Open dialogue
Ramapo program offers three ways to encourage discussion about Israel-Hamas war
As tensions flare on college campuses over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one North Jersey school is trying to bridge the divide with a series of events aimed at humanizing the other and promoting dialogue.
Ramapo College’s program, called “Power of Conversation,” is bringing together experts, students and individuals with firsthand reports from the region.
The college in Mahwah hosted speakers who delivered accounts of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel and of the dire situation and needs on the ground in Gaza.
On Tuesday, in the third talk in the series, two scholars gave insights on how to approach dialogue on a subject that can feel fraught with emotion to some, and intimidating for others who fear getting it wrong or offending people.
Here are three takeaways from the presentation and interviews with Mira Sucharov, professor of political science at Carleton University, and Sa’ed Atshan, associate professor of peace and conflict studies and anthropology at Swarthmore College.
Get educated
Look at a wide range of sources from American and international press to get an understanding of current events, Atshan advised.
He reads the publication Haaretz daily, he said, adding that Israeli media give more voice to Israel’s critics than American mainstream news organizations.
“It’s useful to, alongside CNN, to look at the Israeli press, to look at the Arab press, to look at Al Jazeera … so it’s curating a combination of social media sources as well as mainstream media sources with a wide range of points of view and wide range of regions,” Atshan said.
Sucharov recommended explainers on the conflict available on the Vox website to get a grasp of history and politics of the region.
Humanize the other
Start with a ‘How are you?” said Sucharov.
The Canadian professor and author encouraged people to share their concerns and fears, then say what they need to feel safe.
The conversation can start with areas of agreement and recognizing one another’s pain.
“Even if you find you are clashing a lot, you say well, let’s start a new round of conversation today and let’s start on what we can both agree on and that builds a common ground,” she said.
She also suggested that people or groups having tough conversations also spend time in other ways like sharing meals or playing sports or “something that just humanizes you and gets you to see the other at three-dimensional human beings.”
Those relationships, she said, “can just reduce the tension and create trust.”
Protect free speech
Colleges and universities should send a strong message that academic freedom is paramount, even as they face intense external pressures to quell speech tied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both speakers said on Tuesday.“When universities are getting donor dollars, they have to be very clear that that donor realizes that academic freedom is part of the deal,” Sucharov said.
Atshan said institutions have to stand behind their values, principles and commitments to free speech.
“Faculty in the classroom and students in the classroom should feel that they can engage in ideas, engage in critical thinking and play devil’s advocate without negative repercussions, especially from external groups that are pressuring campuses in a McCarthyist way to try to chill free speech,” he said.
“I think we have to stand up to those bullies.”
What’s next?
Ramapo College held a student forum Thursday called “I Think, I Feel,” described as a space for students to share their thoughts about current issues in the United States and the world and listen to different viewpoints.
In April, the college will host a public installation called “Be Heard. Listen.”
Viewers can select icons or photos to hear students’ answers to prompts and questions that shed light on their experiences and perspectives.