From Here Forward is a grassroots documentation, education, and leadership-building project led by Mattan Berner-Kadish, an Israeli-American who has spent much of his life between the United States and Israel/Palestine. Since 2021, Mattan has been regularly present in the occupied West Bank, for extended periods of time, building deep relationships with Palestinian residents of Umm Al-Khair in Masafer Yatta, and bearing witness to extreme Israeli settler and military violence, including the killings of Haj Suleiman Hathaleen and Awdah Hathahleen.
Many people in Jewish and interfaith communities in the United States seek credible information, moral clarity, and constructive pathways for action. Yet few organizations or institutions provide rigorous documentation, firsthand storytelling, and structured opportunities to engage thoughtfully with the reality of life on the ground in Israel/Palestine.
This project hopes to expand the reach of the protective presence work happening on the ground by training those doing this work and supporting them to engage with and influence their communities to think and act differently about the issues after they return home. Many organizations are working to slow down the ethnic cleansing that is being perpetrated against Palestinians. This work must happen in tandem with and facilitate speeding up the process of the American people and government standing against ethnic cleansing, occupation, and apartheid.
From Here Forward responds to these acute needs by building an informed grassroots base, strengthening moral and civic leadership, and equipping communities with the tools needed to advocate for justice, human rights, and dignity for all people living in the region. Storytelling, real experiences, and building connections will allow for the important work being done to be amplified, and make real the long term visions of ending the occupation, peace and freedom.
Through regular fieldwork in the occupied West Bank, this project will help document Israeli settler violence, Palestinian displacement, and the human impact of occupation. Using ethical and evidence-based methods, the material collected will be translated into accessible reports, multimedia storytelling, and educational resources designed for broad public use.
You can support From Here Forward, by donating here.