The central takeaway from this past June’s Nosh n' Drosh was that there are many in our community who are seeking a more nuanced Zionism, founded upon a deep and abiding commitment to Israel, while including within it an ability to acknowledge and discuss the problematic elements of Israel’s relationship with Palestinians who live within and beyond the Green Line. To address this desire, Rav Yosef and a working group of BDJers have developed a three-part lecture and discussion series, for our BDJ family exclusively. It will feature two opportunities to hear and discuss narratives that are different from our familiar ones and will conclude with a discussion of how a nuanced Zionism can recognize these narratives and pave a path for a renewal of North American Zionism.
Session One: Parallel Historical Narratives
Sunday, November 14th | 7:00 p.m. | B’nai David-Judea
with Hussein Ibish, PhD, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW)
Dr. Ibish will talk with us (via Zoom from the East Coast) about the major dates and events in Zionist history spanning the 20th century, describing how these dates and events were experienced by Jews seeking to form and build a nation and by Palestinians whose lives and fates were being dramatically and terribly altered. Dr. Ibish has written a number of books and articles on Israel and Palestine, and has previously served as a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, and as Executive Director of the Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership.
Open to BDJ members 12 years+ who have been fully vaccinated. Desserts will be served.
Session Two:
The Contemporary Palestinian Experience
Sunday morning, December 12th
with Summer Jaber Massarwa of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab issues

Ms. Jaber Massarwa will discuss the very different social and economic spheres that Jewish and Arab citizens often navigate and the resultant reality that Arab communities feature prominently among Israel’s most economically disadvantaged. She will additionally focus on the recent important developments, including an Arab political party joining a governing coalition for the first time, and the clashes in mixed cities this past May. Is this a watershed moment for Jewish-Arab relations in Israel? What challenges and opportunities are shaping daily life in Arab communities in Israel?
Session Three:
January or February, Date TBD
A Nuanced Zionism, and How it Can Save North American Zionism
with Professor Dov Waxman, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair of Israel Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Rabbi Donniel Hartman recently published an excellent article addressing our topic, entitled "Liberal Zionism and the Troubled Committed: A Shifting North American Discourse" You are encouraged to read it here.