PROGRESSIVE ISRAEL NETWORK

PROGRESSIVE ISRAEL NETWORK:
NECESSITY FOR INTRA-JEWISH DIALOGUE
PIN CONVENING HELD JAN. 30

On Tuesday January 30th, member organizations of the Progressive Israel Network hosted an online convening titled “Moving Toward a Shared Future.” Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, moderated two panels with activists and academics: Naama Barak Wolfman (Women Wage Peace), Rula Daood (Standing Together), Professor Omar Dajani (A Land for All), and Dr. Gil Murciano (Mitvim Institute). The discussion centered around what comes next for Israelis and Palestinians, both within Israel and in the Palestinian territories. Following the panels, attendees split into moderated break out rooms for discussion. Over 2,100 signed up to attend or receive the recording, with over 1,000 joining live, representing a diverse patchwork of generations, denominations, and regions across the United States.

This demonstrates what our organizations know to be true: a critical mass of American Jews are craving a vision for what’s next in the region. This is rooted in a goal of getting out from under the cycle of conflict management, a pernicious approach that has clearly failed. They see themselves as connected in some way to this land and this conflict, and acknowledge that they have a role to play. The speakers’ remarks centered around shared land and society, with an explicit acknowledgement that two peoples have a right to self-determination and claims to the land, and neither is going anywhere. Attendees were charged to think about what a shared society could look like, and imagine a new paradigm with equality and new governance for both peoples, moving beyond endless conflict and into imagining a future that works for all.This event demonstrated a clear need and a widely shared desire to continue this conversation, both within our network and organizations and beyond. Here is the link to the recording of the Convening.