Kudos to Temple Israel of Greenfield! Its leadership took a huge risk recently, inviting five Palestinians and Israelis to provide deeply personal sharing about their lives back home. Given the “great divide” bifurcating folks into pro and anti Israeli/Palestinian factions, all present knew they would be entering swirling controversy no matter what was spoken by whom. The full group of nine visitors included two co-organizers/coordinators, one who had lived in Palestine for 32 years and the other who resided in Israel for 11 years.

And yet, over 150 individuals participated, in concentric circles, more than filling the large social hall in the basement of the synagogue. Jews, allies, and non-Jews, in their 20s through 80s, took seats, all clamoring to hear on-the-ground evidence of what’s happening in one of the scariest corners of our world.

We were present to witness these five young people — all somewhere in the vicinity of their 20s — offer their stories of fundamental survival, loss, pain, fear, and terror. The four who chose to speak had to work through their fears of public speaking, their trigger-points of rehashing personal horror stories, and the unknowing sense of dis-ease as to how the public might react to their testimonials, especially following the tragic events of October 2023.

Co-organized by a recent friend I’ve known now for twelve years, Dr. Daniel Noah Moses served as the facilitator for this event. The group has been on tour through New England for approximately eight days, with a final weekend stop in Portland, Maine for a culminating public event, to follow their evening in Greenfield. He and his co-facilitator Karen AbuZant served as coordinators of this traveling group. They had experienced a challenging program the night before in Vermont. As such, only four of the five chose to serve as a panel of speakers, and Dr. Moses deftly provided much-needed content and context in introducing those individuals to share themselves with those who had gathered to witness their testimonies.

There was a quiet but palpable tension running through the room from the commencement of the evening. It is rare to witness others unveiling their tragic life experience in a public setting. The stakes were quite high, yet no one knew precisely what to expect. There’s nothing casual about bearing witness to the pain of others, even if they are strangers not known to anyone present. The swelteringly hot room, without air-conditioning, only added to an overriding sense of discomfort. And yet, one would have been able to hear a pin drop because everyone was so deeply engaged in taking in every word.

Despite the challenges all present were experiencing, there was a sense of urgency the panelists brought forward through their narratives. Each spoke, sometimes in hushed words barely audible, of their anguish, their psychic and existential pain. All have lost family members, relatives, and friends under unbearable circumstances. One spoke of learning that her dad was shot by a sniper while her mother was pregnant with her; another was wearing a T-shirt with a photo image of a friend who is still a hostage.

All provided vivid and searing images of wanton and unrestrained violence committed in public view against those they loved. These were not turn-of-the-mill newspaper reports: they were first-person and heartfelt sharings that held everyone frozen and speechless. Regardless of one’s political and/or spiritual/religious leanings, it would have been impossible to ignore the fact that speakers were experiencing psychic and emotional trauma, the likes of which most in attendance had never before seen or heard so directly.

Some spoke from notes, others supported their colleagues to speak at all — but all spoke from present memory and personal experience and observation. They spoke with their hearts wide open. There were moments that seemed like minutes of halting silence when one or another panelist stumbled either over their words (English being a second or third language for most) or the feelings they were reliving. And yet, the testimonies moved forward along with the full repertoire of universal human emotion.

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Mohawk Trail students to see new staff, new codes of conduct upon Aug. 27 return to school

New library at 38 Avenue A in Turners Falls preferred over Carnegie renovation

My Turn: There is something we can do: Emergency campaign launched for children of Gaza

Greenfield Savings Bank’s iconic ‘Money Tree’ returns, without the money

Amherst, Mount Holyoke and Smith colleges named in early admissions suit

My Turn: Spectre of public and affordable as scare tactics

Your Daily Puzzles

Cross|Word

Flipart

Typeshift

SpellTower

Really Bad Chess

The Q&A portion that followed enabled listeners to query the speakers. Panelists took the mic to further explicate their experiences and affect; Dr. Moses interceded at a few points to qualify or amplify halting or abbreviated speaker responses. After two very full hours, the program ended, and people mingled — this time with a palpable sense of relief along with ongoing emotion. It was obvious that most present were exhausted and wrung out; the processing of what we heard would last for days, perhaps weeks, or more. It was an extraordinary live-and-learn experience.

The next morning, my wife and I hosted a breakfast for all in that traveling group along with the host families who had provided overnight accommodations. We broke bread together; many swam in our pool. Now we talked as friends, relieved and released from the strenuous challenges of the prior evening. I came away feeling that I made new friends, provided momentary safety and resources, and redoubled my commitment to support these young people to maintain their courage and agency. This was a transformative life experience, over the course of about eighteen hours. My prayers, love, and blessings go out to every single speaker who provided their testimony (and those who did not) — may this event continue to matter to all who were present to witness it.

For more information on this speaking tour, visit https://encompasstrust.org/uk. If you’re interested in learning more about Palestinians and Israelis collaborating in international and intercultural peacebuilding efforts, come see the film “There Is Another Way” and a post-film discussion on Thursday, July 24 at 6 p.m. at The Greenfield Garden Cinemas.

Daniel Cantor Yalowitz writes a regular column in the Recorder. A developmental and intercultural psychologist, he has facilitated change in many organizations and communities around the world. His two most recent books are “Journeying with Your Archetypes” and “Reflections on the Nature of Friendship.” Reach out to him at danielcyalowitz@gmail.com.