We are excited to share with you two upcoming events that feature Jewish Currents staff members among the panelists. We hope you will join us for one or both!

“The Growing Specter of Israeli Settler Violence and Extremism” hosted by the Middle East Institute

Wednesday, June 14th from 11am - 12:30pm ET

Jewish Currents senior reporter Alex Kane will join Ahmed Abofoul, the legal research and advocacy officer at Al-Haq, and Sarit Michaeli, the international advocacy officer at B’Tselem, for this virtual panel discussion on rising settler violence and possible international responses.

Khaled Elgindy, senior fellow and director of the program on Palestine and Palestinian Israeli affairs at the Middle East Institute, will moderate.

Program description:

Israeli settler violence and terrorism against Palestinians in the occupied territories has been on the rise for many years, but the rate at which this violence is perpetuated has seen a significant spike in the past few years. The most egregious incidents often make headlines, such as the settler rampage in the village of Huwara last March or the 2014 firebombing in Duma. Yet the vast majority of settler attacks on Palestinians go largely unnoticed in the Israeli and international press. Meanwhile, many of the most violent settlers and settlements maintain extensive organizational and financial ties with actors in the United States and other Western nations.

How pervasive is the problem of Israeli settler violence, and how does it affect the daily lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation? What role do Israeli authorities, including the army, play in preventing or encouraging settler violence? How has US policy responded to the growing threat of Israeli settler violence and extremism—and where could Washington do more? To shed light on these and other questions, the Middle East Institute is pleased to invite you to join an expert panel discussion.

“Israel and Palestine in Crisis: What Next for Jewish Dissent?” hosted by Independent Jewish Voices

Sunday, June 18th from 2:30 - 4pm ET

Jewish Currents editor-in-chief Arielle Angel and editor-at-large Peter Beinart will join renowned writers and thinkers Jacqueline Rose and Adam Sutcliffe for this virtual panel discussion on global Jewish dissent in the face of Israel’s ongoing political crisis.

Program description:

Unprecedented mass demonstrations have broken out in Israel, protesting a radically far-right government. Jewish mainstream institutions across the diaspora have also publicly expressed unusual discomfort with the country’s political direction. Yet both stop short of acknowledging the worsening position of Palestinians, whose own dissent is sidelined or ignored. Nonetheless, Jewish dissidence is gathering strength beyond the establishment—and sometimes within it.

What developments are apparent in Jewish dissent, in Israel and beyond? What framings help us move beyond a focus on Jewish vulnerability and harm alone? How does Jewish dissent link to that of Palestinians? This panel discussion, hosted by Independent Jewish Voices, will explore these issues and more, asking how global Jewish communities may be opening up to critique and dissent, even as the reality seems, to many, increasingly beyond repair.