Breaking the Silence

Avihai Stollar, 26 - an ex-soldier from Israel visited Tvind to talk about how the life is as a young soldier in the occupied areas of the Palestinean territories

“Breaking the Silence”

Avihai Stollar a 26 year old former soldier from the Israeli army came to Tvind to tell us about his experiences. Avihai is a member of the organization “Breaking the Silence”. Their aim is to tell people the truth about the human consequences on both sides, of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, especially to people in Israel, but also in other countries.

Avihai, as all other young Israelis, started his service in the army at age 18 and he became a combat soldier. Avihai and his comrades were told that their task was to protect all Israelis, including the settlers living inside the Palestinian territories. Avihai explained to the almost 90 people who turned up for the presentation how being in the army changed his personality. How it took him a year after ended service, before he stopped talking to his own family as a commander. How certain situations made him do things a human being should never do, how he lost the ability to tell the difference between good and bad and how daily violence towards and humiliation of Palestinians became normal.

The audience was clearly affected by his story, and there were so many questions to Avihai that he nearly missed the train he had to reach, to get back to Copenhagen were he is part of hosting an exhibition made by “Breaking the Silence”.  You can read more about the organization on their website: www.shovrimshtika.org/index_e.asp