The inspiration for “Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor,” says Yossi Klein Halevi, “I wanted my neighbor not to be anonymous.”

The snow did not stop over 100 people who attended a captivating conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi about his recent book, Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor. Klein Halevi explained that he wrote this book in the hopes of eliciting responses from his literal Palestinian neighbors, who he can see from his balcony, and whose lives and perspectives he yearned to better understand. Much to his delight, the book, after being translated into Arabic, did just that. In a discussion moderated by Rabbi Emily Hyatt, he shared stories about the relationships and conversations that this book has spurred and the ways in which this book continues to inspire dialogue on college campuses and beyond.  This event launched the second year of the Courageous Leadership program, jointly sponsored by JEWISHcolorado and the Shalom Hartman Institute, in which Colorado Jewish professionals and lay leaders meet monthly to discuss democracy, pluralism and a vibrant Jewish Community with faculty from the Shalom Hartman Institute.