“Can you explain the Israel situation to me? In, like, 10 minutes or less?”

This is a question Daniel Sokatch gets, and often has to answer, almost daily as the head of the New Israel Fund – an organization dedicated to equality and democracy for Israelis.

Sokatch will join us at Temple on Sunday, April 10 at 10:30 am to share his “10-minute explanation” with us, and give us an inside look at his latest book, Can We Talk About Israel?

Can We Talk About Israel? is an easy-to-read yet penetrating and original look at the history and basic contours of one of the most complicated conflicts in the world. It explains the history and explores why so many people feel so strongly about it without actually understanding it very well at all. It attempts to grapple with a century-long struggle between two peoples that both perceive themselves as (and indeed are) victims. The book attempts to explain why Israel (and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) inspires such extreme feelings-why it seems like Israel is the answer to “what is wrong with the world” for half the people in it, and “what is right with the world” for the other half. As Sokatch asks, is there any other topic about which so many intelligent, educated, and sophisticated people express such strongly and passionately held convictions, and about which they actually know so little?

This program will take place at Temple.

A private livestream is also available for those who are still more comfortable at home. The livestream link will be provided upon RSVP.

RSVP HERE

About the Author:
Daniel Sokatch is the chief executive officer of the New Israel Fund (NIF). He served as the executive director of the Progressive Jewish Alliance and the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties. Sokatch has been named four times to the Forward’s “Forward 50,” an annual list of the fifty leading Jewish decision-makers and opinion shapers. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and other publications. Sokatch holds an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, a JD from Boston College Law School, and a BA from Brandeis University. He is married with two daughters and lives in San Francisco.

Click here to purchase this book through WHC’s Mitzvah Mall

Presented in partnership with the Jewish Book Counciil