Welcome to the Commune podcast. My name is Jeff Krasno. Today I welcome Rabbi Sharon Brous to the show.

Rabbi Brous is the senior and founding rabbi of Echar, a leading-edge Jewish community, based here in Los Angeles,

and author of the national bestseller, The Amen Effect, Ancient Wisdom, to heal our hearts

and mend our broken world. Now, while Rabbi Brous was not physically present at the Peace

Initiative for Israel-Palest Palestine Summit that I recently hosted

in Topanga. This interview took place just days after the conference concluded, so it was fresh

on my mind, and you will hear me reference it a number of times. In our conversation, Rabbi

Browse emphasizes the importance of what she calls sacred encounters where people truly see and hear

each other's stories, particularly in times of grief or sorrow. And she points towards the

ancient Jewish ritual of turning toward the brokenhearted and asking, tell me what happened to

you as a model for deep empathetic listening.

Together, we discuss the healing power of storytelling and how sharing story can metabolize trauma

and can prevent victims from becoming victimizers, where unresolved trauma leads to further violence.

Rabbi Browse shares specific practices for making care and empathy actionable,

including what she calls go to the funeral, air on the side of presence.

I love that quote.

She also talks about the importance of meeting your neighbors, of seeing no stranger,

of service, and of grieving with joy. This was just a wonderful conversation. Rabbi Brous has

been one of the clearest and most articulate voices on the conflict in Israel-Palestine,

and I'm thrilled to feature her wisdom here on the show.

So without further delay, I present to you Rabbi Sharon Brous.

Thank you.

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