October 27 — The Israeli Palestinian Reality
Susan Nathan, author of The Other Side of Israel: My Journey Across the Jewish-Arab Divide, will speak on her experience growing up as a Jewish Israeli living in a Palestinian town in Israel and her views on the current state of the Middle East. Pierre Atlas will be there to clarify and probe.
When: Monday October 27, 7:00 PM
Where: University of Indianapolis, Good Recital Hall
From Susan Nathan’s website:
Susan Nathan was born in England and when young visited family and friends in apartheid-era South Africa, the country of her father’s birth. It was there that she had several deep encounters with the social and political situation of that country. She became an AIDS counselor in London, and after she was divorced and her children were grown, she followed the Jewish Law of Return and moved to Israel.
In 2003, Susan moved from her comfortable home in Tel Aviv to Tamra, an Arab town in the northern part of Israel. Nathan had arrived in Israel four years earlier and had taught English and worked with various progressive social organizations. Her desire to help build a just and humane society in Israel took an unexpected turn, however, when she became aware of Israel’s neglected and often oppressed indigenous Arab population. Despite warnings from friends about the dangers she would encounter, Nathan settled in an apartment in Tamra, the only Jew among 25,000 Muslims. There she discovered a division between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs as tangible as the concrete wall and razor-wire fences that surround the Palestinian towns of the West Bank and Gaza.
From her unique vantage point, Nathan examines the history and the present-day political and cultural currents that have created a situation little recognized in the ongoing debates about the future of Israel and the Middle East. With warmth, humor, and compassion, she portrays the daily life of her neighbors, the challenges they encounter, and the hopes they harbor. She introduces Arab leaders fighting against entrenched segregation and discrimination, uncovers the hidden biases that undermine even the most well-intentioned Arab-Jewish peace organizations, and describes the efforts of dedicated individuals who insist that Israeli Arabs must be granted the same rights and privileges as Jewish citizens.
Why does Provocate think you should attend this event?
Some say Susan Nathan is one of only two Jewish Israelis to live in Israeli Arab towns — can that be true? Even if it isn’t, she’ll be unique for an Indy audience, a chance to hear how the Jewish/Arab interface is changing today. Pierre Atlas can always be counted on to add balance to a discussion.
If you think this sounds interesting, be sure to check out …
- October 26 — “Making your voice heard in Washington on Holy Land Peace” for perspectives critical of the governments in Israel and DC, as well as stories of Hoosiers who are trying to build bridges.
- November 5 — “Abraham’s Sacrifice Told and Retold” provides Jewish, Muslim, Christian tellings of this terrible tale.
And for your listening (and viewing) pleasure …
