In a class I took last semester as part of a masters degree in creative writing, I did a presentation on the wise women of the book of Samuel; one from Tekoa, the other from Abel. The woman from Tekoa convinces King David to bring back his estranged son Absalom, sent away for murdering his brother Amnon after he raped their sister Tamar. The woman from Abel convinces Joab, the military commander, not to besiege her city if she offers him the head of the man he seeks. Why do I bring up these biblical stories? To point out that long ago, women sought peace within families and peace for their cities.
And not so long ago, in the 1990s, a group of four Israeli mothers rallied the country to call for an end to the military occupation of southern Lebanon, eventually forcing the government to muster a withdrawal. Women have the power. We have to believe. Otherwise what is left?
