Daniel Lubetzky

This Huffington Post article by Joel Braunold of OneVoice is excellent and worth reading.  Joel articulates the deeper meaning behind UNESCO Membership for Palestinians: “the establishment of World Heritage sites.”  According to Joel, this is crucial in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which at its core is about connection to the land, and control over it.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel  

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This article, written by Gershon Baskin is sadly, very good .  If anything, it is too gentle with the potential downside.  The Palestinian economy is actually witnessing growth under Fayyad. If the cuts in aid push the Palestinian economy into a recession, it is far less certain that Palestinians will continue to have a stake in the path of non-violence that Abbas has laid out. 

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At the close of OneVoice’s delegation to Israel and the West Bank, participants met with Israeli celebrities such as Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes, Lior Shlein (of the popular TV show State of the Union), Meirav Michaeli (a journalist from Haaretz and former TV actor), and Shlomo Baraba (a theatre actor).

Read this article, written by OneVoice’s Ivan Karakashian, to see more about participants reflections on their previous meetings and on the peace process at large.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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Check out this great Haaretz article describing OneVoice’s delegation and the group’s quest for unity and peace.  As Daniel put it: 

“On the one hand, there has been a collective understanding that we know less (than we thought we did) about the issues at hand, and on the other hand there has been an appreciation for the challenges before us and a real determination to bridge these gaps.”  Sounds like the delegation was extremely productive!

by Adeena Schlussel

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The OneVoice delegation caught the attention of the Jerusalem Post, for its important meeting with President Shimon Peres.  Over the course of the meeting, Daniel, Jason Alexander, and the delegation’s prominent business leaders spoke about ways to achieve peace in the region, the need to respect opposing leaders, and a vision to unite the myriad of opinions.  It is definitely worth checking out this article.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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Check out this clip from Israeli channel 2 news featuring an interview with Jason Alexander, Tal Harris and Samer Makhlouf in which the group discussed an array of poignant topics from the delegation to Gilad Shalit to the peace process.

by Adeena Schlussel

OneVoice’s high profile delegation to the Middle East, led by Daniel and Jason Alexander, is off to a great start and the international media has been noticing, as you can see here, here, and here, to name a few.  (Unfortunately, the poor sound quality of this clip only  emphasizes the funny question at the end, and not the substantive conversations that took place.)

At the Knesset, Shimon Peres had deep conversations with the group as to how to achieve peace in the region (and even joked around a little).  According to a Reuters article, during the meeting Peres defended Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad- after criticism from ultranationalist  leader Avigdor Lieberman- exemplifying the open minded attitude that Israeli and Palestinian leaders should embody to reach a solution.

Aside from spending time with the top level government, the group will be meeting with OneVoice’s Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders who will be sure to offer unique perspectives of the challenges on the ground.

By Adeena Schlussel

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Independent of whether you support or reject the deal Israel struck with Hamas in order to secure the release of Gilad Shalit, and independent of whether you support the view that peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors is achievable, one thing should be evident to all: Gershon Baskin is a mentsch (Yiddish word for a very decent human being), with steadfast sincerity of purpose to advance understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, and an impressive grasp of the issues.  Of all people I have come across in this space, Gershon is among the very few that truly can articulate both the Israeli and Palestinian narratives with as much empathy and knowledge as any patriot on either side.  The article below shares the story of how an academic and grassroots activist (who incidentally serves on the OneVoice Israel Board) was key to this historic deal.  Lots to be admired here.

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In case anyone has doubts as to Hamas and Iran’s intentions: nothing less than Israel’s destruction.  Their extremism prolongs the conflict and the suffering of both: ordinary Palestinians and Israelis.

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The following article in the Washington Jewish Week illustrates the work of two OneVoice Youth Leaders in DC, and the overall goal that they and OneVoice strive to achieve.

Spotted by Daniel Lubetzky, by Adeena Schlussel

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