Our Workshops

I appreciate the practical ideas and tools you shared.

Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras’s book, Stories for the Sake of Argument, reminds us each week that knowing our perspective requires that we constantly shift the seat we are in so we are seeing situations from more than our own eyes. I am so grateful to have Stories for the Sake of Argument as an integral part of our Shabbat conversations as each week, we turn to a new story and discuss. Not only has this book shifted how we argue but also we are better listeners and have learned to take in all the information before stating opinions or debating.

Yet in their lat­est edu­ca­tion­al resource, Sto­ries for the Sake of Argu­ment, Rob­bie Gringras and Abi Dauber Sterne do just that. Their book is an invalu­able plat­form for stu­dents and teach­ers alike to explore some of the thornier and more divi­sive ques­tions that Israelis and Amer­i­cans face daily.

Using stories as a jumping-off point, participants learn to direct their emotions and opinions in constructive ways that lead to productive conversations and new understandings. I highly recommend this unique, groundbreaking educational program for Jewish educators everywhere.

The session helped me to envision how facilitated conversations on Israel might play out in select communities that we are now approaching about hosting similar conversations. These would be less about navigating disagreement and more about toeing into hard conversations about Israel.

This book represents the creative handicraft of two master educators, who use the format of stories and the processing of narratives to help shape more dignified, enduring, respectful and meaningful conversations across differences. Stories for the Sake of Argument has an important place in homes, classrooms, boardrooms and libraries world-over.

The feedback from the students was exceptionally positive, all stressing just how helpful it was - the role of argument, the specifics of that as pedagogy, and of course, applying it to education about Israel.

"Let’s be real: we live In a world where an ideological dispute can tear close friends and family apart. We shout. We block. And thus, we become more polarized. Stories for the Sake of Argument changes this paradigm by helping reframe disagreement as something healthy and necessary for learning, growth, and a better world. I love this book and think people of all ages and walks of life should read it."

“For the Sake of Argument demonstrates to participants the value of leaning into, and even embracing, argument rather than shying away from it. Using stories as a jumping-off point, participants learn to direct their emotions and opinions in constructive ways that lead to productive conversations and new understandings. I highly recommend this unique, groundbreaking educational program for Jewish educators everywhere.”

“Understanding why people disagree and learning to do so for the common good is essential for both the healthy development of children and the healthy functioning of democratic societies. Accessible for adults and children alike, Stories for the Sake of Argument offers engaging stories and meaningful discussion questions perfect for kick-starting conversations about how and why people disagree. This book is perfect for families who want to work together to practice arguing with compassion and schools who want to teach children how to engage with one another and with larger questions about how to live in a community in which people argue.”

"This book offers a fresh and brilliantly original approach to some of the thorniest questions that press on Jews and Israelis as they navigate their relationship with each other and the wider world. Rather than avoid conflict and argument, it urges us to embrace it - encouraging families and communities to get it all out in the open. With great empathy and wisdom, Robbie Gringras and Abigail Dauber Sterne urge us not to steer clear of the things that divide us but to thrash them out, face to face, heart to heart - and they do it by telling stories. Stories, questions, arguments: it's a bracing and provocative formula - and could hardly be more Jewish."

“From family tensions to communal and national schisms, Stories for the Sake of Argument offers a wise blueprint for navigating one of the great challenges of our time: how to conduct passionate but respectful disagreements. At a time when democracies are unraveling and fellow citizens increasingly perceive each other as enemies, this book is a gift.”

"This book represents the creative handicraft of two master educators, who use the format of stories and the processing of narratives to help shape more dignified, enduring, respectful and meaningful conversations across differences. This book calls for interactive wrestling and deep engagement. Stories for the Sake of Argument has an important place in homes, classrooms, boardrooms and libraries world-over."

"Everyone tells us to learn from one another, but few teach us how to do it. “Stories” gives us the stories, the questions — the tools we need — to get our own point across and to listen to the other. A vital contribution to a confused world."

“Deepening engagement with Israel requires more substantive debates not more rosy pictures of idyllic Israeli life. These extraordinarily gifted educators accompany readers into intense stories about real questions about justice and equality, the stuff upon which serious, life-long attachments can be built. I can’t wait to use the book to transform polarizing tirades into principled debates that change all of us for good. This is a book progressive Jews have been waiting for!”