MODERN ATHENAS Episode 27: Powerbrokers in Israel & the Palestinian Territories / The Friendship of Ruth and Raymonda

MODERN ATHENAS

In this podcast, we will be discussing the book An Improbable Friendship, by Anthony David.
Friendships can happen in the most unlikely of places, in the most unlikely of times. Like romance, it is hard to predict who our friends will be, and even harder to ignore forces that make a friendship blossom. Such is the case of Ruth Dayan, an Israeli Jew, and Raymonda Tawil, a Palestinian Christian. If you asked either of the women if they thought when they first met after the Six Days War in 1967 that they would be lifelong friends, both would laugh and then make a dig at the other’s culture and politics, while professing their admiration for each other. That is their friendship—born out of conflict and forged through decades of turmoil and heartbreak, the two women have a deeply rooted respect and love for each other that transcends borders, religion, and nationalism. Each of them a power broker in a male-dominated society, their intertwined stories are ones of strength and determination. These Modern Athenas demonstrate that no matter a woman’s identity, we all want to create meaning and purpose for ourselves and in our world.
INDEX
0:00 Intro and Background of the Book
1:17 Overview of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
3:18 Ruth Dayan
8:!5 Raymonda Tawil
13:40 1967: Their Paths Cross for the First Time
18:52 April 1973: Kamal Nasser
21:39 1974: Ruth Travels the World on Behalf of Maskit and the World Craft Council
23:25 The Tree Planting in the Peace Forest of Neve Shalom
26:59 The Two-Staters
28:36 Secret Backchannel
34:37 Rabine is Assasinated
40:04 Ruth Meets Arafat: 1999
41:45 Raymonda’s Power
43:15 The Jordanian Funeral
44:37 The End of Arafat
46:38 The Walls
48:27 The Book
51:05 Outro and Next Episode
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