Tomorrow's Women: Empowering Young Israeli, Palestinian, and American Women

A discussion with young Israeli and Palestinian women to foster empathy and mutual understanding, and provide a different Israeli–Palestinian reality during a time of deep division.

Organized by the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Co-sponsored by UCLA Dialogue Across Differences Committee (learn more here), the UCLA Department of Sociology, and the UCLA Center for Middle East Development.

About the Event

The motivation for founding Tomorrow’s Women 20 years ago was driven by the conviction that the cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians must cease. Tomorrow’s Women recognizes young women's potential as catalysts for change and trains young women from Palestine, Israel, and the United States to be strong, compassionate leaders who partner to resolve conflicts and inspire action that promotes equality, peace, and justice for all. In this talk, Noga Bar-Oz, a Jewish Israeli musician and the granddaughter of three Holocaust survivors will join her friend Lana Ikelan, a Palestinian journalist. Recounting their chance meeting as teenagers at a Tomorrow’s Women retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2016, they will discuss the impact of immersive dialogue and workshops in fostering empathy and mutual understanding. Sharing their personal stories and current work, Noga and Lana's journeys demonstrate Tomorrow’s Women’s mission of inspiring positive change through personal growth and activism, and providing a hopeful outlook on the possibility of a different Israeli-Palestinian reality. Click Here to learn more about Tomorrow's Women.

About the Speakers

Originally born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Palestinian parents, Lana Iklan moved to East Jerusalem as a young child with her family. She’s a journalist for an American news agency, with a front row seat covering the war, as well as the difficulties and dangers for journalists in the region right now. She previously interned within the Israeli Ministry of Justice’s Foreign Relations Unit and for EcoPeace, which promotes environmental sustainability in the West Bank. “These tours become a canvas upon which the colors of our collective aspirations for peace are vividly painted, leaving an indelible mark on those who bear witness to our shared mission.”

Originally from Haifa, Israel, Noga Bar-Oz is poised to graduate this spring from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where her diverse class consists of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. She also conducts an orchestra for Jewish and Arab children. Noga deeply connects to the land and people of her country. Three of Noga’s grandparents sought refuge in Israel after surviving the Holocaust. Until his death, every Passover, her grandfather would read from the Haggadah, or Exodus story book, that his father secretly created while in the concentration camp. “In this hard time, it is crucial to tell my story and spread my belief of the possibility of peace to come.”

Tamar Hofnung, Ph.D. (moderator) is the Israel Institute Fellow at UCLA's Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies and UCLA’s Department of Sociology. Prior to joining UCLA, Tamar held the Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Berkeley's Sociology Department. Having earned her Ph.D. in Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tamar specialized in human rights under the joint program "Human Rights Under Pressure" with Freie Universität Berlin. Tamar has also served as a Japanese government scholar (MEXT), conducting research for two years at Kyoto University's Institute of Research in Humanities. Tamar's ongoing research focuses on racial and gender equality policies in Israel and the United States, with a specific emphasis on gender violence and equitable representation. Her scholarly contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Annenberg Foundation Prize of Excellence in American Studies, the Jacques Nass Political Economy Prize of Excellence, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Post-Doctoral Award for Exceptional Female Researcher.

DISCLAIMER: The views or opinions of our guest speakers and the content of their presentations do not necessarily reflect the views of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies. Hosting speakers does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views or opinions.