Around and within the people of Jerusalem and Bethlehem today, there exist obstacles: physical, emotional and psychological, ideological and theological, simple and complex. The women in Musalaha’s multi-ethnic/religious Zayt group, now running for over a year, can rattle off more than a handful of these obstacles without giving it much thought. Some overlap between Palestinians and Israelis and some are distinct for each group. When the group met in March to discuss these obstacles the women were able to share with a higher level of listening and openness than in previous meetings. It was one of those times where everyone present showed up in an authentic way, were willing to share painful experience and listen to experiences from the other side that challenge their identity.
