Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI)

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Dueling Narratives

Course Number

H&G9-10-Tue1

Study Group Leader (SGL)

Steven J. Klein

Location

This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.

10-Week Course

September 10 - November 12

Description

The 2023 war between Israel and Hamas has reignited a lot of debate and emotions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but many people aren’t familiar with or are misinformed about its roots and its evolution. This course aims to provide a framework for gaining insights into the dueling narratives of Israeli and Palestinian nationalism. These narratives, which have evolved for more than a century, combine tales of suffering, redemption, victimhood, and justice. It will survey the significant periods and events from the rise of Zionism and the British Mandate period, through the stretch of Arab-Israeli wars, to the Oslo era and the cycle of conflict with Hamas. There will be an emphasis on primary sources that capture each community’s zeitgeist. Topics to be covered include the narratives of 1948, 1967, the Intifada, Oslo and today. Participants who complete the course will amass tools to analyze and approach issues related to these narratives with metacognition and compassion.

Group Leadership Style

More lecture than facilitated discussion.

Course Materials

The SGL will provide on a Google Site a combination of news articles, videos, and carefully curated academic articles and books, at no cost to the participants.

Preparation Time

 2-3 hours per week.

Biography

Dr. Steven J. Klein has taught about Israeli society and Jewish peoplehood since 1992 for programs ranging from Young Judaea Year Course in Israel to Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University. He has been teaching online since March 2020, both independently and for Case Western Reserve’s Siegal Lifelong Learning program, Duke OLLI and the Rabbi Samuel Scolnic Adult Institute. Raised in Minnesota and North Carolina, he moved to Israel in 1991. He is currently a senior editor and contributor at Haaretz English Edition, living with his beloved family in Modi’in.