A rabbi, the regional director of the Anti Defamation League, a singer, an Israeli, a Palestinian domestic violence therapist, and a retired physics professor were among the people in attendance.

Members of the UC Irvine Muslim Student Union, including the group’s president and vice-President, also attended.

Daniel Lavi, 20, the sole UC Irvine Hillel member in attendance, arrived an hour and a half late because he had a meeting to attend.

"It’s unfair because [Hillel and Anteaters for Israel] didn’t even know," Lavi told the assembly, which welcomed him.

Sunny Zia, founder of Humanity Unites, moderated the forum. Zia said she sent e-vites to key members of Hillel and Anteaters for Israel, clubs that often disrupt anti-Zionist MSU events in protest.

"Before we are Jewish or Muslim, Republican or Democrat, we are human beings," Zia said. "We have to empower our students…Our goal is to create a project that we can all agree on," he said.

Rabbi Rick Steinberg said that sensational speakers that the MSU sometimes hosts, like Amir Abdel Malik Ali, "often times can be offensive."

Referring to the annual anti-Zionist week that the MSU organizes, Steinberg asked the group, "Is it pro-Palestine week or hate week?"

"Our goal is to educate," said Marya Bangee, the Vice-President of the MSU. "Don’t judge the MSU until you get to know us. I invite you all to come out to our events and see who we are."

Kevin O’Grady, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said that hosting speakers like the aforementioned Ali is detrimental.

"When I listen to those speakers, I shut down," O’Grady told the group.

"The MSU speaks out against injustice,." explained Nida Chowdhry, Public Relations Manager for the MSU.

Nat Rynn, 84, a retired UC Irvine physics professor who is Jewish, reasoned that Israel is behind the rift. "Everything is smooth as glass until you mention one word: Israel," Rynn told the congregation.

Rezvan Ashrafi, 56, said the forum was not productive. "They are still thinking about the problems when they should be thinking about the solutions," he said.

"I wish I heard from the students more," said Turaj Ben Husseini, an Engineering major at UC Irvine.

"Taking time to listen builds framework to eventually build towards a solution," said Sharon Farsijan, 27, of Mission Viejo.

Humanity Unites will host another dialogue between the students on March 26. It is also planning an educational trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories.