My dear OSList friends!
It is about two months now that I am a silent part of this beautiful community.
Since I do not have the habit of invading other people’s space without
contributing to it this type of deficit equations cause me unease.
Here are the fruit of my trail to break through unanimity in this forum. Please
read it with care since Hebrew is my mother tongue my English expressions may
be very ‘creative’ and somewhat lengthy for a start.
I’ll join today by presenting myself and sharing my OS story:
My name is Tova Averbuch and I m am OD consultant and group facilitator since
1978.
On 1989, as I started training mangers in a program at the Tel-Aviv university
in Israel, I got the notion that decision making processes in schools acts very
much like ‘ a dress in the wind ‘ : after you have reached an agreement with
one or two stakeholders and you hold it on one side the wind will push the
dress up in the other end and your ‘underwear’ will be for disposition anyway
you look at it.
I realized that if I what to stop this crazy dance I will have to find a way
to put everybody, concerned about an issue, together. Hold a meeting in utter
transparency, and then let the Wind/Spirit (in Hebrew “wind’ and ‘spirit’ are
the same word: ’roach”) carry us up instead of tear us apart …
I have been looking for 7 years (not very effectively…) for a methodology that
will enable putting together everybody concerned to dialogue and make decisions
around issues they have deep concern about. Leaving in the Middle east I
realized that when there are a lot of emotions concerned a methodology is
desperately needed if we want to be able to see clearly . When it is so
emotionally lauded it is hard to notice even rhe things that we agree
upon...and not waste our best energies on drops of nothing (this of corse can
be true of organizations and individuals in any setting).
1997-1999 I have lived in Maryland with my family. On August 1998 someone
forwarded me an invitation she got of an Organizational gatheringof Russian and
American Psychlogists, OST facilitated by the blessed Carolyn Kinsman,and that
was it. I knew I have found what I have been looking for and I knew I have to
return to Israel with adequate training. In the next year I participated in
another OST gathering in Santa Fe, read and eventually took training with
Harrison Owen and Robbins Hopkins a month before I went back to Israel!
Meeting the OST and the people who facilitate it was very powerful for me. It
was like meeting the known, the internal. Facing, with longing, lost/torn parts
from my self and having them meet and make friends. At the same time I was
horrified because I knew I was going to try to open and hold some space in the
crowded/lauded/layered Holy land.
Since July 1999 I am living and working in Israel again. Very happy to tell you
that within a year 10 OST gathering (for Tel Aviv municipality, the IDF, “Besod
Shiach”-a NPO for promoting dialogue, and others) took place in Israel with
length of half day to 2 days meetings.
I am well aware and thankful OST started way back in the 80"s but I must admit
I work from a pioneer stand. I have great joy in that there is some more
knowledge and interest in OST in Israel and by Harrioson Owens gentile but
steady encouragement that he and I will start training for facilitators in
Israel later this year and hope to make this space wider and more sustainable.
Thank you for being here and thank you all for giving room for my voice
With much live
Tova Averbuch
Shalom for Now
Email : averb...@post.tau.ac.il
