About Us > Praise for our Work
Staff, Board and Advisory Committee 
Press Praise for Our Work
Facilitators
The training and experience I've had as
a Jewish Dialogue Group
facilitator has been among the most important learning I've done as a
rabbinical student. I have a whole new way of understanding my own
responses when I'm part of a conversation about issues I feel
passionately about. And I have a whole new set of powerful tools for
dealing with difficult and controversial issues in groups that I'm a
part of or that I'm leading. The training has helped me to be a much
better practitioner of the kind of compassion that I believe is
necessary for the healing of our world. I feel equipped to enter the
forbidden zones of communal conversation -- about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and about other difficult and painful
issues that are likely to arise in the communities I serve -- with
confidence that we will emerge from the conversation strengthened
rather than fractured, and with deeper understanding and greater
respect for each other and for our
community.
"I had the honor to facilitate the Jewish dialogue sessions in the recent Aleph Kallah [the 2005 national gathering of the Jewish Renewal movement]. Despite the time slot (right after lunch) I had to turn away many people because of the unique nature of this process. The group that ultimately gathered in the room was diverse. What was remarkable during our time together was to hear the complex positions that people were sharing. The preceding group process created the supportive environment that allowed the participants to hold positions that were real and thus complex during the dialogue. Going beyond the poster positions into the deep questions of our life as American Jews brought forth genuine expressions about the conflict in Israel."
—Nachshon David Mahanymi, Philadelphia
"As a congregational rabbi who just facilitated a session on "Who is a Jew" in my congregation, I could not help thinking of the training that I received through the Jewish Dialogue Group. This training helped me use techniques to transform a potentially divisive issue into a constructive conversation, where the committee learned from and with each other."
—Rabbi Rachel Schoenfeld, Congregation Beth Am, San Antonio, TX
