Humanity in the Holy Land

Adam and Ciara speak with Tamar, an Israeli-American peace activist in Jerusalem and a member of the anti-war bloc. She reflects on her Yemenite Jewish heritage, her journey to Israel, and the realities of life there. Tamar also shares her experiences navigating a relationship with a Palestinian from Jerusalem.

Adam and Ciara speak with Awad Awad, the inaugural director of Salaam, Middle East and North African Cultural Center at the University of Illinois, who shares his experiences and perspectives on his Palestinian identity and the complexities of the Middle East. We discuss the need for healthy dialogue, equal rights for all, and the importance of understanding the diverse cultures and histories of t...

Adam and Ciara speak with Ilham, a Palestinian-German citizen living in Munich, to discuss her experiences as a member of the Palestinian diaspora and her efforts to foster dialogue for peace. Ilham shares insights on encountering anti-Palestinian racism growing up in Germany and talks about her activism with groups such as BiPOC+ Feminism, which unites Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Feminist...

Adam and Ciara speak with Lana Halabi, an Arab Druze from Israel, about her experiences growing up in the Holy Land. Currently residing in Jerusalem, Lana works with an NGO called Lissan, which means "tongue" in Arabic, focused on teaching Hebrew to Palestinian women from East Jerusalem. The discussion delves into Lana's complex identity, the ongoing conflict, and her hopes for peace in the region...

Adam and Ciara talk with Adam's mother, Danya Karram, about her post-9/11 activism, where she worked with various interfaith groups across the United States to foster understanding about Islam and what it means to be Muslim. Danya shares her experiences collaborating with Jewish and Christian communities to promote dialogue, coexistence, and mutual understanding during a time of heightened tension...

In part 2, Becca discusses the on-the-ground realities of the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and how it impacts the political situations of both Israelis and Palestinians. She shares her hopes for a unified future for both peoples and outlines the necessary steps to make that vision a reality. To learn more about Becca's grassroots work in Israel and Palestine, visit her Instag...

Adam and Ciara speak with Becca, a Jewish dual American-Israeli citizen living in Israel. Becca is the creator of the Instagram page "Becca Explains the Occupation" (@becca.explains.the.occupation), which educates people about the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza that began in 1967. She shares her work with grassroots organizations like Breaking the Silence (@breakingthesilenceisrael),...

Adam and Ciara speak with Jadd Hashem, a student at University of Texas- Austin and Vice President of Atidna International, about his Palestinian identity, campus activism, and his perspective on peace. Atidna International is a grassroots, campus-based peace and open dialogue initiative which seeks to solidify Arabs and Jews as one unified family. He shares the invaluable work they are doing acro...

Adam and Ciara continue their conversation with Avshalom Matalon about his experiences working with Palestinians, his vision for coexistence, and a grassroots project dedicated to returning stolen items from Gaza by IDF soldiers.

Adam and Ciara speak with Avshalom Matalon, an Israeli of Iraqi-Jewish and Lebanese-Jewish descent who also works within the Israeli anti-war bloc to bring an end to the war and the release of the hostages. In this episode, we discuss the nuances of his family’s experiences as Jews who once lived in the Middle East, as well as their expulsion and subsequent feelings towards their new country.

Adam and Ciara speak with Bella Beltaief, a French Muslim citizen of Algerian and Tunisian decent. She currently lives in Strasbourg, France and has worked with the council of Europe specifically in the area of interfaith dialogue between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Additionally, she started her own organization called Eur Future (Instagram @eurfuture) in association with the European Parliamen...

Adam and Ciara speak with Amber Kedem who is Yemenite Jewish living in the Netherlands, an Israeli citizen, and the founder of her page Ambers Bayt (instagram @ambersbayt), which showcases Levantine and Yemenite food and how it connects to her identity. We discuss the complexity of Yemenite Jewish society and how it became an integral community within the Holy Land.

Adam and Ciara tackle common tropes about Israelis and Palestinians, beginning with “the Nakba didn’t happen” and “Israelis are white Europeans”.

Adam and Ciara sit down with Mohamad Jamous, a Palestinian peace activist living in Ramallah, Palestine. Mohamad discussed how he got into peace activism and some of the challenges he faced at the very beginning, as well as detailing the trials of living under a military occupation. Overwhelmingly though, he discussed his hope for peace in the region, with all nations, ethnicities and religions li...

Adam and Ciara discuss their intentions for the podcast, share personal stories of their experiences with the other side, and how they met.

Adam and Ciara share stories of coexistence provided by followers of Ciara's instagram page The Mizrahi Story.

In this episode Adam and Ciara discuss global outrage, displacement and expulsion, and pain and mistrust.

Adam and Ciara delve deeper into their identities and their upbringings as a Jewish person and Palestinian person living in the diaspora. They also touch on certain topics related to Israel and Palestine that they will explore further in future episodes.