Common Grounds – Building a Shared Community among religiously observant and non-observant Jews in Israel

Common Grounds - Building a Shared Community among religiously observant and non-observant Jews in Israel

When

January 30, 2022    
10:00 am - 11:30 am

Temple Emunah Brotherhood Hosts Guest Speaker Ariel Livneh

For decades, one of Israel’s most volatile and dangerous social rifts has been the one between religiously observant and non-observant Jews. Given that this divide is partly due to political differences, in addition to differences in religious practices, the social danger becomes even more acute.

Ariel will discuss one of the initiatives aimed at addressing this growing rift, through the creation of a joint village community for both observant and non-observant Jews, in Israel’s southern region. We will hear from Ariel about the experiences leading him and his wife to take part in the creation of this community, its reality, and the numerous challenges (some very unexpected) the community faced in its first days and today.

About Ariel:

· Ariel Livneh serves as head of an operational branch in the Israeli Defense Forces (Lt. Colonel). He has been serving in core analytical, operational, educational and project management positions in the IDF since 2001.

· Motivated by the desire to address Israel’s growing social tensions between religious and non-religious groups, Ariel and his wife Daphna were among the founders of Eliav, a joint secular-religious village community in Israel’s southern region. Eliav was founded on the values of pluralism, tolerance and shared community. Ariel promoted the establishment of joint educational institutions for children and was an active member of Eliav’s Education Committee.

· Ariel holds a BA in Political Science & Philosophy and an MA in Medieval Thought from the Hebrew University’s honors program at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. His MA thesis focused on Jewish-Christian polemics and dialogue in High-Medieval Europe. Ariel is currently a Wexner fellow in Harvard’s Kennedy School, studying towards his MC/MPA degree.

· Ariel and Daphna live in Eliav with their four daughters.

Click HERE to register and receive the Zoom link.

This event is co-sponsored by the Temple Emunah Brotherhood and the Israeli Consulate of New England.

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