The art of listening: Skidmore community engages Israeli-Palestinian issue

通过呼吁避免刻板印象，去接触那些持不同观点的人 向他们学习，最重要的是，倾听，教职员工和学生 利用火博体育学院文科教育的工具来了解巴以关系 问题，超越简单化的理解，进行有意义的对话.  

火博体育最近组织了几个项目，包括一个教师小组 together five Skidmore professors offering multiple scholarly perspectives, and the 网络研讨会“战争时期的和平缔造者”，由犹太和巴勒斯坦和平组织提出 组根/Judur/Sorsashim 11月. 27.  

马克·C总裁. 康纳在11月11日的开幕式上致开幕词. 29个教员小组，其中 included experts in fields ranging from religious studies to international affairs 环境研究. Noting the importance of respectful discourse, the pre一边nt 强调了火博体育对学术自由和言论自由的坚定承诺， 思想和表达. He said being challenged by views differing from one’s own is what a liberal arts 教育 at Skidmore should be all about.  

“For our faculty to be able to speak candidly, bravely, openly about the matters on which they have expertise — that is what academic freedom is,” Conner said. “每 of us may likely hear things tonight with which we disagree. 我们确实应该 说，每次我们踏上火博体育学院的校园，参与一场自由主义的活动 教育.” 

学院院长兼学术事务副校长多萝西·莫斯比主持了会议 the faculty panel and was among its organizers, offered community guidelines meant 促进相互尊重的对话.  

莫斯比在拥挤的人群中说:“积极倾听，理解别人的话。 聚集在火博体育的戴维斯礼堂. “评论是为了分享信息， 而不是去说服. Avoid blame, speculation, and inflammatory language. 避免的假设.” 

Pre一边nt Conner stated that the College is committed to protecting its students, 教职员工不受宗教歧视，包括反犹太主义和伊斯兰恐惧症， as well as discrimination on the basis of national origin and shared ancestry. 

“We continue to categorically repudiate and reject antisemitism and Islamophobia,” 他断言. “All forms of bigotry, racism, and hatred are inimical to who we are 以及我们在火博体育的价值.” 

Associate Professor of Art History Saleema Waraich, who specializes in the art of Muslim majority areas of South and West Asia, started the panel with a discussion of the concept of Orientalism (a concept developed by the late Palestinian activist 和文学评论家爱德华·赛义德)，它与当代伊斯兰恐惧症的关系，以及 the ways that both concepts have often skewed Western attitudes toward the region.  

“伊斯兰恐惧症使火博体育差异、多样性和种族的富有成效的对话沉默 而偏执和特定的历史压迫，往往导致辩论陷入困境 在侮辱、诽谤和偏见中，”她说. 

Teaching Professor of Religious Studies Gregory Spinner, a specialist on the Bible 及其解释的历史，讨论了围绕以色列的弥赛亚政治 无论是古代的还是当代的，以及犹太教和基督教的不同方式 groups have articulated modern Zionism in both religious and secular terms. 

“锡安是犹太人集体记忆的基石，”追求进步的斯宾纳说 他在耶路撒冷学习了几年. “我不是这么说的 ... 不知怎么的以色列人 history should trump any sort of Palestinian claim to self-determination; I am saying that it (a theological perspective) is relevant information for understanding some 冲突的各个方面. Even if the Bible is not important to you personally, its interpretation nonetheless impacts public life globally.”  

赞克尔文科学生管理学教授普什卡拉·普拉萨德 in both Skidmore's Management and Business Department and its International Affairs 节目，探讨了冲突的地缘政治层面，并试图消除主导 foundational “myths” surrounding its origins. 相反，普拉萨德提供了更多 微妙而复杂的历史.  

“在人口层面上，没有完美的受害者，也没有完美的恶棍 在这种情况下，”普拉萨德说. “All parties in the conflict should be encouraged to focus on what needs to happen, rather than what they want to have happen. 妥协 may be a dirty word, but it can sometimes produce the most humane outcomes.”  

萨拉·弗里德兰是教学教授，也是火博体育讲故事者研究所的主任 (约翰B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative or MDOCS), showed clips 来自她最近的电影《火博体育》，这部电影展示了一个曾经占主导地位的 Palestinian city into an Israeli one following the establishment of Israel and the outbreak of war between Israel and Arab countries in 1948.  弗里德兰对比了 她作为犹太裔美国人进入以色列、约旦河西岸和耶路撒冷的便利 拒绝向一名以难民身份生活的巴勒斯坦纪录片导演提供任何接触机会 在黎巴嫩南部不远的地方.   

“If we cannot see this place through the many lenses that experience it as home and 创造和传播图像的历史记录，将代表所有的 experiences, then it is not possible to see the whole picture of experience, which will make it hard to find a path forward,” Friedland said.  

Nurcan Atalan-Helicke, associate professor of environmental studies, reflected on 在以色列总理遇刺后，《火博体育》被撕毁 伊扎克·拉宾于1995年被以色列极端分子、各种机构和组织所绑架 代表以色列人和巴勒斯坦人，以及她自己在穆斯林家庭长大的经历 majority country and later traveling to Israel.  

“在目前的危机中，我们听到更多火博体育和平谈判失败的消息 and why there was never a resolution to the conflict. 我们听到了以色列的立场. We hear about the Palestinian position,” Atalan-Helicke said. “我们不一定 hear about a long-term resolution of the conflict and how to end human suffering – 对以色列人和巴勒斯坦人来说都是如此.”  

The Office of the Pre一边nt, the Office of the 学院院长, and the Office 教务处主任赞助了这次教师小组讨论，题为“开始讨论以色列-巴勒斯坦问题”.”  此外，火博体育的领导、教学和学习中心最近带来了 together faculty and offered them support in discussing the topic in the classroom. Several student groups have also offered programming of their own. 火博体育说 courses and programs planned for the spring semester. 

本周早些时候，宗教和精神生活办公室与 总统办公室和种族正义倡议组织了这次网络研讨会 与根/ Judur / Sorsashim.  

该计划是虚拟举行的，但一些火博体育社区成员，包括 犹太和穆斯林学生俱乐部的代表选择一起参加网络研讨会 在威尔逊教堂. (该节目的录音是可用的.) 

During the program, Belal Arar, a Palestinian, described his initial reluctance to engage with Israelis when a friend first invited him to a Roots event shortly after 他于2014年高中毕业.  

那一刻我想 ... 他失去了理智. 你为什么想去见我 the enemy — the people who had caused all the suffering and pain to you?他回忆道 想知道那. “In our meetings, we began to realize that there were many things 我们不知道另一边. And actually many of the things you thought you 你知道对方是有感情的 of pain and trauma; not just you are the absolute victim of this conflict.” 

He and Rabbi Hanan 施莱辛格, who visited Skidmore previously, also described how their peacemaking efforts have been challenged during the most recent war. 施莱辛格 emphasized the idea that both Israelis and Palestinians hold their own truths. He 他说，主动接触他人，倾听他们的意见，对感动每个人都至关重要 迈向和解. 

“别定义.  不要指责. 不反应. 而是倾听——倾听，直到感到疼痛 then listen some more — and lastly describe your experience of your people and your 一边. 这样做的目的是让每一方都能理解对方所看到、所经历的， 感觉，”他说. “我的工作不是证明你错了. 实际上是倾听 给你，并在我的心里找到空间来承认你所说的真相 it doesn’t necessarily erase or nullify the truth that I’m experiencing.” 

“这些项目体现了文理学院如何提供多种视角 on this enormously complex conflict,” Pre一边nt Conner remarked.