About Us

For the Sake of Argument is a non-partisan educational initiative founded and directed by Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras, with generous support from the Jim Joseph Foundation.

In a deeply divided world, we’re committed to advancing healthy arguments as a game-changer in the field of education.

We develop tools and techniques to help you engage in healthy arguments in your home, school, campus, workplace, or community.

In the first phase of our work, we’re using Israel education as our core focus area. As we research and understand more about the impact of our work, we plan to develop new resources encompassing other issues.

OUR UNIQUEIDENTITY

EDUCATIONAL

We believe that healthy argument is first and foremost a learning tool. It is a pedagogy that empowers educators and leaders to lean into controversy and learn from it.

GAINING KNOWLEDGE

Participants emerge knowing more and become more curious about the topic at hand, even in a short, one-off session. (See research in attached document.)

QUICK

Our research has shown that we reach significant results extremely quickly. One 90-minute session positively shifts participants' attitudes to argument and to each other.

ACCESSIBLE + USABLE

Our pedagogy is easily grasped and easily transmitted. Our corresponding educational collateral (slide decks, posters, book, etc.) is being applied and used across the United States.

EASILY SCALABLE

For the Sake of Argument sessions can take place anywhere, for any size group, and can be led by locals. Our approach is that, while having a trained educator is a definite plus, a lot can be done and learned without trained facilitators.

"Argument Circles" can take place in small self-facilitated groups, using our free online content, including stories, animations, and training videos.

BRIDGING ISRAEL + AMERICA

For the Sake of Argument techniques blend Israeli and American cultural norms, emphasizing both listening carefully and talking honestly and courageously. As such, our approach is proving to be an excellent tool to enable Israeli-Diaspora dialogue.

WE ARE BOLD

We do not shy away from the real and tough topics. Our stories introduce and encourage arguments that ask such questions as:
A. Is force a legitimate way of settling a land?
B. To what extent should Israel's public spaces represent Jewish tradition, and if so, by what standard?
C. Should an anti-Zionist Jew be more or less welcomed into a Jewish family than a Zionist non-Jew?

Meet our team

Abi Dauber Sterne has worked in the United States and in Israel as an educator and organizational leader for more than 20 years. Throughout her career, her focus has been on deepening people’s Jewish experiences, while also promoting a deep pluralism amongst those who live in community together. Through her roles in senior management at two international organizations Hillel International and The Jewish Agency for Israel's Makom: Israel Education Lab she has relationships that span the globe. She has worked with rabbis, students, educators, and organizational leaders around the world.

Abi is a Senior Schusterman Fellow and currently a rabbinical student at the Shalom Hartman Institute/HaMidrasha at Oranim. She has spoken at many international conferences, and contributes opinion pieces to several online and print publications.

Abi lives in Jerusalem, with her spouse and four children. Her family dinner table is always a raucous mixture of laughter and disagreement.

Robbie Gringras has been an internationally renowned storyteller for the past thirty years. He’s also a global Israel educator, responsible for coining the “hugging and wrestling” approach to Israel engagement around the world.

Graduating from Oxford University in English Language and Literature, he swiftly moved into professional theater as a playwright and actor. He’s the artistic force behind eleven original and acclaimed productions that fuse storytelling, physicality, and theater. His work has been performed on London’s West End, and in theaters throughout Europe, North America, Mexico, Hong Kong, Australasia, and Israel in English, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Robbie also has a parallel career in international education, having spent two decades working with global Jewish education organizations. His innovations, teachings, writings, and trainings have touched tens of thousands of Jews throughout the world.

Robbie lives in the Galilee area of Israel with his wife and two kids. He views himself as being terrible at arguments, but living in Israel has given him a lot of practice.

Bridget leads the marketing and communications efforts at For the Sake of Argument, bringing nearly a decade of experience in digital marketing from the wellness and nonprofit industries from the US and Israel.

Bridget holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, where she discovered her passion for marketing and digital storytelling, particularly focused on promoting social good.

Prior to joining FSA, she was the Marketing and Recruitment Manager at Yahel Israel, a role in which she continues to support the organization's marketing efforts.

Her work spans marketing and web design for local nonprofits, startups, and activists, focusing on areas such as education, art, service, and community projects, with the goal of amplifying the impact of initiatives driving positive change.
Bridget lives in Tel Aviv where she enjoys reading by the sea and practicing yoga. Yet, much of her free time is devoted to engaging with Israel's diverse communities, participating in grassroots projects, and exploring the country's narratives and political landscape.

Each argument, discussion, and encounter in Israel has been a lesson in empathy, in seeing the world from perspectives not her own. It has taught her the value of embracing differing views, how they enrich our understanding, and bring us closer even when we disagree.

Karina Chocron

Verticalloop | Creative + Design
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Karina Chocron is an award winning designer and creative director with over 15 years of experience and the owner of VerticalLoop, a creative agency for social good in Tel Aviv.

She has worked with entrepreneurs and organizations of all sizes to amplify their work and impact through design thinking and creative direction.

Karina has a BA in Graphic Design from the IDC in Caracas, Venezuela and expertise in user experience (UX), marketing, and branding through ongoing courses at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Karina lives in Tel Aviv where she throws pottery after work and goes camping with her husband and two kids on weekends.

For the Sake of Argument
Our Impact in Numbers

Let’s take take a moment to reflect (and to kvell a bit) on what we’ve achieved so far: