At the Quest for Global Healing Conference in Bali, WIE's Jessica Roemischer conducted this riveting interview with reconciliation experts Mary Rothschild and Martina Emme. Mary is an American second-generation Holocaust survivor; Martina is a second-generation post-war German. Both bring the intensity and distinct identity of their personal and family histories to bear in their endeavor to heal the wounds of history's worst genocide. In their work with the nonprofit organization One by One, they create forums for dialogue where victims, survivors, perpetrators, bystanders, resisters, and their descendants can tell their personal stories and share their histories together. Through this simple, immediate, and powerful process of dialogue, personal and interpersonal boundaries are broken. As the spectre of the “other” dissolves into empathy, a healing occurs not just for the individuals but for the collective as a whole.

Mary Rothschild and Martina Emme participated in the Global Quest for Healing Conference as members of The Dialogues on Compassion and Social Healing which has been convening practitioners in international learning communities to explore the theories and practices which support the emerging field of social healing. This seven year project of on-going dialogue is supported by the Fetzer Institute.

For more about the Quest for Global Healing conference in Bali, please visit the Cross Cultural Journeys website or the Bali Institute website.

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