One Possibilitarian: Tal Haran (L) from New Profile & Julie Valkind, a visitor, Tel Aviv, November 2003

Possibilitarians—a word coined by Norman Vincent Peale in his book, The Power of Positive Thinking, and used more recently by Bread & Puppet Theater—is my term for people in Palestine-Israel who are offering and living possibilities of nonviolent transformation.

These Possibilitarians are usually hidden from the view of the wider public. Possibilitarians do not carry guns, they do not drive bulldozers, and for the most part they are not found in government. They are often ostracized by peers, and sometimes threatened, arrested, and imprisoned. They might even die. They are part of the Facts on the Ground that I am dedicated to revealing.

New Profile is an Israeli Jewish feminist organization dedicated to explaining and opposing the militarism of Israeli society. They point out that government leaders like the current Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, are invariably retired military officers. That the educational system lauds the military; schools organize tours of military sites, so New Profile encourages teachers to bring their students to sites which provide an alternative point of view. They support the right of conscientious objection, operate a hot line for youth subject to military duty, and correspond with military refusniks. They are committed to a "civil-ization" of Israeli society, strengthening and democratizing civil society. When I asked them where in Judaic tradition nonviolence is advocated, they answered, "We don’t think it is, oddly enough; and in fact, Judaic reading of the first commandment is Thou shall not murder, not Thou shall not kill."

New Profile