Facilitating Dialogue Across Israeli and Palestinian Narratives
A Workshop for Experienced Facilitators
Facilitating Dialogue Across Israeli and Palestinian Narratives is an intensive, practice-based workshop designed for experienced dialogue facilitators navigating one of the most complex and polarized issues facing campuses today.
Through structured simulations and advanced facilitation tools, participants strengthen their ability to manage tension, reinforce inquiry, and sustain constructive engagement in high-stakes conversations.
To prepare, participants will explore their own role and identity as it relates to this topic, review and discuss key terminology surrounding the ongoing conflict and its history, and practice facilitating peers in a supportive environment using real-world situations that capture the challenge and complexity of navigating conversations about this narrative today.
Grounded in behavioral science and nonpartisan facilitation principles
Focused on navigating conflict during conversations about the Middle East
Scenario practices for immediate, real-world application
Workshop Format
Facilitating Dialogue Across Israeli and Palestinian Narratives is offered as an intensive, interactive professional development workshop for experienced facilitators.
Length: 5 hours
Format: Virtual, instructor-led with structured, interactive exercises
Delivery: Private cohorts for experienced facilitators
Participants deepen their ability to navigate polarization, manage escalation, and sustain constructive dialogue.
Workshop Facilitators
Micah Hendler is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC), an Israeli-Palestinian music and dialogue project that has, for the last 14 years, empowered young singers from East and West Jerusalem to speak and sing their truths together — even in times of war — from the streets of Jerusalem to the global stages of TED and America's Got Talent. Drawing on over 20 years of experience in dialogue facilitation and cross-community bridge-building, Micah has brought the lessons of JYC to the US and around the world, collaborating with organizations working to depolarize America, including the Constructive Dialogue Institute, Braver Angels, the One America Movement, Convergence, and New Pluralists. His upcoming book, Impossible Harmony (HarperCollins, 2027), will offer his toolkit — and proof it works — to a global audience. Micah holds degrees in Music and International Studies from Yale and was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Music in 2017.
Eliza O’Neil is CDI’s Senior Curriculum Manager. Eliza’s role at CDI is to create dialogue-focused curriculum, resources, and trainings for students, educators, administrators, and anyone looking to cultivate skills to foster connection across differences in any context. Before joining CDI, Eliza was a program director for Seeds of Peace, where she ran dialogue and facilitation training programs for young adults and educators around the world. She spent 6 years as a facilitator for Essential Partners, working with communities of all ages looking to bridge divides and connect more meaningfully amidst conflict or discord. Eliza previously taught at experiential high schools in Maine and Colorado and led wilderness trips around the world for groups of young adults. Eliza holds a B.A. from Bates College and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
You Should Attend this Workshop If You Are
An experienced dialogue facilitator
Faculty leading dialogue on geopolitical issues
Staff responsible for campus dialogue programming
An institution responding to campus tensions related to global conflict
Concepts Covered
Establishing the structures and practices that make constructive dialogue possible in polarized settings.
Common Use Cases
- Following escalation of Middle East-related campus tensions
- Preparing facilitators ahead of high-risk campus events
- Strengthening internal dialogue teams
- Integrating advanced conflict skills into existing dialogue initiatives
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
- Apply the tools of constructive dialogue to conversations about the Middle East
- Engage with multiple perspectives to more effectively prepare for facilitation
- Recognize key dialogue dynamics and meta-dynamics that shape high-stakes campus conversations
- Respond to real-world facilitation challenges with greater confidence, clarity, and skill
The training was a great balance of education and practice! I left feeling more confident and prepared to facilitate difficult conversations.
I honestly thought it was one of the best trainings I’ve been through.
I very much enjoyed this training and found it incredibly valuable to my work.
The training was a great balance of education and practice! I left feeling more confident and prepared to facilitate difficult conversations.
I honestly thought it was one of the best trainings I’ve been through.
I very much enjoyed this training and found it incredibly valuable to my work.