Wed 29 Sep 2021 at 8pm - 9:30pm
Contact Sharon Berger ( 0438262120) for more information.
This five-week course will explore the major protest movements that shaped the religious, social and political identity of the State of Israel.
Through hearing the stories of the protest leaders and the many who followed, we will gain insights into the deepest frustrations, hopes and dreams of the people who call Israel home. We will also learn more about the Zionist heroes of our times, including many NIF grantees, who bravely carved new political realities.
The course will be taught by Ittay Flescher, who has been working in formal and informal Jewish education for the past 15 years. He made Aliyah from Australia in 2018 and alongside teaching and being the education director at Kids4 Peace, is the Jerusalem correspondent for Plus61J Media. As an insightful educator with a strong sense of justice, Ittay hopes this course will comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.
Week 1: The Legacy of the Shoah @ 29 September at 8pm
How will the survivors who made Israel their home after the war leave their mark on society? This question was first raised by a significant protest movement in 1952 when Menachem Begin led the campaign against the “blood money” reparations from Germany.
The more recent campaigns against deportation of asylum seekers and the appointment of Effi Eitam as chair of Yad Vashem have again put the question of what the term “never again” means on the agenda.
Week 2: Economic and Ethnic Inequality @ 6 October at 8pm
From the Bread-Work and Wadi Salib protests in the 1950s to the Black Panther protests of the 1970s, and the enormous Social Justice protests of 2011 that began on Rothschild Boulevard, the cost of living has always been a source of protest no matter the party in power. In this session, we will hear the extraordinary stories and motivations of underrepresented Israeli voices to initiate movements struggling for representation, justice and change in Israel.
Week 3: War and Peace @ 13 October at 8pm
Following the immense loss of life as a result of the Yom Kippur War, IDF Reserve Captain Motti Ashkenazi began a one-man protest that eventually led to the resignation of Prime Minister Golda Meir's government and ultimately the fall from power of the Labor Party. It also gave birth to two diametrically opposed protest movements, Gush Emunim and Shalom Achshav (Peace Now). In more recent times, the Four Mothers and Women Wage Peace have called for the women to be more front and centre when it comes to security decision making policy.
Week 4: Jewish or Democratic? @ 20 October at 8pm
The tension between those who would like to see Israel governed by Halacha (Jewish Law) to those who want it to be a state for all its citizens and everything in between has been the source of dozens of protest movements. Haredim have taken to the streets to protest against the Supreme Court, archeological digs at holy sites, the army draft and even iconic tv shows such as “The Jews Are Coming”. Meanwhile, ongoing Women of the Wall protests at the Kotel and more recent gay rights and Jewish Nation-State law protests have come to symbolise the clash between majority and minority rights in Israel.
Week 5: Arab rights in Israel @ 27 October at 8pm
From the Land Day protests in 1976 to the current protest against the Kamenitz Law, the issue of land distribution and building rights has been at the heart of tensions between Israel’s Arab population and the government. In addition to the October 2000 protests and the 2020 anti-gun violence campaigns, this session will explore the different expressions of Arab and Palestinian identity in Israel through protest.
Ittay Flescher is the education director at Kids4Peace Jerusalem, an interfaith movement for Israelis and Palestinians, and Jerusalem correspondent for Plu61J Media. He also frequently teaches on gap year programs about the identity, narratives and cultures of the people who call Jerusalem home. He was a Jewish educator in Melbourne for many years.
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our offices stand and we pay our respects to Elders past and present. We also accept the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart with gratitude. We acknowledge the sorrow of the Stolen Generations and the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise the resilience, strength and pride of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this website may contain images or names of people who have since passed away.
New Israel Fund Australia (ABN 70 151 140 377) is registered as a public benevolent institution with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. We are an independent organisation that works with the New Israel Fund to further equality, inclusion and democracy in Israel. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
