Michal Froman’s Eloquent Words

I had an elated sense of hopeful recognition when I read of Michal Froman’s recent words to the group of 3500 Palestinian and Israeli women assembled as part of the Women Wage Peace march across Israel and the West Bank. Michal seems to be channeling the spirit of her father-in-law, the late Menachem Froman, in her startling comments to the group (as reported in Haartez):

“To choose life is to choose to see the complexity of the situation here,” she said. “To learn, of necessity, to defend one’s life, but also to see the distress and extend a helping hand. Someone who is dead no longer feels. I chose to feel and to give space to the full range of feelings inside me – to the pain and the anger, but also to mercy and love.

“Death is separation,” she continued. “Life is an encounter, life is peace. Life here will be possible only if we stop blaming each other and stop being victims. We all need to overcome and to take responsibility and start working hard for the sake of life here.”

She also said (as reported once again in Haaretz):

“I believe that peace, as we want it to be, will come from a place where we can see what is possible and what is impossible. The right can be part of peace, too. Life will be better here if we stop seeing ourselves as the victims of terror or the victims of the occupation. We all have to get over this and begin to work hard.”