Where Disagreement Builds, Not Breaks

The Jewish community in Louisville, like Jewish communities across the United States, faces an unprecedented convergence of challenges related to Jewish identity. We are experiencing a significant rise in antisemitism locally, nationally, and globally. Complex debates surrounding
Israel’s wars and regional conflicts, the evolving relationship between American and Israeli Jews, and an increasingly polarized political environment have placed Jewish Americans at the center of difficult and often divisive conversations.

Within our community, a wide spectrum of deeply held beliefs exists on these issues. This initiative puts machloket l’shem shamayim, disagreement for the sake of heaven, into practice by training facilitators to hold brave, structured dialogue that seeks understanding and the communal good rather than “winning.” By centering on kavod (dignity), curiosity, and responsibility to one another, it transforms conflict into learning, strengthens relationships across differences, and builds a more resilient Jewish community.