Let's Talk About Israel

Temple Sholom launched an initiative this year to host a series of conversations about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are spending the year hearing perspectives from Israelis and Americans concerned with Israel’s security and place in global politics as well as Israeli and Palestinian citizens who are modeling extraordinary partnership. More than that, we will listen to and learn from each other as we share our own observations and experiences. Please listen to Rabbi Conover’s Rosh Hashanah sermon to learn more about this initiative. 

Upcoming Speaker

Resetting the Table with Michele Freed 

SATURDAY | MAR. 18 | 11:30 AM

Resetting the Table is a unique organization that we are incredibly excited to host at Temple Sholom. RTT has developed one of the most celebrated frameworks for transformative communication across political divides in the country.  Forged in the minefield surrounding disagreements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, RTT has designed a large and growing toolkit of processes, including communication skill-building workshops, facilitated community dialogues, multi-perspective educational resources, and decision-making forums.  

Previous Speakers 

Deputy Consul General Daniel Ascheim 

On Yom Kippur afternoon, Deputy General Daniel Ascheim implored us to look to the past in order to understand the present. He spoke about the Israeli experience living through the Intifada, or uprising, that began in 1987 and how we have to understand the Israeli social and emotional history in order to understand Israeli attitudes towards peace today.  

Daniel Sokatch 

Daniel Sokatch is the author of the book Can We Talk About Israel?. He spoke to us the day after the most recent Israeli elections and implored us to think about leveraging our relationships with Israeli officials to advocate for a country that better represents Reform ideals and values.  

Gil Hoffman 

Gil Hoffman is the executive director of Honest Reporting, which fights for Israel in the international mainstream and social media; a lecturer on political strategy at Israel's College of Management and served as chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post for 24 years.  Well-connected to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, he has interviewed every major figure across the Israeli political spectrum, has been interviewed by top media on six continents and is a regular analyst on CNN, Al-Jazeera and other news outlets. 

Rabbi Alona Nir Keren 

Rabbi Nir Keren is a Reform rabbi in Israel. She spoke to us about her experience as a female, LGBTQ, Reform rabbi who helps Israelis connect spiritually and communally in a religiously progressive setting. She also shared beautiful stories about using her platform to connect with Israelis across political and religious differences.  

Rachel Korazim 

Rachel Korazim is a Jewish education consultant specializing in curriculum development for Israel and Holocaust education. She spoke about famous Arab writers in Israel. She taught about the very rich literature of both prose and poetry, written in Arabic and Hebrew.  

Dima Zaghal 

Dima is a Palestinian-American artist who is passionate about advocating for peaceful connections between Palestinians and Israelis. She spoke to us about growing up in Northbrook as an American whose family immigrated from the Palestinian territories. She also shared her memories, both wonderful and challenging, of going back to visit her family in the West Bank and learning about her family’s history in Israel and Palestine.