In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Yardena Schwartz about the 1929 Jewish Massacre in Hebron. They give an overview of the 1929 Hebron massacre, review of Ottoman and British rule of Palestine, and talk about Hebron and holy sites in Palestine. They also discuss an independent Palestine, motivations and propoganda before the 1929 massacre, Haj Amin, lineage of Amin to present-day Palestinian leadership, October 7 massacre, and many more topics. Yardena Schwartz is an award-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated producer. From 2013 to 2023 she was based in Israel, where she reported for dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Economist, New York Review of Books, and Foreign Policy. She has also reported from Morocco, Nepal, Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany, and the United States.​ Yardena previously worked at NBC News, including stints at The Today Show, Nightly News, and MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports. She graduated with honors from Columbia Journalism School in 2011, earned an Emmy nomination in 2013, and an RNA award for excellence in magazine reporting in 2016. ​ Ghosts of a Holy War is Yardena's first book.Website: https://www.yardenaschwartz.com/ Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In a compelling dialogue, Nathan Thrall, an American writer and Pulitzer Prize winner residing in Jerusalem, shares insights about the Palestinian experience in the city. He discusses the impact of personal narratives in shedding light on the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Thrall explores the geography of the region, the implications of Israeli government policies, and the historical roots of Palestinian movements. His examination of the human stories behind these issues stresses the urgent need for understanding and dialogue amidst a backdrop of conflict and displacement.

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Lauren Oakes about forest and trees and the impact of climate change. They talk about the Global Tree Restoration study of 2019, impact of forests on the planet, and how we obtain data on forests. They talk about what is a forest, reforestation and afforestation, forest transition, and the Carboniferous period. They talk about the Land Gap Report, carbon accounting, offsets, incentive structures, ecosystem services, urban forests, and many more topics. Lauren E. Oakes is an ecologist and writer who writes on forests, climate, the complex relationship humans have with nature. She has her Ph.D. from the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program for Environment and Resources at Stanford University. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Scientific American, Emergence Magazine, Nautilus and other media outlets. Her first book, In Search of the Canary Tree, was selected as one of Science Friday’s Best Science Books of 2018. In 2019, it won second place for the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award and was a finalist for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Communication Award. She is the author of the most recent book, Treekeepers. Website: https://leoakes.com/ Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Michel Brahic about prions. They provide an overview of proteins, prion proteins, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, and importance of cells and ribosomes. They also talk about neuroanatomical regions relevant for prions, Lewy Body, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, memory, future of medical research, and many more topics. Michel Brahic, an expert in viral and prion infections of the brain, is Professeur Honoraire at Institut Pasteur in Paris. He has been Directeur de Recherche at CNRS and Consulting Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. His work has been published in Nature, Cell, New Scientist, and other journals. He is the author of the latest book, The Power of Prions: The Strange and Essential Proteins that can cause Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other diseases. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Sarah B. Hrdy about a natural history of fathers. They discuss fathers as caregivers, different roles, role of prolactin with male care, decrease of testosterone in new fathers, alloparenting, grandmother hypothesis, attachment in fathers, fatherhood in the 21st century, and many more topics. Sarah B. Hrdy is an anthropologist and primatologist who is professor emerita at the University of California-Davis. She has her PhD in Anthropology from Harvard University. She is a former Guggenheim fellow and has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the California Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. She is the author of numerous award-winning books such as That Woman That Never Evolved, Mother Nature, Mothers and Others, and her most recent, Father Time. Website: https://www.citrona.com/hrdy Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Geoffrey Wawro about the Vietnam War. They discuss why the U.S. chose to get involved in Vietnam, Eisenhower’s approach, JFK’s approach, and the attempted coups in Vietnam. They talk about the domino theory, McNamara, U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 1964/1965, the draft, high casualties of 1967/1968, public sentiment, LBJ not running for re-election, Nixon’s approach, legacy of the Vietnam War, and many other topics. Geoffrey Wawro is Distinguished Research Professor of Military History and Founding Director of the Military History Center at the University of North Texas. He has previously served as professor of strategy & policy, and strategic studies at the U.S. Naval War College and was a Fullbright Scholar in Vienna. He has his Bachelors from Brown University, his MPhil and PhD from Yale University. He is the author of several books, including the most recent, The Vietnam War: A Military History. Website: https://geoffreywawro.com/ Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Nick Lloyd about the Eastern Front of World War I. They discuss the Eastern Front and why it has been neglected in popular understanding, major players and landscape of the Eastern Front, and the role of Galicia. They discuss 1915 and fall of Serbia, impact of the Russian Revolution, final years of the war, and many more topics. Nick Lloyd is Professor of Modern Warfare at King's College London based at the Joint Services Command & Staff College in Shrivenham, Wiltshire. He has PhD from the University of Birmingham. He is the author of five books including the most recent book, The Eastern Front: A History of The Great War, 1914-1918. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Robin Waterfield about his new English translation of Aesop’s Fables. They discuss the timeless nature of Aesop’s fables, translating the fables, selecting the 400 fables, and authorship of the fables. They also discuss categorizing the fables, their structure, morals and ethics in the fables, comparisons with other fables, and many other topics.Robin Waterfield is a British classical scholar, translator, and editor, specializing in Ancient Greek philosophy. He has written and/or translated many works, including the recent English translation of Aesop’s Fables. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Paula Fredriksen about the various Christianities in the early 1st and 2nd centuries. They discuss how there are many Christianities, contradictions within the New Testament, integration of Jews and pagans in the Mediterranean in the 1st century, and Jewish diaspora. They also talk about the crucifixion of Jesus, the idea of Israel, and persecution of early Christians. They discuss early eschatology, early church fathers, Constantine, Asceticism, and many more topics.Paula Fredriksen is fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Aurelio Professor of Scripture emerita at Boston University and Distinguished Visiting Professor emerita in the Department of Comparative Religions at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has degrees from Wellesley College, Oxford University and Princeton University and is published widely on the social and intellectual history of ancient Christianity and on pagan-Jewish-Christian relations in the Roman Empire. She is the author of numerous books, including the most recent, Ancient Christianities: The First Five Hundred Years. Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Ben Goldfarb about road ecology. They define road ecology, discuss current landscape of roadways in the U.S., and discuss road crossings. They talk about the human impact of animal roadkill, Banff National park, current state of road crossings, Federal and State involvement, road crossings in cities, future of road crossings, and many more topics. Ben Goldfarb is an independent conservation journalist who has written fiction and non-fiction in various outlets such as The Atlantic, Science, The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, The Guardian, Outside Magazine, Smithsonian, Audubon Magazine, Scientific American, and other publications. His non-fiction work was also anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing. He is the author Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and the recent book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times. Website: https://www.bengoldfarb.com/ Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe