Evolve

Episode 71: How Two American Jews Navigate Fundamental Disagreement about Israel with Love and Respect: A Conversation with Rabbi Sid Schwarz and Sam Sherman

January 30th, 2026  |  55 mins 59 secs

anti-zionism, cross-generational, difficult-conversations, generational-divide, israel-gaza, israel-palestine, jewish-activism, jewish-community, jewish-dialogue, jewish-ethics, jewish-identity, jewish-values, palestinian-rights, progressive-zionism, reconstructionist-judaism, respectful-disagreement, solidarity, spiritual-zionism, west-bank, zionism

This is the kind of conversation about Israel and Palestine you won't hear anywhere else. Rabbi Sid Schwarz, founding rabbi of Congregation Adat Shalom and longtime progressive Zionist, and Sam Sherman, a playwright, actor, and anti-Zionist activist who grew up in Schwarz's congregation, model how to engage in respectful dialogue about Israel and Palestine. Despite their disagreements on the meaning of Zionism, the legitimacy of violence, and the future of the region, both demonstrate deep respect, genuine curiosity, and a commitment to staying in relationship with each other.