At least once a year, the world watches as violence in Israel-Palestine has escalated. These episodes set off a chain reaction of explosive confrontation in Jewish communities worldwide. How can we as a community move toward an honest conversation about these difficult subjects, which is often dismissed as “too complicated,” without polarization? How do we manage the overwhelm and move toward conversations guided by a constructive approach to conflict?  How do we get unstuck when talking about Israel?  

This program makes a simple assertion: contrary to the norm these days, most communities, with a little structure and coaching, CAN be a place where people are ‘safe enough’ to share their feelings and experiences about their relationship to Israel in a communal framework.

As a trained facilitator from “Resetting the Table,” Reb Ezra Weinberg is offering to facilitate this discussion and begin the process of helping communities and individuals recover their voice on this subject.  Through careful facilitation, participants will be invited to share stories and feelings based on their own unique experiences.  Each person is fully valued in the conversation, no matter their expertise on the subject or time they have spent in Israel/Palestine.  This program is not an opportunity to debate, proselytize, or push our own political agendas. It’s a time for listening and appreciating the differences in our community as a reflection of Jewish diversity.