We are thrilled that our very own executive director Abir Elzowidi has been named a Pathways to Peace Exceptional Woman of Peace Award finalist for 2024.
Founded in 1982, Pathways to Peace spearheads international peace projects, including the International Day of Peace held annually on September 21. This award recognizes Abir’s role garnering support for NSWAS programs and initiatives as well as raising awareness of and appreciation for the Village with U.S. audiences. Her dedication to peace is unwavering, even as she has mourned her own tragic losses of family and friends in Gaza over this past year.
“How a Palestinian/Jewish Village in Israel Changed After October 7th”
Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom was founded on a total belief in the power of dialogue. In the wake of Hamas’s attack and amid Israel’s war in Gaza, a “very loud silence” has fallen.
The New Yorker article by: Masha Gessen Published: June 10, 2024
Through the trauma, the grief, the fear, the hope…. We stand with them.
“Jews and Arabs can’t really talk about Oct. 7, even in the ‘Oasis of Peace’”
Listen to this article by Sarah Ventre from The World News Jun. 17, 2024
Wahat al-Salam (Arabic) or Neve Shalom (Hebrew) translates to Oasis of Peace. It’s an intentional, cooperative community that sits in the Israeli countryside, about halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Its residents are half Jewish and half Arab. Reporter Sarah Ventre paid a visit to learn what it means to be living in this community at a moment of extraordinarily heightened tension.
Click the player below to hear the article.
Recorded Zoom Session with Samah Salaime and Nir Sharon, May 6th 2024
“Inside Israel's Oasis of Peace, Palestinian and Jewish families are showing the world how the two sides can co-exist”
“Even a candle is a big light in the darkness”
Haaretz article by: Noam Shuster-Elissi
Published: February 9, 2024
Exclusive Opportunity: We invite you to watch "Children of Peace" and meet the director, Maayan Schwartz.
Two different dates and locations.
Click the image for a trailer of the movie.
First Screening:
San Diego International Jewish Film Festival
Thursday, February 8th 2024, 10:00 am
at The David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre
Lawrence Family JCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS
4126 Executive Dr, La Jolla, CA 92037
Click here to reserve your complimentary tickets for the San Diego International Jewish Film Festival.
Second Screening:
UCLA Nazarian Center for Israeli Studies
Monday, February 12th 2024, 6:30 pm
at Royce Hall, Room 314
10745 Dickson Ct, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Click here to register for the UCLA screening.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation with the venue and parking information.
Video from the Principal of the Primary School, Neama Abo Delu
Principal Neama Abo Delu explains the importance of the Parents’ Community.
“In an Israeli Oasis, a Model for Peace, if Messy and Imperfect”
NY Times Article by: Hiba Yazbek
Published September 30, 2023
In a small village, Jews and Arabs have chosen to live side by side, share power and imagine a more hopeful future. But even here, the agonies of the conflict can’t be escaped entirely.
The Journey: Jewish and Palestinian Teens Engage in Dialogue
For four days each year, Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam brings together Jewish Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel for a journey in dialogue, engagement, and growth.
The bilingual, binational Primary School
Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
Jewish and Palestinian Students Practice Democracy at the Binational School
Students at the Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam Primary School learn from a young age to make their voices heard, through a variety of channels.
An exclusive inside-look at Israel's 'Oasis of Peace'
NBC News' Jay Gray gets an exclusive look inside the "Oasis of Peace," a small village located in central Israel where Israelis and Palestinians have lived side-by-side for decades. As the Israel-Hamas war intensifies, residents are concerned the conflict could challenge the core of the community's mission.
Watch this video from a Canadian intern about the Oasis of Peace.
Watch the video of Isabela Dos Santos, a Canadian former intern of the village, and her interview on Canadian TV.
"When these immediate crises and days of fighting are over, we’ll remain together committed to our shared path."
-Eldad Joffe, the new Chairman of the Municipal Society
Jay Talking did a FaceBook live interview with Samah Salaime.
This is the link for the video: https://fb.watch/mEI_QC8j1d/
Something good for a change: Oasis Of Peace is a cooperative village jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in 1972 to explore lived solutions to peace in the region. Their membership represents diverse backgrounds and faiths, united by a passion for championing real-world, achievable approaches to a more just, equitable, and peaceful world for all. Oasis of Peace Communications Director Samah Salaime joins me to chat about the how the village works and what they are attempting to do. Oasis Of Peace.
The school year is over, and we are happy to share with you our latest video about the Primary School. Listen to the voices of the teachers and the kids. Happy summer vacation!
A unique center for teaching Primary School bilingual classes, the languages they need to succeed!
Click on the image to watch the video about the Primary School’s new Language Learning Center.
School For Peace Graduate makes changes on step at a time.
Hila Lernau, Pardes Hanna, teacher and climate activist
Graduate of 2 School for Peace courses:
- Leadership Course for Agents of Change in Mixed Cities, 2015
- Climatic and Environmental Justice Course, 2021-2022
Click on video to watch her story.
School For Peace Graduate Story
Ishmael Ben-Israel, Hod Hasharon, CEO of LingoLearn - an online school for languages, co-founder of the NGO: AMAL - Spoken Arabic for All, Producer and presenter of the podcast: “Ala 3ini u ala rassi”
Graduate of SFP’s facilitator course, 2015
Click on video to watch his story.
In 2005, Barbara wrote the award-winning children’s book “No One Can Ever Steal Your Rainbow.” Beautifully illustrated by Helen Webber, it is the true story of a mother’s search for inner strength to help her overcome the devastating loss of a child. When a hand painted rainbow sign of hope is stolen from the entrance to her home, she goes through a profound period of grief and self-exploration. Ultimately, it is a journey that leads her back to a place of renewed joy and peace in her heart.
Affectionately known as the Purple Lady, Barbara has spent much of her life spreading joy and wisdom to children and adults through her significant charitable work — not to mention through the healing color of purple! Surrounding herself with all things purple reminds her and those around her to live life to the fullest with joy, energy and hope.
We are pleased to share Barbara’s book with you here, accompanied by her singing the story.
“No One Can Ever Steal Your Rainbow” is available for purchase at the American Friend office, email afnswas@oasisofpeace.org for more info.
Barbara Meislin: “No One Can Ever Steal Your Rainbow”
Bilal Yosef is a School For Peace alumni, he joined the SFP course for Arab and Jewish stage producers 2 years ago
With Arab-on-Arab Violence on the Rise, One Director Has Had Enough
In his film, ‘Living in the Shadow of Death,’ Bilal Yousef dives into the gun violence that has claimed the lives of hundreds of young Arabs
Haaretz article by Sheren Falah Saab
Watch "How to build peace in Israel/Palestine | Noam Shuster | Full Talk"
Growing up with the backdrop of the Arab-Israeli conflict has given Noam an entrenched desire to be a part of the peace process. She wants to keep the peace process as all-encompassing as possible, so that they do not lose strategic audiences during the process. Most of all, she is passionate about good leadership, finding non-violent solutions and taking responsibility for your own future.
Different videos about Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
About the Primary School
The educational institutions of Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom in 2021 and 2022
Oasis of Peace in Israel
Oasis of Peace | Explore Films
Oasis of Peace UK Interview with two Primary School teachers.
About the Youth
Coexistence is no dream in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam
A presentation of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, the Oasis of Peace
The Journey: Jewish and Palestinian teens engage in dialogue.
Masa Masar - The Journey 2015
About the Village
Peace Pioneer - Interview with Abdessalam Najar
Neve Shalom ~ Wahat al-Salam, "Oasis de Paz" Embassy of Israel in Uruguay
Click here to read a powerful op-ed from an NSWAS-raised comedian
Featured in the New York Time, comedian and peace activist Noam Shuster Eliassi’s essay recounts a traumatic and terrifying event, and shares her thoughts and feelings about what the next 20 years might bring. Raised at the Oasis of Peace, Eliassi’s essay provides an opportunity to reflect on the complexity of the issues at hand, and never steps back from the humanity of all involved.
There are no simple answers here, but through creating genuine connections and fostering mutual respect across cultural divides, the Oasis of Peace continues to work toward the multi-modal solutions this region so desperately needs.
From the Sunday New York Times: Comedy, Peace, and Continuing Action
Starting in the first grade, lessons are guided by the unique Education, Culture, and Tradition (HOTAM) curriculum developed at the Primary School.
To celebrate the first day of school, older students helped decorate the grounds and performed songs to help make their newest young classmates feel welcome.
Students also heard from their principal, Abo Delu. Alongside rigorous academic study, she and the teaching staff are prioritizing SEL (social and emotional learning), mindfulness to help students deal with anger and frustration, and life skills classes. As American Friends we continue to support the development of the HOTAM, day-to-day costs, and expanded teacher trainings to best meet the needs of these precious young minds.
The Primary School Starting First Grade
“The only intentional Jewish-Palestinian integrated community in Israel is Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (Oasis of Peace), a small village halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. More than 350 Jewish and Palestinian Israelis have made their home in Neve Shalom.”
What does the Oasis of Peace look like according to its residents? That's the question Maayan Schwartz, who grew up in the village, set out to answer with his new documentary.
Join Mayaan in lighting the way forward.
'An Insider Turns his lens on Israel's Jewish-Arab 'Oasis of Peace.' from Haaretz
"Children of Peace" director Maayan Schwartz with his son. Credit: Einav Livneh Schwartz
The Jerusalem Post’s Gershon Baskin profiles NSWAS villager Rayek Rizek and how unique and vital the project of intentionally integrated communities is to true and lasting peace in Israel. Currently the only such community in Israel, NSWAS provides one, very real, example of how communities can center genuine equality and mutual respect across Israel.
"Living Together as Equals in Israel" by Gershon Baskin
Israel70 | Schooling for Peace: an interview with Dr Nava Sonnenschein
The above article for Dr Nava Sonnenschein is one of the founding members of the binational egalitarian community, Neve Shalom – Wahat al-Salam.