Timothy Stoner

Nationwide Nonviolence Tour: USC School of Cinematic Arts

Posted on 19. Oct, 2010 by Tim Stoner in Blog

We arrive early for the donor event Thursday evening in the George Lucas Building at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. There was some confusion about the start time so there is plenty of time to talk with Matan Cohen, our new panelist, as we wait for the Mediterranean appetizers to be laid out. He is 22; is our youngest panelist and, I soon discover, it not just his age that gives him the passion of the political zealot.

He began as a 14-year old protesting the building of the “apartheid wall” or “separation fence,” (depending on from which side you are staring up at it) which runs along the borders of the occupied territories. The shift came one day when as a young teen-ager he was waved through an Israeli check-point and then noticed the separate entrance for Palestinians. There were hundreds of adults and children waiting in a long, serpentine line that forced them to stand for hours in the blistering sun in order to return to their homes. The contrast made such an impact on him that he knew he had to do something to express his disagreement with the barrier that was creating this inequity. 

Being a persuasive and precocious disciple of Pierre-Jospeh Proudhon, a French political philosopher, Matan helped form Anarchists Against the Wall. At the age of 17, during one of their marches, he was shot in the face with a tear-gas canister and almost lost complete sight in his left eye. He has seen the inside of a jail on many occasions, “thirty times,” he says. Through his initiative, Hampshire University, where he is pursuing a PhD in philosophy, economics and political science, was the first American university to divest from Israel. He is passionate and articulate and committed. So, different from so many of his American peers. As an anarchist he disrespects authority but he has thought through his position very carefully. And it is not just a clever front to justify apathy and radical narcissism—I can respect that—a lot.

After finishing up some hummus, tabouleh, chicken kabobs and flatbread, I speak with Dr. Varun Soni, the Dean of the USC Office of Religious Life. It is obvious that he is a bit nervous about tonight’s screening. His role in a diverse religious environment is to avoid controversy and since the Israeli / Palestinian conflict tends to be extremely divisive this is the first time he has sponsored an event like this. “But, new stories are needed,” he says, hopefully. “And from the trailer it looked as though this documentary tells a different kind of story about the conflict.” Still, his smile is strained as he says, “I hope I made the right choice.”

There are many older peace activists among the over 120 in attendance tonight. One of them is Dr. Ralph Fertig, a nationally-respected spokesperson for nonviolence who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is the President of the Humanitarian Law Project. Dr. Soni invites him to speak following the screening. A thin, elderly gentlemen with snow white hair stands in front of the audience that has grown very quiet. Everyone seems to know who he is. I have never heard of him.

 “What Martin Luther King taught was the need to love the enemy,” he says. “The beauty of this film is that it shows that there are alternatives to needing not live in fear.” He then makes what I find to be a helpful distinction, “The flipside of fear is not fearlessness, it is the capacity to see the enemy as person and appeal to him as such. Violence only begets more violence, whereas nonviolence enables the capacity to love.”

This is only the second time in the tour that the priority of love has been expressed. I don’t know if I find this surprising. It certainly seems to me to be the only possible foundation upon which to build a consistent and life-giving movement for peace. As a Christian, though, this is only to be expected. What I find intriguing is that two non-Christians concur that nonviolence is larger and deeper than merely a pragmatic political stratagem to accomplish just ends.

As the newest member of the panel, Matan speaks first. “Our role is to stand in solidarity with Palestinians,” he urges. He describes the personal cost of this choice which almost lost him his eye, but dismisses his injury explaining that in the more than a thousand marches opposing the wall the Israeli army has killed 19 Palestinians. “What we must do is to insert ourselves into the protests with our bodies and accept the bullets being shot at us.” The crowd murmurs its agreement. This young Israeli is not mouthing brave rhetoric, it is something he is living out regularly. He goes on to reject the common critique which points out the lack of a Palestinian Gandhi. “Why is it that the Israelis always ask that question but never stop to wonder where is the Israeli Gandhi? This is the asymmetry of the conflict and this inequality needs to be recognized.”

Sami explains that nonviolence is no magic formula. “There is no guarantee that if you do it will work.” He then goes on to broaden its the definition and scope. “We are going to do our best to resist the drive to attain liberation for ourselves without achieving liberation for all. This is why this strategy needs to be taught in a holistic way. It must be carried out in all aspects of life.”

This Palestinian Christian then adds something he has not mentioned at any other venue. “In order to carry out this difficult task there has to be a strong foundation. This is why there is a need to bring in religious teachings.” He then sounds a hopeful note, “The forces of historical trauma can be reversed. They do not have to be controlling. We can turn our wounds into tools for nonviolent resistance that transcend the historical violence we both have experienced.”

Before the showing Sami and I had had a talk about this specific subject. I asked him about navigating these nonviolent waters with so many others who do not share his Christian commitment. He told me that he does not down-play his convictions but he has struggled to know the best vocabulary that would be clear and helpful in explaining the basis for his dedication to this movement for peace. This has led him to begin developing a curriculum that will be taught by his organization in Bethlehem, The Holy Land Trust, that will be explicitly based on the teachings of Jesus. 

In the lobby afterwards, Dr. Soni looks relieved. I ask him his opinion, “It was remarkable!” he responds without hesitation. “It was exactly what I had hoped. Stories of transformation are very powerful. Showing people changing their minds, especially when they come from such opposite backgrounds helps others embrace the message that they can change.”

What he liked the most was that Little Town had no bias. “It is neither anti nor pro, actually it is empathetic to both historic narratives. It humanizes a conflict that the media has dehumanized. It also helps provide a counter narrative to the popular storyline of violence.” I thank him and tell him that he has given me a good pithy quote.

Devan Hanon, our audio guy and the one who has done most of the heavy lifting throughout the tour, packs up the bus for one more stop. Tomorrow we fly to San Francisco for our last screening at UC Berkeley.

Tags: Anarchists Against the Wall, Israeli/Palestinian nonviolent movement, Jr., Little Town of Bethlehem, loving the enemy, Martin Luther King, Matan Cohen, nonviolence resistance, Rabbi Avi Novis-Deutsch, Ralph Fertig, Varun Soni