Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
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Fellows On Fellows: The Responsibility to See Our Humanity

A Conversation with Forsan Hussein, Middle East Leadership Initiative Fellow and Jacob Ner-David, Henry Crown Fellow, members of the Aspen Global Leadership Network

Forsan Hussein (Middle East Leadership Initiative) and Jacob Ner-David (Henry Crown Fellowship) both live and work in a context of deep division. Yet both have chosen to cross boundaries others avoid.

Both are successful businessmen who have spent their careers using business to build bridges. Forsan is a global investor and CEO working at the intersection of AI, green energy, and private equity — the first Palestinian to chair publicly traded companies on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Jacob is a veteran tech entrepreneur and investor who has generated more than $1B in shareholder value across the Israeli and American venture landscape.

The two Fellows first met eight years ago in Hong Kong through a mutual Aspen connection. When Jacob invited Forsan to his home, they discovered their shared commitment went beyond professional collaboration — it was personal. Both are fathers fighting battles they thought would be over by now. Their commonalities have kept them coming back to each other through ongoing conflict and war.

In this Fellows on Fellows dialogue, they discuss what it means to humanize others in times of conflict. This is a rare conversation — one that doesn’t offer easy answers but models something essential: the responsibility that comes with recognizing our humanity.

Fellows on Fellows

Fellows on Fellows is a five-episode dialogue series from the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN). Spanning business, government, and the nonprofit sector, AGLN Fellows share a commitment to enlightened leadership and the drive to tackle the most pressing challenges of our times. Through transformative Fellowship programs and gatherings like the Resnick Aspen Action Forum, AGLN Fellows have the unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and challenge each other to grow and commit to a lifelong journey of impact.

Fellows in Fellows puts two AGLN Fellows together in honest, heartfelt conversation as they share the real moments that shaped them as leaders: breakthroughs, setbacks, tough decisions, and the lessons that come from being fully “in the arena”. These conversations are a reminder of Fellowship in action. Watch the trailer and look out for weekly releases in January here on aspeninstitute.org and on the Aspen Institute’s YouTube channel.