Dina Kraft, host of Hadassah’s 5-star monthly podcast The Branch, will make special appearances in four U.S. cities starting December 15th, announced Ellen Hershkin, President of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA). The veteran journalist will share moving stories from the podcast The Branch, which offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of Israelis and Palestinians and Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel forging meaningful relationships with each other in a complex reality. The Branch has already released 14 episodes to date, with more episodes to follow.
Kraft will launch her U.S. tour on Sunday, December 15th in the Greater Boston Area. Other appearances include New York City Metro Area on Tuesday, December 17th, Washington, DC on Thursday, December 19th; and Miami, FL on Sunday, December 22nd. Dina Kraft's 2019 U.S. tour is made possible by The Rayah Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation. For more information on Dina Kraft’s U.S. itinerary and venues, see below or visit www.hadassah.org/thebranch.
The Branch is available at hadassah.org/thebranch or on Apple Podcasts and all other major podcast platforms.
The Branch shares inspiring stories of everyday people doing the work of creating a shared society in Israel, where all people can live together in equality and dignity. Each episode focuses on a different pair – from rappers in a hip-hop group who perform together in Arabic, Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian, and journalists who have worked together for decades (one from Gaza and one from Tel Aviv), to nurses running the dialysis unit together at Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) and physicians at the same hospital who treat survivors of rape.
Kraft states, “I have been lucky to step into the lives of those I have interviewed for The Branch and to tell the story of the relationships they have forged in such a range of settings and the good they have built – whether as teachers in bi-lingual Arabic-Hebrew classrooms, physicians at HMO navigating the cultural backgrounds of their patients, or a kibbutznik and an Arab chef running an ice cream company together. I have been thrilled to join Hadassah to make these rich, vibrant and under-told stories available to a global audience and am looking forward to connecting with our U.S. audiences on our first anniversary. Our audiences are hungry for stories of hope, of people connecting on a human level and contributing to a different, more optimistic future."
HMO's two world-class hospital campuses in Jerusalem, which received a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nomination for offering "Bridges to Peace" through equality of medical treatment, are the model for today's shared society in Israel.
Kraft’s New York appearance on Tuesday, December 17th from 7:00-9:00 PM is at LMHQ, 150 Broadway, 20th Floor, NY 10038. She will be joined by Josh Kross, producer of The Branch, who also produces several other podcasts including Tablet’s Unorthodox. The event will be hosted by Stephanie Butnick, Tablet deputy editor and Unorthodox co-host.
About Dina Kraft
Currently based in Tel Aviv, Dina Kraft is a journalist, editor and educator, as well as a gifted storyteller and an expert on Israeli politics and culture. She is a correspondent for both Haaretz and The Christian Science Monitor where she reports on Israeli and Palestinian politics, culture and society. Her writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic and she is the former Israel correspondent for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Kraft was formerly an Associated Press correspondent based in Jerusalem and Johannesburg. She has reported throughout Africa, as well as from Pakistan, Jordan, Tunisia, Russia and Ukraine. She previously directed a graduate program in digital journalism at Northeastern University in Boston. She was a 2012 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and a 2015 Ochberg Fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University.
Dina Kraft’s Schedule: Date / Venue / Time
Greater Boston Area - Sunday, December 15th; 10:30 AM -12:30 PM; Seasons 52, 220 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467; $36; Registration Link
New York City Metro Area - Tuesday, December 17th; 7:00-9:00 PM; LMHQ, 150 Broadway, 20th Floor, NY, NY 10038 $36 members; $50 non-members; Registration Link
Washington - Thursday, December 19th; 7:00-9:15 PM; The BOLD Center, 4000 Chesapeake St. NW, Washington, DC 20016; $18 members; $36 non-members (includes annual Hadassah membership) Registration Link
Miami - Sunday, December 22nd,, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM The Betsy South Beach Hotel, 1440 Ocean Drive, South Beach, FL33139; $36 members; Registration Link
MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Contact: Renee Young
Hadassah National Public Relations
ryoung@hadassah.org
212.303.8140
About HWZOA
Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States. With 300,000 members, associates and supporters Hadassah brings women together to effect change and advocate on critical issues such as women’s health equity and the security of Israel. Through the Hadassah Medical Organization's two hospitals, the world-renowned trauma center and the leading research facility in Jerusalem, Hadassah supports the delivery of exemplary patient care to over a million people every year. HMO serves without regard to race, religion or nationality and earned a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2005 for building “bridges to peace” through equality in medical treatment. For more information, visit www.hadassah.org.