There is something about fearless grandmothers standing their ground in the face of bird flipping, yelling, and spitting that makes me want to pump my (peaceful) fist and change my name to Gloria Steinem. This instinct isn’t because of some yearning to damn the man; it is out of appreciation for the unbreakable role women have always played in international peace movements. 

A member of Women in Black holds an "End the Occupation" sign

While Steinem deserves her praise, so do the largely unknown and unrewarded grandmothers, mothers, and young women (and occasional men! very important!) that fill Jerusalem’s Paris Square every Friday. They are the members of Women in Black, an international peace organization, and they hold weekly vigils to remind Israeli society that a mile up the road on the other side of an eighteen foot separation wall is a people under occupation. Their very presence is a rejection of the silencing mechanisms that would otherwise turn occupation into a normal fact of life. At the end of the day, no matter what your political convictions, occupation is not normal. 

(A video I shot during the vigil)

Women in Black began in 1987, and their activities have historically been a way for Israeli and Palestinian women to come together and oppose war and militarism. In my short time standing with the Women in Black, I witnessed young children yelling, parents giving the finger, and a couple men spitting. In response to the world, the Women in Black merely flashed the peace sign to all who resisted. And are you really going to argue with the peace sign? 

The reason I was so taken by the vigil is simple: Since I’ve arrived in Jerusalem I’ve grappled constantly with the normalcy of life here. In many ways, I feel like I’m in California: good weather, good friends, good beaches. When I’m not working I’m frolicking about the city and I don’t have to think about checkpoints or water consumption or economic development in Ramallah or Gaza City or Beit Sahur.

A gentleman participates in the weekly vigil

 The Women in Black unapologetically interrupt complacency, and no matter what is hurled their way week after week, they refuse to go away. Given the challenge Israel’s most recent wave of right wing politicians presents to Obama, the EU, and Arab countries alike, the presence of Women in Black is more essential to the Israeli left than ever before. Even for those who hate their message, and their peace signs, and that they are women, driving through Paris Square on Fridays means momentarily losing one’s train of thought and becoming distracted in the middle of conversation. And to those who fear what they might find by questioning Israel’s military presence in Palestine, such an interruption is infuriating.  

A member of Women in Black attends the weekly vigil

A member of Women in Black attends the weekly vigil

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