On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a murderous attack in Israel that killed more than 1200 and wounded thousands more. Since then, thousands of Palestinians have been killed and thousands more wounded in Israel’s declared war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where more than 239 Israelis and foreign nationals are also held hostage. Despite this ongoing nightmare, there are Israelis and Palestinians in Israel who refuse to give into despair. This talk focuses on the grassroots organizations that are points of light in the darkness. Their vision for the future continues to imagine and work for a life of dignity and equality for both peoples.
Eleanor Shapiro received her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union focusing on Jewish music in contemporary Poland. Prior to that, she directed the Berkeley-based Jewish Music Festival for fifteen years. From 1982-1990 she lived and worked in both the Arab and Jewish sectors in Israel as an English instructor and subsequently as a freelance journalist. She covered the first Palestinian Uprising 1988-1990 primarily for the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and as a researcher/ interpreter for the Miami Herald and New York Newsday.
