Yoav Peck is the co-Executive Director of the Sulha Peace Project, a group of Israelis and Palestinians who meet regularly "to encounter the other in our full humanity.” Recognizing the mutual fears, alienation and suspicion that exist between Israelis and Palestinians, the Sulha Peace Project brings together such diverse factions as soldiers, stone throwers, young professionals, academicians and laborers. Fulla Jubeh, a leader at Sulha, is an actress and a medical clown who uses her clowning for resistance as well as for bringing light to terminally ill children at Hadassah Hospital.

 

Once a month, Sulha holds "Tribal Fires" in which 100-150 Palestinians and Israelis gather to reach beyond arguments and political posturing to the essential humanity longing to be heard. They work in listening circles, praying, singing, eating, and talking. Several times a year, Sulha also sponsors "Sulhita", a gathering of 40-80 youths (ages16-21) who spend several days discussing the issues that concern them. Young Israelis, pre-army service, and their Palestinian peers discuss how they feel about the fact that they may soon find themselves facing each other in confrontations at roadblocks, or in battle. The youths hike in the Judean desert, prepare meals together, sing, drum, dance, and talk deep into the nights, sharing their visions of possible futures. They attain a sense of commonality that lasts well beyond Sulhita, and many of them become volunteers at adult Sulha events.

Through shared prayer, song, circles of listening, active translation... we reach across gulfs and connect, inspiring profound hope in all present. While we avoid polarizing political declarations, we know that any political future must address the human needs of both sides, and we stand on the front lines of the struggle to return decency and compassion to our shared land.

The Dorpat Lecture in Psychoanalysis and Society is an annual award to recognize those whose work applies psychoanalytic understanding to social problems. The recipient of the award is honored at an event in Seattle in which the work is presented to the greater community of clinicians and individuals interested in addressing social problems in local and global environments. The Lecture was created in memory of Theo L. Dorpat to honor his interest in this area.

 

This lecture is free to the clinical community and to the general public.

To register, click the link above or go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2697036