![man in center before audience speaks virtually with guest on screen to man's left](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-02/02102025-PeopleofFaithinTimesofCrisis-100_900x600.jpg?itok=5atFzj2r) # HDS Community Book Read and Discussion Aims to Foster Dialogue across Difference February 13, 2025 On Monday, February 10, Harvard Divinity School held the first session of its new three-part series, “People of Faith in Times of Crisis,” organized by [HDS Dean Marla F. Frederick](https://www.hds.harvard.edu/people/marla-f-frederick) and designed to foster deeper understanding and engagement at the School around the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Speaking before participants at the beginning of the discussion, Frederick stressed the importance of “dialogue across difference” to better understand the tensions within the region from multiple perspectives. She emphasized this work’s alignment with the School’s vision: to help contribute to a just world at peace across religious and cultural divides. “As a learning community, I am asking that we try to collectively understand some of the fundamental issues at hand from the perspective of those with whom we may agree as well as from the perspective of those with whom we may fervently disagree,” Frederick said. “This work is not easy. It demands empathy, it demands integrity, and it demands not only a belief that beloved community is possible—but dedicated action to make it so. And one action that makes this work possible is having difficult conversations with care.” The first session centered on a study of the book *Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor* by Yossi Klein Halevi, who joined via Zoom those gathered in the James Room. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Halevi immigrated to Israel in 1982. He is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem; a journalist; and, with Imam Abdullah Antelpi of Duke University, co-directs the Hartman Institute’s Muslim Leadership Initiative. Addressed to an imagined Palestinian living on the other side of the West Bank barrier, the book seeks to build a bridge across the impasse separating Israelis and Palestinians—attempting, in Halevi’s words, to “bring two mutually exclusive narratives together to help find a place for both peoples in the region.” Throughout the book, Halevi narrates his own story in hopes that his neighbor beyond the wall might better understand his dreams, fears, and identity. For Halevi, the story of the Jewish people is unintelligible apart from the land—the promise of it in the Hebrew Bible, being exiled from it (twice), longing for it in diaspora, and returning to it with the founding of the State of Israel. Nonetheless, Halevi deeply empathizes with Palestinians’ own attachment to the land; and, throughout the book, he emphasizes the validity of Palestinian narratives and advocates for a sharing of the land in a two-state scenario. Regardless of the specifics, Halevi’s faith prohibits him from either giving up or losing hope. “As a religious person, I am forbidden to accept this abyss between us as permanent, forbidden to make peace with despair,” writes Halevi. “As the Qur’an so powerfully notes, despair is equivalent to disbelief in God. To doubt the possibility of reconciliation is to limit God's power, the possibility of miracle—especially in this land. The Torah commands me, ‘Seek peace and pursue it’—even when peace appears impossible, perhaps especially then.” Moderating Monday’s conversation was Distinguished Fellow in Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and Visiting Professor of Modern Jewish Studies at HDS [Shaul Magid](https://www.hds.harvard.edu/people/shaul-magid), who has known Halevi for nearly 50 years. During a Q&A period, Halevi addressed questions about the book from both Magid and discussion participants. He noted that the book created new opportunities for relationships and dialogue with Palestinians—many of whom wrote responses to his words that are included in the book in an extended epilogue. In closing, Dean Frederick quoted Halevi: “Can we draw on our souls, neighbor, to help us overcome our wounds and our fears? What is our responsibility as religious people in a land sanctified by the love and devotion and expectations of myriads of souls through the centuries? What is our responsibility as ‘custodians’ of one of humanity’s most intractable conflicts, in the most dangerous moment in history?” *—HDS Office of Communications* Editor’s note: The second session of the series will explore the book *Where the Line is Drawn: A Tale of Crossings, Friendships, and Fifty Years of Occupation in Israel-Palestine* by the Palestinian author Raja Shehadeh. We will have more coverage following that discussion. See also:- [ Conflict and Peace ](/discover-stories-about/conflict-and-peace) - [ Faculty and Research ](/discover-stories-about/faculty-and-research)