Israel and Palestine Beyond the Israel-Hamas War

The Brown University, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America together with the Watson Institute, the Program in Judaic Studies hosted Gershon Baskin, and Samer Sinijlawi for this discussion on Israel and Palestine Beyond the Israel-Hamas War, moderated by Professor David C. Jacobson

Gershon Baskin is a political and social entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to peace between Israel and its neighbors. He was the founder of the Israeli Palestinian Public Policy Institute and is the Co-Director of the Holy Land Bond, which is dedicated to supporting the path to a shared society in Israel and peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine. He is involved in research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, environmental security, political strategy, peace education, economics, and culture.

Samer Sinijlawi is a Palestinian political activist born and living in East Jerusalem. He is the founding chairman of the Jerusalem Development Fund, a public corporation aiming to facilitate the development of Jerusalem by encouraging and sponsoring megaprojects in the city, such as housing projects, hotels, commercial centers, and educational institutions. He is also the chairman and major shareholder of Group Alfasit, a regional energy investment group.

Gershon Baskin and Samer Sinijlawi recently co-authored an op-ed column, “TheNecessary Peace—The Peace of No Choice”


David C Jacobson

David C Jacobson

David C. Jacobson is Professor of Judaic Studies at Brown University. He has previously served on the faculties of University of Michigan, Ben-Gurion University, University of Pennsylvania, and Wesleyan University. He is author of Modern Midrash: The Retelling of Traditional Jewish Narratives by Twentieth-Century Hebrew Writers (State University of New York Press, 1987); Does David Still Play Before You?: Israeli Poetry and the Bible (Wayne State University Press, 1997); Creator, Are You Listening?: Israeli Poets on God and Prayer (Indiana University Press, 2007). He is co-editor (with Kamal Abdel-Malek) of Israeli and Palestinian Identities in History and Literature (St. Martin's Press, 1999); Beyond Political Messianism: The Poetry of Second-Generation Religious Zionist Settlers (Academic Studies Press, 2011); and The Charm of Wise Hesitancy: Talmudic Stories in Contemporary Israeli Culture (Academic Studies Press, 2017). He is also co-editor (with William Cutter) of History and Literature: New Readings of Jewish Texts in Honor of Arnold J. Band (Brown Judaic Studies, 2002). He currently serves as a co-editor of the monograph series Brown Judaic Studies.