Israel-Palestine: The Possibility of Healing Conversations

About this Episode

In many Jewish communities, Israel-Palestine is the third rail that nobody wants to step on. Yet the Jewish community of Madison, Wis., found a way to have a sustained, facilitated dialogue that brought together participants with vastly different viewpoints. In this episode, professional facilitator and mediator Harry Webne-Behrman explains how they did it, what was why dialogue is so central to a healthy democracy. Acknowledging that the model used in Madison can’t be used during a time of pandemic, Webne-Behrman talks about what communities can do now and in the future to spur the kinds of conversations that transform lives.

Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb

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This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.

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Episode Links

• How to Have Healing Public Conversations About Israel-Palestine — Structured, facilitated dialogue among Jews about Israel-Palestine issues can help heal communal rifts and tensions. (Essay from Evolve)
• Congregation Shaarei Shamayim
• What Matters at Work (Amazon book)
• The Practice of Facilitation (Amazon book)
• Center for Conflict Resolution — CCR provides free mediation services to people in conflict and offers trainings in mediation skills as well as customizable conflict management workshops.
• Jewish Dialogue Group — We are a grassroots organization that works to foster constructive dialogue within Jewish communities across the world about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other challenging issues. 
• Essential Partners — Previously known as the Public Conversations Project, we partner with communities and organizations around the globe, equipping them to navigate the values, beliefs, and identities that are essential to them.
• National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation — The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation is a network of innovators who bring people together across divides to tackle today’s toughest challenges. NCDD serves as a gathering place, a resource clearinghouse, a news source, and a facilitative leader for this extraordinary community.
• International Association for Public Participation (USAA) — Pursuing the greater good: good decisions made together