For the Sake of Argument helps Jewish communities argue about Israel, Zionism, and belonging, and continue to stay connected.
The fight may be about Israel, Zionism, grief, loyalty, fear, or communal red lines. But underneath is a deeper question:
Can we disagree about what matters most, and still be a community? We give communities the skills to answer yes.
We teach a shared language
so people can understand what kind of argument they are in, and what it asks of them.
We talk through real issues
so the work stays grounded in the questions communities areactually facing. People are allowed to disagree, deeply, and stillbelong to each other.
We build communal capacity
so disagreement becomes a practice of learning and relationship,not a force that pushes people out.
We help communities move toward tension with more skill not to persuade everyone into one position or paint over realdifference, but to argue without turning each other into enemies.
Jewish communities are facing a new rupture. Through a national listening tour, For the Sake of Argument spoke directly with Jewish anti-Zionists — not to debate, but to understand: Can listening lead to more listening? Can dialogue lead to healing?
Learn how to engage in healthy arguments in your family, school, campus, workplace, or community.
Stories for the Sake of Argument features 24 short stories about contentious issues relating to Israel and the Jewish world.
Our resource center is packed with hands-on tools and materials to help you master the art of healthy argument.
The session helped me to envision how facilitated conversations on Israel might play out in select communities that we are now approaching about hosting similar conversations. These would be less about navigating disagreement and more about toeing into hard conversations about Israel.
Using stories as a jumping-off point, participants learn to direct their emotions and opinions in constructive ways that lead to productive conversations and new understandings. I highly recommend this unique, groundbreaking educational program for Jewish educators everywhere.
Yet in their latest educational resource, Stories for the Sake of Argument, Robbie Gringras and Abi Dauber Sterne do just that. Their book is an invaluable platform for students and teachers alike to explore some of the thornier and more divisive questions that Israelis and Americans face daily.
Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras’s book, Stories for the Sake of Argument, reminds us each week that knowing our perspective requires that we constantly shift the seat we are in so we are seeing situations from more than our own eyes. I am so grateful to have Stories for the Sake of Argument as an integral part of our Shabbat conversations as each week, we turn to a new story and discuss. Not only has this book shifted how we argue but also we are better listeners and have learned to take in all the information before stating opinions or debating.
The feedback from the students was exceptionally positive, all stressing just how helpful it was - the role of argument, the specifics of that as pedagogy, and of course, applying it to education about Israel.
I appreciate the practical ideas and tools you shared.
This book represents the creative handicraft of two master educators, who use the format of stories and the processing of narratives to help shape more dignified, enduring, respectful and meaningful conversations across differences. Stories for the Sake of Argument has an important place in homes, classrooms, boardrooms and libraries world-over.
Your support equips leaders, educators, and communities with the skills to navigate fracture without losing one another.
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