I hope you are doing well.

 I just returned to Israel from a very powerful, beautiful, restful month in the USA

   At the end of December, Itaf and I flew to California with a group of 13 Israeli and Palestinian women. It was the first time we brought Palestinian women from the Occupied Territories to the United States and they had to fly through Amman while we flew through Tel Aviv. The the trip was challenging in some ways but mostly a wonderful experience for everyone involved. 

    At Esalen we had the incredible opportunity to experience living together in a supportive settingand working through some personal challenges as well as divisive conflict issues  To support us in working on these issues were three incredible leaders – Ann Bradney, Paula D’Arcy and Richard Schwartz who volunteered their time and energy. Several women and one man from the US came to witness and assist in the healing process. Thank you!!!!

   After one especially painful session where mothers on both sides were wailing about the anguish they had experienced living in our violent part of the world, bemoaning the future of their children and calling upon all women to gather together and end this horror -- a few of the women met at the Esalen dinning room. They felt moved to begin taking action. Something born out of the pain they had felt and witnessed as well as the deep healing they could begin to perceive as they watched Israeli and Palestinian women cry in each other’s arms stroking and supporting one another.

   They knew this anguish was experienced by women, children and men in conflict areas throughout the world and that somehow it had to be stopped before we totally destroyed one another.

   They began thinking about an international movement of healing and empowerment  culminating in 2012, and called possibly WOMENSPEAK: From Healing and Empowerment to Action where women invite all women and men to stand up and be voices saying to the world: Enough. In saying Enough, we will be calling for a new way, and holding the conviction that there is enough love, enough peace, enough healing possibilities, enough knowledge and enough relationships to build a world that resolves conflict without violence and oppression.

   Several of the women who participated in the training at Esalen have began working on this idea/movement that is called www.Womensayenough.org.

   More and more women and men are joining us for this initiative and we are excited and curious to see how it will evolve.

   I am attaching a piece that Holly, a wonderful friend who came to teach us Dances for Peace, wrote about her time with us Esalen.  

   Love and hugs,

   Nitsan