“[W]here a person is from is purely accidental, we are the place we find ourselves in.” – Traveller of the Century
Writing and occasionally photographing in Israel-Palestine and wherever else the world throws my way. Also blogging over at +972 magazine.
Sur place 
I liked your article on “Not in my name”
Part of the Jewish theological hope articulated in the prophets (particularly Isaiah) is the Israel would be ” light to the nations”. and other nations would come to know God and his laws and covenant through them. In the occupation of the West Bank and in these merciless attacks on civilians in Gaza, the nation is failing their historic vocation and becoming tribalist (and I dare say”Nazi). Thank you for standing up for the truth. Such people as yourself are the True Israel and Light of the World.
Hi Natasha, Thank for this website and your informative posts on tweeter.
I have an idea for a simple but very powerful video that i think will help the people in the region clearly see how the “other side” views the whole situation. how people on the “other side” say the exact same words as people on “our side”, how each side is convinced that it is right, how each side is convinced that ‘we’ are the victims, that the ‘other side’ is the evil aggressor who ‘just wants to kill us’.
the video will simply show people on both “sides” saying the exact same words about the other side. words like “they just want to kill us”, “they just want to take our land”, “you cannot trust them”, “we want to live in peace, but they don’t want to” and other such words that each side believes are absolutely true.
i think that a video that shows those words side by side, will help people see beyond the story of their own group/nation and how the ‘other side’ has the exact same fears and hopes.
it seems that the vast majority of the people in the region are only exposed to the distorted and one sided images of their manipulative media, to the story/narrative of their own group/nation and have absolutely no awareness of what people on the ‘other side’ think and feel.
the video could perhaps end with this reminder from jeff foster (lifewithoutacentre.com):
“Israelis killing Palestinians. Palestinians killing Israelis. Each side claiming that they are right. Each side holding onto ancient pain, each side unwilling be the first to let go, and coming up with all the reasons in the world why they can’t and won’t. A tragic tale as old as humanity itself. Insanity passing as normality.
When will we wake up to the obvious fact that we are all the same Consciousness in disguise? That no matter who we think we are, no matter how we appear, beyond our stories and histories, our religions, our nationalities, our beliefs, the colour of our skin, our heavy pasts and uncertain futures, we are all expressions of the One life? That in truth there are no Israelis or Palestinians, Jews or Christians, Muslims or Buddhists, Atheists or Agnostics, that those images can never define us. That who we truly are at the most fundamental level is indefinable, mysterious, never fixed or separate, never identified with an image, just as the vast ocean can never be defined by its waves. Consciousness has no religion, and no nationality. It gives birth to both Palestinians and Israelis.
As consciousness itself, when we hurt each other, we are only hurting our own brothers and sisters, our own kin, waves of ourselves. We are only fighting reflections of our original Face. That bleeding child is my own. We are only killing the ones we love, ancient friends from long ago.
Outer war has never lead to inner peace. How much more bloodshed? How much more pain? How many more men, women and children must disappear before we wake up?
The circle of life takes no sides”
or maybe the video could end with this quote from j.krishnamurti:
“When you call yourself an Indian or an American or a Muslim or a Christian or a Jew, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence.
So a man who is seeking to understand violence and to end violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”
preferably translated to hebrew and arabic.
unfortunately i don’t know anything about making videos, so it would be great if someone who knows about those things would like to bring this to light. i’d be happy to provide further ideas for such a video if someone can handle the technical side.
blessings,
amir
Hey Amir, great to hear from you and thanks for your comments. I love the idea you have for a video and the quotation from J. Krishnamurti, in particular, is beautiful. It exactly mirrors my own thinking. Unfortunately I’m not a film-maker but a good friend of mine who lives in Jerusalem is. You can reply to this comment with your email address (I have to moderate all comments before they go ‘live’ so I will simply note your address and not publish it) and I can connect the two of you. I’ll try to think of some other people to put you in touch with too.
Peace,
Natasha
Dear Natasha Roth:
I notice that you mention in your blog writings that you are the adult child of a Jewish-Christian intermarriage.
You might be interested in a group I run online, the Half-Jewish Network. Our website exists here:
http://www.half-jewish.net
We provide information, affirmation, and support for adult children and grandchildren of intermarriage from all over the world.
Cordially,
Robin Margolis
Coordinator
Half-Jewish Network
Thank you Robin – I’ve been following your site for some time already!
Dear Natasha:
I am pleased that you find the website interesting!
Wishing you all possible health and prosperity,
Robin
Curious about the reference to “Rockland” in the subtitle of your blog. I’m from Rockland County, NY There certainly must be other similar names around. But I wondered where your reference came from.
Hi, good question – it’s actually a reference to ‘Howl’, the poem by Allen Ginsberg. He uses ‘Rockland’ to refer to an institution where he visited his friend Carl Solomon, to whom this part of the poem is addressed. Ginsberg has had a heavy influence on me, hence the nod. He was a New York man, though, so the NY reference is certainly there.