Peace Initiative for Israel & Palestine
with Jeff Krasno
The path towards peace starts with listening
LISTEN TO THE EPISODESAbout This Series
At the end of August, I hosted a summit at Commune Topanga called the Peace Initiative for Israel Palestine.
The week-long mini-conference gathered Palestinian and Israeli Jewish campus leaders from Columbia University, Brown University and UCLA as well as a number of Middle East historians and professional mediators.
The goal of the summit was to engage in deep listening, to learn each other’s narratives and to stand in each other’s shoes. And then, from this place of empathy and mutual understanding, work cooperatively to forge potential solutions for peace.
The genesis of this summit began in my mother’s classroom at Columbia University. My mother, who is 81 and commutes by train and bus to New York, taught a class in the Spring semester titled “Peace Keeping and Negotiation.” In her class, there were prominent voices from both the Palestinian and Israeli communities on campus. Of course, the timing of this class was propitious.
Many of us who watched the news media last spring witnessed the many vitriolic chants and exchanges that took place between various groups as encampments erupted. But the situation in my mother’s classroom belied what we saw on the quad. She cultivated a sanctuary for non-violent conversation where people could be heard and seen.
My mother introduced me to a number of the students in her class and the idea for this summit planted.
The summit consisted of a variety of presentations, storytelling sessions, open discussion, lots and lots of Middle Eastern food and even a few cold plunges.
Holding space around a topic so emotional and incendiary is not simple. This group was a far cry from the yogis and meditators that often retreat at Commune.
Here are a few of the principles I applied:
Uncomfortable conversations require safety.
There is a distinct difference between insecurity and discomfort. My goal was to create a set and setting where people felt safe enough to disagree without feeling threatened.
Seek connection, not solution.
Before rolling up our sleeves and trying to create pollical structures, we needed to foster human connection. This can often come from identifying areas of convergence as the young Israeli student did in his opening.
Understand each other’s stories and needs. And be able to articulate them.
In this podcast interview, I prompted – without warning – an Israeli student and a Palestinian student to tell each other’s narrative. They say three feet across the table from each other, looked directly in each other’s eyes and gave the most moving, empathetic versions of each other’s lives. I sat quietly between them – a profound knowing bubbling up inside me. This is the answer. We need to be able to tell each other’s stories.
~ Jeff Krasno
Episode 1
Peace Initiative for Israel & Palestine:
Meet Jean Krasno
Or, listen on Spotify
At the end of August, Jeff hosted a summit at Commune Topanga called the Peace Initiative for Israel & Palestine. This week-long mini-conference gathered Palestinian and Israeli/Jewish campus leaders from Columbia University, Brown University, and UCLA as well as a number of Middle East historians and professional mediators.
The goal was to engage in deep listening, to learn each other’s narratives, and to stand in each other’s shoes. And then, from this place of empathy and mutual understanding, work cooperatively to forge potential solutions for peace between Israel and Palestine.
The genesis of this summit is Dr. Jean Krasno’s classroom at Columbia University, where she recently taught a class titled “Peacekeeping and Negotiation.”
Today’s episode features Dr. Jean Krasno (aka Jeff’s mom) and sets the table for the following three episodes. Jean shares how she cultivated a sanctuary for non-violent conversation where people could be heard and seen and opposing ideas could be discussed and debated.
Episode 2
Peace Initiative for Israel & Palestine:
Meet Mohsen Mahdawi
Or, listen on Spotify
We continue our four-part series from the Peace Initiative for Israel and Palestine hosted at Commune Topanga by featuring Mohsen Mahdawi, a passionate activist and bridge-builder at Columbia University, currently in his senior year.
Mohsen underscores empathy as the foundation of his work, especially in understanding others' perspectives, including Israelis and Jews, despite the challenging circumstances.
In this conversation with Jeff, Mohsen shares his story of growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp and the significant trauma he experienced there. Despite losing an uncle, two cousins, and his best friend during the Second Intifada, and more recently, two additional cousins in the West Bank, Mohsen remains steadfast in his hope for justice and peace. Together Mohsen and Jeff discuss the importance of empathy, cross-cultural dialogue, addressing trauma, and peaceful advocacy for change.
Episode 3
Peace Initiative for Israel & Palestine:
Meet Aharon Dardik
Or, listen on Spotify
We continue our four-part series from the Peace Initiative for Israel and Palestine hosted at Commune Topanga by featuring Aharon Dardik, a Columbia student and activist.
After moving as a child from Oakland, California, to a settlement in the West Bank, Aharon witnessed Israeli occupation and militarism firsthand. Aharon conscientiously objected to service in the Israeli Air Force and, following a four-month process of imprisonment, was legally recognized as a pacifist and discharged from military service. Since then, Aharon has worked in both Israeli and American grassroots activism, governmental lobbying, and policy writing for peace.
Aharon and Jeff discuss Aharon’s work at Columbia toward bridging the Jewish and Palestinian communities, promoting understanding, and reducing demonization — an undertaking that hasn’t always been easy.
Episode 4
Peace Initiative for Israel & Palestine:
Telling Each Other’s Stories
Or, listen on Spotify
We finish our four-part series from the Peace Initiative for Israel and Palestine hosted at Commune Topanga with a unique conversation between Mohsen Mahdawi and Aharon Dardik.
Facing each other just a few feet apart, Mohsen and Aharon practice sharing the most empathetic version of the other’s life. As Jeff sits quietly between them, he is struck (again) by this profound realization: We need to be able to tell each other’s stories — because when we feel seen and heard, only then can geopolitical solutions be cooperatively strategized, argued, and drafted.
