Survival, Friendship, Acceptance and Hope beyond barriers with Ruth Ebenstein #isharehope Episode 83

Ruth Ebenstein is an
American-Israeli writer, historian and health activist who loves to
laugh a lot and heartily. She has published her writing on both
sides of the Atlantic and won two first-place Simon Rockower
awards, sponsored by the American Jewish Press Association, One was
for an essay that ran in Tablet about her Israeli-Palestinian
breast cancer support group's trip to Sarajevo to meet other
survivors who support each other across religious and ethnic lines.
Through the group, Ruth befriended Ibtisam Erekat, a devout Muslim
Palestinian woman whom she now calls sister. She has written about
this friendship for The Atlantic.

Ruth graduated from Northwestern
University's Medill School of Journalism and completed an M.A. in
German history magna cum laude from The Hebrew University of
Jerusalem. A native of Southfield, Michigan, Ruth lives with her
husband, three sons and two stepdaughters in Jerusalem. She is
writing a memoir about her experience, tentatively titled, Ibtisam
and I: An unexpected friendship across the Israeli-Palestinian
divide. Ruth's story has been covered by the BBC, NPR, The
Atlantic, & Alhurra TV. Her uplifting message: you can turn
something bad into something good.