October 6, 2026- Can Israelis and Palestinians Talk Through Poetry?
This conversation, part of the Samantha Woll Dialogues, brings together two writers, Almog Behar and Ayat Abou Shmeiss, both of whom use the language of poetry to explore their own identities: Jerusalem-born Behar looks to his family roots in Iraq and Turkey to advocate for the restoration of Arabic to its place in Jewish culture, and Jaffa-born Abou Shmeiss expresses her dual identity as a Muslim-Palestinian and as an Israeli citizen in her award-winning poetry and human rights advocacy. The panel will be moderated by Raoul Wallenberg Institute Fellow Stephanie Kraver, a scholar of modern Arabic and Hebrew literature who specializes in transcultural exchange, expressions of mourning, trauma theory, and translation.
October 27, 2026- Should Universities Strive to Bridge Division?
This panel brings together three former university presidents to explore whether colleges and universities have a responsibility to bridge social, political, and religious divides and, if so, whether they are succeeding and how they can do better. University of Michigan President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman will moderate the exchange, which will also feature Brian Rosenberg, president emeritus of Macalester College and author of ‘Whatever It Is, I’m Against It’: Resistance to Change in Higher Education; and Teresa A. Sullivan, president emerita of the University of Virginia and former provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan.
November 17, 2026- Should Hate Speech be Protected?
What does the law say about hate speech? What speech is protected by the First Amendment? Should hate speech be protected? This conversation, part of the Samantha Woll Dialogues, will explore some of the contentious societal and legal issues surrounding free speech and hate speech. Panelists will include James Loeffler, director of the Stulman Program in Jewish Studies at Johns Hopkins University and author of Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight Over Free Speech in Modern America, and Suzanne Nossel, Lester Crown Senior Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, former CEO of PEN America, and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. The conversation will be moderated by Richard Primus, Theodore J. St. Antoine Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan.
