During the Jerusalem journey, the fellows experienced something that has never occurred before in Co.Lab’s inquiry journeys. The journey’s leading team chose to let the fellows explore social struggles in Jerusalem and experiment with planning their own campaign.
The first day began with a lecture by Orly Bar-Lev, a freelance journalist covering the protest Balfour Street protests against Prime Minister Netanyahu that have continued for the past year; continued with a tour of East Jerusalem conducted by Fouad Abu Ahmad, a social activist and businessman; followed by a visit to the Jerusalem Intercultural Center and a meeting with the center’s director. There, an extraordinary panel of leaders of various social struggles took place: Anuar Saab from the fight against the “nation-state law,” Pinchas Wallerstein from the struggle against the disengagement from Gaza ,and Yoav Lalom of the Mizrahi struggle within the Haredi society. Later that day, they had a tour in the Musrara neighborhood with Reuven Abergil, an activist in the Black Panthers (a social protest movement that operated in the 1970’s) and finished up with a dinner in Machane Yehuda market featuring local foods. The second day of the journey included a meeting with Rachel Azaria, a former member of Knesset who previously led protests and social struggles, and lunch at an ultra-Orthodox restaurant that prepares traditional Jewish food.
At the end of the journey, the different struggle groups presented their choices and concluded their experience together.
