Atidna International at Penn hosted Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger — the cofounder of the Palestinian Israeli organization Roots/Shorashim/Judur — to speak on building discourse between Israeli and Palestinian communities on Feb. 26.
Roots is a network of local Palestinians and Israelis who aim to foster understanding between both communities through grassroots projects. At the event at Steinberg-Dietrich Hall, Schlesinger shared how Roots is seeking to create mutual trust and solidarity amid escalating tensions over conflict in the West Bank.
The event was initially organized to spotlight the interconnected stories and experiences of Palestinian activists Noor A’wad and Schlesinger while showcasing the work of Roots. However, A’wad was unable to attend the event due to personal safety concerns, according to Schlesinger.
First founded at the University of Texas at Austin, Atidna International is a campus affiliate of Roots with chapters at Penn and Harvard University. It is a student-led organization that aims to bridge the divide between Jewish and Palestinian communities through a variety of activities, including cultural events, educational discussions, and dialogue sessions.
College junior and event organizer Tova Tachau said that her visit to the West Bank last summer and her experience with the Roots Dignity Center inspired her to plan the event.
“Their message really resonated with me, so when I came back to Penn, I wanted to find a way to publicize more of what Roots was doing and make people more aware that there aren’t just two disparate dialogues out there,” Tachau said.
During the event, Schlesinger spoke about the complex relationship between communities in the West Bank.
“In the West Bank, Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs live very, very close to each other and, in some cases, almost on top of each other. [They are] geographically close but in every other sense worlds apart,” Schlesinger said.
He said that a decade ago, there was not a location in the West Bank where both Israeli and Palestinian civilians could gather. However, this changed when Schlesinger and his colleagues established the only joint space in the West Bank for both communities.
This community center is named Merkaz Karama, which translates to Dignity Center. It features recreational sports, photography and music workshops, and a program for children's arts and crafts, alongside a high school youth movement and interfaith dialogues.
As a result of recent increased tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, Schlesinger said that Roots was unable to continue its joint activities.
“The first three months of the war, the center was desolate because the Palestinians are in closure and neither side wants to meet the other side,” he said.
This year, several separate initiatives at Penn have sought to create more open discourse among students about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
College first-year and event attendee Gabriel Greenfield described his involvement in another Penn initiative called Conversations for Community, which allows students and faculty to discuss a wide range of topics over a communal meal. These meals strive to encourage open dialogue through informal conversation and are open to all members of the Penn community.
Schlesinger addressed the mounting cultural tensions on college campuses across the nation, sharing his belief that there should be more open dialogue between both sides.
“It’s not about listening and responding," Schlesinger said. "It’s not about debating. It’s not about poking holes in what you hear from the other side. It’s about just listening until it hurts.”
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