
society?
The speakers can also give a thorough 20-30 minute factual overview of the
current geo-political situation and historical context.
Further Links
Shministim
Breaking
the Silence: Israeli soldiers talk about the occupied territories
Ta’ayush
Grassroots
Jerusalem
New
Profile
Hearing
the Words of an Israeli Soldier, Daily Kos, 21 July 2011
Israeli
Activists Criticize US House for Considering Resolution Condemning Goldstone
Report on Israeli War Crimes in Gaza, Democracy Now, 3 November 2009
Video testimonies
Micha
Kurz, ‘Why I break the silence’, 21 April 2011
video
catalog number: 54524, unit: Nahal Brigade
A
soldier explains his decision to speak up about his service in the occupied
territories
Micha Kurz, ‘We’re living dishonestly’, 21 April 2011
video
catalog number: 63912, unit: Nahal Brigade
place: West Bank
Israelis
live a normal life because Palestinians are forced to live an abnormal, violent
one -- but ultimately, Israelis must pay a price.
Micha
Kurz, ‘Better he gets hurt than me’, 20 April 2011
When
you're looking for a terrorist, the best protection is to use a human shield.
Micha
Kurz: Grassroots Jerusalem, Uploaded 13 November 2009
Testimonies
Operation “Cast Lead”, Uploaded 20 January 2010
Sahar Vardi@Tree of Life Conference on Israel/Palestine, 11 November 2011
Update 5 August 2012
Sahar Vardi, March of the Flags, Mondoweiss, 22 May 2012
The March of the Flags ('Jerusalem Day') is an extreme right wing march of settlers, and is the culmination of Jerusalem Day.
March of the Flags 2012
March of the Flags 2011
[Examples of blind racism in the 2011 March of the Flags in East Jerusalem. Uploaded 2 June 2011 - Chant "Death to Arabs". See also chant "Death to Arabs" in Malha Mall Jeruslaem, uploaded 19 March 2012]
March of the Flags 2012
10 year old Palestinian boy fleeing an Israeli border policeman. The boy had held a Palestinian flag. A settler had grabbed the flag off the boy and the boy tried to grab it back. The border police man then ran after the boy. Sahar stood in the way between the border police man and the boy.
Video of Sahar protecting Palestinian boy - Uploaded 21 May 2012
'For second straight year, marchers chant anti-Arab slogans during Jerusalem Day', Haaretz, 21 May 2012
Sahar Vardi, V Radio, USA, 2012 Radio interview [Good interview with Sahar]
Other images of the: Protest against Jerusalem Day, Flickr, East Jerusalem, 20 May 2012
Nabi Saleh protests - by Scottish peace activists, 18 May 2012
Palestinian woman, Nabi Saleh, Flickr, 18 May 2012
http://www.ajds.org.au/
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