26 | DECEMBER 21 • 2023
kind of adults will children who
are exposed to [violence] grow
up to be?’” Damelin says. “What
kind of adults will they be if we
don’t work with them?”
OASIS OF PEACE
Oasis of Peace is a small village
located in central Israel where
Israelis and Palestinians have
lived side-by-side for decades.
The American Friends of Neve
Shalom, or “Oasis of Peace” in
Hebrew and Arabic, help support
village operations and programs
from across the ocean.
The village consists of more
than 300 members of diverse
backgrounds and faiths,
including Jewish, Muslim and
Christian. In its more than 50
years of operation, Oasis of Peace
has been home to numerous
Palestinian-Israeli and Jewish-
Israeli families who have made
the choice to live together
peacefully.
Now, they continue to operate
despite the conflict. Within the
village is a bilingual school for
village children and surrounding
communities, and members make
decisions collectively.
The goal is to create not
only a model of equality in the
Middle East, but also for the
entire world. Throughout the
war, Oasis of Peace is recording
Zoom meetings from the village
to share updates with supporters
and the general public about
ongoing relations.
GIVAT HAVIVA
Givat Haviva is a civil society
organization associated with the
Havatzelet Group that strives for
social change by creating a shared
Israeli and Palestinian society.
With a focus on education,
language instruction, culture
and art, Givat Haviva is built
upon developing a strong Israeli-
Palestinian partnership. Recently,
it’s also offered a safe space for
families evacuated from Otef
Gaza (Israeli towns bordering
Gaza).
Under the Givat Haviva
umbrella exists Givat Haviva
International School, a northern
Israel coed boarding high school
that brings together students
ages 15 to 18 from Israeli and
Palestinian communities. There,
they live and study in a peaceful
environment.
“GHS promotes peace every
day, and that’s even more
important right now,” says the
school’s executive director Nurit
Gery. “Our student body is 25%
Jews from Israel, 25% Arabs from
Israel and 50% students from over
30 countries around the world.”
While Gery says many
programs in Israel temporarily
stopped during the onset
of the war, GHIS continued
operations even through the most
challenging days.
“The students continually
remind us that when people who
truly believe in diversity and
respect come together, there is
hope for a peaceful future,” she
explains, “even when it’s so hard
to imagine.”
On the GHIS campus, Gery
notes that Israeli and Palestinian
students continue to view one
another as friends and partners,
rather than as enemies.
“We know that the pull is
strong to return to the easy
narrative of seeing each other
as different, the ‘other,’ but the
friendships they created at GHIS
strengthen and encourage them,”
she says, “preventing them from
retreating.”
OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 25
Students from Givat Haviva
International School