As 2023 draws to a close, we cannot help but wonder how this year in our history will be remembered. Every year in recent times feels so eventful and so dramatic. But 2023 is almost an emblem of eventfulness and drama. We began with an unprecedented demonstration of internal friction in Israeli society. The legal reform proposed by the Israeli government soon morphed into a constitutional crisis, and people met to seriously discuss how we could avoid the civil war on our doorstep. As of October 7, the theme has changed but the scream of history is just as loud—and it now reverberates around the world. Israel is not only divided, but it has become the dividing line for so many divided societies around the world. The waves of support and opposition for Israel in the most influential institutions of so many different countries around the world leave us with a sense of meaning and purpose. Something must be done. It feels “as if” (and maybe simply “that”) the well-being of the world depends on what we do here.
Sia’h Shalom is trying to carry some of that responsibility for Israel, for peace and for the world. We are trying to listen to the sound of silence underneath the thunder and the lightning around us, the quiet voice of the spirit that begs to be heard. Finding that inner voice and a way to respond to it is our task. We hear quite clearly that the Jewish people must find a way to live at peace with itself, and we are developing new projects and new collaborations that we hope will help us to do just that. At the same time, we are seeking out a new vision for how Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims and Christians can find a path to peace in this land. Even while the war continues, our thoughts are turning to the challenge of finding its inner meaning and maybe even the gift for healing that is somehow whispering under the rocket fire, the explosions, the screams of pain and the cries of mourning. All of it is screaming to be healed.
Your help and support at this time are more important than ever. We need your engagement, your involvement and your generosity. We know that what happens to you affects us and what happens here affects you. We are all working together to try to hear the קןל דממה דקה, the still inner voice, the distilled spirit of life itself calling for peace. We are so grateful to you and bless you.
—Alick