Learning to Listen to Israeli and Palestinian Stories

Learning to Listen to Israeli and Palestinian Stories (and to Each Other)
[Getting Perspective] [Delegation to Israel and the West Bank] [Presentation] [Bring Presentations to Your Group]

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Act as though everything depended on you.”
-- St. Augustine, adapted

“Listen and speak from the heart — even in the heat of conflict.”
-- The Compassionate Listening Project (www.compassionatelistening.org)

Getting Perspective

Betsy Fuchs knew little about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict until she took a 5-day Jewish tour to Israel in 2001. During the tour, Betsy met an Israeli settler, a representative from Rabbis for Human Rights and other Israelis and heard first hand their contradictory narratives about the founding of the State of Israel and its history from the 1880’s to the present time. When she returned from the trip, Betsy tried to find the “truth” and to determine who was right and who was wrong. She read widely about the experiences and perspectives of Israelis and Palestinians and listened to Israeli and Palestinian speakers on the subject. And she discovered what many others already knew, that there was no easy truth; that both peoples had a history in the region and that there were some Israelis and Palestinians who wanted a peaceful solution and others who wanted to win the conflict and take all the land for their side only.

Betsy needed perspective and she found it through The Compassionate Listening Project, an organization founded by Leah Green who has taken over 600 U.S. citizens on 26 Middle East training delegations between 1990 and 2010.

Compassionate Listening Delegation to Israel and the West Bank

In November 2008, Betsy spent 12 days in Israel and the West Bank with a 24 person Compassionate Listening delegation including Jews, Christians, Quakers, Buddhists, a Mennonite and a Palestinian American. The delegation met with more than twenty Israelis and Palestinians, adults and teens, and practiced Compassionate Listening techniques to support and encourage the Israelis and Palestinians to share their personal experiences and present their views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Presentation: Learning to Listen to Israeli and Palestinian Stories (and to Each Other)

From her trip, Betsy put together a presentation including:

An introduction to some of the practices of Compassionate Listening

How to experience and accept your emotional reactions when you hear others who have strong opposite views. On the most basic level, how to listen quietly and respectfully and not to react outwardly. On a deeper level, how to manage your own triggers and judgments and not respond with defensiveness.
To practicing listening reflectively and asking open ended questions that help speakers deepen what they share and possibly arrive at new insights.
If your heart can open to what the speaker says, voicing appreciation in a supportive, loving manner.
To speak from your heart in challenging situations, to maintain connection and build trust with whomever you are listening to.

Chronicle of the Compassionate Listening delegation’s listening sessions and experience of the trip

Photos of the Palestinians and Israelis and first person excerpts of what they shared with the delegates of their personal experiences and their views about the conflict. The excerpts are read by volunteers from the audience that attends the presentation.
Photos of the delegates and the story of how they practiced compassionately listening to the Israelis and Palestinians. Also how the delegates learned to listen to each other as they struggled with the challenging stories and with their own divergent and passionate views about the conflict.

A group discussion follows the presentation. The discussion gives those in attendance the opportunity to practice listening compassionately (or at least quietly and respectfully to each other as they speak about the conflict and react to the presentation.

To Bring the Presentation to Your Group

If you are interested in bringing the presentation to your group or you would like more information or you would like a preview of the presentation, please email Betsy Fuchs. The presentation can be modified to fit time available, minimum 75 minutes, optimal time two hours. And Betsy will do house parties (at your house for small groups) or classes at your synagogue or church or other location, or public presentations.

[Getting Perspective] [Delegation to Israel and the West Bank] [Presentation] [Bring Presentations to Your Group]
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The prayers on this website are Betsy’s gift to you. You are invited to share them electronically and/or print them. For copyrighted prayers, please include the complete copyright line with the web address. Email Betsy Fuchs about her prayers, this website, purchasing books, the presentation “Learning to Listen to Israeli & Palestinian Stories (and to Each Other)” or just to say hello.