On September 14, at the Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro, Israeli war refuser and anti-occupation activist, Atalya Ben-Abba will reflect on this moment of escalated crisis and on paths towards breaking the cycles of oppression and war. Atalya is the subject of the 2019 documentary Objector: From an Israeli Rite of Passage to a Battle for Human Rights, recently screened at The Latchis in Brattleboro. The film follows Atalya Ben‑Abba’s journey from conscientious refusal to imprisonment, and beyond, as she courageously rejects Israel’s mandatory military service at age 19 in protest of the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict. In doing so, she offers audiences a vital perspective rarely seen in Western media: the powerful narrative of Israeli war resistance.
In conversation with educator T. Wise, she will explore the intertwined roles of militarism and nationalism in both Israeli and American societies. Together, they’ll examine themes including co-resistance in the West Bank, the pursuit of equal rights as a pathway to peace, and how individual acts of conscience can challenge, and transform, the prevailing status quo.
After their presentation, Dr. Clare Morgana Gillis, historian and Board member of Windham World Affairs Council, will moderate a Q & A with T Wise and Atalya Ben-Abba. At a time of escalating crises in Gaza and of far-right control of both the American and Israeli governments, this conversation is meant to connect us and to mobilize us towards further learning and action.
If you missed the film, it is available on Kanopy, the free streaming service available through Brooks Memorial Library. https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/objector
This program is presented by the Refuser Support Network of Israel in partnership with the Windham World Affairs Council, Action Corps, Jewish Voice for Peace, Centre Congregational Church and Peaceable Vermont Action.
By donation. Pay what you can. No one will be turned away.
