Rejecting the Binary: A Nuanced Understanding of Israel/Palestine

This two-hour class meets Tuesdays, November 12 and 19 and December 3 and 10 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. 

This past year, so many people have had conversations they don’t necessarily feel equipped to handle or find themselves hesitant to engage, at a loss for words, or confused about what to believe. Others find themselves at painful odds with friends and family and feel forced to choose a side.  

In this series—adapted from the Tovanot: Generating Insight and Understanding, Building Community Resilience program—dive deep into the most complex questions related to Israel/Palestine, lean into discomfort, feel more at home in your values, and adopt a more expansive view of the conflict with the goal of building confidence in expressing your positions, especially in polarized environments. Using a dual-narrative approach to understanding the historical and political landscape in Israel, Tovanot rejects binary thinking, instead encouraging a rigorous and sober exploration of Zionist history and Israel’s significance to Jews and Israelis alongside concern and empathy for Palestinian lives and narratives. 

Taking inspiration from long-standing shared society and coexistence initiatives in Israel and Palestine, practice having courageous conversations and gain tools to hold nuance and multiple narratives of Israeli Jews, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.