For 30 years, Robin Twite worked for the British Council, a registered charity specializing in international cultural relations. He served as one of its representatives in Israel at various points from 1958 to 1989, helping to found the Council for Higher Education and the Open University.

Originally from Rugby, England, Twite didn’t meet any Jews growing up, and the first time he came across Israel was when he noticed a Christadelphian poster in his hometown that read: “Peace will only come to the world when the Jews return to Jerusalem.” But after years spent working in Israel, and after marrying an Israeli, he decided to stay and make it his home.

Twite believes that Israel must serve as a home for the Jewish people, but that it is making a huge mistake by hanging on to the territories – not only because of the Palestinians’ rights, but because it warps Israeli society. For this reason, he joined IPCRI, an Israeli-Palestinian NGO devoted to promoting peace and understanding, whose environmental program he has directed for 15 years. Through the environment, Twite says, people can work together. He can be contacted about this work at robin.twite@gmail.com.

Twite joins host Rogel Alpher to discuss the changes he has witnessed in Israel throughout his eventful time here.

Playlist:

Greensleeves
Ofra Haza – Shibboleth Basade
Noami Shemer – Shirat ha Assavim
William Blake – Jerusalem