Dear TalkMatters Supporters
What a start to the year. Bitter-sweet – Hamas has now released 7 women hostages in return for 290 Palestinian prisoners, the promise of more hostages exchanged for more prisoners, an uncertain cease-fire in Gaza with people returning to their bombed out houses, endless violence in the West Bank, missiles and knife attacks in Israeli cities and the mad unpredictability of Trump. On top of which is the instability in the neighbouring countries of Syria and Lebanon and the acceleration of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Against this background, we would like to tell you something positive. First of all our new series – Tools to Cope with Difficult Conversations is doing very well on our social media pages. We have been posting the techniques needed to communicate as effectively as possible when the conversation is contentious. Tools that help us to think about empathy, active listening, navigate nuance and challenge our own opinions and beliefs.
Head over to LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram to see what we are up to – all part of our commitment to expanding our reach and amplifying our message.
And now to our wonderful initiatives and their inspirational leaders who just do not stop their amazing work enabling the average Arab and Jewish person on the street to meet through music, ecology, sport, hi-tech, religion, etc.
Updates from our partner organisations
Friends of the Arava Institute
As we look forward ahead to the implementation of the ceasefire and hostage agreement, the Institute’s work, grounded in environmental cooperation, continues. Please read on for some recent articles and updates on the Institute’s work. The Institute continues to foster understanding, cooperation, and a lasting peace in the region. Read more here
Freddie Krivine Tennis Initiative
Beyond tennis we have so many activities now taking place in our tennis and community club, from a Jewish-Arab mother-and-baby group in the mornings, twice-weekly oversubscribed mothers’ tennis classes in the evenings, film screenings and evening workshops on healthy eating, cooking, body image, and empowerment for tween girls. Read more here
Tech2Peace
Through your belief in our work, we brought together 882 participants across 61 programs, fostering understanding where it matters most. The impact speaks for itself – 96.55% of participants reported transformed perspectives, while our successful $3.2M MEPPA grant will help us reach even more communities. Read more here
Join us on social media
/talkmattersinfo
TalkMatters
talkmattersinfo
Please pass on this information
Please pass on this information to your friends and colleagues. Please talk about the human stories that we share with you. In the horrendous circumstances we all find ourselves, TalkMatters continues to introduce the UK public to the people who refuse to see one another as enemies. We believe in supporting the grass-roots work in Israel and Palestine and we know that it is only by working together with you – our UK supporters – and with our Israeli-Palestinian Associates that we can ever walk another path. A path that leads to a future of peace, justice and equality for everyone.
If you received this newsletter via a friend, please subscribe for yourself!
We send out regular newsletters like this, and run our own in-person and online live events – we’d love to be able to keep you up to date! Please subscribe to our free mailing list using the form on this page.
Well that’s it for now with profound hopes for a return of the hostages, a genuine ceasefire, the cessation of violence and peaceful coexistence for all our communities.
Jenny and the TalkMatters Team.
Good Stuff, well done