Mark Braverman and Gary Burge on Israel and Palestine

Mark Braverman is a Jewish American with family roots in Jerusalem. He’s a retired clinical psychologist and currently serves as Executive Director of Kairos USA, a movement to unify and mobilize American Christians to take a prophetic stance for a just peace in Israel and Palestine. He’s written two books on Israel and Palestine, “Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews, and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land” and “A Wall in Jerusalem: Hope, Healing, and the Struggle for Justice in Israel and Palestine.”

Gary Burge is an Adjunct Professor of New Testament here at Calvin Theological Seminary. He is an expert on the integration of theology and the politics of the Middle East, and has written a number of books, including “Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians” and “Jesus and the Land: The New Testament Challenge to Holy Land Theology.”

The interview with Mark and Gary took place on October 31, 2023, just two-and-a-half weeks after the Hamas attack on Israel, as Israel’s retaliation in Gaza continued. These two experts unpack the history, theology, and politics of the land to help us understand the current conflict and how we can respond.