Having better conversations summer series: Israel + Palestine

Tickets ($33.46) here.

A 3-part series with Rabbi Lev Beash + Waking Giants co-founder, Sera Bonds, on ancestry, ethics, the state of Israel, Palestine, community

About this event

Many Jews are raised to question inequity, to challenge systems that harm others, and to champion justice for all. As far back as social movements go, you will find Jews in the ranks of those leading, as allies, and financial supporters at all levels of the movements.

This work, however, for many of us is uncomfortable when the topic of social justice is applied to Israel, Israelis, and their relationship to others with their borders. The discomfort rises when the others are Palestinians.

This series is for people who are/are in relationship with Jews (family members, friends, coworkers, etc.) who are ready to do the internal work of preparing to engage with others, around the topics that we often find are too hot to touch.

Dates are the last Wednesdays of the summer months: June 30, July 28, and August 25 at 7:30 pm CST. Each session will be recorded and provided to registered participants as well as monthly homework + resources.

For Jews, raised in an understanding that social justice often involves questioning our deepest held beliefs about ourselves, as we strive to help others, Israel, and Israel’s relationship to Palestinians is often off-limits. Off-limits, because any challenge to Israel’s behavior is viewed as anti-Jew/anti-Semitic or because we haven’t found the words to speak our questions without rocking our inner Jew or our place in the Jewish community.

Rabbi Lev Baesh and Sera Bonds have come to know and care for each other through their shared, lived commitments to both activism and Judaism. They’ve collaborated on service trips to Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. They’ve co-hosted Shabbat services on zoom during the COVID-19 quarantine. This collaboration is a natural extension of their shared love of community and living intentionally.

We hope that you will join us. The only items you need to bring are an open heart and mind and there is no way through this hard time without both.

Payment + donation details

This series is being hosted by a social impact company based in Austin, Waking Giants. Sera is the co-founder. Waking Giants provides tools, training, and support for folks engaging in the good fight.

The cost of the three-part series is $30. This covers the time of the facilitators as well as a member of the Waking Giants team who will be on the session to manage/record the zoom. Ticket sales that go beyond the covering of those costs will be allocated, by poll/vote of the participants of the session, to a reparations/mutual aid action related to the topics we will cover in our session together.

Sera + Lev