An Evening with Breaking the Silence

Join us at Holy Blossom Temple on November 22nd for a conversation with two Breaking the Silence members about their experiences serving in the occupied Palestinian territories.  We will be speaking with Amir Ziv, Breaking the Silence’s Pedagogy Coordinator, as well as Ido Ziv-Li, a testifier who now lives in Toronto. We will also screen Mission Hebron, a documentary by Rona Segal based on the testimonies of Israeli soldiers who served in Hebron.

As the occupation enters its 56th year, most Israelis are shielded from the reality of everyday life in the occupied Palestinian territories by a wall, literally and figuratively. New Israel Fund of Canada’s project partner Breaking the Silence was founded by a group of IDF veterans who wanted to break down that wall and educate the Israeli public — and Jews in the diaspora — about the moral costs of the occupation. 

Founded in 2004, Breaking the Silence publishes testimonies, conducts tours in the West Bank, and documents the harsh realities of the occupation through the voices of former soldiers. NIFC is particularly proud to support Breaking the Silence’s work to bring the reality of the occupation to young Israelis before they begin their military service. 

Amir Ziv grew up in Jerusalem and joined the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement as a kid. During high school, he was a counselor in Hashomer Hatzair and delayed his military service after graduating to do a gap year as an educator in his youth movement. Amir enlisted in the IDF at age 19 and served from 2008-2011 in the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion as a combatant and a commander. Throughout his time in the military, Amir served at the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, spent six months in Hebron, and deployed to different places in the West Bank. Following his service, Amir worked as an educator in a boarding school. He holds a B.Ed from the Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts. He has been an activist with Breaking the Silence since 2013 and began the role of Pedagogy Coordinator in 2020.

Ido Zivli grew up in Naharia in the north of Israel. After high school, Ido delayed his military service to study for a year at the Rabin pre-army Institute for Israeli leadership. Ido enlisted in the IDF at age 19 and joined the COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories). During his service, Ido was deployed as a representative of the army on Allenby Bridge and took part in the control over Palestinians’ and international personnel’s ability to go between the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. Following his service, Ido gave testimony to Breaking the Silence about his service. Ido worked as a social media manager for Peace-Now and took part in the efforts to educate Israeli viewers about the occupation. Today, Ido is a student of Psychology and Political Science at UofT.

In-person program at Holy Blossom Temple (1950 Bathurst Street)
Masks and vaccine requirements in effect.
This event will be recorded and we will share the recording afterwards.

If you are having trouble registering for this event, please contact us at info@nifcan.org