Due to the current terrorising and violent situation in the middle east we have decided to make an urgent response woman up episode and offered Shira Richter, old time friend, colleague, supporter and also collaborator of our project, a safe space to talk openly about everyday life in Israel right now, as she experiences it. A life under both external and internal violence, a life of being hyper-vigilant and of being on edge all of the time. About stuff she can say and stuff she should not say. Shira took us on a gut and ground level journey of the Israeli- Palestine conflict looking at it from her perspective as a woman, a mother, a peace artivist and Mothernist researcher.

During the recording suddenly sirens went off and Shira, having aprox 60 seconds to get to the nearest shelter, rushed out of the apartment leaving zoom running live. Susan and I heard the sound of the sirens and just after we stopped recording we heard 2 explosions. We couldn’t speak to one another for a long time. We couldn’t fight tears back and just sat silently in our discomfort wondering whether Shira was ok.

Shira was ok and requested to carry on with the interview and asked that no alterations were made to the recording.

Shira:
“It is very important for me to communicate the reason I chose to talk. Now. I am not talking in order to receive personal sympathy. That is not my purpose. Many many people are affected. I’m not special. Many have it much worse than we do.
My purpose is to oppose mainstream media word washing of this experience. To oppose the formal narratives that surround me 360 degrees. To use my extreme sensitivity to communicate a nitty gritty breathless perspective with some hot and cold details. To give people a picture, a feel, a fear, the helplessness, the anger, the unspoken complexities, (hopefully with a dash of humor), of being part of a lethal (and DICKFULL) power game of which neither I nor many many women I know from all sides, agree with or support in any way, but have to support in order to be solidarity with our tribe. I am so fed up of the big words of the big people. Of big idealism’s and ideas. I am breaking my silence. My way. With My words. And My feelings. However they come out.”

Warning: This episode contains descriptions and sounds of conflict which some people may find disturbing.