As part of our public work, hoping to make the public aware of the reality of the occupation, every so often we hold large events:

• Publications and campaigns: the publication of a new report, book or testimony booklet is an opportunity to share our work with the public and our partners in Israel and abroad. These events are also an opportunity for the public to meet testifiers and staff of Breaking the Silence, and be exposed in a deeper, more complex manner, to our messages.
• Testimony readings: since the heart of our work is collecting testimonies describing the daily routine of military rule over millions of civilians, once every few years, we gather artists, public and educational figures, soldiers who broke the silence and others, to get on stage and read testimonies. These events express the wide public support of the organization, and reflect our belief that the occupation, and the effort to put an end to it, are the responsibility of the Israeli society as a whole, since it continually sends the soldiers to serve in the territories.

Exhibitions

In 2004, a group of just-released soldiers, who served during the second Intifada and spent a significant part of their service in Hebron, assembled photos they took during their service as well as video testimonies of more than 60 soldiers from various units, and decided to present them to the public. Their main motivation was their understanding that their friends and family at home had no idea what their service looked like and what they were demanded to do in order to enforce Israeli rule over the Palestinian population.

Believing that every citizen in Israel should be aware of what is done in their name in the territories, the group realized that they must share their experiences with the public, and initiated the photo exhibition, named “Breaking the Silence – Israeli soldiers speak about the occupied territories”. The exhibition caused waves, was seen by many, and was presented in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and the Knesset. That was the beginning of Breaking the Silence; in the past 14 years the organization presented numerous similar exhibitions, all with the purpose of presenting the public with a slice of the daily routine in the occupied territories.

At present, a Breaking the Silence exhibition features 100 photographs taken by soldiers during their service in the territories, from 2000 to the present, video testimonies and footage describing the daily routine at a checkpoint by Nablus. An ex-soldier (male or female) that served in the territories and broke the silence, offers a 40-minute guided tour of the exhibition.