The Branch

Mahdi and Michal are the forces behind ShakShuk, a small restaurant nestled in Jerusalem's bustling Machane Yehuda market. Both native Jerusalemites, this Jewish-Muslim duo work long hours side by side. They're like brother and sister - and they're learning how to have difficult political conversations.

For more info, visit us at: hadassah.org/thebranch.

Robi Damelin, an Israeli mother, and Bassam Arami, a Palestinian father, each lost a child to the violence. Despite having every reason to be divided by grief, they're working together to show how important one-on-one reconciliation can be on the path to peace - using their friendship as a model.

Israelis Hamutal and Samah -- one Jewish, the other Arab -- are feminist activists from communities that don't always see eye to eye. Through their friendship, they embody the power of showing up despite having conflicting identities. The result? A feminist coalition combating domestic violence.

At Meir Shfeya, the Hadassah-supported youth village, Arab Israeli 24-year-old Kassem takes on the role of mentor and confidante to three Jewish teens. Hear their stories and learn about the open dialogue - and farm work - that bring them together.

This month, we travel to Juha's Guesthouse in the Israeli Arab fishing village of Jisr az Zarka. Discretely nestled between Caesarea and Haifa, the small guesthouse is bringing new life and opportunities to this usually forgotten dot on Israel's map.

In the dialysis unit at Hadassah Hospital's Ein Kerem campus, the nurses and patients are like a family. Host Dina Kraft asks, "How do we take this island of peace and connect it to the main land?"

Meet Adam Ziv and Alaa Sweitat, the owners of Buza, Arabic for ice cream. This Jewish-Arab team have not only found meaningful friendship through their business, they've created "a corner of delicious sanity."

A look inside life at the only school in Jerusalem where Jewish and Arab students learn together, and about each other, in Hebrew and Arabic. The Hand in Hand school sets out a new model for education children. Here, they aren’t just classmates – they’re friends.

For more about The Branch, head over to Hadassah.org/thebranch. Feel free to drop us an email at [email protected]

Want more Hadassah podcasts? Check out Hadassah On Call: New Frontiers in Medicine, which takes listeners behind the headlines with Hadassah Medical Organization doctors and specialists, patients and nurses. Listen and be amazed.

Explore more perspectives on Israel with Hadassah's Defining Zionism in the 21st Century video series.

For our first episode of The Branch, we begin our journey in the Jaffa Theatre, meeting actors and musicians from different backgrounds, brought together by the music of famed musician Farid Al-Atrash.

For more about The Branch, head over to Hadassah.org/thebranch. Feel free to drop us an email at [email protected]

Want more Hadassah podcasts? Check out Hadassah On Call: New Frontiers in Medicine, which takes listeners behind the headlines with Hadassah Medical Organization doctors and specialists, patients and nurses. Listen and be amazed.

Explore more perspectives on Israel with Hadassah's Defining Zionism in the 21st Century video series.