A Nuanced Understanding of Israel/Palestine; led by guest Israel educator Ruti Kadish

Sundays March 9, March 16, March 30, 1:00-5:00 PM

Since October 7th, 2023, so many people have had conversations they don’t necessarily feel equipped to handle or are hesitant to engage, at a loss for words, or confused about what to believe. Others find themselves at painful odds with friends and family and feel forced to choose a side.

In this series — Tovanot: Rejecting the Binary, Embracing Dual Narratives — we will take a deep dive into the most complex questions related to Israel/Palestine. Using a dual-narrative approach to understanding the historical and political landscape in Israel, Tovanot rejects binary thinking and encourages a rigorous and sober exploration of Zionist history and our connection to the Jewish homeland alongside concern and empathy for Palestinian lives and narratives and their connection to their homeland. Taking inspiration from long-standing shared society and coexistence initiatives in Israel and Palestine, we will practice having courageous conversations and gain tools to hold nuance and multiple narratives of Israeli Jews, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.


Ruti Kadish was born in Israel, where she spent most of her childhood. After completing her military service, Ruti left Israel to study in the United States. She received a BA in Women’s Studies and a PhD in Near Eastern Studies from UC Berkeley. Before a postdoc in Israel Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, Ruti was a Fellow at the Mandel School for Educational Leadership in Jerusalem, where she designed progressive Israel curricula for informal Jewish education. Through the early aughts, Ruti worked as a consultant in diversity education, primarily assisting primary schools in becoming more welcoming environments for all different kinds of families, including LGBT-headed families. For much of the past 15 years, Ruti has worked in the Jewish not-for-profit sector in education and resource development.

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