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DAVAR

A National Initiative for
Zionism and Israel Literacy

Davar brings substantive, discussion-based programs on Zionism and Israel to communities across the country.

Built around A Brief History of Israel and the Jewish People

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See Davar in action

Learning Together

Davar in Action

Programs for adults, young adults, and teens, from whole-room dialogue to small-group discussion.

Holding a microphone, Davar founder Jared Stone addresses a large group of high school students seated in rows across a bright, wood-paneled room.
A program for teens.
Jared Stone leads a program for adults seated at tables, beside a screen showing the program menu: three subjects, each offered for adults, young adults, and teens.
The program menu: three subjects, three audiences.
Facing an adult audience in a synagogue sanctuary, Jared Stone leads an open discussion, with the discussion prompts on a screen beside him.
A program for adults.
Dozens of adults sit in small circles of chairs across a chandeliered hall, discussing printed handouts with one another.
Small-group discussion during a Davar program.

The Approach

Argument for the Sake of Heaven

Davar programs are built on makhloket leshem shamayim, the Jewish tradition of constructive disagreement. Each session sets competing ideas side by side, grounds them in the historical events where they played out, and gives participants room to test them in conversation with one another.

The aim is not to tell anyone what to think, but to leave them with clearer frameworks for understanding Zionism, Israel, and the debates that shape both.

Three subjects
Zionism Israeli Politics Israel in American Politics
Three audiences
Adults Young Adults Teens
View the Program Menu

Programs are led by Jared Stone, Davar’s founder and the author of A Brief History of Israel and the Jewish People. He graduated magna cum laude in 2025 from Princeton University, where he studied Politics and wrote his senior thesis on early Revisionist Zionism.

From Participant Surveys

The Davar Experience

  • Learning

    97%

    Reported a greater understanding of the topics explored during their Davar program.

    Among respondents who began below the maximum understanding rating.

  • Recommendation

    91%

    Likely to recommend Davar to a friend.

  • Continued Interest

    68%

    Interested in attending another Davar program.

About these results

These figures come from voluntary participant surveys, 44 responses in total. They reflect those who chose to respond and are not a measure of every Davar participant.

  • 97%: Respondents rated their understanding of the topics explored during their program before and after it took place. Of the 29 whose starting rating was below the maximum of 5, 28 reported a higher rating afterward.
  • 91%: 40 of 44 respondents rated their likelihood of recommending the program to a friend as 4 or 5 out of 5.
  • 68%: 30 of 44 respondents answered “Yes” when asked whether they would be interested in attending another Davar program. The remaining 14 answered “Maybe.” None answered “No.”

In Their Words

What Participants Are Saying

“I appreciated that [Davar] emphasized the function of disagreement within the development of the Zionist movement.”

Teen Participant

“You will learn about the different types of Zionism as you never knew it before.”

Adult Participant

“[Davar] taught me so much about the Israeli political system.”

Teen Participant

“The debate of the four topics [of Zionism] opens the door within the community for further discussion and breaking down barriers between groups!”

Adult Participant

“[Davar] was fun and I learned important information about how the election goes and how to predict the outcome.”

Teen Participant

Next Steps

Host a Davar Program

Explore interactive educational programs designed for adults, young adults, and teens.

Bring Davar to Your Community Program Menu About the Book Donate