Context
The violent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after the events of October 7, 2023, had symbolic consequences in Europe as well. It increased social tensions and reduced interest in Jewish culture and art, and even a reluctance towards it. From the perspective of initiatives such as the annual festival of Jewish art and activism, FestivALT, held in Krakow (Poland), the scale of controversy, emotions, and polarization among various minority groups called for action and initiated a joint, multi-voiced discussion, even though the topic of the Middle East has deliberately not been addressed within the scope of this initiative so far.
The conversation was included in the official program of the 8th edition of FestivALT, inviting a broad international audience to participate. The presence of two moderators – one Palestinian-Polish and one Jewish – reflected the organizers’ ambition: to ensure a possible balance of perspectives and facilitate an exchange of thoughts in a larger group, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and without a sense of threat.
The format of the event – a discussion at the so-called long table – offered a calmer, safer, and potentially more constructive alternative to protests, rallies, and strikes that strengthen antagonisms between different minority communities.
Highlights
- Creating a space for a balanced discussion on a topic that is heavily present in public discourse, stirs extreme emotions, and polarizes different social groups.
- Designing the event format to encourage the exchange of opinions in an ethical manner and with respect for individuals representing differing viewpoints.
- Ensuring symbolic equality of representation – inviting members of both the Palestinian and Jewish communities to moderate the discussion.
- The joint creation of an invitation to the discussion and introductory questions by the moderators, without interference from the organizers.
Challenges
- How to include key social and political contexts that are potentially controversial when planning cultural events?
- How to create a space for open exchange of views while caring for the well-being of all participants?
- How to ensure the substantive quality of the discussion and effectively moderate its course?
Solutions
- Using the “long table” concept as a practical tool for organizing the space and the ethical-communication principles to be followed.
- Ensuring an informal atmosphere that encourages comfortable articulation of insights and opinions (providing food, drinks, and translation).
- Thoughtfully selecting moderators who represent different viewpoints but are capable of articulating them in a competent and balanced way.
Description
On June 23, 2024, as part of the 8th edition of the Jewish Art and Activism Festival FestivALT in Krakow, a discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was organized at Skład Solny – a space for grassroots artistic activities. The event was free and open to the public; to increase the comfort of participants, attention was paid to the substantive aspect (two moderators), language (simultaneous translation into Polish and English), and culinary (catering and drinks).
The event was carried out according to the concept of artist and academic Lois Weaver, according to which a long table is “an experimental public forum, a hybrid of performance, installation, roundtable discussion, and a party, designed to bring together people with a shared goal and allow them to engage in dialogue.”
The conversation in the “long table” format was a response from the organizers of the festival, FestivALT Association, to the urgent need to address the armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, as well as the resulting escalation of public discourse and increased social tensions.
In the face of a lack of tools for real and lasting solutions to global problems, the event focused on micro-scale actions: facilitating a conversation on difficult, controversial topics, where the highest value was respect for human life and dignity and openness to the perspective of people affected by violence, representing various positions and viewpoints. As far as we know, this was the first and so far the only event of this kind in Kraków, during which both sides of the conflict had space for a calm exchange of views.
The event was moderated by half-Palestinian, half-Polish Alina Palichleb, and Julie Weitz, a Jewish visual artist living in Poland.
The co-organizer of the event was CSW Wiewiórka.
Conclusions
- Organizing open discussions proves to be a less formalized and more accessible form of exchanging views on pressing socio-political issues for a wider audience.
- The “long table” format allows for diversifying and democratizing the discussion and treating all participants equally.
- The lack of constructive conclusions or solutions to specific problems does not diminish the valuable character of the discussion as an opportunity to step out of one’s comfort zone and exchange views in a safe environment.
More Information
.
Funding
CERV – Multimemo
Photos – Joanna Gałuszka