Dialogue has value: How we brought together Americans, Palestinians and Israelis
By Jonathan Kessler and Sarah Aweidah
Times of Israel
July 13, 2023
"Over the past several months, Heart of a Nation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that brings together American, Israeli, and Palestinian changemakers who want to improve their own societies, has held a series of roundtable conversations with diverse thought leaders selected from a variety of constituencies on their respective red lines regarding conversation and dialogue. We wanted to know how these individuals determined with whom they would and wouldn’t engage.
"These conversations took place among prominent American Jews, emerging leaders in high school and college, and public-facing Israeli Jews. Similar questions were posed in each discussion, and valuable insights were shared.
"We’ve followed up with another roundtable, this time with a group of Palestinians active in public life. The conversation was rich with anecdotes and insights, confidence, and conviction.
"Participants were of different ages, with different vocations, and were united in their shared Palestinian identity and past experiences with dialogue and dialogue-avoidance, with representatives of other communities, and within Palestinian society itself.
"The conversation focused on why dialogue was necessary, why it should be more rather than less inclusive, and – above all – that it had to be safe to engage.
"In this discussion, the case was made for safe and respectful engagement, even with those who present as rigid and inflexible.
"By juxtaposing key takeaways from each of the forums, we hope to impress readers with the need to be mindful of each set of reference points – especially when working with different cultures and age cohorts. Navigating issues of engagement and avoidance is difficult and complex, with many different vantage points and few one-size-fits-all recommendations that can be applied in every situation.
"Heart of a Nation will apply these insights and frameworks as we continue to engage those across cultures, ideological orientations, and generations who seek to better their own societies."
Sarah Aweidah and Jonathan Kessler are, respectively, a member of the editorial committee and the founder/CEO of Heart of a Nation.
About Heart of a Nation
Empowering the next generation of American, Israeli, and Palestinian change-makers to embrace better, together.
אנחנו מכנסים הוגים מובילים, פעילים חברתיים, ומחוללי שינוי לעתיד, אמריקאים, ישראלים ופלסטינאים, המחויבים לשיפור החברות שלהם.
نحن أمريكيون وإسرائيليون وفلسطينيون نبني ونكوّن روابط من أجل التعلم والتفكير والمشاركة معًا حتى نشجع الحلول التقدمية بشأن القضايا التي تهمنا جميعًا.