Episodes 9-12

Meet Rabbi Ron Kronish, an Interreligious Peace-Builder, Educator, Writer and Blogger.

He writes frequently for the Times of Israel, and is passionate about peace, and addresses radicalism in both Israel and Palestine quite frankly bringing sobriety back to the understanding of the conflict.

Here is an extract from one his blogs:

"The people of Israel, myself included, will be happy to see an American administration that is genuinely interested in pursuing peace between Israel and her Palestinian neighbors. We look forward to an administration that will restore ties with the Palestinians, to put the peace process back on track in real ways, an administration which will be pro-peace, pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian. Not one that has a settler activist as an American ambassador. Not one that is totally lopsided in advocating for only one side of the conflict, nor one that is busy with creating business deals with minor countries in the region and falsely naming them “peace” deals. We are already witness to the first positive step in this direction as the Palestinian government has decided today to renew security cooperation with Israel in anticipation of cooperation with the new American administration." The Times of Israel 19 November 2020.

Rabbi Kronish is also well known for his book, The Other Peace Process which is available on Amazon:

"This book describes the theory and practice of interreligious dialogue, education and action in Israel and Palestine in the context of the political peace process as well as the peace-building processes and programs, by drawing on personal experiences and encounters of more than twenty-five years. Through memorable incidents and inspirational stories, the book offers insights into the obstacles and challenges, as well as the achievements and successes of interreligious dialogue and action programs. In addition, it provides a practical model of interreligious dialogue for people around the world and leaves the reader with a message of hope for the future."

Meet Rafah Mismar, Palestinian Peace Activist & Journalist, a brave an inspiring woman dedicated to building peace between both sides. Her participation in peace activism spans a decade.

Her primary focus is the protection of the rights of women and children involved in the conflict.

Rafah holds a Masters Degree in Human Rights.

"It’s not easy, you have all this conflict, within yourself, within your families, within the community, but the only way to spread this message is just to believe in what you are doing and I totally agree that Palestine and Israel should be side by side as a neighbour.

We need to have a Palestinian State side by side with the Israeli State and at the same time, we need to have good relations with the neighbours. The Issue is not easy, but it is one of the main goals in my life, that I should do what I am doing because I believe in myself as a Peace Activist. As a Palestinian I should have the right to live in freedom in my own State and I believe in my friends on the Israeli side who are activists, who are journalists, who are lawyers, who are human rights defenders who believe that Israel should finish and end this occupation and we should have a very special relationship, because we share everything here.

We share the land, we share the air, we share the radio waves, the TV waves. We share everything. We share the water, the electricity, so why don’t we have a normal relationship as two states that are neighbours? And I appreciate the role of my friends who are believing in peace in Israel, who are attacked by the Right Wing in Israel because they are asking for ending the occupation. So we are supporting each other because we both need hope, and we need help, so we are doing a very tough work, at the same time it is the peace work. As you know working for peace is harder than working for war.” Rafah Mismar, Palestinian Peace Activist & Journalist