Michelle works at B’Tselem’s communications department, using a wide variety of media to campaign for protection of human rights in the Occupied Territories. She finds innovative ways to combine text and visual images to convey to Israeli and international audiences the realities of life under occupation. She holds a B.A in psychology and English literature and is also a translator and puppeteer. Michelle was born and raised in Jerusalem and served in an Intelligence Unit in the army.
B’TSELEM – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories was established in 1989 by a group of prominent academics, attorneys, journalists, and Knesset members. It endeavors to document and educate the Israeli public and policymakers about human rights violations in the Occupied Territories, combat the phenomenon of denial prevalent among the Israeli public, and help create a human rights culture in Israel.
Sessions:
Human rights in the West Bank and Gaza – an Israeli perspective
In this session I will talk about B’tselem – who we are, what our aims are, why we exist. I will expand on my personal experience and how I came to work there, which is partly related to my Jewish identity.
The B’tselem video project: capturing the conflict
Beginning with a single camcorder in 2006, B’tselem has helped change how Isreali and international public view the conflict. With over 150 camcorders now in the hands of Palestinian families across the West Bank and Gaza, its footage has been viewed on all major international media outlets. In this session I will look back on the video project and invite participants to discuss the project and its results.