Groundwork

Ground Report: Sally Abed

We just finished season two. But before we sign off fully, we wanted to give you a special episode. We're turning the mic around! Groundwork creator and producer Yoshi Fields sat down with host Sally Abed to talk about her experience as a Palestinian activist in Israel. Sally is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together - the largest Jewish Arab grassroots movement in Israel. 

Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Content and audio editing by Yoshi. Yoshi  scored the episode. 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.

Two States, One Homeland

In Israel-Palestine today, many people feel trapped in a century-long circle of violence. The closest breakthrough came thirty years ago in 1993, with the Oslo Accords. In this week's episode, we hear a story about May Pundak, Executive Director of A Land For All. May is the daughter of one of the architects of Oslo, Ron Pundak. But she thinks she may be onto a different model for peace that can break the cycle where Oslo went wrong. It’s not a two-state or one-state solution, but an idea that requires that we renew the conversation with some new thinking - one homeland.

Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. It is hosted by Dina Kraft and Sally Abed. They also reported this episode. 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: Yara Amayra

We’re back 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 Yara Amayra. Yara is a Palestinian activist from the south of Hebron in the West Bank. She has worked with Women Wage Peace, New Story Leadership, and now works as the Palestinian Co- Director of Land for All.

In the interview, we start out talking about how she got into activism, and then, things got really emotional. Peacebuilding and anti-occupation work is hard work for everyone, but uniquely challenging for Palestinians. It requires immense amounts of hope and optimism, and the ability to be able to imagine a better future for this place. Having that vision, and being able to see it clearly, is so important for activists working in this field.

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.

BONUS: Unsettled - The Calderons are Unsettled (Pt. 1)

This week, we're featuring a story from our friends at the Unsettled podcast. Unsettled features difficult conversations and diverse viewpoints on Israel-Palestine and the Jewish diaspora.

The episode is called, "The Calderons are Unsettled (Pt. 1)" and follows Unsettled producer Asaf Calderon. Asaf's parents raised him to think critically and to fight against injustice, even if it means going against what most people consider normal. But today, even while their values remain the same, there is a deep ideological rift between them when it comes to Zionism.

In this episode, Asaf sits down with his parents, Nissim and Rivka Calderon, to learn about their political development and discuss whether Zionism is compatible with left politics and Palestinian rights.

Part 2 is available here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-calderons-are-unsettled-part-2/id1253624935?i=1000548482571

You can find Unsettled on Instagram, and wherever you find podcasts: https://www.instagram.com/unsettled_pod/?hl=en

 

 

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.