In these challenging political times, let us aspire to be the solution we want to see in the world. I believe that through fostering trust and dignifying discourse between communities and people of all backgrounds we can co-create equitable and   peaceful solutions that honor our unique stories. 

 

Because of my background as a dialogue facilitator in working with age-diverse groups of Jews, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinians, I have robust experience mediating across interfaith and intercultural divides through conflict resolution models with national and bi-national sensitivities. 

 

My Approach and Experience

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Lived Experience

I approach spaces with the objective of cultivating compassion and belonging between individuals and communities where the lived experiences of marginalized people are centered. As an LGBTQIA+ person, experiencing discrimination in my home country and being a minority in social settings has heightened my awareness of the need for intentional inclusivity and acceptance. As a dialogue facilitator between groups of Jews and Arabs I learned how to mediate conflict and help students appreciate their own identities while respecting the multicultural nature of the land. My identity as an Israeli-American allows me to be a “living bridge” between Jews and non-Jews and supports me in helping marginalized people connect in nuanced and empowering ways with the majority, instilling in them a sense of belonging. 

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Art

I believe that art not only has the capability to create inclusivity but can also narrate  an equal and universal approach towards the divine and one another. As part of my signature MoveMeant: Embodying Sacred Texts offerings, I co-facilitated workshops with artists from different faith traditions for community transformation. 

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Storytelling

I believe in the transformative power of witnessing a person’s story to dissolve stereotypes and cultivate deep love and understanding. During my time as a dialogue facilitator at Abraham Fund Initiatives, I co-hosted a biweekly learning and debate program about the similarities and differences between the Muslim and Jewish cultural traditions for K-6th grade youth. Additionally, I worked with middle and high schoolers in the Givat Haviva Dialogue Center where I mediated political conflict through dual narrative storytelling, modeling new conversation modalities alongside my Palestinian co-facilitators.

 

Collaboration

Collaboration around common goals and values is central to my approach as a facilitator and mediator. Out of my facilitation work, I went on to create “Mabad- Mibad” (Together and Beyond), an emerging young adult Arab-Jewish community composed of East and West Jerusalemites. In response to mass-firings and economic instability among young adults during the COVID-19 crisis, we equipped Jewish and Arab youth with social, entrepreneurial, and professional tools to carve their own place in the workforce while deepening their neighborly relationships through connective conversations and grassroots social activism for a shared society. As part of the community’s growth, I was the Initiator and Co-Director of an Innovative Social Hackathon in November 2020 where I designed and directed entrepreneurial training, inviting large diverse groups to meet, think together, and collaborate on innovative social and technological products. I then created partnerships with several NGOs and one of the biggest Venture Capital firms in Jerusalem, highlighting entrepreneurial collaboration as a means for developing sustainable, mutual relationships across political divides.

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