In just a few days, I’m joining the eighth graders on their two-week B’nai Mitzvah trip to Israel. I’m excited to share a country I love with students who have never seen it, glad to experience it again with colleagues who have visited often, and curious to hear yet another narrative about this land that generates so much passion from all sides.

I’ve written about Israel before and I’m interested about what stories will and will not align with my evolving views on peace and war. I’ll get back to you on that.

Recently, I heard a Hidden Brain podcast about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that provided an update on two men featured in a previous episode. The 30-minute update, which you can listen to and understand without the original story, is here:

Hidden Brain – Encore of Ep. 24: Tribes and Traitors

If nothing else, begin listening at 22:38. Podcast host Shankar Vedanatam leaves listeners with a scene from Westling Jerusalem, a one-man show that reflects the multidimensional relationships between Arabs and Israelis and provides even more complexity to a persistent problem. The soundbite from the show is about 6 minutes long and, I believe, worth your time.

There’s a lot of work to be done in this world. I’m hopeful that this trip will instill in my students  the need for such work. The world needs fresh minds and clear heads.

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called Yesterday and the other is called Tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, believe, do, and mostly live. – The Dalai Lama