Jewish teens, led by Ezra Beinart, are gathering on Zoom to meet prominent Palestinians

The Philos Action League dispatches Christian volunteers to offer support and solidarity to Jewish communities when antisemitic attacks occur. The organization has more than 2,000 volunteers who have responded to 128 incidents since 2021.

Grassroots organizations are helping Palestinians and Israelis to meet and discuss their experiences with each other, often for the first time. Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian, co-runs one of these groups with two Israeli settlers. He describes their center is a place where “the enemy is transformed into a neighbor,” a process he says must happen before lasting political solutions to the conflict can be reached.

Canvassers with Down Home North Carolina approach conversations with voters not as an opportunity to promote their cause or ideology, but as a chance to learn about voters' personal experiences and how those experiences shape their approach to political issues. The strategy, called deep canvassing, is based on active listening and nonjudgmental discussion and was found in one study to be more effective than traditional canvassing in winning over rural swing voters.

Organizers with Down Home North Carolina use deep canvassing, a door-knocking strategy based on active listening and in-depth, nonjudgmental conversation, to spark political discussions with voters who are often left out of the democratic process. Canvassers are trained to center issues of race and class to build solidarity across demographics and recorded high levels of support from voters in 82% of conversations surveyed between November 2021 and January 2022.

Through the "Meet a Jew" program launched by the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Jewish volunteers visit schools, universities, sports clubs, and religious centers to share their stories with non-Jewish Germans and combat growing antisemitism. The initiative held 540 sessions in 2021 to facilitate conversations about what it means to be Jewish and how Jews fit into German society.

The Middle East has long been the site of conflict, but 'Jerusalem Double' is trying to ease tensions by having people from all backgrounds come together to play in backgammon tournaments. These tournaments have been very successful in sparking empathy, mentorship, discussion and bringing groups together.

Women in Jos, Nigeria formed cross-religious peace networks and vigilante patrols that eliminated conflict deaths between 2014-2023 in their communities, restored inter-faith relationships, and reduced crime through nighttime security operations, though they face ongoing challenges from lack of police support and systemic justice failures.

Civity brings people together for trust-building workshops that are built around storytelling, with the goal of helping people from different backgrounds find common ground with others in their communities. One study found the organization’s approach to be more effective than other strategies designed to build trust and address political discord.

Persons Marginalized and Aggrieved in Kenya works with religious leaders over the course of many years to build empathy and understanding towards the LGBTQ community. Faith leaders are often not immediately aware of the goal, but PEMA’s continuous and carefully orchestrated engagement allows them to gradually build relationships, hear personal stories from real people, and learn to preach tolerance. PEMA has worked with 619 religious leaders, 246 of which are currently active, and runs a Training of Trainers program where “converted” religious leaders train their colleagues to increase LGBTQ acceptance.

This article explores a myriad of ways on how to change anti-Semitic stereotypes and beliefs about Jewish people. Anti-bias training,integratingg holocaust education into the classroom, and holding difficult conversations, are some of the solutions identified in this article. “The foundation of any long-term strategy, experts say, is for communities to unite in condemnation of all forms of bigotry and hate.” “That starts with people talking to one another, and schools and community leaders being transparent about what is really happening.”