Nora Lester Morad: Writing as a Tool for Change for the Palestinians
Thu Feb 05 2026
This is a heart-wrenching and fascinating interview with Nora Lester Murad: Activist, Educator, and Writer About Palestine. Nora is Jewish and married a Palestinian, Muslim man. Together they raised three daughters in the West Bank during the Israeli occupation.
Her middle grade novel, "Ida in the Middle" was inspired by her daughter and her own experiences living in the West Bank and coming back to the US to share her experiences. “Ida in the Middle” was a way for Nora to talk about the life she and her family were forced to endure under the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
She talks about her book and the horrific living situation in Palestine and how she believes the only true peace can come if "equality is the only way they'll be a settlement that respects all the people. So, the whole land needs to be decolonized. Whoever wants to live there, should live there, but equally not with rights that are more than other people, which is what they have right now. Jewish people have more rights than non-Jews. That's not stable, it's not defendable, and it will lead to continued conflict until that's, that's fixed."
Please visit my website for more information: www.mindfulhappykids.com.
You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.
More
This is a heart-wrenching and fascinating interview with Nora Lester Murad: Activist, Educator, and Writer About Palestine. Nora is Jewish and married a Palestinian, Muslim man. Together they raised three daughters in the West Bank during the Israeli occupation. Her middle grade novel, "Ida in the Middle" was inspired by her daughter and her own experiences living in the West Bank and coming back to the US to share her experiences. “Ida in the Middle” was a way for Nora to talk about the life she and her family were forced to endure under the Israeli occupation of Palestine. She talks about her book and the horrific living situation in Palestine and how she believes the only true peace can come if "equality is the only way they'll be a settlement that respects all the people. So, the whole land needs to be decolonized. Whoever wants to live there, should live there, but equally not with rights that are more than other people, which is what they have right now. Jewish people have more rights than non-Jews. That's not stable, it's not defendable, and it will lead to continued conflict until that's, that's fixed." Please visit my website for more information: www.mindfulhappykids.com. You can find information about Dr. Elisabeth Paige at www.mindfulhappykids.com.