Hello
I believe that intergroup humanization is essential for preventing hate, toxic polarization, and targeted violence.
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For cities and communities to be resilient from these destructive trends, we need resilient relationships - with communication that will not break down in a crisis.
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I help groups build resilient relationships so they can work together to transform destructive dynamics in their cities.
Bio
Ariel Heifetz Knobel is a seasoned practitioner of conflict transformation, bridging divides, and police-community relations. Based in Washington, D.C., she integrates best practices from foreign and domestic fieldwork and research to inform trust-building engagement efforts in America.
In 2025, Ariel resigned from the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Relations Service (CRS), as a conciliator. Previously, Ariel led civil-police engagement at the Institute for American Policing Reform, where she built its inaugural program for local leaders to tackle systemic public safety issues (launched in 2023).
From 2012-2020, Ariel worked with NGOs in the Middle East and Northern Ireland to develop, manage, and facilitate executive learning programs for government and community leaders. The programs enabled highly polarized groups of different ideological, cultural, and socio-economic backgrounds to build bridges and collaborate against all odds.
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In 2010, Ariel was awarded a fellowship from the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School to pursue field research in Northern Ireland. Prior to that, she served at the Israeli Consulate in Boston, managing community and interfaith relations across 5 states.
Ariel holds an M.A. in International Negotiation & Conflict Resolution from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a B.A. in Philosophy & Political Science from Columbia University.