Connection Point Director Yasmina Mrabet interviewed writer and photojournalist Mati Milstein about his recent book, My New Middle East: Inside the Israeli Conundrum. His responses are below. This is the first part of a two-part interview. Read part two here.
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What was the inspiration and intent behind your recently published book My New Middle East: Inside the Israeli Conundrum? Why was it important for you to share this part of your life?
The chapters that make up My New Middle East were written as newspaper columns over the course of ten years. The intention of …

Nora Lester Murad
Jerusalem, Palestine

“It’s critical (critical!) to learn about past and present injustices and indignities, but counterproductive to let history hold us back.”
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Neda* was in my house. In Jerusalem! A friend sneaked her in from Ramallah. It’s not easy getting past the Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint or around the Annexation Wall. But Palestinians have their ways. If they need to get to work or want to shop at the mall or have to visit a sick relative, they get creative. And Neda had a critical mission to fulfill—exploring historic …

Michele Mician
Palm Springs, CA USA 
“This year my mission is to actively respond to chaos with calm. To take negative experiences and see the good.”
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I live a wonderful life. I have two homes… one in beautiful sunny southwest Florida and one in warm, sunny, and equally beautiful southern California. My work took me to California a few years ago. It is very rewarding and I venture to say I have my dream job. I work as a sustainability manager for a small local government. My job entails working on many projects …

Inshah Malik
Kashmir
“Rape is not merely an assault on a body. Every such violation is an assault on memory which often forces women to shift from living to merely existing.”
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The gruesome gang rape that happened recently in the capital city New Delhi has shocked the Indian nation. The young woman, a 23-year-old college student, was gang raped on a private bus, and six men reportedly in a drunken state were involved in the heinous crime. The barbarity of the incident of shoving iron rod into the private organs of the girl …