These have been and continue to be extremely difficult days, at home and abroad.  We hope you are ok, and standing in humanity for all that we hold dear.  This year we at Beit Ahavah and I as rabbi have tried to bring some perspectives to support and offer additional voices and contacts who are in the trenches of the divides and doing healing and peace-work in Israel and Palestine -- particularly those who are committed to a shared society, to feeling, grieving, and encountering each other's truths and stories, and work towards peace and justice, there will be a reconciliation or a path forward for peace to prevail. 

Some of these voices and art-activists we have hosted in the last year include musician/activist Gabriel Meyer Halevy, founder of the Sulha Peace Project, last May for a weekend, and the four Women of Vision who came to the Valley in September for a week of workshops, ritual and events (the four leaders were Dorit Bat Shalom, Marwa Abu Julia, Amira Abu Atta and Shira Golan).  

This Thursday, February 27, 7:30 p.m. amidst their US Speaking Tour, I had the opportunity to schedule and host the leaders of a peace organization called Roots/Shorashim/Judur, that is led by Palestinians and Jews who are based in the West Bank, are coming to share their unique and peaceful vision. Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Khaled Abu Awaad will share their stories, some film footage and discuss together the radical work they and their organization are doing, in the midst of even these extremely difficult times.  

I hope you will join them and me for an intense, and I hope uplifting, conversation and presentation on their stop in Northampton and the Upper Valley.  The presentation will begin Thursday, February 27, 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary.  There will be a pre-reception at 6:30-7:30 p.m. with refreshments in the Peacock Room.  This is also a great opportunity to see and explore the Ketubahs of Love Art Exhibit, and to warm the body and soul in our beautiful space at Bombyx.  

Below please find more information about Roots, and our many co-sponsors.  The Roots website is here. Thank you in advance for making the effort to come, that we may engage together in the conversation of peace, even when it seems most difficult.  All perspectives are welcome, in peace.

Roots is a radically different approach and Israeli-Palestinian grassroots initiative for understanding, nonviolence and transformation based in the West Bank - a unique network of local Palestinians and Israelis who have come to see each other as partners we both need to make changes to end the conflict.
Based on mutual recognition of each People's national identity and connection to the Land, Roots challenges the assumptions their communities hold about each other, build trust, and create a new discourse around the conflict in their respective societies, even in this extremely difficult time during the Israel-Hamas War and the war in Gaza.

Roots emphasizes involvement of religious Muslims and religious Jews, as well as Israeli settlers living in the West Bank/Judea and Samaria that Palestinians see as the territory of their future state. Roots sees this engagement as the only way to move towards achieving freedom and security for both peoples.

Roots is on a US speaking tour to share their groundbreaking message and personal stories of transformation. All backgrounds are welcome to come and learn about Roots, as a model for people-to-people peace-building and in particular their work on how to move forward in these painfully difficult times. Come in peace.

Read more about Roots here: https://www.friendsofroots.net/who-we-are

Donations suggested $10-$36+ to support the work of Roots. 
Location: Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity, 130 Pine Street, Florence, MA.
Please RSVP for the event, or for your organization or congregation to co-sponsor, email Rabbah Riqi Kosovske, beitahavah@gmail.com. 

Additional parking available in lot next door and street parking.
The program begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. 
A light pre-reception at 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Peacock Room (with the Ketubahs of Love Art Exhibit). All are welcome!

CO-SPONSORED by: Beit Ahavah, Congregation B'nai Israel, Friends of Women of Vision, Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership, First Churches Northampton, Neohasid.org, Temple Israel of Greenfield, Jewish Community of Amherst, Lander-Grinspoon Academy, Brattleboro Area Jewish Community, and more to come.

Please be in touch with any questions, or if you'd like to help us with the reception or greeting.

May we bring our hearts, prayers and actions for peace, shalom, salaam,
Rabbah Riqi Kosovske