Groundwork

A Crisis that Unites Us

Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed is a Palestinian environmental scientist from East Jerusalem, but he works at a Kibbutz near the southern tip of Israel, at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. To say this is unusual, is an understatement. Yet, Tareq feels that science gives him a unique way to make connections between Palestinians and Israelis, and even Jordanians, who are all facing the same climate crisis – and also creating a more sustainable world.

Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. It is hosted by Dina Kraft and Sally Abed. The episode was reported by Miriam Herschlag. Content and audio editing by Yoshi Fields. Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Joel Shupack scored the piece. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

Ground Report: Mikhael Manekin

We’re back this week with our one-on-one series, Ground Report, where we sit down with an activist to have a conversation about who they are, what motivates them, and what kind of future they imagine for the region.

This week's guest is Mikhael Manekin. Mikhael is an anti-occupation activist, Director of the Alliance Fellowship, and an Orthodox religious Jew living in Jerusalem. The narrative around the fight for Israel’s values - within the Jewish community -  is often told as one with a stark divide: where “Secular Left” faces off against “Religious Right. And it’s true that, oftentimes religious observance and right wing politics in Israel do go hand in hand. But Mikhael challenges that narrative. In this episode, we talk to Mikael about how the religious community fits into the struggle to end the occupation, the struggle for peace, equality, and justice.

Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Ground Report is reported by Sally Abed, with content and audio editing by Yoshi. Yoshi also scored the piece. Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

Echoes of Home

Our story follows Wasim Almasri, a Palestinian refugee, in his search for belonging in an imperfect homeland. As he attempts to navigate the complexities and multitudes within his own Palestinian identity, we travel with him from a refugee camp in Syria, to a small town in Gaza, and then into the West Bank.

Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft, and produced by Yoshi Fields. The episode was reported and produced by Yoshi Fields. Content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Joel Shupack. Joel Shupack and Deeb Amoury scored the piece. Original music from Deeb Amoury. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

Ground Report: Robi Damelin and the Parents Circle - Families Forum

We’re back this week with our one-on-one series, Ground Report, where we sit down with an activist to have a conversation about who they are, what motivates them, and what kind of future they imagine for the region. 

This week’s guest is Robi Damelin, from an organization called The Parents Circle – Families Forum. It’s a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization that includes over 600 bereaved families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the conflict. They believe reconciliation — reckoning with one another's pain —  must be a part of any sustainable, peaceful outcome in this region. Just hours before their biggest event of the year, The Joint Memorial, we sat down with Robi to hear about her personal story of loss and her journey to find reconciliation.

Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Ground Report is reported by Sally Abed, with content and audio editing by Yoshi. Yoshi also scored the piece. Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Art and design by Nick. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

 

Watch the Joint Memorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxbkR9_ZTrw

Three Bullets

Organized crime and violence within Arab communities in Israel is one of the top issues for most Palestinian citizens of Israel. This issue comes ahead of even the Palestinian Israeli conflict. Today we follow activist Maisam Jaljuli, as she visits the recently bereaved families of those that have lost family members to this violence. And we learn about the underlying reasons for the situation.

As noted in the episode, you can check out these resources for even more information:

Women Wage Peace

Women of the Sun

AChord

Abraham Initiatives

Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft and produced by Yoshi Fields. Today's story is by Maria Rashed and scored by Joel Shupack. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

 

NOTE: This episode includes descriptions of gun violence, death, and bereavement. Consider before listening.

Ground Report: Dov Khenin

This episode is different. Every month, in addition to our regular program, we’re going to release an episode where host Sally Abed sits down for a one-on-one, candid conversation with an activist.

Dov Khenin, our guest today, is a Jewish Israeli politician who served in the Knesset from 2006-2019 first with Hadash and then with The Joint List. He famously introduced more legislation while in office than any other politician. He is a political scientist, lawyer, and environmentalist. In our conversation you’ll hear a little about his political origin story, why he decided to leave the Knesset, and his thoughts on the political moment we are in right now.

Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. The Ground Report is reported by Sally Abed with content and audio editing by Yoshi. Yoshi also scored the piece.  Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Art and design by Nick. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

 

A Quiet Transfer

We're going to the West Bank. On January 5, 2022, leading Palestinian activist Hajj Suleiman was run over and killed by a truck subcontracted by the Israeli police. Underneath the story of his death lie stark truths about how Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank live.  And, how the Israeli government abuses its power and willfully neglects the Palestinian residents.

Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft and produced by Yoshi Fields. Today's story is by Elisheva Goldberg and scored by Joel Shupack. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

No Such Thing as a Partial Democracy

We’re starting the season off with a developing story: Historic protests are happening all across Israel. Many are afraid that new government policies will mark the end of any semblance of democracy here. We take you into the streets to meet one activist - Eran Nissan - who is leading the charge. But he also sees something else in this moment: an opportunity.

Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft and produced by Yoshi Fields. Today's story is by Yoshi Fields and scored by Joel Shupack. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

Groundwork Trailer Season 2

In our new season we tell stories of people on the front lines.

Israel is about to have its most extreme-right wing government in the country’s history. Religious Zionism- Otzma Yehudit - now the country’s third largest party - calls for full annexation of the West Bank. There were recent bombings in Jerusalem. Deadly violence in the West Bank spiked in 2022. Everyone is asking what might happen next. And we’ll be be honest, sometimes we feel hopeless. But that’s not the whole story. Long-time activists are gearing up for a new level of action. 

Groundwork is a partnership project of Alliance for Middle East Peace and New Israel Fund.

 

Mixed Cities: Haifa

Haifa is our final stop in the Mini-Series. It's known as the poster child for co-existence in Israel. But here too violence broke out in May. Among those at the protests against the violence were longtime Haifa residents and activists, Jafar Farah and Merav Ben-Nun. We speak with them about how Haifa has changed over the years, what they think led to the recent violence, and what needs to change. 

The show is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft. We are powered by the New Israel Fund and The Alliance for Middle East Peace. Learn more about our show at Groundworkpodcast.com

Jafar Farah lives in a primarily Arab neighborhood of Haifa called Wadi Nisnas. It’s where some of the recent violence took place. He is the founder and director Mossawa, an organization that promotes equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel. 

Merav Ben-Nun is a founder of the bi-lingual Arabic and Hebrew Hand-in-Hand School in Haifa and a longtime civil rights activist in the city. 

This episode was produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Edited by Yoshi Fields. Scoring by Joel Shupack. Theme music by System Ali. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions.