Journey to Healing
7-15 August 2024
In the shadow of the massacres of 7 October 2023 and the devastating war carried out in Gaza, in a context of permanent tension and major difficulties to express oneself freely, Ulfat Haider proposed to give a mixed group of women active in social work the possibility of a stay in Switzerland. Indeed, in a very brutal conflict period, many were, and continue to be, those in Israel who despair and feel trapped in a paralysing impotence. Numerous participants in the demonstrations against the judiciary reform and who were at the origin of social change programmes are exhausted, isolated and/or inactive. The war and the repression of the demonstrations have had a draining effect on social involvement.
The aim of the stay was to allow the participants to restore their strength, to take care of and recuperate their personal and collective resources in order to pursue their social involvement. To share the upheavals the war brought about in their lives and revisit their individual paths was intended to allow them to identify once again the roles they want to assume in this period of huge challenges. This time, as opposed to the other stays we organise and because the situation is so specific, the dialogue work has been set aside.
The group which was formed at short notice, composes, in fine, 11 women, 7 Arabs from Israel and 4 Jewish Israelis (one Jewish Israeli having renounced at the last minute, worried by the potential of war in Lebanon), of varying ages.
The stay in Switzerland took place exclusively in the mountains for six days, without spending time with host families. To compensate this absence, a meeting with the members of Coexistences took place a few days after their arrival. Eleven women and the two facilitators Ulfat Haider and Yaël Maayan (who had facilitated the seminar n° 2 of the facilitators) stayed in the beautiful chalet loanedto us by our new member, Nicolette Manson.
The stay alternated between daily excursions and internal work. With regard to the walks, the physical difficulty was moderate so that everyone could participate and benefit from contact with nature. As for the internal work, Ulfat and Yaël organised reflective and reconnecting activities around earth, fire, water and air with many rituals constituting as many subjects of sharing and establishing the group dynamics.
During the first excursion, which ended around a fondue and a raclette, Nicolette Manson and Valérie Jennings from Coexistences allowed them to discover the Galérie Defago in Champéry. The following day, after a morning’s work, the meeting with the members of Coexistences was enriching for all: about ten members who made the journey in the middle of the summer holidays, were regaled by the participants who prepared for them a delicious meal with a very touching presentation. Informal exchanges in small groups of two or three lasted a long time and were enriching for everybody.
The following day they discovered the lake of Chésery and the Green Lake above Morgins, during a harder but magnificent itinerary. Another excursion took them to the Dent de la Valérette above Chindonne (in the fog all the way). Finally, a last walk leading to the brigeway of Farinet above Saillon, followed by a few hours in the baths; it was very hot that day!
The last day was devoted to the discovery of Lausanne, from the Castle to the Cathedral then to the Place de la Palud, followed by free time to explore. Veronique Rochat from Coexistences offered them at the end of the day an aperitif in her home which has a breath-taking view over the lake.
The participants left early the next day while Ulfat and Yaël stayed a day and a half longer.
In conclusion, the aim of « restoring energy » and relaxation was successful and made it possible to support their individual and group resilience. The participants left with the impression of being like a family, meaning that bonds had been woven and that an “us” had been established. A transmission was realised among these women of different generations. Taking into account the context, many of them didn’t look forward to going home: whereas usually the group is the place of uncertainty, now it is the country.
BRAVO to these courageous women who continue to confront this ongoing war.
This project was made possible thanks to the involvement of an exclusively feminine work group made up of Valérie Jennings, Nicolette Manson, Véronique Rochat, Halina Sandri Rabczynska, Caroline Vuillemin and Fiuna Seylan Ongen. Thanks to all of them for their time, enthusiasm and huge kindness and attention with which the stay was prepared and the group received, conveyed and many other things, in short “carried” . Our warm thanks go to the Moser Foundation for their precious donation and Nicolette Manson for the loan of her wonderfully welcoming chalet.
