The Branch
Arts & Culture Podcasts
The Branch offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of Jews and Arabs in Israel forging meaningful relationships. Presented by Hadassah and hosted by Dina Kraft, The Branch shines a light on the stories of people living the example of a shared society. Together. Even though it’s complicated. Hadassah believes in the power of women for Israel, and that positive stories from Israel can make a powerful impact. Today the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) serves 1 million patients a year, regardless of race, religion, or nationality, HMO doctors, nurses and staff work together, Arab and Jewish, building bridges to peace through medicine. HMO is the only medical organization to have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Location:
United States
Description:
The Branch offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of Jews and Arabs in Israel forging meaningful relationships. Presented by Hadassah and hosted by Dina Kraft, The Branch shines a light on the stories of people living the example of a shared society. Together. Even though it’s complicated. Hadassah believes in the power of women for Israel, and that positive stories from Israel can make a powerful impact. Today the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) serves 1 million patients a year, regardless of race, religion, or nationality, HMO doctors, nurses and staff work together, Arab and Jewish, building bridges to peace through medicine. HMO is the only medical organization to have been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Language:
English
Episodes
The Branch S2E#12: Jerusalem Nights
6/29/2021
Can the arts help heal Jerusalem? Two of the women behind Mekudeshet think so. Through concerts and performing arts events, they're creating spaces where Jews and Palestinians can feel at home, finding culture and new connections.
Duration:00:24:41
The Branch S2E#11: Singing in One Voice
5/26/2021
Singers in the Rana Choir of Jaffa are Jewish, Christian and Muslim, from different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds and different political outlooks. Note by note and song by song, the choir proves that different voices and views can still join together in harmony.
Duration:00:22:47
S2 #10: Moving Forward
4/28/2021
Palestinian physiotherapist Rasha Ghaith has a seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. Blending Arabic and Hebrew, knowledge and warmth, she helps her Jewish and Arab patients at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus move forward -- one step at a time.
Duration:00:19:44
The Branch S2#9: The Israelis
3/17/2021
Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi and Mohammad Darawshe, a founder of the Arab Israeli Ma'an party, are longtime friends. As intellectuals, they've both been shaped by their many conversations -- and occasional disagreements -- about the country they both call home.
Duration:00:31:51
The Branch S2#8: The Crime Busters
1/27/2021
Through cross-cultural dialogue and a personal friendship, powerhouse duo Ola Najmi-Yousef and Ruth Lewin-Chen are empowering local Arab leaders, working with officials, and building trust to make Arab neighborhoods safer. "If we fight together, we can succeed."
Duration:00:22:36
The Branch S2 #7: Zooming in for Dialogue
12/30/2020
As part of their peace-building work, two facilitators are bringing Arab and Jewish teens together to find common ground. And now, they're doing it online.
Duration:00:23:20
S2 #6: The Road to Healing
11/24/2020
For three years, Yael has been driving Mohammed and his son, Dia -- who live in Hebron -- to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem for the 5-year-old's cancer treatments. Over many rides, arranged by Humans without Borders, the two have formed a "very human connection."
Duration:00:24:02
The Branch S2 #5: Common Ground
10/21/2020
A Jordanian, a Palestinian and an Israeli have joined forces in the fight to save their shared environment. As the board of directors for EcoPeace Middle East, they're not willing to let pushback, regional conflict and politics stand in their way.
Duration:00:25:22
The Branch S2 #4: The Artists
9/23/2020
At the height of the violence of the Second Intifada, artists Faten Elwi, an Arab Israeli, and Hadass Gertman, a Jewish Israeli, began collaborating on art exhibits. Nearly two decades later, their friendship and powerful new exhibit are bringing Jews and Arabs together in the historically conflict-ridden city of Umm al-Fahm.
Duration:00:24:01
The Branch S2 #3: Team Goals
8/26/2020
Soccer team captain Ali Ottman, an Arab Israeli, and Harel Selah, his Jewish coach, work side by side on the Sakhnin team in the Galilee, proving that sometimes coexistence is as simple as a shared goal.
Duration:00:26:25
The Branch S2 #2: The Midwives
8/5/2020
Amid the second wave of the COVID-19 crisis in Israel, midwives Gila Zarbiv, a Jewish Israeli, and Rahel Najwan Rasslan, an Arab Israeli, at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem work side by side to calm mothers bringing new life into an uncertain world.
Duration:00:27:01
The Branch S2 #1: The Corona Chronicles
7/1/2020
As the Israeli economy reopens, uncertainty continues. Host Dina Kraft takes us back into the lives of Jews and Arabs we met in earlier episodes to see how they're faring, and what's changed about the efforts that brought them together: a theater, Hadassah Hospital, the fight against domestic violence and more.
Duration:00:30:28
The Branch #18: Love Wins
2/26/2020
Michal is an Israeli Jew and Yakub is an Arab Muslim. Though their relationship may have seemed unlikely to flourish, after 24 years together, Michal and Yakub are living proof that love conquers all.
Duration:00:31:59
The Branch #17: Skyping Gaza
1/29/2020
From each side of the Israel-Gaza border, two peace advocates – Rami and Roni -- organize via Skype and WhatsApp, convinced that people-to-people ties can help break the deadlock of decades of cross-border fighting.
Duration:00:30:40
The Branch #16: The Tour Guides
12/16/2019
Yuval Ben-Ami and Husam Jubran take tourists on journeys through Israel, helping them to navigate Jewish and Palestinian perspectives about the conflict.
Duration:00:35:29
The Branch #15: The Code Breakers
11/20/2019
Tsofen, founded by Sami Saadi and Smadar Nehab, is an Arab-Jewish initiative that has cracked the code for integrating Arab Israelis into Israel’s booming hi-tech industry.
Duration:00:24:48
The Branch #14: The Poet and The Prophet
10/23/2019
When Neta Weiner, known as The Prophet for his dynamic on-stage presence, met Mohammad Aguani at an open poetry mic night, he was spellbound. Together, the activist-rappers founded System Ali, a hip-hop group that tackles social justice issues, now a central part of Jaffa’s diverse music scene.
Duration:00:25:37
The Branch #13: Kid Power
9/18/2019
Talia dances, loves drawing, and traces her Muslim ancestry back to Jerusalem's Old City. Shali is the wise-cracking son of an Israeli rapper. The teens met by joining Israel’s only youth movement for peace. Listen as they teach us what it means to be Kids4Peace in 2019.
Duration:00:27:23
The Branch #12: Two Doctors and a Case of Friendship
8/14/2019
When it comes to sexual abuse and assault, Dr. Dvora Bauman and Dr. Moshira Aboo Dia share the same goal: to return control to the victim. Despite their political differences, two doctors have forged a strong bond as they work together to empower women at Hadassah Hospital's Bat Ami Center for Victims of Sexual Abuse.
Duration:00:30:33
The Branch #11: Karate for Peace
7/18/2019
Danny Hakim and Hazam Abu Qwedar are longtime friends and martial arts instructors. Through the art of karate, they're showing kids in Israel -- Jewish and Bedouin -- a new approach to coexistence.
Duration:00:28:56