Israeli & Palestinian Entrepreneurs Build Businesses & Friendships
“What can Israeli and Palestinian students learn from a Denzel Washington movie?,” Professor Ted Grossman writes in Stanford Social Innovation Review.
“If that movie is Remember the Titans, the lessons are numerous. The film is one of my favorites and is based on the true story of a racially integrated football team in Alexandria, Virginia. At a time when integration was an unpopular and explosive issue, the Titans learned to cooperate, worked toward a common goal, and emerged victorious as Virginia’s 1971 state champions.
This summer, I have been leading a diverse group of 44 students through a program called Bridging the Cultural Divide through Entrepreneurship. My Babson College classroom is a neutral zone where these young people—17 Israeli Jews, 20 Palestinians, and 7 Israeli Arabs—have the opportunity to learn alongside one another and work cooperatively. In the spirit of Remember the Titans, my dream is that the relationships formed on campus this summer will foster hope and understanding within the group that they will carry back home with them”