Amid political turmoil and human rights concerns in the Middle East and rising charges of anti-Semitism at home, the time is right for a respectful discussion between scholars, journalists and activists across a wide range of perspectives. Panel topics will include:  

• assessing the acceptable boundaries of the national conversation on Israel/Palestine, and how they are changing; exploring the changing media coverage in the U.S.;
• examining the generational split on Israel/ Palestine among American Jews;
• reframing the future: expanding the possible outcomes in for Israelis and Palestinians. 

The event will be livestreamed on the USC Annenberg YouTube channel starting at 9:00 a.m.

SCHEDULE

9:00 Welcome/intro setting the stage and the tone for respectful discourse.
Robeson Taj Frazier, associate professor, USC Annenberg, and director, Institute for Diversity and Empowerment and Annenberg (IDEA)

9:15 - 10:35
Panel one: Re-framing the conversation
What are the acceptable boundaries of the national conversation on Israel/Palestine, and how are they changing?

• Saree Makdisi, professor of comparative literature at UCLA and author of Palestine Inside Out: An Everyday Occupation, and of Palestine and The Psychogeography of Denial (forthcoming)
• Zoha Khalili, staff attorney, Palestine Legal
• Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, Director Emeritus of the Hillel Center for Jewish Life at UCLA, Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, North America
• David Myers, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History, UCLA, and president of the board, New Israel Fund
• Moderator: Laurie Brand, Robert Grandford Wright Professor of International Relations and Middle East Studies, USC

10:35 - 10:45 BREAK

10:45 - 12:00 
Panel two: Media coverage
Is U.S. coverage on Israel/Palestine changing, and if so, how?  Moderated by Diane Winston.

• Peter Beinart, contributing editor, The Atlantic; associate professor of journalism and political science, City University of New York
• Akbar Shahid Ahmed, foreign affairs reporter, HuffPost
• Sandy Tolan, professor, USC Annenberg and author of The Lemon Tree
• Moderator: Diane Winston, Associate Professor and Knight Center Chair in Religion and Media, USC Annenberg

12:00 - 12:45 Lunch 

12:50 - 2:00 
Panel 3A
The generational split on Israel/Palestine among American Jews.

• Jeremy Ben-Ami, President, J Street
• Michal David, IfNotNow Los Angeles
• David Suissa, President and editor-in-chief, Jewish Journal
• Rabbi Sharon Brous, Senior and Founding Rabbi, IKAR-LA
• Moderator: Steve Ross, Director of the Casden Institute for the Study of Jewish Role in American Life and Professor of History, USC 

12:50 - 2:00
Panel 3B

• Everyday life in Gaza:  A conversation with Al Jazeera filmmaker Mariam Shahin 
• Moderator: Jennifer Jajeh, Palestinian-American playwright, actor, essayist, comedian

2:00 - 2:10 BREAK

2:10 - 3:30
Panel four: Re-framing the future
Expanding the possible outcomes in Israel/Palestine

• George Zeidan, Co-founder, Right to Movement Palestine; Fulbright Scholar, USC Price School of Policy; USC board member of Students for Justice in Palestine
• Estee Chandler, Jewish Voice for Peace
• Cecilia Sibony, J Street
• Sandy Tolan, Professor, USC Annenberg and author of The Lemon Tree
• Moderator: Joel Beinin, Donald J. McLachlan Professor of Middle East History, Emeritus, Stanford University

3:30 - 3:40 BREAK

3:45 - 4:45  Open discussion on the day's events

• Fayez Hammad, lecturer in political science and international relations, USC Dornsife
• Steve Ross, Director of the Casden Institute for the Study of Jewish Role in American Life and Professor of History, USC 
• Other participants as the day unfolds
• Moderator Diane Winston, Associate Professor and Knight Center Chair in Religion & Media, USC Annenberg

4:45  Close and thanks

This event is currently at capacity. To add your name to the waitlist, click here. 

This program is open to all eligible individuals. USC Annenberg operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.