Practicing Machloket: Recovering the Lost Art of Conversations across Difference with Jonah Canner

In our broader Jewish communities, and specifically when it comes to conversations around Israel, we are living in a moment in which the old comedic truism: when there are 2 Jews in a room, there are 3 opinions; could arguably be replaced with a more tragic one: when there are 2 Jews in a room, there are 2 rooms. Our capacity for holding multiple perspectives has diminished, our muscles for engaging in conversations across difference have atrophied. In this interactive learning experience we are going to explore the practice of Machloket (argument for the sake of heaven) as a way to rebuild those muscles so that we can grow our capacity for navigating relationships in which we do not agree and seeing value in perspectives that are not our own. This session will include light text study, story sharing, and opportunities to practice using a framework designed to support our engagement in difficult conversations.

Jonah Canner is an ambassador from the world we have not yet built. He believes in people, community, and the sacred obligation we have to make positive change in the world around us. Jonah’s primary areas of focus include racial equity, restorative justice, experiential education, and working through conflict. He has worked as a classroom teacher, a summer camp director, and a consultant offering mentoring, training, and support for individuals and organizations. Jonah has a Masters in Education from the New School University and is currently on the faculty of the Avodah institute for Social Change, the Institute for Democratic Education in America, and the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Cornerstone Fellowship. He is also the Education Fellow in the Religion and Public Life program at the Harvard Divinity School. In his free time Jonah is writing a collection of memoir essays that explore questions of grief, identity, ancestry, and place.