Workshop - Kibbutz Ein Gedi, Israel
Letter to Participant 

Dear Participant,

In  the Ein Gedi workshop we try to give priority to emotions over thoughts and behavior. It seems that in our culture we tend to consider ourselves as thinkers more than feelers. We tend to appreciate thoughts more than emotions. In our workshop, we would like to explore together how emotions (more than thought) influence our personal and inter-personal life.

Among the subject that will be elaborated in the workshop:

• Ignorance and recognition of emotions in Group analysis.
• The member, the group and the longing for wholeness.
• Feelings that bring the best and the worst in group psychotherapy: Healing each other in the matrix.
• Matrix of emotions in group therapy.
• Hunger, destruction and fear of annihilation.
• Shame as a factor in interpersonal and social behavior.
• Vengefulness in group and inter-group dynamics.
• Victimhood: Humiliation turns into over-powering.
• The emotional experience of terror and terrorism.
• Fear, rage, shame and guilt in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Music and emotions in the group concert.
The plenary presenters are as follows:
Miriam Berger, Avi Berman, Robi Friedman, Dieter Nitzgen, Morriss Nitsun, Malcolm Pines, Elisabeth Rohr, Nimer Said, Suzi Shoshani , Ivan Urlic,
The large group conductors are: Sue Einhorn, Gerhard Wilke and Haim Weinberg.
The small groups' conductors from around the world are:
Goran Ahlin, Jeffrey Kleinberg,, Werner Knauss,  Leyla Navaro, Christer Sandahl, John Shlapobersky, Gerda Winther, Elliot  Zeisel.
The small groups' conductors from The Israeli Institute of Group Analysis are:
Hanni Biran, Ruth Duek, Nurit Goren, Bracha Hadar, Yoshua Lavie, Eric Moss, Galia Nativ, Gila Ofer, Pnina Rappoport,. Herzel Yogev,  Hagit Zohn.

One of our aims is to create a frame that will enable a dialogue among the multinational participants that focuses on exploring unspoken hard feelings and their impact on the individual, the group and society at large.
Thus, we've chosen  to open each the three days of the Workshop with  a panel of 3 presenters (20 to 30 minute lecture each) in the plenary to be followed by a 30 minutes discussion.
Following those panels, workshop members, (participants and presenters alike) will be invited to explore and process their experiences in small groups that will meet 5 times in the course of the Workshop.
On the second day of the Workshop, participants will present their work in parallel panels followed by discussion.

The workshop includes large group sessions (3 meetings on consecutive days) that will create a matrix for holding the multidimensional facets of the subjects that have evolved throughout the meetings. 
The workshop will be accompanied by a daily electronic newsletter which will function as a "running commentary" about the Workshop's life. It will enable a sense of connectedness between members and offer a space for their personal creativity.  The editorial board will summarize the material, edit and distribute it daily.
The lengthy breaks will provide ample opportunities for leisure, nature hikes, mineral waters spas, informal social activities and space for personal encounters. 
 
Yours respectfully,

Dr. Avi Berman and Dr. Enav Karniel-Lauer
Co-Chairs of the Scientific Committee 

Mrs. Miriam Berger &  Mrs. Suzi Shoshani
Co-Chairs of the Workshop
Co-Chairs of the Israel Institute of Group Analysis