WHY HISTORY IS KEY TO MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT RESOLUTION WITH DR. ISRAEL ZIGHELBOIM
This world can be a difficult place to live in, and some people have felt it more acutely than others.
We know of the history of African Americans in the U.S. during slavery and the Civil Rights era. We sometimes hear about massacres of people over culture, religion, and ethnicity in places like Sudan or Turkey.
The current situation in Israel and Palestine also illustrates this perfectly. And while this ongoing conflict stretches back to the creation of Israel for both sides, the struggle for safety and survival goes back millennia for the Jewish people. And it involves a history that many (including those with strong opinions on the Middle East matter) aren’t aware of.
But Dr. Israel Zighelboim is certainly aware, and he’s trying to help others gain that same awareness. He’s a proud first-generation Venezuelan, a current U.S. Citizen, and a Jewish man. I’ve known him for 20 years, and he’s the perfect guest for this series of intersectionality interviews I’ve become inspired to do.
In this episode of the Words of Love podcast, you’ll learn why what you see on the surface level (whether about a person or situation) isn’t always as clear-cut as it seems. You’ll hear some of the history contributing to the current tensions in the Middle East and about the migration of Israel’s family to Venezuela after World War II.
Correction: Dr. Zighelboim is Network Chair of Oncology and Cancer Center Director
5:13 - How Dr. Israel Zighelboim’s background goes beyond the surface level
10:17 - Why approaching this intersectionality conversation was a bit of a challenge
13:30 - How Jewish people (including Israel’s family) got to many places around the world
17:17 - Eye-opening circumstances for all of us to be aware of
25:42 - Polarization and the difficulty of a solution in the Middle East
36:00 - Why discussions about tensions in the Middle East can quickly escalate
46:27 - Israel’s family migrating to and growing up in Venezuela and the principles they taught him
About Dr. Israel Zighelboim
Dr. Zighelboim received his MD (Magna Cum Laude) from Universidad Central de Venezuela in 1999 and his MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania in 2023. After practicing as a primary care rural physician in his native Venezuela, he continued his medical training in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine, completing his residency training in 2005. He completed his Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine / Barnes Jewish Hospital from in 2008 and went on to become an Assistant Professor in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at that institution. In 2012, he joined the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at St Luke’s University Health Network where he served as the Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 2016 until 2023 and as Network Chair of Oncology and Cancer Center Director since 2022. Dr. Zighelboim is a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Services at Temple University School of Medicine. He is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology and holds Focused Practice Designation in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery.
Dr. Zighelboim’s research has been funded by National Cancer Institute (NIH) and private foundations. He has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and presented more than 40 abstracts at national and international conferences.