March 2024
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Where We Stand
We will not be deterred from our mission of nurturing the next generation of Israeli, Palestinian, and American change-makers...
Straight From the Heart
And the walls kept tumbling down
In the city that we love
Grey clouds roll over the hills
Bringing darkness from above...
HeartForums in the Holy Land
Diplomats in Herzlya
Accelerators from America
Seeking Insight in Ramallah
Young Leaders in Petah Tikva
Change Advocates in Dimona
In the News
Stop Selling and Start Channeling
Reinterpreting Conflict
Horizon of Hope
Partners in Fate
Debate for Peace
Exodus From Gaza
New Committee Members
Lidia Bernd
Younes al-Samman
Rachel Scherl
Where We Stand
We will not be deterred from our mission of nurturing the next generation of Israeli, Palestinian, and American change-makers.
We believe that this is the best approach to keep hope alive, safeguard these societies’ most promising young leaders from cynicism and the extremism, and strengthening interdependent civil societies that can contribute best practices to each other’s advancement.
Straight From the Heart
And the walls kept tumbling down
In the city that we love
Grey clouds roll over the hills
Bringing darkness from above
But if you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like
Nothing changed at all?
If you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like
You've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist
About this?
How am I gonna be an optimist
About this?
Oh, where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?
Oh-oh, where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?
Pompeii by Bastille
Heart Forums in the Holy Land
Diplomats in Herzlya
Engaging the International Diplomacy Initiative
Accelerators from America
Meeting with Birthright Excell in Tel Aviv
Seeking Insight in Ramallah
Interacting with Zimam
Young Leaders in Petah Tikva
Ambassador School advocacy training
Change Advocates in Dimona
Interacting with African Hebrew Israelite leadership
In the News
Stop Selling and Start Channeling
By Jonathan S. Kessler & Steven M. Windmueller
eJewishPhilanthropy
“We can no longer ignore the significant and growing schism between older and younger generations of American Jews in perception, attitude and affinity towards Israel. Many Jewish households have become generational battlegrounds, with parents and children fighting over Israel as never before,” write Jonathan S. Kessler, founder and CEO of Heart of a Nation, and Steven M. Windmueller, professor emeritus of Jewish communal studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, in an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Reinterpreting Conflict
"Reinterpreting Conflict" is a global initiative that leverages the arts to foster a nuanced understanding of conflicts and to combat extremist ideologies.
Their first venture is a short-form video competition focusing on the Hamas/Israel conflict, presented in an equitable and well-informed manner. This contest is open to students worldwide, targeting an issue particularly relevant to Gen Z.
Research on American students' perceptions indicates a significant number learned about the conflict through TikTok - a platform where content, albeit engaging, may lack depth and inadvertently propagate misinformation.
This initiative seeks to address and remedy this by encouraging thoughtful and well-researched storytelling.
Horizon of Hope
Partners in Fate
Amplified by the organization Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? the expression “Partners in Fate” has become commonly integrated into public discourse regarding the relationship between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel during the war. Click this link to see the remarkable activities and achievements of those devoted to strengthening the bond between these communities.
Debate for Peace
Debate for Peace brings together Arab and Jewish teenagers from throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories to debate, negotiate, and work to resolve the most pressing global conflicts and challenges. Their leadership program also organizes youth leadership Summits, visits with diplomats and embassies, and special workshops and training seminars. In April. Heart of a Nation will be hosting a delegation of these teens in Washington, DC.
Exodus From Gaza
Heart of a Nation Board Member Janessa Gans Wilder led the effort which facilitated the safe passage of her former Palestinian exchange student and his family out of Gaza.
New Committee Members
Lidia Bernd
Lidia Bernd is currently pursuing a Master's in Security Studies from Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, focusing on addressing global security challenges through technology, and serves as a columnist for the Georgetown Security Studies Review.
Younes al-Samman
Younes al-Samman is a Palestinian reconciliation facilitator, translator and content fact-checker. He was born in Tunisia, studied at al-Quds university, and has worked with several dialogue-building organizations locally and abroad.
Rachel Scherl
Rachel Braun Scherl is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of SPARK Solutions for Growth, a strategic and marketing consultancy. She has successfully launched, built and revitalized companies around the globe and serves on the Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards for companies in sexual and reproductive health.