On Nov. 4, as New Yorkers cast ballots in a mayoral race defined by a frenzy of fear, I, too, was afraid. But my fear came not in my home city, but in a tiny village in the West Bank, when Jewish settlers aimed their guns at me and other volunteers harvesting olives .

I was part of a group of American Jewish clergy, organized by T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, participating in Protective Presence: placing ourselves by the homes of Palestinian farmers and shepherds. The shameful reality is that Palestinians are less likely to be harassed or attacked when Jews or internationals stand beside them.

We came unarmed; the goal is nonviolent resistance and deescalation. Despite the looming presence of IDF vehicles, there was serenity in that grove: the rustle of branches, the rhyth

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