At a time when we direly need to collectively heal our broken hearts, we were joined by one of America’s leading rabbis, Sharon Brous, for a conversation on humanity, human connection, compassion, and community.

Rabbi Brous is the author of a new, highly acclaimed book, The Amen Effect, Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World. The book pairs heart-driven anecdotes from Rabbi Brous’ experience building and pastoring her faith community over the past two decades with ancient Jewish wisdom and contemporary science.

Sharon Brous is the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a trail-blazing Jewish community based in Los Angeles. A leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice in America, she has been named #1 Most Influential Rabbi in the U.S. by Newsweek/The Daily Beast.

Watch the recording on our YouTube channel- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KGF4BZWeA

Listen to the audio on PeaceCast- https://peacenow.libsyn.com/310-mending-our-broken-hearts-with-rabbi-sharon-brous

Read the transcript- https://peacenow.org/entry.php?id=42789

The future of the Gaza Strip is a matter of intense discussion in Israel, Washington and around the world, and, of course, also among Palestinian policymakers and policy shapers. What is the focus of this discussion? How do the Palestinian Authority and the PLO see the future of Gaza?  How do they link it to the future of the West Bank and Palestinian society? What are the challenges facing the Palestinian political community and leadership?

The Hamas attacks on October 7th cost the lives of some 1,200 Israelis, saw over 240 men, women and children taken hostage, and left the nation in shock and mourning. Israel’s initial decision to retaliate militarily was justified and internationally endorsed, but we are now over three months removed from that horrible day. 

At this point, the continuation of the war endangers Israel’s national security interests, threatens to lead to a wider regional war, and has made Gaza utterly uninhabitable, plagued by death, hunger, and disease. The scope and duration of Israel’s response, and its lack of a “day after” strategy that would harness its military response to a clear political objective, has cost Israel dearly and caused shocking carnage and immeasurable suffering for Gazan civilians, most of whom have been displaced from communities now  reduced to rubble. The United Nations has said that hunger is widespread and the threat of starvation is  imminent in Gaza. The healthcare system has collapsed, and disease is spreading.

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Americans for Peace Now (APN) commends Israel’s Supreme Court for striking down the so-called “reasonableness law” which bars the Court from challenging unreasonable government decisions. The law, passed by the Knesset last July, is a key component of the judicial reform advanced by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. 

For over four decades, as a reporter and columnist, Bradley Burston documented Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and commented on it. His new book, The End of Israel, details a roadmap to the current catastrophic crisis in Israeli society, which culminated in the events of October 7th and those that continue to follow. Burston introduces the book as a documentation of the consequences of a choice that Benjamin Netanyahu made years ago to “contort and sacrifice his country for the sake of his own political longevity.” As Burston writes, “He chose. Israel lost. End of story.”

Bradley Burston, a US-born award-winning journalist was a reporter for the Jerusalem Post in the 1980s and 1990s, reported on Israel for Reuters, and was a founding editor of Haaretz's English online edition. Haaretz readers were familiar with his column “A Special Place in Hell,” from which his new book was compiled.

When we asked you last month to help the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri rebuild their community after the deadly attack of October 7th, we did not expect such an overwhelming response. More than 180 of our supporters and activists sent generous gifts to the kibbutz, and we collected more than $63,000 to help with emergency aid.

More than 130 of Be’eri’s residents were murdered on October 7th, which accounts for more than ten percent of its members. Many kibbutznicks were kidnapped and are still held hostage in Gaza. The destruction in Be’eri is unfathomable. The terrorists burned and damaged dozens of structures and looted whatever they could.

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.