Moving In A Mirror: From Outrage to Activism in West Jerusalem a film by Joanna Kohler

Kohler chronicles Ronnie’s activism over a period of four years. Kohler wants her film to be a “mirror” through which the audience can watch and reflect on the experience of a person with power and privilege grappling with that position and using it to become an activist. Ronnie initially becomes a member of a small group of activists who defy the ever-present Israeli roadblocks and try to deliver food to blocked-off Palestinian towns and villages. Kohler follows Ronnie through her illegal visits to the Jenin Refugee camp (Israelis are not allowed to go there and Ronnie only succeeds by using her U.S. passport) and through her romantic relationship with a German DJ that leads both of them to deeply question their pre-conceived notions of one another and their family histories that helped create them. Kohler continues her coverage of Ronnie as she begins a project called Daila in 2004. Daila is a cultural center in West Jerusalem that provides space where diverse art forms and ideas can exist.

When Ronnie is asked about her seeming turn from activism in her new project, she comments that activism to her is not just one way of doing things. Ronnie reflects on how initially her awakened conscience made her outraged and compelled her to act accordingly. She shares her frustration over how activist friends seemed to move on and projects seemed to disappear in a short time. “Anything you put your heart into could be gone in a year,” she says. Ultimately, Ronnie had to face the problem of sustaining real life and real love in the reality of hard-core political polarization and lack of solutions. She had to find a way to integrate her outrage into a sustainable lifestyle. Daila was her way. Daila opened in October of 2004 and is still operating today. In the first few months, attendance was at 1000 per month and 10 organizations were using the space.

A discussion led by Kohler followed the film. Kohler asked the audience how they were able to relate to Ronnie’s life in the film and what activism means to them. Kally Goschke(right) identified with Ronnie saying, “We are both living in the heart of the beast.” Do we really have any power? Do we really have a democracy? Activism to Kally is doing something with those questions. “If I couldn’t do something, I’d go crazy,” she said.

Polly Mann said she doesn’t choose to be an activist. She believes activism is a force that is brought into a person when they become conscience of injustice, and with which they must deal. Another audience member described activism as taking a risk. The risk, she said, is in the challenge to talk about injustice to people who are not one’s friends and with whom we do not agree.

Esther, another audience member, shared that, as a Jew, she doesn’t support the occupation. But, she said, sometimes when she listens to people talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it triggers defenses in her. She tries to identify what words, topics and metaphors do this to her because she believes those terms simply turn people off and they won’t be heard. And that goes for both sides. Until we identify and become sensitive to damaging language, barriers to understanding will continue.

Evelyn said her reaction to the film was that she was outraged that we are using our tax dollars to support the occupation. Her activism is to go beyond reading alternative press and literature. She makes copies of it and distributes it at the high schools hoping that the youth will read some of it.

The SJA discussion was filmed by Kohler with the help of sometimes assistant, Rebecca Gilgen(right), social worker, community organizer and activist. Kohler would like to make another film of these kinds of conversations. She would like to document conversations that take place in schools, cafes, churches, community centers, etc. She hopes to bridge those conversations to find a common language, a common sharing of ideas. She will be traveling across Minnesota by motorcycle this summer showing her film. Next summer she plans to take it across four states.

If you would like to help with the distribution of this film or know of some group that would like to see it, please contact Joanna Kohler at kohlerproductions@yahoo.com.

The next Third Monday Movie will be “A Message From Mubarek” at SJA, Upper Room, Parish Center. It is FREE, with coffee and cookies served as a bonus.

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Rose Grengshas been a SJA parishioner since 1982. She is an immigration attorney and passionate about the subject. She is a member of the choir and active in the Peace Movement. She and her husband, Paul, routinely attend the 11:00 Mass. She is the mother of four children and grandmother of two. She is looking forward to retirement, travel and enjoys music, especially singer, songwriter, Greg Brown.