Across the Table Part III: Discussing Israel and Palestine

Join Maz Jadallah and Steve Scheier for this important discussion.

Maz Jadallah is a Palestinian American entrepreneur and long time resident of the Bay Area. His parents are Palestinian refugees from the 1948 Nakba, or “catastrophe”, that saw the mass displacement and dispossession of 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Steve Scheier is a Jewish Amercan author, leadership cultivator and speaker.

What We're Doing

We are two relatively new friends—one Palestinian American, one Jewish American—who met through mutual circles and found ourselves drawn into deep, ongoing conversations about Israel/Palestine. Despite the emotional weight and complexity of the topic, we discovered that by grounding our dialogue in trust, curiosity, and shared humanity, we could engage meaningfully across difference.

In the third and final installment of Across the Table, Maz and Steve focus on the forward-looking part of their journey. Now that they’ve shared their lived experiences and modeled how to navigate the toughest conversations, this final session addresses how they and perhaps you can move forward together to advance peace justice and humanity. We will explore:

Shared Future Hopes: We'll explore a vision for a shared future—not just in Israel/Palestine, but also in our local community and in the broader American context. What does coexistence look like when rooted in genuine equality and empathy?

Addressing the Hard Realities: We’ll acknowledge that the path forward isn’t easy and that differences will remain. We’ll discuss practical ways people can stay engaged in difficult dialogues without retreating to old narratives and withdrawing from connection.

Building Bridges Locally: We'll offer concrete steps to enable Jewish and Palestinian Americans to come together for community service projects, joint educational events, or youth programs that emphasize shared values and result in greater understanding and appreciation of the other person.

Audience Commitment: We’ll invite the audience to commit to one action—whether that’s having a coffee with someone of the “other” background, reading a book from a different perspective, or participating in future dialogues. We will also encourage attendees to be bridge-builders in their own circles.

Closing and Shared Hope: We’ll end on a note of hope. We’ll reiterate that even though the conversations have been tough, the fact that we’ve had them is itself a sign of progress. Our goal is not to erase differences, but to learn how to live with them in a spirit of shared humanity.

There will not be a live audience Q&A. Instead, we invite attendees to submit questions via this form. These questions will help shape future dialogues and allow us to address sensitive issues thoughtfully and thoroughly.

This is the third talk of a 3 Part Series exploring this subject.

Proceeds from this event to support World Central Kitchen