Last week we finished two seminar series:

The Land Beyond the Mountains was a three-days long seminar, and we were finally able to conduct it in person again, in cooperation with Ir Amim and Breaking the Silence.

The Challenging Militarism seminar was a series of online meetings organized jointly with New Profile.

Both seminars are for educators who work with young people in formal and non formal education.

Here are two short interviews with participants from Challenging Militarism:

Doron Yaakov, artist and illustrator from Tel Aviv, (trying to be) active against the occupation, racism and injustice.

Amit Ben Chaim, lives in Haifa, design teacher, graphic designer, activist in the struggle against the occupation, and member of “Zochrot” NGO.

What was the main reason you decided to join the seminar?

Doron: I decided to join Challenging Militarism because it touches upon two central topics I feel connected to - education and pacifism. The coordinators, Kochav and Yonatan, were great. They managed to deal with militarism from many angles, show us how deeply it is rooted in our culture, and helped us to deeply understand it’s far-reaching consequences.

Amit: I decided to join the seminar to expand my knowledge on the topic, strengthen my ability to talk about such a wide subject that is very relevant to every aspect of our lives here in Palestine/Israel, and expose myself to new opinions and thoughts on it.

What were the most meaningful things you learned from the seminar?

Doron: The most meaningful experience for me was understanding the complexity and scope of militarism in practice. When we decompose the term ‘militarism’, we discover its real weight in every aspect of our lives. The economic interest to preserve the ongoing war, the war industry itself, and how it meets different groups of society - how it affects gender relations, ethnicity, violence and our everyday lives.

Amit: I cannot point to one specific thing, but I can say it helped me become more aware of my environment when it relates to militarism, and to change the way I think about activism in regards to the very militant Israeli society, state, and military. It also helped me to be more accurate with my messaging, and to raise awareness to the subjects covered in the seminar in my social circles.

How will you use what you learned during the seminar in the future?

Doron: First of all, it will help me keep connecting the dots between all of the above. More practically, I will work to pass on that information and find ways to educate about it in my teaching.

Amit: I have changed the way I express myself. I understand the interconnectedness of our everyday lives and the subjects covered in the seminar. Thanks to this seminar I see this interconnectedness everywhere, and am thankful to be better able to share this knowledge.

Who would you recommend to take part in such future seminars?

Doron: I recommend everyone who lives here to join future cohorts of this seminar, as it teaches very relevant knowledge.

Amit: I recommend everyone to join! This is really one of the most unapologetic (yet quite neutral in its political stand) seminars I took part in. A must for each and every person.