In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Jonathan Gribetz, a Princeton professor and scholar of Near Eastern and Judaic studies, about the history of Israel and Palestine.

At a time in which we can feel as if we’re all at war, it may be helpful to take a step back and look at the full history between Arabs and Israelis, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges we face in 2024. Jonathan Gribetz helps us do this. In this episode we discuss:

• What was discourse between Jews and Arabs like during the infancy of Zionism?
• When and how did this discussion begin to deteriorate and become often counterproductive?
• What can a current Ivy League professor teach us about discussing Israel today?

Tune in to hear a conversation about how we might seek out the seeds of a reconciliation between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael.

Interview begins at 4:50.

Jonathan Marc Gribetz is Associate Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Judaic Studies at Princeton University, where he teaches about the history of Jerusalem, Palestine, Israel, and Jewish and Arab nationalisms. He is the author of Defining Neighbors: Religion, Race, and the Early Zionist-Arab Encounter.

References:

Defining Neighbors: Religion, Race, and the Early Zionist-Arab Encounter by Jonathan Marc Gribetz

The Zionist Idea by Arthur Hertzberg

Zionism: An Emotional State by Derek J. Penslar

1929: Year Zero of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Hillel Cohen

Arabs and Israelis: Conflict and Peacemaking in the Middle East by Abdel Monem Said Aly, Shai Feldman, and Khalil Shikaki

Clima Twins

Time and Difference in Rabbinic Judaism by Sarit Kattan Gribetz

Genesis 15:15