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The Provost's Initiative on the Middle East is an ongoing effort to make space in the Duke campus community for rigorous and respectful debate in which differing perspectives are welcome on current and past conflicts in the region.
In a Feb. 12 message to the Duke community, Provost Alec D. Gallimore announced the initiative, which is building on the activities of Duke departments, schools, centers, and institutes to:
- foster constructive and civil dialogues about these complex, contentious, and emotionally charged issues in ways that enhance understanding and build skills that lead to shared learning;
- take advantage of the talent and expertise available at Duke supplemented as needed with the voices of outside scholars, writers, and political actors; and
- nurture a sense of community, particularly between individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.
The initiative is led by Bruce Jentleson, the William Preston Few Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science and an expert on the Middle East as well as international security and U.S. foreign policy broadly. Professor Jentleson is working in partnership with Vice Provost Abbas Benmamoun and Associate Provost Noah Pickus and in consultation with a faculty working group and others in the campus community, including academic programs in Trinity College with expertise on the Middle East as well as the Center for Muslim Life and Jewish Life at Duke.
Together, they will be organizing a variety of events, programs and engagement opportunities that strive to model thoughtful and civil engagement, provide a forum for different perspectives on the conflict, and enhance understanding based on expertise and evidence-based scholarship, and supporting others at Duke who are striving to do the same through their own activities.
As many of you told me, communications about these conflicts can be fraught... But as members of a pluralistic community who strive to practice civil discourse, we shouldn’t shy away from conversations just because they’re difficult.
Provost Alec D. Gallimore
News
Upcoming Events
Check back soon for Spring 2026 events!
Past Events
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Nov. 21 | Film Screening: Hesitation Wound by Selman Nacar
Join us for a special screening of Hesitation Wound, the award-winning 2023 film by acclaimed director Selman Nacar, followed by a discussion and Q&A with the filmmaker. This powerful film invites dialogue across disciplines—bringing together students, faculty, and community members interested in world cinema, law and ethics, contemporary Turkey, and questions of justice and humanity.
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Nov. 13 | Salam Fayyad
The Program in American Grand Strategy will host a fireside chat with Salam Fayyad, the former prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Peter Feaver will moderate. This is a ticketed event open to Duke students, staff, and faculty.
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Nov. 11 | Hedy Wald
Physician Hedy Wald comes to Duke for a special lecture on "The Role of Medicine During the Holocaust and its Contemporary Relevance: Sustaining Our Moral Compass." Wald is Clinical Professor of Family Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Faculty, Harvard Medical School Pediatrics Leadership Program, and Commissioner, Lancet Commission on Medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust.
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Nov. 9 | Duke Chorale and Tunisia88 Youth Choir Concert
Join the Duke Chorale for a vibrant and inspiring evening as they perform with the Tunisia88 Youth Choir in a cross-cultural celebration of music from around the Mediterranean Basin. Experience powerful voices, rich harmonies, and a dynamic exchange of global musical traditions — all in one unforgettable (and free) concert!
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Oct. 6 | Hope Amidst Devastation: Building a School for Gaza’s Orphans
In July, Duke neurosurgeon David Hasan opened a school and feeding center in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, for children orphaned by the Israel-Hamas war. Its supporters include chef and humanitarian José Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, which is providing the school's meals. Hasan will share his story of bringing hope to a region devastated by war.
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Sept 4-27: GIVAT HAVIVA Residency Showcase
Duke University is hosting five Israeli Jewish, Palestinian and Druze graduate student artists from Givat Haviva, The Center for a Shared Society, for a six-week residency aimed at developing understanding through the creation of artistic works from their unique and shared perspectives. This showcase at the Rubenstein Arts Center will feature works by each visiting artist.
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Sept. 19 | Emily Jacir: Artist Talk & Screening
As poetic as it is political and biographical, Emily Jacir’s work investigates silenced histories, exchange, translation, transformation, and resistance. Jacir, who has been actively involved in education in Palestine since 2000, will speak at 5:30 pm in the Film Theater in the Rubenstein Arts Center.
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Sept. 16: Understanding Through Art: Middle Eastern Artists’ Showcase and Interfaith Conversation
Students are invited to engage with Israeli artists from different religious backgrounds — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze — who work in media ranging from sculpture and painting to photography and musical composition. Organized by Duke Chapel and Religious Life at Duke in collaboration with the Office of the Provost.
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Sept. 9 | 505 Days: A Journey of Resilience, Faith and Hope with survivor Omer Shem Tov
Omer Shem Tov, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attacks who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival and spent 505 days in captivity in Gaza before being released in a hostage deal, will share his story of resilience, faith, and a continued commitment to the cause of freeing the remaining hostages in Gaza and promoting peace. Open to Duke students, staff, and faculty only.
Click to view a full listing of events sponsored by the Provost's Initiative on the Middle East.
Givat Haviva Artist Residency at Duke
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Five Israeli Jewish, Palestinian and Druze artists are visiting Duke University for a six-week residency aimed at developing understanding through the creation of artistic works from their unique and shared perspectives. The artists, graduate students at Givat Haviva, The Center for a Shared Society in Israel, are engaging with Duke students, creating and exhibiting art on and off campus, and visiting arts venues and arts organizations throughout the Triangle region. The residency was organized by the Provost’s Initiative on the Middle East with support from the Office of the Vice Provost for the Arts and the Charles H. Revson Foundation.
Conference: From Destruction to Sustainable Regional Recovery
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The Provost's Initiative on the Middle East is partnering with two civil society organizations, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (IL) and Damour for Community Development (PA), to convene a conference in Washington bringing together Palestinian and Israeli voices to strategize ways to move from destruction towards sustainable regional recovery following the war in Gaza. The conference, scheduled for Sept. 18-19 at Duke in D.C., will feature presentations, panel discussions, and working meetings. Participation is by invitation only.
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Conflict and Crisis in the Middle East and Beyond
In partnership with the Provost’s Initiative on the Middle East, nine Bass Connections project teams spent 2024-25 exploring research topics related to geopolitical conflict and humanitarian crises in the Middle East and beyond.
People
Leadership
- Bruce Jentleson, Public Policy
- Abbas Benmamoun, Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement
- Noah Pickus, Associate Provost and Professor of Public Policy
Conveners
- Gary Bennett, Dean, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences (Academic Structures)
- Kim Hewitt, Vice President, Institutional Equity (Belonging and Civility)
- Mary Pat McMahon, Vice Provost / Vice President, Student Affairs (Engagement)
- Luke Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel and Professor of Homiletics and African and African American Studies (Interfaith and Pluralism)
- Joe Salem, University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs (Education)
Faculty Working Group
- Abdullah Antepli, Sanford School of Public Policy
- Elana Friedman, Campus Rabbi and Jewish Chaplain
- Seth Cohen, Medicine
- Shai Ginsburg, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Kata Gellen, German Studies and Director, Center for Jewish Studies
- David Hasan, Medicine
- Mbaye Lo, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Director, Duke Middle Eastern Studies Center and Duke Islamic Center
- Ellen McLarney, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
- Eric Meyers, Religious Studies
- Andrew Park, Office of the Provost
- Jen'nan Read, Sociology
- Mara Revkin, Law and Political Science
- Joshua Salaam, Director and Chaplain of Muslim Life
- Rebecca Stein, Cultural Anthropology
- David Toole, Theology, Ethics, and Global Health
- Erika Weinthal, Environmental Policy and Public Policy
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Contact Us
We want to hear from you. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for activities, please email middleeastinitiative@duke.edu.