When dehumanisation and destruction become the norm, the cycle must be broken.
For over twenty years, Ittay Flescher has worked as an educator, journalist and peacebuilder in Melbourne and Jerusalem. When he woke up on the morning of October 7 to the sounds of rocket sirens over Jerusalem and later saw the devastation of Gaza in response, the grief and sadness that engulfed him - and so many others- led him on a deep path of soul-searching and moral reckoning.
Following years spent facilitating dialogue between Jews, Muslims and Christians, Ittay believes that peace can only be found if we are willing to empathise with the pain of those who have hurt us most.
The Holy and the Broken challenges Palestinian and Israeli leaders, citizens and their supporters across the world to imagine a different reality; to look at history with a different eye; and to search for moments of engagement rather than resentment in the narratives of the past that each side tells about itself.
Ultimately, it is a story that is sure to comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.
Praise:
'Courageous and considered. Ittay nurtures the tender, fragile shoots of peace. The world could do with more people like him' Paul Kelly, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
'A book of rare insight and compassion, The Holy and the Broken offers the one thing we thought we'd lost after October 7: a glimmer of hope for meaningful lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians' Bram Presser, author of The Book of Dirt
'This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book, heartfelt and honest. You do not need to agree with everything Flesher has to say to find the book moving and challenging'
Michael Gawenda, editor in chief of The Age (1997-2004)
'As it is challenging and as contemporary as it is compassionate. In a world broken by war and polarisation, Ittay offers peaceful possibilities and nuanced perspectives' Rabbi Ralph Genende OAM, author of Living in an Upside-down World
The Holy and the Broken breaks new ground. Yet what makes it truly singular is its consistent humanity, and its centring of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians' John Lyndon, executive director, Alliance for Middle Peace
'When you finish it, you will not only know more about what's happening between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, but you will also know more about yourself' Maoz Inon, Israeli peacemaker and social entrepreneur