A community in pain can’t afford not to listen to its members
Jewish communities are facing a new rupture. Since October 7, families, synagogues, schools, and institutions are straining, under a growing divide between Zionist Jews and anti-Zionist Jews.
Following a national listening tour, For the Sake of Argument spoke directly with Jewish anti-Zionists — not to debate, but to understand:
Can listening lead to more listening?
Can dialogue lead to healing?
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
The divide is here.
How we respond is up to us.
Silence around the Jewish community’s growing anti-Zionists is already being interpreted — on both sides — as provocation or betrayal. As institutions draw boundaries and families avoid the topic, mistrust deepens. This project offers another path: listening before labeling, understanding before deciding, and conversation before rupture becomes permanent.
BRING THE CONVERSATION TO YOUR COMMUNITY
Ignoring this divide won’t make it disappear
This research is not meant to stay on the page. It is designed to help leaders, educators, and communities engage one of the most urgent and painful questions facing Jewish life today: How do we remain a community when we profoundly disagree about Israel and Zionism?
We offer five programs to step into that work, translating the study into dialogue and learning without asking people to change their positions or lower their convictions.
Choose the format that fits your community:
Listening Across the Divide:
What Jewish Anti-Zionists Are Telling Us
Lecture + Q&A (60–90 minutes)
Over the past year, For the Sake of Argument conducted in-depth qualitative research with Jewish anti-Zionists across the United States. In this talk, we share key findings from our “Listening Tour,” including the journeys that led participants to anti-Zionist positions, the assumptions that were challenged, and the emotional realities often hidden behind public debates. Participants will gain insight into how anti-Zionist Jews understand Jewish belonging, community, and moral responsibility — and will have the opportunity to think about what this means for educators, communal leaders, and anyone working to navigate today’s divisive Jewish landscape.
From Polarization to Presence: Facilitating Dialogue Between Zionists and Anti-Zionists
Interactive Workshop (90–120 minutes)
What does it take to create real conversation between Jews who fundamentally disagree about Zionism and Israel? Drawing on the original research and dialogue methodology of For the Sake of Argument, this workshop equips participants with practical tools for engaging in difficult conversations without aiming for persuasion or consensus. Through structured exercises, reflection, and case studies from our fieldwork, participants will learn how to reduce defensiveness, surface identity-based tensions, and create spaces where disagreement can coexist with relationship and belonging.
What Kind of Community Are We Trying to Be? Jewish Boundaries, Belonging, and the Anti-Zionist Question
Public Lecture or Community Conversation (60–90 minutes)
As anti-Zionist and non-Zionist Jews become more visible within Jewish spaces, communities face difficult questions about boundaries, loyalty, and pluralism. This talk draws directly from our research to explore three competing communal approaches: strengthening the core, educating for change, and healing fractured relationships. Participants will be invited to reflect on what kind of Jewish community they want to build — and what trade-offs that vision requires.
When Israel Splits the Family: Reconnecting Parents and Adult Children
Facilitated Workshop (90 minutes)
Conversations about Israel and Zionism are straining many Jewish families, leading to silence, resentment, and broken relationships. Drawing on For the Sake of Argument’s research with Jewish anti-Zionists, this workshop explores the emotional dynamics beneath these conflicts and offers practical tools for staying connected across deep disagreement.
Participants will practice structured listening, learn how to speak honestly without escalating conflict, and develop strategies for rebuilding trust and maintaining family bonds even when consensus is out of reach.
Intergenerational Argument Workshops Bridging Generational Divides on Israel
Different generations, different perspectives – and that’s actually a good thing.
Often, age and stage of life impact the opinions we hold, specifically about Israel. This doesn’t make those opinions any less important, but it does create additional challenges when trying to talk across generations.
Ready to trade the talking points for tools that really engage?
Discover how our workshops and Lectures can work for you
