Join us for a a conversation with two Breaking the Silence members about their own experience serving in the occupied Palestinian territories coupled with a screening of Mission Hebron, a documentary by Rona Segal based on the testimony of Israeli soldiers who served in Hebron. Following the screening, we will be speaking with former soldiers Amir Ziv and Rebecca Strober.

As the occupation enters its 56th year, most Israelis are shielded from the reality of everyday life in the occupied Palestinian territories by a wall, literally and figuratively. New Israel Fund (NIF) grantee Breaking the Silence was founded by a group of IDF veterans who wanted to break down that wall and educate the Israeli public — and Jews in the diaspora — about the moral costs of the occupation. 

Founded in 2004, Breaking the Silence publishes testimonies, conducts tours in the West Bank, and documents the harsh realities of the occupation through the voices of former soldiers. NIF is particularly proud to support Breaking the Silence’s work to bring the reality of the occupation to young Israelis before they begin their military service. 

Amir Ziv grew up in Jerusalem and joined the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement as a kid.
During high school he was a counselor in Hashomer Hatzair and delayed his military service after graduating to do a gap year as an educator in his youth movement.

Amir enlisted to the IDF at age 19 and served 2008-2011 in the Nahal Brigade's 50th Battalion as a combatant and a commander. Throughout his time in the military, Amir served at the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel, spent six months in Hebron and deployed to different places in the West Bank.

Following his service Amir worked as an educator in a boarding school. He holds a B.Ed from the Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts. He has been an activist with Breaking the Silence since 2013 and began the role of Pedagogy Coordinator in 2020.

Rebecca (Becca) Strober was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She made aliyah to Israel in 2008 and joined the IDF, where she served as a shooting instructor for infantry soldiers between 2008-2010. She holds a Masters Degree in Political Communication from Tel Aviv University. Becca has worked and been active in social and political issues since her release from the army, specializing in political education and joint Arab-Jewish education. She joined Breaking the Silence as the Director of Education in June 2018.