Episode 18

full
Published on:

5th Nov 2020

#18 - Michael Dickson, Exec. Dir. of StandWithUs Israel & Naomi Baum, Ph.D., authors of ‘ISResilience – What Israelis Can Teach the World’

Are the news and the weight of the world getting you down? Got a case of the grumps? Join us this week on Jewanced as we sit down for a super optimistic conversation with Michael Dickson, Executive Director of StandWithUs Israel and Dr. Naomi Baum, a pioneering psychologist in the field of resilience research and treatment, together the authors of the new book, ‘ISResilience – What Israelis Can Teach the World.’

From well-known leaders making life-and-death decisions to ordinary people who have overcome incredible loss to do inspirational things, meet the Israelis who thrive against all odds and learn how you can too. 

ISResilience is a study of a nation that has had to collectively and individually hang tough like no other country on earth. Imbued in Israel’s DNA is the understanding that survival isn’t optional – it’s a necessity. Any Israeli could have given testimony for this book. Israelis routinely carry on with their day-to-day lives not just when things are calm and peaceful but when rockets are launched at them, during official conflicts and wars and unofficial waves of gruesome terrorism. And they don’t just survive – they thrive. 

Each chapter of this book profiles a diverse, compelling Israeli personality – some famous, some not, but all exceptional – and traces the characteristic that unites them all. The life lessons extrapolated from these interviewees can teach every one of us to be stronger people. Written by a communications expert and Israel analyst together with a pioneering psychologist in the field of resilience research and treatment, ISResilience brings today’s most in-demand skill to life and shows how we all can benefit from the trait embodied by the nation once admired by Princess Diana as “a plucky little country.”

Michael Dickson is Executive Director of StandWithUs in Israel, an international educational nonprofit dedicated to supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism around the world. Michael is a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Communication of Bar-Ilan University. In 2016, he was listed as the fourteenth most influential Jew on Twitter. He is the 2019 winner of the Bonei Zion Prize and in 2020, he was listed on the Global Jewish 100. He lives in Ra’anana, Israel with his wife and five children.

Naomi L. Baum, PhD, consults and facilitates workshops on resilience building in Israel and worldwide. She created the Building Resilience Intervention (BRI), an evidence-based resilience model that has been applied widely in Israel and abroad. She was Director of the Resilience Unit at Metiv – The Israel Psychotrauma Center and co-directed the International Course in Trauma and Resilience in cooperation with the Rothberg School of the Hebrew University. She is the author of several previous books. She lives in Efrat, Israel with her husband, and is mother of seven, and grandmother of twenty.

Links:

ISResilience.com

Buy your copy of ISResilience TODAY on Amazon

Read Michael Dickson’s personal blog – featuring articles and video appearances about Israel, Antisemitism, Jewish issues, and public diplomacy at michaeldickson.org

StandWithUs.com

DONATE to StandWithUs

Read Naomi L. Baum, PhD.’s personal blog, learn about her workshops and consultation services, and access psychology-related resources (including Covid-19 resources and trauma & post-trauma resources) at naomibaum.com

Link to watch the FULL EPISODE on Jewanced’s Facebook page.

 

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For more information, visit us at http://www.jewanced.com

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About the Podcast

Jewanced
A nuanced exploration of Israel, the Jewish world and beyond
Jewanced is hosted by Dan Feferman and Benny Scholder, two guys who grew up in America and live in Israel.
They're curious. They want to discuss. They want to challenge popular conceptions, they want to think critically, examine independently, and most of all, they crave nuance.

Each episode features a different guest. All interesting and original people who strive to break boundaries. Together with Dan and Benny, take a deep dive into politics, foreign affairs, religion, science, technology, food, the arts, business – you name it. Explore the nuanced crossroads of Israel, the global Jewish experience, and beyond.

What's the goal? To create a daring platform where people share their stories, insights, creations, and visions. Jewanced has no talking points, no script, no agenda...just a deeper nuanced understanding of our existence.

Join them on a journey as they explore, think, debate and discuss …. And most of all, listen.

About your hosts

Benny Scholder

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With over a decade of experience in Israel's tourism industry, Benny has managed sales, marketing, travel content, digital content, and the operations aspects of tour companies and travel agencies. Today, he is the Director of Sales-North America at Kenes Tours, Israel's leading provider of incoming tourism services, where he is proud to deliver transformative, custom-crafted Israel travel experiences designed to exceed expectations.
Originally from Minneapolis, Benny fell in love with Israel as a young adult, moving to the country in 2004. He has an extensive background in everything Israel-travel related, having completed Israel's intensive tour guide course in 2010. His career spans both logistical, content-related, and sales management positions with major and boutique Israeli tour companies alike. Benny lives with his amazing wife Maayan and two incredible children in the charming village of Gedera. In addition to his passion for transformative travel experiences, he's super passionate about food, modern & ancient history, politics, addictive TV, and game-changing podcasts. Contact him at Benny@jewanced.com

Dan Feferman

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Dan Feferman is a Major (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces. For almost a decade, he served as a foreign policy and national security analyst, strategist and adviser in the IDF General Staff; as a special assistant to the Deputy Chief of the General Staff; and a commander in an elite intelligence unit of AMAN's Research and Analysis Division.

He is a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, a think-tank focusing on issues of importance to Israel and the Jewish people, where he researches religious pluralism in Israel, trends in Jewish identity and Israel-Diaspora relations. He is also a political and strategic consultant and publishes and speaks widely on the Middle East and Israeli defense and political matters.

He is the author of Rising Streams: Reform and Conservative Judaism in Israel, and of a soon-to-be-published book on the changing face of American Judaism.

Dan holds a BA in International Politics and Middle East Studies from the American University in Washington DC and an MA in National Security Studies from Tel Aviv University.

Originally from Indiana, Dan moved to Israel in 2005. He is married to Elisheva, has three amazing kids, and lives in Rehovot. When taking a break, Dan stays busy with Crossfit, martial arts and cooking.