Dear Friends, Partners, and Achvat Family, This is not the first time you have heard from me, although I have not yet had the opportunity to formally introduce myself. My name is Julie and I am the (not so) new Outreach Coordinator at Solidarity of Nations - Achvat Amim. I joined the Achvat tzevet (team) in January but have been a part of this vibrant community for almost three years. I first came to Achvat Amim in the fall of 2017 as a participant. While writing this, I have been thinking about my Achvat Amim experience- both as a participant and tzevet member. With both, I have been faced with a reality and have had to grapple with how to move forward. As a participant, I was confronted with the occupation. As a tzevet member, I am confronted with a pandemic. Achvat Amim does as a program what the great Hasidic sage Rabbi Nachman described when he said, “Know, that a person needs to pass over a very, very narrow bridge, and the most important thing is not to fear at all. (Likutei MohaRan 2:48)”. Achvat Amim taught me about forging new paths, building relationships, and fostering deep connections. Achvat Amim taught me about crossing narrow bridges. Rabbi Nachman teaches us that we will encounter a bridge and that we can fall off. To stay put is an option and yet it is not the right one. At the end of that narrow bridge, there is an opening and we can get there. As a participant, Achvat Amim helped me discover my paths forward: as an organizer, facilitator, and Torah-lover. It gave me the skills and community to continue towards a more just world, even when continuing forward filled me with the fear that Rabbi Nachman warns us about.
The pandemic is a narrow bridge for all of us- individually and collectively. We at Achvat Amim are continuing to monitor the pandemic and make decisions that are best for our participants, the needs of our partners, and the future of Achvat Amim. While being flexible and sensitive to the needs of all of our communities, Achvat Amim is accepting applications for September 2020 and February 2021 cohorts. Achvat Amim is an integral part of the anti-occupation ecosystem. I myself am proof of the transformational work Achvat Amim does. The world needs us and we need the world. In the current pandemic, I often feel as if I am on a very, very narrow bridge. And sometimes I feel afraid. It is hard to stay afraid for long, as I have an amazing team of movement partners. Our conversations are full of kindness, strength, vision, and humor. So in this moment- yes, we are on a very, very narrow bridge. But we are also crossing it together. And I know we will get to the other side. Sincerely, Julie
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November 2024
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