Katherine, UNA-Golden Empire Chapter, President

” My experience with the two-hour informal discussion we held called “Is Peace Possible in the
Middle East” gave me a renewed appreciation for Aya and Non-Violent Communication.
Aya Caspi was one of our three panelists—the other two being a historian and a diplomat. We
had invited Aya to advance the discussion by asking her to share her personal feelings and
experience from being an Israeli American. We thought that her experience in Non-Violent
Communication would help the audience see and understand the suffering of both Israelis and
Palestinians and develop a bit more empathy for both sides.
Well, we didn’t have much of a chance for that. The audience had passionate and diverse
opinions, some defending the Israeli people and some defending the Palestinians . The tension
in the room rose quickly.
Each time Aya stepped in, and calmly and graciously addressed the person that was animated,
by repeating what she thought that person had said, and then asking him/her if that was
correct. And each time the person said yes and in a much calmer tone. Then Aya would ask him
or her if they had felt “heard” and if they felt safe. The answer was always yes. And the tension
in the room was diffused, every single time.
Aya’s skills saved the day for me (I had organized the whole event), for our chapter and for
everyone in the room. It was a successful event because it was not only about history and facts.
It gave people the opportunity to vent, and at the same time to be heard, validated and
understood as human beings. The best part was towards the end of the two hours when Aya
asked who in the room wanted the Israeli people to be safe, and everyone raised their hand.
Then she asked who wanted Palestinians to be safe, and again, everyone raised their hand.
The event ended with the many people expressing their appreciation for having attended such
an event and for holding this discussion in a civil and respectful manner.
I cannot be more grateful to Aya for her grace and her skills. “