Join us for an enlightening conversation with Ittay Flescher, peace-builder, educator, journalist and author of The Holy and the Broken: A cry for Israeli-Palestinian peace from a land that must be shared, and Emilia Diamant, seasoned social worker, educator, and program strategist. In this landmark work, Flescher reflects on decades of dialogue and grassroots work in Melbourne and Jerusalem, the trauma and tragedy of October 7 and the war that followed, and ultimately asks: how can Israelis and Palestinians find a shared future?
Through personal memoir, historic narrative and heartfelt letters, Flescher invites us to rethink the stories we tell about this conflict, to change our language, to build empathy, and to imagine what peace could look like in a land marked by holy stones and broken dreams. Whether you’re well-versed in Middle East politics or simply moved by human stories of reconciliation and hope, this talk will offer new insights into one of the world’s most difficult conflicts.
Ittay Flescher is the Education Director at Seeds of Peace Jerusalem, an organisation that empowers Israeli and Palestinian youth to create more just and peaceful communities.
He is also the Jerusalem Correspondent for The Jewish Independent from Australia.
As an insightful analyst of Israeli politics, he has been published in Haaretz, The Age, ABC Religion and Ethics, Jerusalem Post, Fathom and many other publications and newspapers.
In 2025, he published his first book with HarperCollins titled ‘The Holy and the Broken: A cry for Israeli-Palestinian peace from a land that must be shared.’
Before moving to Jerusalem in 2018, he was a high school educator in Melbourne for 15 years, teaching Australian History, Jewish Studies and Religion and Society.
Married with two children, he deeply loves his family, religion, and people. His purpose in life is to comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.

