This episode is different. Every month, in addition to our regular program, we’re going to release an episode where host Sally Abed sits down for a one-on-one, candid conversation with an activist.

We're going to the West Bank. On January 5, 2022, leading Palestinian activist Hajj Suleiman was run over and killed by a truck subcontracted by the Israeli police. Underneath the story of his death lie stark truths about how Palestinians in Area C of the West Bank live.  And, how the Israeli government abuses its power and willfully neglects the Palestinian residents.

Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft and produced by Yoshi Fields. Today's story is by Elisheva Goldberg and scored by Joel Shupack. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

We’re starting the season off with a developing story: Historic protests are happening all across Israel. Many are afraid that new government policies will mark the end of any semblance of democracy here. We take you into the streets to meet one activist - Eran Nissan - who is leading the charge. But he also sees something else in this moment: an opportunity.

Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft and produced by Yoshi Fields. Today's story is by Yoshi Fields and scored by Joel Shupack. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

In our new season we tell stories of people on the front lines.

Israel is about to have its most extreme-right wing government in the country’s history. Religious Zionism- Otzma Yehudit - now the country’s third largest party - calls for full annexation of the West Bank. There were recent bombings in Jerusalem. Deadly violence in the West Bank spiked in 2022. Everyone is asking what might happen next. And we’ll be be honest, sometimes we feel hopeless. But that’s not the whole story. Long-time activists are gearing up for a new level of action. 

Groundwork is a partnership project of Alliance for Middle East Peace and New Israel Fund.

Haifa is our final stop in the Mini-Series. It's known as the poster child for co-existence in Israel. But here too violence broke out in May. Among those at the protests against the violence were longtime Haifa residents and activists, Jafar Farah and Merav Ben-Nun. We speak with them about how Haifa has changed over the years, what they think led to the recent violence, and what needs to change. 

The show is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft. We are powered by the New Israel Fund and The Alliance for Middle East Peace. Learn more about our show at Groundworkpodcast.com

Jafar Farah lives in a primarily Arab neighborhood of Haifa called Wadi Nisnas. It’s where some of the recent violence took place. He is the founder and director Mossawa, an organization that promotes equality for Palestinian citizens of Israel. 

Merav Ben-Nun is a founder of the bi-lingual Arabic and Hebrew Hand-in-Hand School in Haifa and a longtime civil rights activist in the city. 

This episode was produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Edited by Yoshi Fields. Scoring by Joel Shupack. Theme music by System Ali. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. 

In May, Lod was the epicenter of the worst inter-ethnic fighting between Israel's own citizens since 1948. There were shootings in the streets, neighbors attacking one another, lynching. In this episode we speak with Lod activists Rula Daood and Dror Rubin about the complicated history of Lod, what they think led to the interethnic violence in May, and what’s next.

The show is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft. We are powered by the New Israel Fund and The Alliance for Middle East Peace. Learn more about our show at Groundworkpodcast.com 

Rula Daood is a Palestinian citizen of Israel who lives in Lod. She’s the national co-director of Standing Together, a grassroots movement of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. 

Dror Rubin is a Jewish Israeli and a community organizer.  He works at a joint Jewish-Arab community center in the mixed neighborhood of Ramat Eshkol, the epicenter of the recent clashes in the city. 

This episode was produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Edited by Yoshi Fields. Scoring by Joel Shupack. Theme music by System Ali. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. 

We begin our Mini-Series where the violence in May all started - Jerusalem. We speak with Jerusalem activists Nivene Sandouka and Suf Patishi about what it's actually like on the ground, what they think led to the interethnic violence in May, and what’s next. 

Nivene Sandouka is a Palestinian from East Jerusalem and the executive director of Hoqukna, an organization supporting East Jerusalem Palestinian’s civic and political rights.

Suf Patishi is a Jewish Israeli who lives in West Jerusalem. He works in the Knesset as a parliamentary advisor and is a longtime member  of Standing Together - Israel’s largest grassroots movement of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis.

This episode was produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Edited by Yoshi Fields. Scoring by Joel Shupack. Theme music by System Ali. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. 

We’re starting things off with a mini-series - Groundwork: The Mixed Cities Edition. As war broke out between Israel and Gaza this past May fueled by clashes in Jerusalem, some of the worst inter-ethnic fighting in Israel’s history erupted between its own citizens. The violence showed that even in mixed cities, where people often talk of coexistence, there are strong ethnic divides. So in this mini-series we talk with activists who work in these mixed cities to find out what it’s actually like on the ground, what are the underlying tensions, and what needs to happen to bring change.