Guidebook for Deliberation about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

In 2012, the Jewish Dialogue Group plans to release our next major publication: a Guidebook for Deliberation about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. This new guidebook will enable Jews around the United States to systematically explore the choices they face as they consider how to respond to the conflict.

What is the deliberation guide?

The guidebook will describe four alternative responses to the question, "How can Jews in the U.S. respond ethically and effectively to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?" Each chapter will recommend a specific set of actions and describe the hopes, values, concerns, and interpretations of history and current events that motivate that approach. In addition, each chapter will describe the trade-offs and risks that proponents of that approach are willing to accept, and outline some "choices within the choice" — areas of debate or controversy that exist among people who support the same general approach. The four responses will reflect a full range of ideas and concerns that are discussed Jewish communities.

In addition to publishing a printed guidebook, we will create a companion website. The website will enable users to deepen their learning by following hypertext links that lead them to articles, blogs, maps, videos, and other resources that provide more information about topics addressed in the guidebook.

How will the deliberation guide be used?

Jewish individuals and groups around the United States will use the guide to conduct deliberation workshops — structured conversations that offer people a systematic way to explore the choices they face when considering how to respond to a controversial problem. Participants in deliberation programs will examine each of the four approaches described in the guidebook, explore their reactions, discuss the questions that each approach raises for them, and begin to figure out for themselves what actions to take and/or how they can study the issue in a way that helps them to reach clarity. These programs will be facilitated in a way that promotes respectful, honest conversation in a non-adversarial, supportive environment.

Deliberation programs will take place in synagogues, colleges, community centers, private homes, and other settings. Some programs will be one-time events, while others will involve two, three, or several meetings over a period of weeks or months. Many participants will engage in multi-session programs that involve both structured dialogue sessions as well as deliberation workshops. In addition, thousands of Jews around the U.S. will study the guide on their own and discuss it informally, without participating in structured programs.

We need your help to make this happen! There are several ways to get involved:

1. Participate in pilot workshops where we will test the latest drafts.
2. Host a pilot program in your synagogue, school, or organization.
3. Contribute your ideas — through one-on-one interviews, in content-development workshops, or online.
4. Review drafts and share feedback.
5. Help write new sections.