SafaTalents Building Bridges - Europe & Middle East

With a feminist perspective you see more options















Our talk on zoom took place in the first week after the cruel attack on Israeli civilians close to Gaza and the start of the war between Israel and the terror organisation Hamas. Rotem Aloni, mother of three boys, lawyer and activist was sitting at home in Ramat Gan, in the center of Israel. All family members stayed at home, ready to seek out the shelter in case the sirenes go off warning them of missile attacks from the Hamas.























Podcast Rotem Aloni: Feminist Peace Activist Israel















The first aspect Rotem mentions is her family and her three sons. They are her biggest concern and she feels very strongly for all the parents who lost their kids or who are fearing for the kidnapped kids. Rotem speaks about the trauma caused by the attack close to Gaza. The fear for the kids and not knowing what will happen next in this war. Rotem engages in activities to bring back the civilians who have been kidnapped.

















Everybody knows somebody who was kidnapped, everybody knows somebody who was murdered. We are all trying to do something to help each other because sitting and doing nothing makes you crazy.

Rotem Aloni















Rotem is a member of The Women Lawyers for Social Justice, an Israeli Palestinian and Israeli Jewish organisation. They were taught how to negotiate from a feminist perspective. One of their first actions after the attack was to write letters to foreign embassies to help mediating in the hostage negotiations. They are also trying to create pressure from the inside of Israel to convince the government not going into Gaza but first of all trying to free the hostages. They are engaged mostly in communication work via different media channels.







Rotem talks about the male dominance perspective on the media and that there are only men around the decision making table. Women from civil society are not visible but in their group, they keep doing whatever they can to make the women's voices heard. As a feminist, Rotem looks at this situation in a bigger context, widening the perspective to see more options and more solutions.

















It's all about men figthing who is stronger and not what we as civilians on both sides need to be safe .... I am sure if there were more women in the government, they could see more options. And going into Gaza now and getting more soldiers killed won't make us feel safer.

Rotem Aloni















Rotem also talks about the longer term aspects of the war. The need to find a solution for two peoples living together in such a small territory.

















If you want to come to some kind of a solution you need to understand the needs of both sidesand vengeance is not a need.There are voices in the Palestinians that you can talk to . We need to make them stronger and help them find their voice and {we need to} help ourselves to find our voice. And maybe these two voices can connect and we can live here in peace.

Rotem Aloni















*on the picture you see Rotem Aloni with her son Omer

... It's the people behind

























Podcast Michal: It's not them and us



















As a kid, I felt for the first time what it means to be excluded. Once it was finished, I became a specialist in not getting excluded. Maybe there I started this thing - building bridges.







I think it made me very sensitive to excluded people in all kinds of aspects of life. ... I include people, I am an expert in bridging - from my heart.

Michal Sadeh















Michal Sadeh lives with her family in a beautiful town in the center of Israel. After her military duty, she worked as a journalist and then TV channel manager. Michal realized already when she was a kid how it feels to be excluded and the differences between people. One of those are the different opportunities in life depending on where or in which family you were born into. First, Michal tried to get involved privately. She and her family hosted a foster kid for some years but then she realized that this was not enough for her. She saw the systemic failures and problems and wanted to build her professional life around changing things for the better.









I live 10 minutes from here and the differences that a woman in my age who was somehow born here - 10 minutes away - and her options in life and my options and her freedom and my freedom is something ... my mind can't bear these gaps.

Michal Sadeh















Michal changed career and did a masters degree in social work and change. She came as director of employment and economic program to Jizr AlZarqa, the village just 10 minutes away from her own place but a completely different world.







In the meantime, Michal has worked with 90 women in the village, many projects have taken place but for Michal the question remains - what has changed? Michal is emotionaly attached to the women and their progress. Even though her job is now somewhere else as an impact manager in an educational entrepreneurship incubator, she is still involved. Whenever she finds partner and funding, she initiates acitivities to build up structures for a longlasting improvement of the employment situation and wellbeing of the women in Jizr. One recent project was to establish an online platform where you can see and purchase the handmade products from the women of Jizr.















Talking about her own identity as an Israeli Jew, Michal shares her ambiguities and challenges in the times of conflict and war. In Israel there are so many different ethnicities and religious groups which could be seen as richness. The trouble is that it always gets related to conflicts. Michal's position is "trying to see everything" and never to think about "them and us" but always to personalize - be it a neighbour, stranger or terrorist. There is always a person and his/her story. What kept her going during the last war, only one year ago, was her personal relationships. Michal's son was in the army and others suffered on the opposite side. Together with her special Arab friend, she could share all her fears and worries.







Michal is a role model in the way how she understands her own priviledge of her freedom and the way she tries to enable it for other people.









I want to be able to keep my free life in Israel and in other places and to feel and understand this freedom that I am priviledged to have.

Michal Sadeh















Three perspectives from the same area in central Israel but still very different. Listen to a href="https://safatalents.

Podcast Celia: Women are f***ed up everywhere



















I am a social entrepreneur in my soul, meaningful social action is the center of my life.

Celia Jawabreh







Celia Jawabreh lives in the Arab region of the so called triangle in the center of Israel. She is a very energetic Arab Israeli woman, mother of two and successful in her career as educational counselor. The first time we met through a friend in a gallery promoting crafts of impoverished Arab women in Tel Aviv, Celia took me by surprise. Celia does not look like a typical Arab woman and I was immediately impressed by her strong personality. Celia thinks deep and she reflects everything happening around her with regards to what she can do to improve the situation. No surprise, Celia became a feminist and an activist at an early age and she is involved in many social activities.









Whenever you want justice for yourself, you have to make sure that if you are not doing justice to the other, you have to do it. ... We don't talk about this, that we have racism between our groups ... we just talk about the racism from the Jewish side because it's much easier to talk about it.

Celia Jawabreh















Celia experiences racism and disadvantages as a Palestinian in Israel but she also recognizes the racism within the Arab minority. Together, Muslims, Christians and Druze make up 20% of the Israeli population. One of the core problems she identifies is violence within the Arab society. Arab towns are being threatened by Mafia organizations who obtain their weapons illegally by the Israeli Army. This violence is also a huge threat to the women and femicides are rising. Celia cares about the rights of women and minorities around her. In the interview, Celia shares insights into her own upbringing as a muslim woman and the struggles of being a Palestinian in Israel.









In my childhood, I saw many women who had an unfair childhood and marriages. I said to myself that this wouldn't happen to me, that's the fire in me. I am very protective of my rights and women rights. ... Whenever I go to places, I think about women, how well do they get paid, under what conditions are they working? It is very important me.

Celia Jawabreh















Professionally, Celia loves to create something new and growing her competencies. Right now, she started working in the governmental sector with Branco Weiss, a funding agency in the educational field. Celia works hard to improve the educational system for Arab schools in Israel and making it more efficient.















Listen to Maisam Jaljuli, another Palestinian feminist voice from Israel. This is the latest UN resolution on the violation of rights of Palestinian women in Israel.



























Gefördert durch die Wirtschaftsagentur Wien

Podcast Hana Part 2: Building Jewish-Christian Relations

















Hana Bendcowsky is the Program Director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations at the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue. Hana's work is educational, she teaches in varied institutions, colleges, academic programs, Christian seminaries, post- and pre military programs, IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) and governmental offices.







Hana has 27 years of practical experience in interfaith activities. Her expertise is the Christian Communities and the Jewish-Christian relations in the Israeli context. A growing difference between generations is being observed in all Israeli communities and religious groups. Recent surveys showed that younger people have more negative opinions about others and that there is more extremism in general.









... and with all the programs that's being done, I think there is more interest and curiosity and opening towards the others. But the younger generation is more ignorant, more closed in its own bubble







... it's more segregated, there is a lot less personal familiarities with the other and therefore stereotypes and prejudice and hatred is growing.

Hana Bendcowsky















Hana sees the results of her and others' educational work. There is a difference but at the same time she notices that there are more desperate people who are tired of the conflict on both sides. They seem not able to develop any sympathy toward the other.









I think what we really are trying to do is to remove this stereotype and say: look at the person but not just look at the person as a human being but look at the person with his identity whatever it includes and examine him.







So not just to like people that are very nice and friendly ... but accept them with their criticism and with their agenda and find a way to work together.

Hana Bendcowsky















The conflicts and tensions in Israel are rising. It is very challenging for Hana to balance out troubled feelings from others and also her own. She has to deal with setbacks of her work - sometimes one step forward two steps back - but Hana doesn't lose hope and she will continue to fight for peace.









What really helps me is the staff here in the Rossing Center because we all struggle with the same thing. And we come here and we talk about it and it really helps. I know if I will not do it then I will not be able to look into my sons eyes and say: we have to stay here because there is a future ... I am here and I want to change it.

Hana Bendcowsky















Hana is a professional tour educator in Jerusalem leading study tours in the Christian Quarter.







Listen to the first episode with Hana.







Get another perspective from an Israeli Palestinian feminist. Maisam talks openly about the struggles and conflicts she and her fellow Palestinians endure but she also sees the difficulties on the Jewish side.



























Gefördert durch die Wirtschaftsagentur Wien























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Podcast Hana Part 1: Diverse identities in the Holy Land

















Hana Bendcowsky is the Program Director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations at the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue. Growing up in a modern orthodox family and going to an Israeli Hebrew speaking school, Hana knew hardly anything about other religions. Hana's first exposure to Christianity happened when she attended a history class while studying Comparative Religions at Hebrew University.









... it actually helped me to reconnect to my own tradition because when I had to meet with Christians and explain them about my own religion, I had to think about what I am doing.

Hana Bendcowsky















Hana found out how much of her own identity had been shaped by Christian culture without her being aware of it. The Western, European culture as the leading culture globally defined her experiences through art, literature, music, television ... That was an eye opening experience for her. Hana wanted to understand more about the interconnections between the religions and their roots in Israel.









I did meet a lot of people who showed me different things that helped me to open my eyes and be aware. It took another few more years to realize that that's what I want to develop. That's the kind of work I want everyone to be exposed to and to change their attitude ... and the way they look at the world.

Hana Bendcowsky















In this first episode with Hana, she explains the diversity of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and secular identities in Israel. She talks about the growing tensions also between Christians and Jews and what makes their relationship so special in the Holy Land compared to the European context. The question of who is minority or majority deems particularly important in the light of the occupation and conflict.









When I start to talk about the Holocaust or about persecution of Jews in Europe or the Crusaders with a local Palestinian, he won't understand the connection why he needs to hear about something that Christians in Europe did to Jews in the Middle Ages ...







but for Israeli Jews who have no experience of living with Christians, the only thing they know about Christianity is the history. And the history is full of tragedies ...







Palestinians are not ready to hear about it because they are afraid it would lead us to reduce the responsibility from what's happening here in the conflict.

Hana Bendcowsky















Hana is a professional tour educator in Jerusalem leading study tours in the Christian Quarter.







Listen to a Palestinian feminist voice from Israel. Maisam talks openly about the struggles and conflicts she and her fellow Palestinians endure but she also sees the difficulties on the Jewish side.



























Gefördert durch die Wirtschaftsagentur Wien

Podcast Maisam: Civil Society can do the Change



















... most of the people - Palestinian and Israeli people - are people who really want to live in peace. ... They want to fight for the future of their children, but we are still the silent minority. ... And while the extremists are really ruling our lives here, we should be the alternative.

Maisam Jaljuli















Maisam Jaljuli is the unofficial Ambassador of the civil society in Israel. Born as Arab Palestinian with an Israeli citizenship, she is living and working in the triangle region of Taybe in central Israel. Maisam is married with three kids and she seems to have endless energy engaging in various organizations in the civil society. Maisam is a true believer in the power of grassroots. She initiated and was leading NGO's to change the lives of people for the better. Her main goals are to gain social justice, gender equality and to end the occupation. This is the announcement of her latest engagement.









I am very proud to be engaged with a lot of civil society organizations and being an active part of the civil society .... it really works on the grassroots level in Israel ... I think in the civil society, we are doing a great job and we are really making changes.

Maisam Jaljuli























Maisam grew up in an environment with strong values of equality, social justice and personal involvement. These values keep driving her to seek changes especially for women in the workplace and in politics. Maisam has been elected for three periods as chairwoman of Na'amat in the triangle region. Na'amat is a feminist organization with a link to the biggest federal Labor Union in Israel.









15 years ago, only 25% of the Arab women were engaged in the labor market. Now we reached 40%. So we have progress!

Maisam Jaljuli









We have met the ministry of internal security, the ministry of police after we held a demonstration near his house. We demonstrated for a whole month. It was a struggle but we succeeded.

Maisam Jaljuli about her activities against violence and crime in Palestinian towns















Domestic violence and the women who lost their children to crime in the Arab towns in Israel became some of her key activities in the last years. Right now, Maisam is in a transition period to change her focus even more towards the Israeli Palestinian relationships. Maisam talks openly about the struggles and conflicts she and her fellow Palestinians endure but she also sees the difficulties on the Jewish side.















Her main goal is to be engaged as an active part of the Israeli society. Maisam was awarded the Walking Man prize for social activism in 2017. Her wish is to receive the full acceptance and support of the Israeli establishment for her activities as a Palestinian (and) women in Israel. We had a great inspiring conversation and I really admire her positive contagious energy to continue fighting for a better society for all.















Listen to another Palestinian voice from across the boarder in Lebanon.