Our expert-led workshops equip participants with proven strategies to tackle difficult discussions head-on, turning potential conflicts into catalysts for learning, understanding, and deepening friendship.
We have developed an innovative method for engaging with contentious topics, especially those related to Israel.
Our Pedagogy of Healthy Arguments is the result of years of rigorous testing, teaching, and refinement in real-world settings.
Believe in the potential of healthy arguments to bridge divides and foster understanding
Seek innovative approaches to navigate contentious topics, especially in education and community settings
Value diverse perspectives and aim to create inclusive environments where all voices are heard
Are committed to continuous learning and growth, both personally and within their organizations
Benefit from years of experience in facilitating challenging conversations
Tailored to your organization's unique needs and challenges
Available online or in-person
Our method applies across various contexts, from education to organizational leadership
Trusted by leading institutions worldwide
(coming soon)
In today's polarized world, many Jewish organizations find it challenging to address complex issues without deepening divides. If your community or workplace is experiencing any of the following, our workshops are for you:
Are your Hillel students struggling to find common language on Israel-related issues, impacting campus unity?
Is your day school facing parental backlash over its approach to teaching about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Are you noticing increasing conflicts between older and younger members during Israel-related events at your community center?
As a rabbi or community leader, are you at odds with some members over how to address complex Israeli political issues?
Is your youth movement struggling to reconcile traditional pro-Israel stances with the more critical views of younger members?
Is your Jewish federation facing internal disagreements over funding allocations to Israel-related programs?
We’ll help you foster a culture of healthy arguments that leads to deeper understanding and stronger connections within your community and beyond.
Whether you're organizing a professional conference, educational symposium, or community event, our faculty will provide a memorable and impactful experience.
We produce educational and curricular materials that help your institution teach critical thinking by addressing contentious topics through healthy arguments.
We can create a signature pedagogy tailored to your event's theme, integrating our healthy argument approach throughout your program.
Lead dynamic discussions that bring together diverse perspectives and demonstrate the power of constructive dialogue.
Engage participants in hands-on learning experiences that build practical skills for fostering healthy arguments.
Our skilled facilitators run vibrant argument circles tailored to your needs, using For the Sake of Argument stories to focus on the most pressing topics. These circles can be held online or in person.
An interactive 90-minute workshop where you'll discover our latest educational tools and framework. By learning how to ask essential questions and understanding your own organization's limits of conversation, you'll be more prepared to teach and talk about Israel.
A 4-part series to help you master the art of engaging with contentious issues. Designed for educators and community professionals, this series provides the materials, tools, and training you need to harness the power of healthy arguments in your practice of Israel and Jewish education.
Join Abi and Robbie for an online workshop on healthy wartime arguments. Together, we'll learn and practice strategies for healthier arguments about Israel, even during (especially during) this difficult time. There will be time for discussion as well as learning new frameworks for managing disagreements.
Often, age and stage of life impact on the opinions we hold. This doesn’t make the opinions any less important, but it throws up new challenges to understanding. Bring together a multi-generational group for an opportunity to discuss the topics about which you disagree, and learn skills to practice to help you learn and bring you closer to one another
Shift from advocacy to invitation in discussions about Israel.
In a culture where Israel is screamed about but rarely discussed, where online disagreements are as passionate as they are shallow, and where we silo rather than address our differences, healthy arguments are in great demand. We’ll work closely with you to integrate For the Sake of Argument and our approach into your educational setting.
Abi and Robbie are sought-after keynote speakers who have presented at conferences worldwide, offering a fresh perspective on navigating contentious topics through healthy argumentation.
Their engaging presentations combine compelling storytelling, research-backed insights, and practical strategies that resonate with diverse audiences.
Contact Us
Whether you're an educator, community leader, or conference organizer, we'll work closely with you to design an approach and a plan that addresses your unique challenges and goals.
From one-time workshops to long-term partnerships, we're committed to fostering healthier arguments in your community.
In this amount of time, the number of those shifting the focus of their argument from winning (debate) to learning (healthy argument) increases by some 40%, those feeling smarter or enriched increases by some 30%, and those frustrated at not changing another’s mind decreases by 45%.
In addition to gaining understanding, skills and experience in healthy argument, all participants report an increased interest in and knowledge of the topics at hand. Each topic discussed saw a 20% increase in clarity and in interest in learning more.
Many will maintain that in order to begin a dialogue across ideological differences, one must first establish a degree of trust. Our research is beginning to suggest that the opposite might also be true: That the very act of engaging in healthy argument can lead to increased feelings of closeness and trust. In a 90-minute session, the percentage of participants who reported feeling closer to the other person increased from 27% to 72%.
I appreciate the practical ideas and tools you shared.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"Let’s be real: we live In a world where an ideological dispute can tear close friends and family apart. We shout. We block. And thus, we become more polarized. Stories for the Sake of Argument changes this paradigm by helping reframe disagreement as something healthy and necessary for learning, growth, and a better world. I love this book and think people of all ages and walks of life should read it."
“For the Sake of Argument demonstrates to participants the value of leaning into, and even embracing, argument rather than shying away from it. 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.”
“Understanding why people disagree and learning to do so for the common good is essential for both the healthy development of children and the healthy functioning of democratic societies. Accessible for adults and children alike, Stories for the Sake of Argument offers engaging stories and meaningful discussion questions perfect for kick-starting conversations about how and why people disagree. This book is perfect for families who want to work together to practice arguing with compassion and schools who want to teach children how to engage with one another and with larger questions about how to live in a community in which people argue.”
"This book offers a fresh and brilliantly original approach to some of the thorniest questions that press on Jews and Israelis as they navigate their relationship with each other and the wider world. Rather than avoid conflict and argument, it urges us to embrace it - encouraging families and communities to get it all out in the open. With great empathy and wisdom, Robbie Gringras and Abigail Dauber Sterne urge us not to steer clear of the things that divide us but to thrash them out, face to face, heart to heart - and they do it by telling stories. Stories, questions, arguments: it's a bracing and provocative formula - and could hardly be more Jewish."
“From family tensions to communal and national schisms, Stories for the Sake of Argument offers a wise blueprint for navigating one of the great challenges of our time: how to conduct passionate but respectful disagreements. At a time when democracies are unraveling and fellow citizens increasingly perceive each other as enemies, this book is a gift.”
"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. This book calls for interactive wrestling and deep engagement. Stories for the Sake of Argument has an important place in homes, classrooms, boardrooms and libraries world-over."
"Everyone tells us to learn from one another, but few teach us how to do it. “Stories” gives us the stories, the questions — the tools we need — to get our own point across and to listen to the other. A vital contribution to a confused world."
“Deepening engagement with Israel requires more substantive debates not more rosy pictures of idyllic Israeli life. These extraordinarily gifted educators accompany readers into intense stories about real questions about justice and equality, the stuff upon which serious, life-long attachments can be built. I can’t wait to use the book to transform polarizing tirades into principled debates that change all of us for good. This is a book progressive Jews have been waiting for!”
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