Motherhood is not only the act of bearing and rearing our own children. Motherhood is a spiritual and ethical position of responsibility for the world and for future generations.
I spoke these words at an event organized by Women Wage Peace in Qasr el Yahud, on the western bank of the Jordan River near Jericho, on October 19th, as part of the March of Hope.
It was an historic event: For the first in a very long time, thousands of Jewish and Palestinian women from Israel and the Palestinian Territory met and marched together to demand a peace agreement in our region.
It was also a political event: a clear and resounding statement by women who are tired of war and bloodshed, who have had enough of being excluded from discourse and action for peace and security.
At the ceremony, as we were getting ready to march to the sounds of drums and joint singing, I could feel the excitement in the air. Months of preparation and hard work culminated in this watershed moment. Holding and being held by other women, supporting one another, I marched knowing that we are finally going to change the status quo.
Huda Abuarqoub, Regional Director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), and I were the MCs of the ceremony. As we took the stage, four thousand women – three thousand of them Israelis and one thousand of them Palestinians – surrounded us. I heard Huda’s voice resonating in the desert: “Women of the world, today is our day!”
I continue to cherish these moments as I return to my daily routine as Executive Director of the Dafna Fund – Israel’s first and only feminist fund. Thoughts of womanhood, leadership and agency linger in my mind.
