Having hard conversations about Israel

A leadership summit run by the New Israel Fund (NIF) Australia is offering young Jewish Australians training in how to argue about Israel, both inside the community and outside it.

The NewGen Advocacy and Leadership Summit grew out of meetings with young adults who did not feel represented in communal conversations about Israel, said coordinator Elisheva Madar.

Some felt their views were unwelcome in mainstream organisations, she said, but the problem was broader.

“A lot of young people want to have an opportunity to ask a question that might be unpopular, but to actually have the debate,” she said.

She said the approach was one of “presenting the evidence to them, and trusting them to make up their own mind”.