Personal Reflections on The Role of Feelings in the War between Palestine and Israel

• These are our personal thoughts, which we have the opportunity to express. This does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bond Street Theatre organization. 

The past days have been marked by tragedy, injustice and unbelief. We (Ruth and Alix) both are currently doing an internship at Bond Street Theatre. The current events have touched everyone deeply and have left us feeling speechless. However, silence is complicity. In this blog we, together with a previous intern, are trying to find the words to speak about the unspeakable. 

As much as the writers in this blog all come from different backgrounds, nationalities and ethnicities, the horrendous events of the past week have left us pondering on the same concept: FEELINGS. What role do feelings play in a context where politics make us feel highly emotional and disconnected from the ones that are supposed to be leaders?

As the medium of text is sometimes insufficient to express certain things, we sought and found refuge in the arts. Kris Orzsaghova reminds us in their poem ‘Little did I know’ of the interrelatedness of human existence. One person’s fight is everyone’s fight. Let us not forget what the media or leadership's discourses want us to: We are all human.  

In the following paragraphs you will read our personal insights, a conversation with ourselves exploring the role of feelings. Coming from two different standpoints, both texts convey an important message to the world: NO MORE, let peace come and justice reign. 

Our thoughts are with the ones who have fallen, the ones who suffer and the ones who have lost. 

Little did I know

When I was little  before going to sleep  my grandmother would cover the  lamp next to my bed to dim the light  with a black and white scarf. 

Little I knew we did not have much 

my grandfather slept on the floor 

next to my side. 

Little I knew back then 

Growing up 

Palestine protected my dreams from 

nightmares. 

So that I could sleep safe. 

Little I knew back then 

there is a child somewhere else 

wrapped in the farmer’s scarf 

child who will become

my brother in arms. 

Little I knew back then 

that the black and white scarf 

is life. 

That there are farmers like my grandfather 

in a far away Palestine

Ruth 

When a tragedy occurs -- and this is a humanitarian tragedy of unimaginable scale -- our first instinct is to feel. Anger, hatred, fear, hopelessness, powerlessness -- these are all understandable reactions. We should feel. But what we cannot do is let our feelings, however powerful they may be, override our rationality and our responsibility to act. Regardless of our religion, nationality, or race, we should all be united in calling for an end to the senseless and ceaseless massacre of civilians, and for the restoration of basic necessities -- including water, electricity, and humanitarian aid -- to Gaza.

It is our duty as human beings to recognize and fight injustice when we see it, and also to be responsible consumers of media, particularly in an age where propaganda and misinformation run rampant. Many stay silent because they feel they do not know enough, or are frightened of saying or doing the wrong thing. To those who feel this way, I urge you to educate yourselves -- particularly by listening to the voices of those who are experiencing the atrocities firsthand. Palestinians and Israelis alike have been speaking on this topic for years, and now is the time to amplify the voices of those who have been calling for justice and peace, as well as the end of the inhumane occupation of Palestine. 

Consider especially dynamics of global power and financial incentives, and remember the mistakes of the past -- particularly how, in the days following the 9/11 attacks, fear and anger were manipulated into the justification of warfare against innocents. Be aware of your sources, and recognize + call out Islamophobic and Anti-Semitic language and behaviors. And once you have educated yourself, act: initiate difficult conversations, share resources, and DONATE to those who are in dire need. 

As Maya Angelou says, "The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody's free."

Alix

The last week has been a rollercoaster of emotions, despair and anger. As a master student in international relations, I would be able to give a 'rational' political analysis of the situation. However, I feel it would be insufficient to account for the gravity of the situation. International relations has failed me, has failed the world and the Palestinians once again... 

It is the very narrative of liberal security discourses and so called 'rationality' that has distanced us from our humanity. It is time we made space for the appreciation of emotions within international relations, as to not include feelings in decision making processes is to ignore a part of the truth. 

The truth that I see based on rationality and emotions, is that the violence inflicted by Hamas is different then the violence inflicted by the Israeli state. Recognizing this, allows one to see that the only way towards peace is for the Israelis to cease the occupation and oppression of Palestinians, to find a solution where Jews and Arabs can live in peace as they have done for decades beforehand. 

Our enemies are not Hamas, the Palestinians, the Israeli army or the Israeli population. The enemies are the leaders that willingly and without repercussions tell lies to the public, the sheer hypocrisy of the international system and all the ones that remain silent about flagrant violations of International Law, Human Rights, the Geneva Conventions and the Law of War. 

When I say that I stand with Palestine today does not mean that I do not recognize the suffering of Israeli victims or applaud Hamas' actions, but that I recognize that this battle gives us a chance to say 'NO MORE' and define the course of world politics. I choose my side: 'Rule with humanity not with Hypocrisy'

A past intern

We often talk about people who 'stood on the right side of history', sometimes it's hard to recognize when that same opportunity is in front of us. Too much of the current discourse has intimidated people into believing that it's too complicated to have an open stance on. A lot of us will be looking to world leaders to guide the way, and help form our opinion on the current conflict. The reality is, we don't live in a world where we can implicitly trust world leaders, media outlets and our next door neighbor into helping us decide where we stand on certain issues. It's important to do our own research, and I promise you... 2 minutes into learning the history of the Palestinian conflict you'll realize just how uncomplicated the issue is. 

There is so much one person can do to help- as privileged individuals it's our responsibility, to speak out, protest, donate, raise awareness, support those close to you and continue to fight for the liberation of the Palestinian people. Also keep in mind that political activism is often a marathon not a sprint, don't be discouraged if immediate results don't follow. When people look back at this time, they will see that there was resistance against war crimes, genocide and ethnic cleansing. That not everyone in the world believed what's happening is just and that there was resistance. We are all part of something bigger and have a moral responsibility to fight injustice within our capacity. In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians.

Kazakhstan - Creativity in Action: Promoting Gender Equality through Theatre

A peek into the experiences of Bond Street Theatre Member: from the ‘academic’ to the ‘real’ world

Nina, a graduate in international relations at Central European University, completed a virtual internship at Bond Street Theatre in 2021 during the height of the COVID pandemic, and later, brought the company to Kazakhstan for a project around gender-based and domestic violence in collaboration with the Union of Crisis Centers. The Union of Crisis Centers (UCC) is an umbrella organization of 19 women’s shelters and regional projects fighting for gender equality and against gender-based violence (GBV) across Kazakhstan. Together, the two organizations conducted a month-long training program and created a play together which they performed in five different cities around the country: Almaty, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Nur-Sultan, Kostanay, and Kokshetau. The goal was to create a safe space for dialogue, interact with the audiences and communicate practical information about how to deal with domestic violence in various scenarios. 

We had the chance to talk to Nina about her experience and how she managed to put together a whole project without having any professional theatre experience…

Participate in projects without theatre experience? Not impossible! 

In the interview, Nina shared the intricacies of project management with us. As expected, it is indeed very different then the academic world. It is way more practical than theoretical – you need to create budgets, write grant proposals, make the plan and coordinate its implementation. However, there is no need to fear, as Nina suggested some aspects of her studies were also relevant in the ‘real’ world. Nina’s academic skills were very welcomed when it came to problem analysis around issues of social justice, which in the case of Kazakhstan, was gender-based and domestic violence. Before writing a project you need to have an intricate awareness of the issue you wish to address and understand the ways in which you can help. 

Writing the project and actually getting the grant to DO IT are two very different things. Nina did them both! She does not have a formal education in theatre, but it has always had a special place in her life. Once she arrived in Kazakhstan, she met the founders of Bond Street Theatre for the first time in real life, and got started right away. The Kazakh team did not have any previous theatre experience, so the first thing was to teach them some basics to make everyone understand that everyone CAN enjoy theatre and that you do not necessarily have to go to acting school to be able to perform on stage. 

As the team got to know each other better and the training days were over, they started working on the play itself. However, it turned out that the members of the Union Crisis Centre did not think they would be acting in the play as well !? Let's read how that turned out!

Q: How did the execution of the project go? What do you think were the pros and cons of doing the project in such a concentrated amount of time, especially with people who haven't done theatre before? I'm sure you saw so much growth as the show was happening.

A: I think we always want to have more time for the show to be perfect. But it worked! And it worked with people that are not experienced at all. It was intense, the rehearsals and the tour – we spent all day rehearsing together, 6 days a week. Thankfully, we had preparatory online sessions before that, so we could talk about our vision for the play beforehand. 

And of course, the tour was also  intense if you're traveling so much. We started in a city in the north, and because the country is so big, you have to fly everywhere. It was a very tight schedule: you arrive, and maybe two hours later, you already have to be in the theatre to prepare. And then the next day you travel to the next city. So the touring phase is very intense. But it was a young team, and people knew what they were signing up for. The excitement also helps with the stress!

Q: Do you have one experience from the project that really stands out?

A: Women that were affected by domestic violence themselves came to watch the show. And then they spoke out about it, for the first time, during the post-performance discussion. So they said, “this is the first time that I'm talking about it.” We tried to highlight how it's not an issue behind closed doors, and it's not the victims fault. It's something that comes from society, from a patriarchal society. It was so great to see these women speak about it, and feel safe to speak about it. And for them to say “this happened to me, but I managed to get out of this abusive relationship.” That's what I do the work for, to reach these people. 

Q: What has it been like since you completed the project in Kazakhstan? Have you stayed in touch with the people you worked with there? Have you seen any projects or work that they've been doing?

A: We only completed 8 out of the 10 planned post-show workshops while we were there, so they conducted one or two more after the BST team left. And they also did one or two more shows without us, because the idea is that we helped UCC to create the play, but then they are able to sustain it as an organization. We completed the project in July, and then in November, we found out that they did another show. So that's a really nice result to see that they continued even 4 months later… We try to stay in touch, and if I see another grant in this region, I will definitely try to apply for it. And maybe we could do a new collaboration across the borders with Kyrgyzstan, for example.

Q: What about this project warms your heart when you look back on it?

A: Alia, the Project Coordinator from the Kazakh side, was amazing. I think much of the success of the project is because of her. We clicked immediately, and we were very close from the beginning. She was just so great in managing the project and so passionate.. And the funny thing was that in the beginning, she didn't understand that they would be part of the show – she thought that she would just coordinate logistics, and maybe do the social media. And then, after a few days, she learnt that she would be one of the actors! She said, “Ah, so I can act too!” and we said, “Yeah, that's really the idea – that you will become the actor.” And she didn't have any experience with theater before that, but she was so, so, so, amazing. She's just a great role model.

Q: Finally, what kinds of projects do you want to see Bond Street doing in the future?

A: I would love to work on the borders of Europe. There are so many refugee camps, on the Greek islands, for example. And the situation is really, really bad, and how people are treated is really, really messed up. So I think a dream project for me would be to do something there, maybe with women, because they are the most affected by the circumstances there.