Restoring Dignity in the

Israel-Palestine Conversation

8 Tuesdays, 6-8 pm, Starting 9/16

Join us in this “third space” series to talk and learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this group we will focus on developing our listening skills and understandings of the underlying tensions and diverse opinions involved both on the ground in the Middle East as well as on the Tufts campus. Over 2 months students will take part in a series of skills and team building exercises, films and lectures, and facilitated conversations with the end goals of:

• Fostering deeper relationships across lines of diversity and opening lines of communications especially in times of heightened conflict;
• Understanding the multiplicity of perspectives involved in the conflict;
• Providing connections to existing avenues of Conflict Transformation and Resolution;
• Fostering recognition of personal agency to make change;
• And envisioning creative new paths for peacemaking.

Facilitators:

Yousef Bashir is a Palestinian from Gaza, who graduated from Northeastern University in 2013 and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Conflict and Coexistence at Brandeis University. Yousef has committed himself to getting an education in the U.S. and dedicating his life to ending the cycle of hatred and revenge between Israel and Palestine. He has given talks at colleges throughout the country, including Harvard, Berkeley, and U.C. Davis.

Rebecca Polivy is Director of Programming at Encounter. She has contributed to programs emphasizing sports, social entrepreneurship, the media, and face-to-face interactions for transforming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She holds a Master’s in Conflict Transformation and Intercultural Organizational Leadership from the School for International Training in Vermont, and a Bachelor’s in Religion and Economics from the University of Rochester.

Application Information:

To apply, please complete the application form here by Friday, September 12.

Sponsored by the Tufts University Chaplaincy. The University Chaplaincy has no single perspective on the Israel-Palestine conflict. This program is intended to promote our mission of building community, providing spaces for education, and supporting respectful engagement across differences. For more info contact chaplaincy@tufts.edu.