Current Programs

Braver Angels & CBB Present:

1:1 Conversations

Have you always wondered what people who hold differing political views are REALLY thinking, as opposed to the stereotypes put out by cable TV talking heads?

Here’s a chance to find out….to have a structured, friendly, in depth conversation with someone from ‘the other team’, to both listen and be heard.  We hope you’ll join us for a “1:1 Conversation”, using a  process that emphasizes storytelling, listening, and learning versus declaring or debating.  No one will be trying to ‘teach’ the other one, or giving feedback about how they should be thinking.

In this program we’ll pair a conservative (Red team) person with a liberal (Blue team) person for private conversations aimed at better understanding each other beyond stereotypes, and discovering common ground that might be present.

And you’ll have these conversations on whatever day and time is mutually agreeable.  No formal schedule.

This is for you if:

  • You are troubled by the rancor in our country and local community today.
  • You welcome the chance to explain your views to someone on the other side who will listen respectfully.
  • You are open to listening respectfully and maybe even learning something from someone who differs from you politically.
  • You are willing to follow a structure for the conversations aimed at making them as productive as possible.

The goals of this program are simple: More understanding of the experiences, feelings, and beliefs of other people; Finding areas of commonality; Finding ways to bridge the differences in our community to help build a house united.

Click here to learn more, and click here to sign up.

We hope you’ll join us, and then when people ask you what you did this spring, you can say, “Oh not much, just helped save our democracy.”

About This Program

Over the past few years, many of us have noticed that it has become difficult for folks of differing political viewpoints to talk to each other. We see it everyday in the news, we see it in the halls of Congress, we see it our own families at Pesach and Thanksgiving.

And we see it here in our Santa Barbara Jewish community.

It has unfortunately come to the point where some of our community members (of both political leanings) no longer feel comfortable attending CBB services and events.  For CBB to continue to be the inclusive spiritual home for the Santa Barbara Jewish community, it is vital that we fix this problem.

The good news is…there is a proven method for doing just that: a method that has been thoroughly tested over the past 5 years, and has been a huge success.  We believe we can replicate that success here in the Santa Barbara Jewish community.