51²è¹Ýapp

Dear students, faculty, and staff,Ìý

As President Harris announced on the first day of class, a team has been working to create diverse opportunities for our community to learn about and come together to share and explore our own relationships with the war and crisis in Israel and Gaza. We hope to hear from people highly engaged on this topic and connect more as a campus around these issues. ÌýÌý

We are writing today to share an overview of this programming and some key dates.ÌýÌýÌýÌý

Later this month, we are delighted to welcome back to 51²è¹Ýapp College, who will join us on campus Feb. 15-17. Currently an assistant professor in the School of Peace and Conflict Studies at Kent State University, Solomon is an interdisciplinary scholar and conflict resolution practitioner who studies core questions of identity in peace and reconciliation. She is a certified mediator with hundreds of hours of mediation and group facilitation experience.Ìý Her experience includes work with the , , , and the. Solomon has conducted international fieldwork in the Middle East, and was a Visiting Scholar at the  and Inter-Disciplinary Center in Herzliya as a  during the 2013-2014 academic year. Ìý

Professor Solomon will be leading the following conversations (location and registration information will be provided in the Campus Memo – registration is requested to anticipate attendance, but attendees are welcome to attend without registering).Ìý

Thursday, Feb. 15Ìý

12-1 p.m. Faculty and Staff (lunch provided)Ìý

4-5:30 p.m. Jewish self-identified studentsÌý

6:30-8:00 p.m. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) self-identified studentsÌý

Friday, Feb. 16Ìý

4-5:30 p.m. LGBTQIA+ self-identified studentsÌý

6:30-8 p.m. Muslim self-identified studentsÌý

Saturday, Feb. 17Ìý

9-10:30 a.m. - Students from Conflict Zones Ìý

12-1:30 p.m. All participants in the previous conversations.Ìý Lunch will be provided.Ìý

Additional events include:Ìý

Feb. TBDÌýRabbi Sarah Brammer-Shlay, Professor Caleb Elfenbein, and Imam Abdul Muhaymin will lead a conversation about antisemitism and Islamophobia.Ìý

March Ìý
Time, Date, and Location TBD Ìý
Voices of Jerusalem Film Screening and Workshop. Please RSVP by emailing Brammershlay@grinnell.edu . Ìý

Tuesday, March 12Ìý
12-1:00 p.m., HSSC A1231Ìý
Public Reading with Israeli American Author Moriel Rothman-Zecher of his books Sadness is a White Bird and Before All the World. Lunch provided.Ìý

Tuesday March 12Ìý
6:30-8:00 p.m., JRC 209Ìý
Book Club of Sadness is a White Bird.Ìý Deadline to sign up is Feb. 20 (limited to 20 people) Sign up online in order receive a book. Light snacks provided.Ìý

April 5Ìý
12-1 p.m. HSSC A1231Ìý
Community Friday Lunch Session. Exploring How to Have Hard Conversations (Please watch for the registration link in your email).Ìý

TBDÌý Ìý-ÌýÌý

Please watch the , the Campus Memo, and your email for additional details and potential additions to this programming as we move through the semester. We hope that you will participate as we learn how to be in dialogue, even within tense issues.Ìý Your participation helps build trust across different identities and opinions and helps our community learn how to negotiate hard conversations – skills that will be useful this semester and as we approach national elections in the fall.Ìý

Once again, we are grateful to everyone whose work has made these opportunities possible.Ìý We look forward to seeing you at these events and on campus.Ìý

Sincerely,Ìý

J.C. Lopez
Interim Vice President for Student AffairsÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

Marc ReedÌý
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer