Show notes
In this podcast, we will be discussing the book An Improbable Friendship, by Anthony David.Friendships can happen in the most unlikely of places, in the most unlikely of times. Like romance, it is hard to predict who our friends will be, and even harder to ignore forces that make a friendship blossom. Such is the case of Ruth Dayan, an Israeli Jew, and Raymonda Tawil, a Palestinian Christian. If you asked either of the women if they thought when they first met after the Six Days War in 1967 that they would be lifelong friends, both would laugh and then make a dig at the other’s culture and politics, while professing their admiration for each other. That is their friendship—born out of conflict and forged through decades of turmoil and heartbreak, the two women have a deeply rooted respect and love for each other that transcends borders, religion, and nationalism. Each of them a power broker in a male-dominated society, their intertwined stories are ones of strength and determination. These Modern Athenas demonstrate that no matter a woman’s identity, we all want to create meaning and purpose for ourselves and in our world. INDEX0:00 Intro and Background of the Book1:17 Overview of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict3:18 Ruth Dayan8:!5 Raymonda Tawil13:40 1967: Their Paths Cross for the First Time18:52 April 1973: Kamal Nasser21:39 1974: Ruth Travels the World on Behalf of Maskit and the World Craft Council23:25 The Tree Planting in the Peace Forest of Neve Shalom26:59 The Two-Staters28:36 Secret Backchannel34:37 Rabine is Assasinated40:04 Ruth Meets Arafat: 199941:45 Raymonda’s Power43:15 The Jordanian Funeral44:37 The End of Arafat46:38 The Walls48:27 The Book51:05 Outro and Next EpisodeVisit www.modernathenas.com for links to all episodes. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or YouTube. Send us feedback or leave a review! Thanks for listening.Follow us on Twitter/Facebook @modernathenasFollow us on Instagram @themodernathenaspodcastThanks for listening and sharing in the conversation.