Breaking the Silence

So, the Progressive Jewish Alliance is showing an exhibit called "Breaking the Silence", which consists of mainly photos (and one 15 minute video) about the actions of Israeli soldiers in the occupied territories of Israel.

I could tell that it was the sort of thing that bleeding hearts were supposed to melt over - oh goodness, occupiers are beating up civilians. I sighed and steeled myself for a tough time. Just another gritty, angry look at what's wrong with the supposed "good" powers of the world.

But I was surprised at how even the exhibit was. The soldiers represented are seen as normal people - they are frightened kids charged, in at atmosphere of fear, with the protection of a state. They are told to be frightened of everyone - guilty until proven innocent. It is no wonder that they are not nice and cuddly with the occupied people. It is not so much that this army is particularly hateful, but that their world is by necessity a police state, where humans do not have basic rights.

I think that the result of this exhibit is just to help us realize that this world is not black and white - what we may get lulled into thinking is "good v. evil" is actually a complex and human conflict, not something easily condensed into a children's story.

For information on where to find this exhibit, go here: Breaking the Silence.

This should make you contemplative, I hope, but not too grossly sensationalized - because that is a mere inversion of the lazy good vs. evil mentality, and not a real development on it.

~Meryl