Empathy Teams > Sunday, June 6th, Israel in the Gardens
 

On Sunday, June 6th, the Empathy Team  deployed at the annual "Israel in the Gardens" festival in SF. Every year, Israel in the Gardens takes place to commemorate Israel's independence day. Every year, it draws thousands of visitors and is a magnet for protests.

So, this is a departure from the Empathy Team's typical deployments (mostly farmers' markets and festivals). Our goals, however, are the same: to form connections, to provide empathy, and to create space for alternatives to "right/wrong" thinking. We are looking for volunteers who can avoid taking positions. If you feel strongly towards or against Israel, this may not be the event for you. Contact Judith Katz if you are interested in joining us as we continue our learning process "at the deep end of the pool."  Here are a few photos from the event.

Israel in the Gardens - Empathy and Violence

I'm Rubin and you asked me about empathy and I think it's hard to empathize with people who are violent, but otherwise I'm all in favor of it. If everyone in the world could empathize with everyone else who wasn't violent, we'd have a much better world.

 Israel in the Gardens - Empathy, Kabbalah and Spirituality

Empathy is the path to the creator and that's actually the whole focus of my life. Empathy for your fellow man is empathy for the creator. It's something I had since I was a child and it was emphasized in the study of Kabbalah.  Kabbalah means receptions, receiving the knowledge of the creator.  I empathize for everybody's suffering. The key to the suffering is connection to our creator, not to politics, not to races, not to movements, not to religion.
 

Israel in the Gardens - Jewish Communist Empathy

I stand against injustice because I feel the pain of people being oppressed. And I think the world could use a lot more of it.  

Israel in the Gardens - Jewish Communist Empathy

Sam from the revolution club Bay Area. What's troubling is the empathy that's brought up around the horrors that happened in the holocaust is then being used justify crimes against another group of people, We're here challenging people on, if you truly feel that empathy or sympathy with people who were so viciously persecuted and murdered. I was raised Jewish, my family members were survivors of the holocaust. I was always taught 'never again'.  The point is, never again to anybody. ......  (+Honey Bear and Carol offer empathy)

Israel in the Gardens - Jewish Communist Empathy
 

Some days I can hardly get out of bed because I feel so much empathy. There's so much suffering on the earth. One thing I realize is the suffering is not random and need to be. The majority of suffering is unnecessary. so part of how I empathize with other people is to dedicate myself to opposing, for example, crimes against humanity that my government, or in this case the Israeli government commits....... the way I express my empathy is to fight against this and I think we need a revolution.

You want to change the system to bring in empathy? It goes beyond empathy, there's a relationship between the suffering people live through today, and the bestial  existence people have and totally different existence people on this planet could have in harmony with the planet....

Israel in the Gardens - Dialogues
 

Various confrontations, arguments and empathic listening to both sides.