Why Are You Here?

How do we move from mobilization to actually winning this fight for our future? In the season finale, Sally and Jess reflect on the moment we’re in—societal fatigue, collective amnesia, and rising political violence in Israel-Palestine and around the world. They explore why old paradigms and mainstream opposition politics can’t meet this moment, what kind of alternative is needed, and how to build durable political power rooted in the shared interests of the majority. Sally Abed lives in Haifa and is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together. Sally was elected to the Haifa city council in February 2024, becoming the first Palestinian woman ever to lead a joint slate in Israel.    Jess Bricker lives in Tel Aviv and is a peace and anti-occupation activist. Over the past few years Jess has worked as the English social media & content manager for Standing Together. 

When does anti-Zionism cross into antisemitism? How do we talk about antisemitism in progressive spaces at a moment when antisemitism is both rising globally and being politically weaponized? Sally and Jess sit down with Elad Nehorai to discuss what antisemitism is, what it isn’t, and how it shows up across the left and the right. Sally Abed lives in Haifa and is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together. Sally was elected to the Haifa city council in February 2024, becoming the first Palestinian woman ever to lead a joint slate in Israel.    Jess Bricker lives in Tel Aviv and is a peace and anti-occupation activist. Over the past few years Jess has worked as the English social media & content manager for Standing Together.    Elad Nehorai is a progressive thinker, writer, and activist. Learning from his time in the Hasidic community and studying extremism, he has become an outspoken pro-democracy voice. Elad’s writing focuses on extremism, antisemitism, marketing, and how the three intersect.   Do you have a question for us? Email us at [email protected].

What does it mean to be a Palestinian citizen of Israel in 2025? As Israel gears up for elections in the coming year, Sally and Jess unpack the complex reality of being a Palestinian in Israel. From the organized crime epidemic and poverty to identity and imagination, we delve in to what Palestinian citizens want, and how to mobilize Palestinians in a joint struggle with Jewish Israelis to build the political power we need to change our reality on the ground.  Sally Abed lives in Haifa and is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together. Sally was elected to the Haifa city council in February 2024, becoming the first Palestinian woman ever to lead a joint slate in Israel. Jess Bricker lives in Tel Aviv and is a peace and anti-occupation activist. Over the past few years Jess has worked as the English social media & content manager for Standing Together. Do you have a question for us? Email us at [email protected]  If you'd like to support the podcast, you can make a donation to Standing Together. 

Do words matter? How do we stay principled while mobilizing the masses? In this episode, Sally and Jess sit down with Standing Together co-directors Rula Daood and Alon-Lee Green. They dive into how it felt to see PACBI call for a boycott of Standing Together while the movement was one of the leading forces mobilizing people in Israeli society against the war on Gaza. Together, they discuss the messy terrain of grassroots organizing, purity politics on the left, what it means to fight for justice from within our society, and the tension between speaking in the “correct” language and organizing people where they are.  *PACBI is the Palestinian Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. Do you have a question for us? Email us at [email protected]  If you'd like to support the podcast, you can make a donation to Standing Together. 

For over two years, the world has watched Israel carry out daily atrocities in Gaza and wondered: how did Israeli society allow this to happen? How could there be a powerful protest movement demanding the return of Israeli hostages, while opposition to the bombardment, mass killing, and starvation of Palestinians remained so limited? In this episode, Sally and Jess speak with Prof. Eran Halperin, head of social psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and founder and Co-Chairman of the aChord Center, to unpack the psychology shaping Israeli society today — and what it will take to bring about real change. aChord Center is a non-profit organization that specializes in the social psychology of intergroup relations. The center's unique added value is in developing innovative, evidence based, practical knowledge and tools to improve intergroup relations, by utilizing cutting-edge social psychological theory and data.   Do you have a question for us? Email us at [email protected]  If you'd like to support the podcast, you can make a donation to Standing Together. 

Everyone everywhere is talking about what they want the future in Israel-Palestine to look like, but what do we want it to look like? Sally and Jess discuss whether they have consensus about their ideas for the future, and how we should go about mobilizing people in Israeli society toward a political solution.  Sally Abed lives in Haifa and is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together. Sally was elected to the Haifa city council in February 2024, becoming the first Palestinian woman ever to lead a joint slate in Israel. Jess Bricker lives in Tel Aviv and is a peace and anti-occupation activist. Over the past few years Jess has worked as the English social media & content manager for Standing Together. Do you have a question for us? Email us at [email protected]  If you'd like to support the podcast, you can make a donation to Standing Together. 

As we reach two years since October 7th and Israel’s assault on Gaza, Sally and Jess reflect on the power and pitfalls of empathy, and whether building on something beyond it can create a stronger foundation for solidarity in the struggle for justice and peace. Sally Abed lives in Haifa and is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together. Sally was elected to the Haifa city council in February 2024, becoming the first Palestinian woman ever to lead a joint slate in Israel. Jess Bricker lives in Tel Aviv and is a peace and anti-occupation activist. Over the past few years Jess has worked as the English social media & content manager for Standing Together. Do you have a question for us? Email us at [email protected]  If you'd like to support the podcast, you can make a donation to Standing Together. 

From identity and belonging to responsibility and organizing, Sally and Jess unpack why they’re here and why they’re part of a joint Jewish-Palestinian struggle for justice, peace and equality in Israel-Palestine. Sally Abed lives in Haifa and is a member of the national leadership of Standing Together. Sally was elected to the Haifa city council in February 2024, becoming the first Palestinian woman ever to lead a joint slate in Israel. Jess Bricker lives in Tel Aviv and is a peace and anti-occupation activist. Over the past few years Jess has worked as the English social media & content manager for Standing Together. Do you have a question for us? Email us at [email protected]  If you'd like to support the podcast, you can make a donation to Standing Together.