Please fill out the application by May 10, and we will get back to you about your acceptance by May 15.

At the heart of our work lies the belief that nobody is disposable–and that true healing comes from sitting in discomfort together, holding all of it. Join us for a day-long workshop for Jews of all backgrounds to come together to somatically unpack and be present with the intersecting, multiple, and dissonant realities:

• The ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

• The rise of actual anti-semitism, and Christian nationalism/hegemony

• Ways that false claims of anti-semitism are weaponized to hurt all of us

• Zionism/non-Zionism/anti-Zionism and the multiple (often conflicting) meanings of each.

• The divisions within the Jewish community, among family members, and within ourselves.

• The multi-generational yearning for safety, belonging and connection to the work of collective liberation for all peoples.

We will primarily engage in Rainbow of Desire, a body of work developed by Augusto Boal as part of the Theatre of the Oppressed.  Our adaptation involves exploring the intersections of internalized privilege and historical oppression with the “Rainbow” of different aspects of ourselves. Despite the name, no theater background is necessary. This work invites us to listen to our bodies and express outwardly the multitudes we contain inwardly, at times as frozen statues that we animate and give voice to and then interact with. We will build a strong container that can hold our differences, acknowledging the shared and deep need for psychological and physical safety.

Details: JUNE 6, 2025 10:00 - 4:30 Location: Oakland Community Space (in the old transformed Sears Building) 1955 Broadway, Suite B, Oakland, CA 94612

FACILITATORS

Levana Saxon, PFCC brings 25 years of experience as a Theatre of the Oppressed Joker (facilitator) popular educator, and participatory action researcher. Her orientation to her Jewish identity is complex and with no connection to Israel beyond being a US taxpayer with auto-eligibility for citizenship. Her secular Jewish father taught her to work for peace and freedom for all people. She identifies as anti-zionist but not sure everyone reading this shares the same definition of what that is.

Mira Stern is a queer white Jewish woman born and raised in San Francisco. She is a former theater actor of 20 years, a former high school educator of 15 years, and now runs her own business as a consultant, Jewish ritual leader, and community curator. 

Mira grew up as a liberal Zionist feeling deep connection to Israel, shifted left for a decade to be a staunch anti-Zionist, and is now finding a way beyond the binaries that center justice, safety, and repair for all, which is hard to put a title to.

WHO IS THIS FOR:

• Jews whose hearts are broken by what is being done in our name, holding the intersecting weight of the unending suffering in Gaza, the pain of ongoing rupture across Palestine and Israel, and heightened global antisemitism.

• Jews of all backgrounds across the political, cultural, and religious spectrum, (who identify as Zionist, anti-Zionist, somewhere in the middle or nothing whatsoever) - who believe that never again is now.

• Jews who strive to listen, push themselves to understand perspectives that are challenging or even triggering and stay present with all of the feels and seek deeper understanding.

WHO THIS IS NOT FOR:

• Participants with a fully different version of reality, who believe that what is happening in Gaza is not genocide, or that genocide is justified.

Registration: To register, start by filling out this form. We will then send a registration link to everyone accepted. Participation limited to 30 people.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Prosthetics for Palestine.