On October 10, 2023, three days after the horrifying events that shocked the nation and threw Israel into war, Ittay Flescher sat down and began writing what would become his first book: The Holy and the Broken: A cry for Israeli-Palestinian peace from a land that must be shared, released on January 15 by HarperCollins.
The title is a reference to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” which Flescher says could be the anthem of Jerusalem in the way it expresses deep human emotions about love and loss.
Prior to the book’s release, Flescher spoke about the inspiration behind it. “I realized that what was happening in the first week after October 7 was historic,” he explains. “I started writing three days afterward because I didn’t want to forget my experience of that day and what happened in Israel in that first week.”
The book opens on the morning of October 7, as news about the devastation unfolding in southern Israel began spreading. The horrific events of that day and the ensuing war and destruction in Gaza prompted Flescher to question how Israelis and Palestinians could find a way forward. Implicit in this question was the understanding that there is a way forward.
When the war began, many wondered if this was the end of coexistence initiatives. While some became disillusioned about the prospects for peace, current events reaffirmed Flescher’s belief in the importance of peace and dialogue.
“A lot of people say everything changed on October 7, but I don’t think that’s true,” he says. “Everyone just believed what they believed before, but more so. If you believed that peace and nonviolence and dialogue is the way to solve the conflict before October 7, you believe that a lot more now.” This belief is the driving force behind the book.
“I hope that this becomes a book that people say, ‘What’s Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding? How does that work?’ And this can be the first of many books that they read on that topic, because it is coming after an event that a lot of people say killed the possibility of peace forever.”
AN EDUCATOR and journalist by profession, Flescher moved to Israel from Australia in 2018. His involvement in interfaith programs began in Melbourne, where he was the co-leader of Building Bridges, a dialogue program for Jewish, Muslim, and Christian teenagers. Flescher brought this experience to Israel, where he became the education director of the interfaith youth movement Kids4Peace Jerusalem. The Holy and the Broken draws on his many years of experience in peacebuilding and facilitating interfaith dialogue.
Covering Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, the book takes the reader on a journey through the history of the region, both before and after 1948, including events surrounding the state’s formation and events from the past year. It provides resources for understanding the conflict, such as charts, maps, and timelines of important events and agreements, negotiations, and peace proposals over the decades.
Putting Israel’s current situation and political leanings into historical context, the book traces the ideology of Israeli leaders and Zionist thinkers through the 20th century and how this shaped the perception of the conflict, discouraging belief in the possibility of coexistence.
From tracing how Israel got to the situation it is in today, the book moves on to what can be done in order to create a different future.
Broadening the perspective, it examines parallels with conflicts in other regions to draw insight from the processes that led to peace and reconciliation in those countries. Australian history features prominently, but the book also considers the peace process in Northern Ireland and the dialogue initiatives that fostered understanding between conflicting groups, as well as the conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Africa, Rwanda, and other countries.
Though the author acknowledges that there are differences between these and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the overarching theme is, he writes, that “even the most horrific conflicts can end when those affected decide that they can resolve their differences and achieve their political aims through better means.”
In the first chapter, he summarizes what must be the foundation of a path forward for Israelis and Palestinians. Starting with the recognition that there are “two rooted and indigenous national identities” in this land, he delineates the choice we must make: “Either we will fight forever and suffer the tragic consequences, or we will stop this pain and horror by moving towards a political process that allows us to share this land as equals.”
The book explores the possibilities that could open by choosing the latter option.
WHAT COMES across consistently throughout the book is the author’s sincerity and willingness to grapple with difficult issues and tough questions, bringing nuance to a complex subject. His quest for a better future for Israel is based on both personal experience and thorough knowledge of his subject.
Flescher’s is a voice of compassion and humanity, as he portrays the way October 7 and the ensuing war triggered memories of historic traumas for both Jews and Palestinians, of the Holocaust and the Nakba, of loss and displacement.
Asked how he is able to maintain this balance and write with such striking empathy in an increasingly polarized world, Flescher explains that he reads press from across the political spectrum and follows a wide range of social media accounts for a fuller picture.
Through 20 years of dialogue with all kinds of groups, he has also noticed that people with extreme opinions have often gone through some sort of trauma that informed their beliefs. “I can understand someone’s pain and show empathy for that without agreeing with their political view.”
This is what makes his voice particularly compelling. His ability to portray the ongoing impact of these traumas and empathize with both groups without invalidating anyone’s experience is one of the things that make him the right person to write on the subject of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
His credentials as an educator and peacebuilder ensure this book is not merely theoretical but is rooted in his extensive experience facilitating and participating in dialogue programs with diverse groups across religious, national, and cultural lines. While the book touches on political solutions, its primary focus is on creating a constituency for peace through educational and grassroots initiatives.
As the education director of Kids4Peace, Flescher draws on firsthand experience to demonstrate the value of dialogue. Founded in 2002 and now a program of Seeds of Peace, Kids4Peace brings together youth from east and west Jerusalem and provides a positive atmosphere for interaction.
Though the program went on hiatus after October 7 and its organizers worried that the trust they had spent years building between participants may have disintegrated, when they resumed in May 2024, they were pleased to discover this was not true. Many participants returned, enthusiastic to continue.
Throughout the book, Flescher shares stories from Kids4Peace and testimonies from participants’ parents, showing how their perspectives have shifted. These concrete examples bolster his argument in favor of dialogue-based peacebuilding.
Demonstrating the harmful consequences of the misconceptions Israelis and Palestinians have of each other, he makes a case for the importance of dialogue in dismantling stereotypes and countering dehumanization of the other. The recognition of shared humanity and empathy for one another’s pain can foster the belief for both groups that there is a partner for peace.
Acknowledging the connection both Israelis and Palestinians have to the land and understanding each other’s narratives is another vital step in the road to peace. “Without seeing Jews and Palestinians as equally connected to this land, there is no way for the wars between us to end,” Flescher writes.
JOURNALISM ALSO plays a significant role in shaping public perception of the conflict. The author dedicates a chapter to exploring the way media consumption creates an obstacle to peace and how journalism can instead be used to promote it.
As the Jerusalem correspondent for the Australian-based The Jewish Independent, Flescher addresses the ways language is used to create and promote certain narratives. For instance, how does an article refer to locations? As West Bank or as Judea and Samaria, Temple Mount or al-Aqsa? Which terms are used to refer to the conflict and those involved? How do various audiences react to terms such as “apartheid” and “occupation”?
Additionally, at a time when people increasingly rely on social media platforms for news, they are exposed to different versions of events based on algorithms that prioritize content fitting the viewer’s worldview. As a result, different audiences see and believe opposing versions of events, generating further conflict. An obvious difference is the extent to which news sources address the devastation of October 7 or the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza during the war.
Acknowledging the enormity of the problem, the author proposes solutions to reverse it. Peace journalism, which can help the public imagine better alternatives to conflict and offer platforms for voices that evidence this possibility, is one such solution.
“As this war rages on,” Flescher writes, “it’s vital to remember that behind every headline and statistic are real people, families and communities, all deserving of compassion and understanding.” For this, he argues, we need media that is capable of humanizing and acknowledging the suffering of all sides.
“In order to reach a day when Palestinians and Israelis care for the wellbeing of one another’s children, a day when we can move away from certainty and righteousness to a place of curiosity and openness, we desperately need a media that helps us imagine this as a possibility.”
Presenting an alternative image
Presenting this alternative image of a better future and what peace can look like in this land is something The Holy and the Broken succeeds in doing.
TIMELY AND relevant, but also timeless in its quest for peace, The Holy and the Broken presents a powerful case for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence and provides a roadmap for the future. Written in an engaging style, a balance of informative and conversational, the book leaves the reader with much food for thought.
It is an opportunity for people to learn about the complexity of the role the conflict plays in the lives of everyday Israelis and Palestinians, beyond the headlines. And for those who are living through the reality themselves, it highlights a path forward. The book presents an alternative to decades of conflict and imagines a future in which all the people living in this land can share it in peace.
Though the book is structured for a broad audience, to be accessible even to those who are not familiar with the history of the region, readers who are well versed on this history will also find the material educational and interesting.
Additionally, Flescher is developing a page on his website with resources for further reading. “I want people to use my book as an introduction to this topic and not as the conclusion,” he says.
For information on where to purchase the book, as well as directions for further reading and resources on peacebuilding, visit the author’s website: ittay.au.