Groundwork: The Podcast

Our story follows Wasim Almasri, a Palestinian refugee, in his search for belonging in an imperfect homeland. As he attempts to navigate the complexities and multitudes within his own Palestinian identity, we travel with him from a refugee camp in Syria, to a small town in Gaza, and then into the West Bank. Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft, and produced by Yoshi Fields. The episode was reported and produced by Yoshi Fields. Content editing by Elisheva Goldberg and Joel Shupack. Joel Shupack and Deeb Amoury scored the piece. Original music from Deeb Amoury. Art and design by Nick Acosta. Groundwork is a joint production of New Israel Fund and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

We’re back this week with our one-on-one series, Ground Report, where we sit down with an activist to have a conversation about who they are, what motivates them, and what kind of future they imagine for the region. This week’s guest is Robi Damelin, from an organization called The Parents Circle – Families Forum. It’s a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization that includes over 600 bereaved families, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the conflict. They believe reconciliation — reckoning with one another’s pain —  must be a part of any sustainable, peaceful outcome in this region. Just hours before their biggest event of the year, The Joint Memorial, we sat down with Robi to hear about her personal story of loss and her journey to find reconciliation. Groundwork is created and produced by Dina Kraft and Yoshi Fields. Ground Report is reported by Sally Abed, with content…

Organized crime and violence within Arab communities in Israel is one of the top issues for most Palestinian citizens of Israel. This issue comes ahead of even the Palestinian Israeli conflict. Today we follow activist Maisam Jaljuli, as she visits the recently bereaved families of those that have lost family members to this violence. And we learn about the underlying reasons for the situation. As noted in the episode, you can check out these resources for even more information:  Women Wage Peace Women of the Sun AChord Abraham Initiatives Groundwork is hosted by Sally Abed and Dina Kraft and produced by Yoshi Fields. Today’s story is by Maria Rashed 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.