UC Talk to Consider How an Environmental Approach Could Bring Peace to Israel and Palestine

As current headlines describing violence between Israelis and Palestinians seem to hint at an unending cycle, unique perspectives on ways to make lasting change are welcomed. The Judaic Studies department in the University of Cincinnati’s McMicken College of Arts and Sciences is hosting its annual Jacob and Jennie L. Lichter Lecture Series this year with a focus on environmental issues. On Nov. 9, Jeremy Benstein,  deputy director of the Heschel Center for Sustainability in Tel Aviv, will deliver a lecture exploring Zionism and the Israel-Palestine conflict, emphasizing the possibilities for peace in a region fraught with political and religious tension through new approaches to the environment. 

Issues of sustainability have become a growing concern near Israel and Palestine’s disputed borders, as the 2014 war between the two nations only inflamed the water scarcity and environmental deterioration that already existed. For years, many involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict have criticized each other’s use of water. 

Benstein has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard, a master's degree in Judaic Studies from the Schechter Institute and a doctorate in environmental anthropology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has written widely on the topic of Jewish sustainability and is the author of "The Way into Judaism and the Environment."

Matthew Kraus, assistant professor of Judaic Studies, said that Benstein’s talk will discuss ways in which the two nations can work together on crucial topics. 

“Recent escalation of violence between Arabs and Jews in Israel sadly reflect an all-too-common pattern of periods of relative quiet punctuated by outbursts of conflict,” Kraus said. “Dr. Jeremy Benstein's lecture offers a fresh new perspective and approach to the situation in Israel by shifting attention to our shared responsibility to protect and preserve our world.” 

Benstein’s lecture, open to the public and titled “Sustaining Israel: Zionism, the Environment and Peace,” will be held at the Mayerson JCC, 8485 Ridge Road, Amberley Village at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the event website or contact Wendy Lane at 513-556-2297 or wendy.lane@uc.edu.