No matter your own political or personal perspectives, it seems that almost everyone has had some kind of rupture — minor or heart-shattering — in the wake of the attacks on October 7 and the ongoing war. The challenge of navigating relationships with family, friends, peers, colleagues and community members when we disagree about Israel and Palestine is one that we all share.
Over the past year, we’ve received countless DMs, emails and questions in our advice box that have felt too large to answer in a single article. Here are some examples — maybe these scenarios will feel familiar to you, too.
My cousin and I have been fighting about what’s happening in Israel/Palestine all year. Now I’m invited to his wedding, but I’m not sure if I should go — or if I even want to go. What should I do?
My daughter feels let down because none of our rabbis or religious leaders share her views when it comes to Israel/Palestine. She says she doesn’t want to have a Bat Mitzvah anymore. What should I do?
My best friend has stopped talking to me because we disagree about Israel/Palestine. What should I do?
My co-worker keeps posting hurtful things about Israel/Palestine on her Instagram. I don’t know if I should confront her, tell HR, ignore it or block her. What should I do?
These are not easy questions, but at their core, we noticed a recurring theme: Many, many of you want to know how to repair your relationships. With this in mind, we’ve brought together four panelists who we think are doing an incredible job helping Jewish individuals and communities hold space for our own feelings while also finding a way to hold space for others’ feelings, too, when it comes to Israel/Palestine and beyond. They are Rabbi Rena Singer, Ginna Green, Emilia Diamant and Rebecca Powell — a rabbi, movement-builder, social worker and educator, respectively. These speakers will not be preaching their own perspectives about Israel/Palestine — but they will be sharing their expertise in how we can all practice repair in our relationships, and how we can determine when it’s worth it for us to put in that work.
Everyone is welcome to this panel; our overarching goal is to continue to build a community that is large enough for all of us, where everyone has the tools to uphold that purpose together.
This panel will be held on Zoom on Monday, Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Click here to sign-up.
