Groundwork

Growing up in East Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, Mai Shahin’s childhood wasn’t easy. She was stopped and held by soldiers on her way to school. She saw home raids and increased separation. Even after she joined peace protests during those early years, she saw violent clashes with the military in the streets, and support for violent resistance was growing. But a job working as a translator showed Mai a challenging world, the world of Combatants for Peace. Founded by former armed combatants, Combatants for Peace calls for a different approach. Learn more in our latest interview with Mai Shahin. This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations.

Last season, Elisheva Goldberg took us on a trip to Umm al Khair, a village in the West Bank carrying on the legacy of the late peace activist Hajj Suleiman. Now, amidst home demolitions and settler violence, we return to Area C for an update on the people living there and the solidarity movements working to support them. Listen back to Elisheva's first piece, “A Quiet Transfer,” from Season 2 of Groundwork.   Learn more about these movements below: Combatants for Peace Breaking the Silence Yesh Din Center for Jewish Nonviolence Shatil Rabbis for Human Rights Achvat Amim

On October 7th, Vivan Silver, a lifetime peace activist with Women Wage Peace, AJEEC-NISPED, Road to Recovery, and many more, was murdered in Kibbutz Be'eri. This week, we’re talking to her son, Yonatan Zeigen, about honoring her legacy through his own peace activism. Join us as we talk to Yonatan about his work and the challenges facing peace activists on the ground. Learn more about the Vivian Silver Impact Award, given to one Palestinian and one Jewish Israeli each year.   Organizations supported or founded by Vivian Silver: AJEEC-NISPED (Arab-Jewish Center for Empowerment, Equality, and Cooperation – Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Economic Development) is an Arab-Jewish organization for social change Road to Recovery is an Israeli Association of volunteers who drive Palestinian patients - primarily children - from checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza for life-saving treatments in Israeli hospitals. Women Wage Peace was founded in the aftermath of the 50-day Gaza War/Operation Protective Edge of 2014. Women Wage Peace (WWP) has grown to 50,000 Israeli members, the largest grassroots peace movement in Israel today, alongside its Palestinian sister movement Women of the Sun. B’tselem is a Jerusalem-based non-profit organization whose stated goals are to document human rights violations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, combat any denial of the existence of such violations, and help to create a human rights culture in Israel. Alliance for Middle East Peace is a network of more than 160 Palestinian and Israeli peacebuilding organizations. Project Rozana is committed to building bridges between Israelis and Palestinians through the field of health care, the only area of civil society where people meet on such a broad scale with mutual respect.   This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations. This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. 

In Israel today, there are only nine bilingual schools. These are schools where Palestinian and Jewish Israeli kids learn alongside one another and lessons are taught in both Hebrew and Arabic. These are the only formal educational institutions where kids learn one another’s histories and cultures, and from an early age, play, study, and work with each other. This week, we’re talking to Mohammad Kundos, a principal in one of these schools. Mohammad’s school is part of a network called Hand in Hand. We talked to him about how and why bilingual education can have an exponential impact on the future, how learning your own history as well as that of your neighbor impacts young people, and the ways that Hand in Hand schools aren’t just imagining change, but doing and living it every day on their campuses. This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations.

We’re back with season 3 of Groundwork, a podcast about activists on the ground working to end the occupation, stop this endless bloodshed, and demand justice, peace, and equality for all. This week, we’re introducing a new host, activist and comedian Noam Shuster. Noam joins co host Sally Abed to introduce the new season and talk about what these last several months have been like for activists working on the ground in Israel and Palestine. This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Music is by System Ali. The show is a joint production by the New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace. Learn more about the show at www.groundworkpodcast.com

In our new season we tell stories of people on the front lines. Israel is about to have its most extreme-right wing government in the country’s history. Religious Zionism- Otzma Yehudit - now the country’s third largest party - calls for full annexation of the West Bank. There were recent bombings in Jerusalem. Deadly violence in the West Bank spiked in 2022. Everyone is asking what might happen next. And we’ll be be honest, sometimes we feel hopeless. But that’s not the whole story. Long-time activists are gearing up for a new level of action.  Groundwork is a partnership project of Alliance for Middle East Peace and New Israel Fund.  

Haifa is our final stop in the Mini-Series. It's known as the poster child for co-existence in Israel. But here too violence broke out in May. Among those at the protests against the violence were longtime Haifa residents and activists, Jafar Farah and Merav Ben-Nun. We speak with them about how Haifa has changed over the years, what they think led to the recent violence, and what needs to change.  The show is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft. We are powered by the New Israel Fund and The Alliance for Middle East Peace. Learn more about our show at Groundworkpodcast.com Jafar Farah lives in a primarily Arab neighborhood of Haifa called Wadi Nisnas. It’s where some of the recent violence took place. He is the founder and director Mossawa, an organization that promotes equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel.  Merav Ben-Nun is a founder of the bi-lingual Arabic and Hebrew Hand-in-Hand School in Haifa and a longtime civil rights activist in the city.  This episode was produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Edited by Yoshi Fields. Scoring by Joel Shupack. Theme music by System Ali. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. 

In May, Lod was the epicenter of the worst inter-ethnic fighting between Israel's own citizens since 1948. There were shootings in the streets, neighbors attacking one another, lynching. In this episode we speak with Lod activists Rula Daood and Dror Rubin about the complicated history of Lod, what they think led to the interethnic violence in May, and what’s next. The show is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft. We are powered by the New Israel Fund and The Alliance for Middle East Peace. Learn more about our show at Groundworkpodcast.com  Rula Daood is a Palestinian citizen of Israel who lives in Lod. She’s the national co-director of Standing Together, a grassroots movement of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis.  Dror Rubin is a Jewish Israeli and a community organizer.  He works at a joint Jewish-Arab community center in the mixed neighborhood of Ramat Eshkol, the epicenter of the recent clashes in the city.  This episode was produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Edited by Yoshi Fields. Scoring by Joel Shupack. Theme music by System Ali. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. 

We begin our Mini-Series where the violence in May all started - Jerusalem. We speak with Jerusalem activists Nivene Sandouka and Suf Patishi about what it's actually like on the ground, what they think led to the interethnic violence in May, and what’s next.  The show is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft. We are powered by the New Israel Fund and The Alliance for Middle East Peace. Learn more about our show at Groundworkpodcast.com  Nivene Sandouka is a Palestinian from East Jerusalem and the executive director of Hoqukna, an organization supporting East Jerusalem Palestinian’s civic and political rights. Suf Patishi is a Jewish Israeli who lives in West Jerusalem. He works in the Knesset as a parliamentary advisor and is a longtime member  of Standing Together - Israel’s largest grassroots movement of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. This episode was produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Edited by Yoshi Fields. Scoring by Joel Shupack. Theme music by System Ali. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. 

We’re starting things off with a mini-series - Groundwork: The Mixed Cities Edition. As war broke out between Israel and Gaza this past May fueled by clashes in Jerusalem, some of the worst inter-ethnic fighting in Israel’s history erupted between its own citizens. The violence showed that even in mixed cities, where people often talk of coexistence, there are strong ethnic divides. So in this mini-series we talk with activists who work in these mixed cities to find out what it’s actually like on the ground, what are the underlying tensions, and what needs to happen to bring change.

This week, we sat down with Raghad Jaraisy, an activist working with Sikkuy-Aufoq, an organization dedicated to advancing equality and shared society between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel. Raghad shares her deeply personal experience of navigating war while raising a family, the structural inequalities that leave Bedouin communities vulnerable, and the urgent need for civil society activism to support their safety. Despite the challenges, Raghad offers a vision of hope—where data-driven advocacy, coalition-building, and unwavering commitment can create real change.  Tune in to hear how civil society can thrive even in times of crisis, and what we can all do to support the incredible work of these organizations.   This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations.

You know that feeling when you look around, and everything just feels too big? Like you just can’t make a difference? That’s the feeling the Tzedek Centers were created to fight. We talked to the co-founder and co-director of the Tzedek Centers, and to an activist from Rehovot whose very small fight represents something very big. In this episode reported by Elisheva Goldberg, we learn about how political change really happens: slowly, gradually, and with a lot of grit. This episode was produced and edited by Julie Subrin. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations.

Since Israel was established in 1948, Jerusalem’s diplomatic and international status has been controversial and unresolved. The city is often the center of discourse around the political future of the region. Yudith Oppenheimer, a Jerusalem resident herself, is the Executive Director of Ir Amim (City of Nations). In this brief conversation, we spoke to Yudith about her time as a young activist living in South Africa, lessons learned and her inspiration, and Ir Amim’s efforts to make Jerusalem a more equitable and sustainable city for the Israelis and Palestinian who share it. This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations.

Not too long ago, we sat down with Yonatan Zeigen, the son of Vivian Silver, a woman who in both life and death was an iconic peace activist. She was murdered on October 7. In that conversation, Vivian’s son told us about a new award, the Vivian Silver Impact Award which would recognize two women who embody Vivian’s values and work—one Palestinian and one Jewish—every year.  Yonatan just announced the recipients of the inaugural award: May Pundak and Dr. Rula Hardal, the Co-Directors of Land for All. You may remember the story we did about May last season…but in case you don’t, we’re offering it again in our feed right now so listeners can learn—or remember—the work of organizations like Land for All. - Two States, One Homeland (Season 2) In Israel-Palestine today, many people feel trapped in century-long circle of violence. The closest breakthrough came thirty years ago in 1993, with the Oslo Accords. In this week’s episode, we hear a story about May Pundak, Executive Director of A Land For All. May is the daughter of one of the architects of Oslo, Ron Pundak. But she thinks she may be onto a different model for peace that can break the cycle where Oslo went wrong. It’s not a two-state or one-state solution, but an idea that requires that we renew the conversation with some new thinking – one homeland. Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. It is hosted by Dina Kraft and Sally Abed. They also reported this episode. Content and audio editing by Yoshi Fields. Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Joel Shupack scored the piece. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

Last May, Sapir Slutzker Amran went viral for her work documenting and supporting aid trucks on the journey to Gaza as they were attacked by people destroying humanitarian aid. As a Mizrahi Jew, a woman, a feminist, a human rights lawyer, as an activist, Sapir doesn’t see Palestinians as just her neighbor. She sees them as her own people. We sat down with Sapir to hear more about her experiences, the power of solidarity, and her work with marginalized communities. This episode was produced and edited by Yoshi Fields. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis fill the streets alongside Einav Zangauker, shouting, “Deal! Now!” Einav’s son Matan was taken hostage by Hamas almost one year ago, and she has since become a leading voice for the hostage families. Her demand is simple–that her son, and the rest of the hostages held in Gaza, come home. This episode tells the story of one mother’s fight, against great odds, to demand better, to bring her son home safely, and to lead a movement for change. This episode was reported by Dina Kraft and produced and edited by Julie Subrin. Groundwork is produced by Elisheva Goldberg, Nick Acosta, Yoshi Fields, Julie Subrin, and Dina Kraft. Scoring by Joel Shupack with music by Blue Dot Sessions. Theme music by System Ali. This show is a joint production between the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) and New Israel Fund. You can learn more about them on their websites www.allmep.org and www.nif.org. On this podcast, hosts and guests express their views. These do not necessarily reflect the official views or stances of the organizations.

We just finished season two. But before we sign off fully, we wanted to give you a special episode. We're turning the mic around! Groundwork creator and producer Yoshi Fields sat down with host Sally Abed to talk about her experience as a Palestinian activist in Israel. Sally is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together - the largest Jewish Arab grassroots movement in Israel.  Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Content and audio editing by Yoshi. Yoshi  scored the episode. Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

In Israel-Palestine today, many people feel trapped in a century-long circle of violence. The closest breakthrough came thirty years ago in 1993, with the Oslo Accords. In this week's episode, we hear a story about May Pundak, Executive Director of A Land For All. May is the daughter of one of the architects of Oslo, Ron Pundak. But she thinks she may be onto a different model for peace that can break the cycle where Oslo went wrong. It’s not a two-state or one-state solution, but an idea that requires that we renew the conversation with some new thinking - one homeland. Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. It is hosted by Dina Kraft and Sally Abed. They also reported this episode. Content and audio editing by Yoshi Fields. Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Joel Shupack scored the piece. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

We’re back with our one-on-one series, Ground Report, where we sit down with an activist to have a conversation about who they are, what motivates them, and what kind of future they imagine for the region. This week’s guest is Yara Amayra. Yara is a Palestinian activist from the south of Hebron in the West Bank. She has worked with Women Wage Peace, New Story Leadership, and now works as the Palestinian Co- Director of Land for All. In the interview, we start out talking about how she got into activism, and then, things got really emotional. Peacebuilding and anti-occupation work is hard work for everyone, but uniquely challenging for Palestinians. It requires immense amounts of hope and optimism, and the ability to be able to imagine a better future for this place. Having that vision, and being able to see it clearly, is so important for activists working in this field. Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Ground Report is reported by Sally Abed, with content and audio editing by Yoshi. Yoshi also scored the piece. Additional content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Nick Acosta. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

This week, we're featuring a story from our friends at the Unsettled podcast. Unsettled features difficult conversations and diverse viewpoints on Israel-Palestine and the Jewish diaspora. The episode is called, "The Calderons are Unsettled (Pt. 1)" and follows Unsettled producer Asaf Calderon. Asaf's parents raised him to think critically and to fight against injustice, even if it means going against what most people consider normal. But today, even while their values remain the same, there is a deep ideological rift between them when it comes to Zionism. In this episode, Asaf sits down with his parents, Nissim and Rivka Calderon, to learn about their political development and discuss whether Zionism is compatible with left politics and Palestinian rights. Part 2 is available here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-calderons-are-unsettled-part-2/id1253624935?i=1000548482571 You can find Unsettled on Instagram, and wherever you find podcasts: https://www.instagram.com/unsettled_pod/?hl=en