As long as I can remember, Israel has been a part of my life. All four of my grandparents were passionate Zionists, and they all visited Israel in the 1970s. I heard their stories of listening to the UN vote for the partition plan on a transistor radio and how they celebrated when they realized it would happen. The complexities of Israel were discussed at every family dinner table.

I was first exposed to the complexities in person in 1989 after my graduation from college when I spent a month in Israel with the American Zionist Youth Foundation (AZYF). It was during the first intifada, so there were a few things we couldn’t do, but overall we had a great deal of freedom. We had “off days” to explore on our own and took the bus wherever we wanted. We spent Shabbat day hanging out in a park, playing hacky sack, and interacting with those who joined us. We learned about the intifada and what it meant, what was happening, and spent many hours on the bus talking about the challenges Israel faced in 1989. I got as much as 21-year-old me in 1989 could understand.

Since then, I have been back to Israel 25 additional times in those 37 years with two more planned in 2026. The complexities have only increased over time. My 7 trips since October 7, 2023 have each showed me a different view of the complexities. Participating in the November 2019 Encounter intensive and meeting with leaders of Palestinian Civil Society let me dig deeper into the complexities. Visiting Kfar Aza and the Nova music festival multiple times helped me see another level of the complexities. I remember my first time at both. The anger and rage burning inside of me as I saw what Hamas did. My 2nd and 3rd time at Kfar Aza sitting at the table at our host’s home where the Hamas leadership sat on October 7th. In the same chairs they sat. Watching as Israel bombed Jabalia and struggling with the feelings of relief that the bombing brought. It’s not who I am but it sure was who I was that day.

I’ve also spent time in the West Bank meeting with Palestinian leaders of civil society. My first time was in November 2019 when I participated in the Encounter Intensive. Four (4) days of intensive interaction and experiences. You can find my blogs about those experiences beginning here. It was one of the most intense experiences of my life: Bethlehem and Ramallah, hearing so many narratives about their experiences. Some gave me great hope, while others reinforced every stereotype I had been taught. I went to listen and learn; it opened my eyes to many of the challenges that need to be overcome, including the teaching of hate from an early age. I witnessed what is possible when Israelis and Palestinians work together (through a program called Combatants for Peace, where former terrorists and former IDF soldiers get to know each other and commit to finding a nonviolent solution to the conflict). There is a need for patience, as the amount of work that needs to be done is great. I learned how harmful the funding of the Palestinian Authority (PA) from the EU and the UN is toward finding a real solution and how that ensures the status quo. The number of potential Palestinian leaders who believe in non-violence and finding a new path is significant, yet they are not given a platform because of the EU and UN funding of the PA.

Recently, I spent time in the West Bank and Israel with Rozana, an amazing organization that works on healthcare diplomacy. You can read my blogs about that visit beginning here. I had the opportunity to see hope in action, witnessing Palestinians and Israelis working together in the West Bank and in Israel to build relationships and friendships that create the basis for future peace. I became friends with Rozana staff who live in Ramallah and a number of Palestinian doctors who live and work in Ramallah. That experience and what I wrote inspired this article in the Australian Jewish Independent. Spending time in the West Bank with Palestinians highlighted the complexities even more. Most Israelis and diaspora Jews don’t spend time there and don’t speak with Palestinians, while most Palestinians don’t speak with Israelis or diaspora Jews. They never get to know each other as people; there is no understanding on either side without having these connections.

Western society wants simple answers to everything. Everything in the Middle East is complex, not simple. Nuance is everything. The use of Hasbara, where talking points are taught without any deep knowledge, has created more problems than solutions. There are generations of diaspora Jews who have only been taught the talking points and when confronted with things that aren’t talking points, have no knowledge or understanding. They feel lied to and end up with a negative attitude towards Israel. We need to embrace the complexities, teach the good, the bad, and the ugly about Israel. Failure to properly educate people about Israel hurts the cause.

A perfect example of this is the new season of Fauda. If you haven’t watched any of it, I urge you to start with season 1. The new season focuses on the events after October 7th. The amazing thing about Fauda is how it shows everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Another remarkable aspect of Fauda is its popularity in Arab countries; season 5 is the most-watched series in Lebanon and ranks among the top 10 most-watched shows in 43 countries, including Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, and France. The number of people in Europe now publicly acknowledging they didn’t understand October 7th until watching Fauda is astounding. The impact this TV show is having on changing minds is significant. I saw the Hamas 47-minute video, and it was horrifying; I witnessed things I will never forget. It impacted me deeply. Watching episodes 7 and 8 of Fauda season 5, which focused entirely on October 7th, brought it all back for me—sitting in my living room, watching the news for hours, shocked at what I was seeing. I recall the community vigil we held on October 8th in Orlando and the politicians who arrived in support. Watching the video and seeing the horrifying things Hamas did was chilling. Visiting Kfar Aza and Nova for the first time (I’ve been to them multiple times since, and it never gets better, only worse) was eye-opening. Fauda illustrates the complications present in all five seasons; season 5 was by far the most impactful, perhaps due to my own experiences in Israel since then, my connection to many hostages, visits to the Hostage Family Forum and Hostage Square, and seeing and feeling the effects on every visit since then.

Next month, I will return to Israel and really see two different sides of the complexities. I’ll spend seven days with the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) exploring Israel through a security lens. Traveling with generals, lieutenant colonels, Mossad, and Shin Bet, we will see and hear things most people never do. There is still an opportunity for you to join us on this unique experience. As that experience concludes, I will shift to spending four days with the Board of Directors of Rozana, whom I wrote about above. Rozana works in the West Bank, Israel, and Gaza to build relationships between Israelis and Palestinians while addressing the healthcare needs in the West Bank and Gaza. As I mentioned above, I spent five days with them in June, and it was a life-changing experience. I’m looking forward to going back to Ramallah and Hebron to see the work. I’ll get to be on a Zoom call with the Rozana medical professionals in Gaza, hearing directly from them what they are seeing and what is happening. I’m looking forward to spending time with my Palestinian and Israeli friends. At a time when hope is challenging to find, I’m looking forward to really experiencing hope in action.

Recently, Rozana announced a significant gift from Rahm, Ari, and Zeke Emanuel to fund the training of Palestinian pediatricians and pediatric nurses at an Israeli hospital. A new pediatric hospital is being built in Nablus, the first in the north of the West Bank, and these doctors and nurses will be able to obtain the training they need to better care for children in the West Bank. One of the amazing things about Rozana’s work is that when Israeli and Palestinian medical professionals train together, like in this instance, 99% of Palestinian medical professionals and 98% of Israeli medical professionals reported increased professional skills after training together. This work doesn’t just help those in the West Bank; it helps Israelis as well. This is hope in action. Rozana just released their 6-month impact report. Take a minute to read it and see what is happening and what is possible. In a place with incredible complexities, seeing what is possible is essential.

Israel and the Middle East are complex. We live in a world that wants simple explanations. Educating people isn’t easy, but it is critical. Too many people only have a TikTok education; they live and believe the slogans. It takes a TV show like Fauda to reach them. This tells me that it is no longer about not giving up the fight but rather changing how we fight. After 78 years since 1948 and the founding of the modern state of Israel, what we have done simply isn’t working, and we see that every day. It is time to change what we do and change the fight. I have found it amazing how quickly people stop their TikTok-driven commentary when I tell them I was just in Ramallah and Hebron and will be back in November. That I have Palestinian friends and am happy to put them in touch with me. That I work with an organization that provides two health clinics and a rehabilitation clinic in Gaza. That in June, I was in a bomb shelter as Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel. Those with talking points about how bad Israel is have no response. When they try to bring up the “settler violence,” I tell them I was there and experienced it firsthand. I call it terrorism because that’s what it is—they are terrorists, not settlers. They don’t know what to do with that information. They don’t have answers to the facts.

We need to show people the realities on the ground. The vast majority of Palestinians want to live in peace and be left alone. This is particularly true in Areas B and C. The vast majority of Israelis want Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran to be removed from power and to allow them to live in peace. Until they walk the streets of Tel Aviv and see the vast diversity of people there—Arabs, Jews, Christians, Druze, Baha’is, and more—they don’t understand. Until they visit people in the West Bank and learn how they just want to live their lives, raise their children, and be able to move around easily, they won’t understand the realities.

I have always loved going to Israel because I feel at home. It’s the only place where I am a part of the majority. I also love visiting my Palestinian friends in the West Bank, where I am not the majority, but where I get to interact with people who share my values, who want to live in peace, raise their children, and live full lives. It’s amazing what happens when you meet the people and don’t believe the media and the stories we are told. Yes, there are terrorists. We saw them during the first and second intifadas. We saw them on October 7th. There are far more good people with whom we can build relationships. I look forward to when the ban on U.S. visas for Palestinians is removed so that some of my friends can come to the United States and you can meet them, hear their stories, ask them questions, have a meal together, and talk and laugh. Until then, I’ll see them in Ramallah and Hebron. I’ll see my Israeli friends in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Modi’in, and many other places. I’ll embrace the complexities and work to help people understand that when it comes to the Middle East, there is no simple answer. It is all complex. Our future depends on understanding and embracing the complexities and pushing ourselves beyond our comfort levels.

If you want to come join me in Israel or explore the work of Rozana in the West Bank and Israel, let me know. I’m happy to take you to explore it, challenge yourself and your beliefs, open your mind, and embrace the complexities and the opportunities.