All peace begins when two parties are in dialogue with each other. The following poem, Taking Sides, by Rabbi Irwin Keller, captures the important role of anyone who provides a safe-space for opposing parties to converse, without condemnation. Listening with care and honest enquiry is where a spark for peace may commence in victims and antagonists alike.
Today I am taking sides. I am taking the side of Peace.
Peace, which I will not abandon,
even when its voice is drowned out by hurt and hatred,
bitterness of loss, cries of right and wrong.
I am taking the side of Peace
whose name has barely been spoken
in this winnerless war.
I will hold Peace in my arms,
and share my body’s breath,
lest Peace be added to the body count.
I will call for de-escalation even when I want nothing more than to get even.
I will do it in the service of Peace.
I will make a clearing
in the overgrown
thicket of cause and effect
so Peace can breathe
for a minute and reach for the sky.
I will do what I must to save the life of Peace.
I will breathe through tears.