February 2023
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Heart Forums
Conversation and Cancellation
by Kinney Zalesne & Alex Sinclair
Discussion and Discomfort
by Alex Sinclair & Jonathan Kessler
Interaction and Injury
by Jonathan Kessler & Alex Sinclair
New Paradigms
Third Wave of Changemaking
by Deborah Stone
New Coalition in Israel is Possible
by Donniel Hartman
Horizon of Hope
Secretary of State Tony Blinken Meets Emerging Leaders
TOM Global Innovation Challenge
New Committee Members
Tarrie Burnett
Amna Freg
Rabbi David Burstein
Heart Forums
Calculus of Cancellation Over Conversation
Kinney Zalesne & Alex Sinclair
In today’s fragmented and siloed world, it’s easy to stay in our own echo chambers. The list of people we “just can’t talk to” — or even listen to — grows daily, and includes not just political opponents but colleagues and family members.
Revulsion, not reflection, too often governs our decisions. But have we, as community leaders or individuals, stopped to parse the considerations used to calculate who we will and won’t engage with?
Discussion and Discomfort
Alex Sinclair & Jonathan Kessler
Heart of a Nation recently held a series of roundtable conversation in which American Jewish, Israeli Jewish, Next Gen, and Palestinian thought leaders were encouraged to talk among themselves about their red lines regarding conversation and dialogue.
Among Next Gen participants, three main themes stuck out:
1. Intent matters most - These young people seemed willing to go much further than their older counterparts in identifying and separating out the range of possible motives of the other person and using that as a criterion in their decision whether or not to engage…
2. Growth requires dialogue - The younger participants repeatedly emphasized the importance of dialogue, its potential for growth for both parties and its centrality to how they viewed the world…
3. People deserve respect - The participants stressed the importance of respecting others’ humanity, even if not their particular points of view…
Interaction and Injury
Jonathan Kessler & Alex Sinclair
The tension between engagement with contentious individuals versus the concern about legitimizing noxious notions was a theme that the Israeli Jewish participants returned to throughout the discussion. One suggestion that emerged was to differentiate between the originators of opinions and positions considered outrageous or extreme and their supporters, whose pain, disenfranchisement or struggle may represent lived experiences that we should listen to, seek to understand and take seriously.
There are many dimensions to this approach that deserve further thought and discussion.
New Paradigms
Third Wave of Changemaking
Deborah Stone
From about 2000, Givat Haviva developed a second wave of changemaking, based on dialogue rather than simply contact.
'It’s not just eating hummus together it is talking about the different narratives. It is very educational and very enriching, but it is limited. The best you can get is agreeing to disagree.'
New Coalition in Israel is Possible
Donniel Hartman
Some argue for separation from Israel entirely; others for boycotting government representatives, not paying taxes or serving in the army. I believe we have a third option. Protests are critical to… not allow those values we abhor to be ‘normalized,’ let alone dominate the Israeli ethos.
Horizon of Hope
Secretary of State Tony Blinken Meets Emerging Leaders in Jerusalem
Speaking with young leaders of grassroots organizations in Jerusalem, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of democracy as a binding force in America’s ties with the Jewish state.
Israeli civil society is America’s “North Star” when it comes to maintaining the country’s values, he said.
'The colleagues who are here today are vibrant parts of civil society, and for those of us in government, civil society plays an absolutely critical role,' Blinken said, pointing to the group.
TOM Global Innovation Challenge
Tikkun Olam Makers are launching their third TOM Global Innovation Challenge - an international design competition that seeks to find and develop the most innovative solutions that will help change the lives of people with disabilities around the world.
TOM, founded in 2014 in Israel by the Re’ut Group, is a global humanitarian venture that creates and disseminates affordable open-source solutions for vulnerable populations. It does so by connecting volunteer “makers” (engineers, students, designers, and care specialists) with people with disabilities in their community who then design and build solutions that will help them live a more independent, fulfilling life.
One of the things that makes TOM unique in the nonprofit space is that it was founded not only to leverage innovation to help society’s most vulnerable, but also as a platform that brings people together for a common humanitarian mission regardless of ethnicity, religion, or national origin. This is evident with their deep involvement in Abraham Accords countries and with a $1 million MEPPA grant they received to conduct their activities among Israelis, Palestinians, and Israeli Arabs.
New Committee Members
Tarrie Burnett
Tarrie Burnett currently serves as the executive director for Tomorrow’s Women, a feminist organization that is empowering the next generation of social justice and peace activists in Israel and Palestine through leadership, compassionate listening and creative arts.
Amna Freg
Amna Freg is a CPA and the founder of Future Holders, an NGO empowering Israeli Palestinian and Jewish women to utilize the tools of Artificial Intelligence to address environmental challenges.
Rabbi David Burstein
Rabbi David Burstein has worked for 25 years as an experiential educator and was ordained as a rabbi from HUC-JIR Cincinnati in 2001. He has served congregations in Richmond and Dayton and served on the staff of Earlham College.