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Outside of My Israel "Comfort Zone"

(New York Jewish Week) Daniella Greenbaum - The Leadership Program in Arab-Israel Studies, taught by Yitzhak Mansdorf and sponsored by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, became a huge part of my year in Israel and changed my way of thinking about the conflict. His classes often feature discussion/debates between well-known guests who oppose each other on topics like a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, the tension between human rights and Zionism or the status of non-Jews in Israel. In addition, Mansdorf took us on field trips to experience what it's like to go through a checkpoint in Jerusalem or to meet young Arabs critical of Israeli policy. "I want students to grapple with the issues, including seeing the imperfections in Israeli society," Mansdorf says, "but recognizing their responsibility to do something about it." I have been involved with a number of Israel advocacy programs, most of which taught us conclusions, not the process of coming to them. The process was not as neat or pleasant as digesting the already-formulated beliefs of others. But in the long run, I can tell it's going to be much more beneficial.
2013-11-01 00:00:00
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