Jewish-Israeli Peace Activists: July 2012

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

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

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,

"I realize that the soldier at the checkpoint is not responsible for the wretched policy of the oppressor towards civilians, I am unable to relieve that soldier of responsibility for his conduct … I mean the human responsibility of not causing another human being to suffer.” Sahar has worked with "New Profile" for more than 7 years as a group leader for Israeli youth programs aimed at demilitirisation and addressing the social cost of conscription. At 19, she became assistant to progressive Jerusalem City councillor Meir Margalit, an outspoken critic of Jerusalem's discriminatory city planning regime that has impoverished Palestinian communities and led to hundreds of home demolitions in the city. Sahar went on to work with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and has guided hundreds of international NGO, religious and government missions to Jerusalem. In 2010 she launched a Human Rights and non-violence education program at universities across Israel and this year became Israeli Program Director for the American Friends Service Committee where she is developing and implementing a demilitarisation and equal rights program with Israeli partner organisations.

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

http://december18th.org/category/Testimonials/

Breaking the Silence: Israeli soldiers talk about the occupied territories

http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/

Ta’ayush

http://www.taayush.org/

Grassroots Jerusalem

http://www.grassrootsjerusalem.org/

New Profile

http://www.newprofile.org/english/

Hearing the Words of an Israeli Soldier, Daily Kos, 21 July 2011

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/21/997174/-Hearing-the-Words-of-an-Israeli-Soldier

Israeli Activists Criticize US House for Considering Resolution Condemning Goldstone Report on Israeli War Crimes in Gaza, Democracy Now, 3 November 2009

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/3/israeli_activists_criticize_us_house_for

Video testimonies

Micha Kurz, ‘Why I break the silence’, 21 April 2011

http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos/54524

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

http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos/63912

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

http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/videos/58949

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr3VCwHvF0s

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.