PresenTense Institute

Bambi Sheleg, the founder and editor-in-chief of Israel's leading magazine, Eretz Aheret, came to speak with PICZ fellows and members on Sunday--and it was a riviting experience.

Israel, according to Bambi, is at a crossroads. The Jewish People have been pulled in opposite and conflicting directions by extremist elements from all sides--leaving many Israelis feeling as if there is no common ground, no basis for the State.

But there is a common ground, she asserts--more than we think. Since the extremist groups are getting more and more extreme, the moderates in each camp end up having more in common with one another than their extremist brothers; a national-religious woman, and Haredi man and a Tel-Avivian secular Jew sometimes have more in common with each other than with the fictionalized, sensationalized versions of themselves they see on TV. This common ground is another Israel, an Eretz Aheret, one that Bambi works hard to portray by bringing together leading voices from across the ideological camps to write about issues from all sides of the spectrum.

We filmed the talk--here is the first chapter, and the rest is online on our Creative Zionism Channel on YouTube.

Enjoy