BICOM

Shaul Judelman is a Jewish Israeli living in the Gush Etzion settlement and he is the coordinator of Roots – a grassroots movement of understanding, nonviolence and transformation among Israelis and Palestinians which aims to shift hatred and suspicion towards trust, empathy, and mutual support. He sat with Fathom deputy editor and BICOM Director of Research Calev Ben-Dor to talk about his journey to non-violent peace activism and his thoughts about the political future. See the interview in Fathom with Ali Abu-Awwad, Judelman’s Palestinian partner.

Calev Ben-Dor: What events have shaped you and your opinions?

Shaul Judelman: My family migrated to the United States when I was two. We weren’t religious but I always felt a deep attachment to the Jewish people and I remember being involved in demonstrations for freeing Soviet Jewry and bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel. As a young kid I often thought about where we were from, and on a deep level I knew that the Land of Israel was our home; that it was a place where if I was ever down and out, I could come and they would let me in. In the year 2000 I came to Israel in order to experience a Judaism that was connected to the tradition and to the land. But it was also the start of the second intifada, and violence broke out a few months after I arrived.

Read the full interview in Fathom.