american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam
american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam
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american friends of nswas newsletter
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spotlight
july
2007 - nswas receives books from global fund for children
the global
fund for children (gfc) develops multicultural children's
books that celebrate community and diversity, and promote peace
and tolerance. the broader mission of this organization is to
advance the dignity of children and youth around the world. gfc
pursues its mission by making small grants to innovative community-based
organizations working with some of the world’s most vulnerable
children and youth, complemented by a dynamic media program that,
through books, documentary photography, and film, highlights the
issues affecting children and celebrates the global society in
which we all live.
this year, their "books for kids" project received
a grant from oprah's angel network in honor of nobel laureate
elie wiesel. the grant allowed them to distribute a collection
of 20 award-winning children's books to community-based organizations
including neve shalom/wahat al-salam. the books were given out
during the last week of school. thanks to global fund for children
for supporting the "oasis of peace."
march
2007 – afnswas hosts two representatives of neve shalom/
wahat al-salam in tour of the u.s.
the american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam hosted ahmad
hijazi and naomi mark, two representatives
of the community of neve shalom/wahat al-salam, to tour the us
in march 2007. ahmad and naomi met with groups, individuals, and
media in boise and ketchum, idaho; houston and san antonio, texas;
knoxville, tennessee; and washington, d.c.
ahmad hijazi was born in tamara in northern
israel and first came to neve shalom/wahat al-salam in 1984 as
a teenager to attend a school for peace youth encounter workshop
with his high school class. for the first time, ahmad met with
his jewish-israeli peers in a meaningful way. it was a pivotal
experience in his life. he trained as a school for peace facilitator
and studied sociology and education at hebrew university, where
he obtained a masters degree. upon completing his education in
1992, ahmad and his wife, maram, chose to live in neve shalom/wahat
al-salam, where they are currently raising their two young sons.
in addition, ahmad served as mayor of neve shalom/wahat al-salam
from 1995 to 1997. currently, ahmad is the director of public
relations of neve shalom/wahat al-salam and a facilitator at the
school for peace.
naomi mark, twenty years old, grew up in neve
shalom wahat al-salam, where she attended the village’s
binational primary school until sixth grade. as a daughter of
the village and an alumna of the school system, naomi personifies
how the village and its school can effect change in israeli society.
naomi chose to do non-military national service in the years following
her high school graduation. now, in her 2nd year of voluntary
service, naomi is working at the israeli branch of physicians
for human rights (phr). she works on behalf of prisoners, advocating
for their access to health services and for humane conditions
while they are in custody. part of her job is to liaise between
the organization, the israeli prison authority, and the families
of palestinian prisoners. naomi’s bilingual education growing
up in the “oasis of peace” and attending its primary
school benefit her need to use arabic and hebrew on a daily basis
at phr. naomi is an inspiring example of how the 2nd generation
of nswas residents is making a difference.
upcoming
and recent musical events honoring the “oasis of peace”
february 22nd
– will fudeman and gerry tenney perform in san francisco;
february 10th & 11th – “harmony in the holy land”
benefit concert in minnesota
thursday, february 22nd at 7:00 p.m. “a
musical evening benefiting neve shalom/wahat al-salam, the oasis
of peace” features will fudeman and gerry
tenney of california klezmer and the “lost tribe”
at the jewish community center of the east bay,
and afnswas executive director deanna armbruster
speaks about her recent visit to neve shalom/wahat al-salam and
the community’s ongoing efforts to bring jews and arabs,
israelis and palestinians together for dialogue and education.
february 10th and 11th, the 100-voice global harmony community
chorus of the twin cities in minnesota’s 3rd annual
benefit concert promotes peace in the holy land. performances
include chichester psalms by leonard bernstein, neighbor,
take this torch of peace by emma lou diemer and distant
land by john rutter. to learn more about the global harmony
chorus, visit globalharmonychorus.org.
to hear will and gerry’s music, visit cdbaby.com
and ezfolk.com.
we would like to thank these musicians for offering their time
and talents in honor and support of the “oasis of peace.”
to learn more about how you can support this unique community,
click here.
partner
in peace award, funded and inspired by board of director richard
goodwin, given to ruth dayan and samih al-qasim
january 11th – partner
in peace award and ceremony at neve shalom/wahat al-salam recognizes
two veteran peacemakers
the award was funded and inspired by philanthropist mr. richard
goodwin, director of the board of the american friends of neve
shalom wahat al-salam, and founder of the middle east peace dialogue
network. samih al-qasim is universally known
in palestinian society as a poet, writer and journalist of the
first magnitude. he is the author of more than fifty books, many
of which have been translated into numerous languages, and he
recently received egypt’s naguib mahfouz prize for literature.
now in her 90th year, ruth dayan has been an
ardent activist for many years, busily championing a variety of
causes, the most prominent of which, in recent years, has been
women’s empowerment. dayan helped form maskit, a fashion
house that marshaled the talents of underprivileged women and
returned the earnings directly to them. she also founded the jewish
- arab social group “brit bnei shem / ibnaa sam” and
has worked on behalf of newcomers to israel, for bedouin welfare
and rights, and for women’s causes. additional details
and photos from this event can be found by clicking
here.
nswas mayor rayek rizek presenting the partner
in peace award to ruth dayan
december
5, 2006 – neve shalom wahat al-salam receives award of the
arab american anti-discrimination committee
deanna armbruster, executive director of the american
friends of neve shalom wahat al-salam, has been honored at the
arab american anti-discrimination committee’s (adc) annual
fundraising gala in dearborn, michigan with the building bridges
award, which is granted annually to an individual who is working
on efforts to build relations between groups.
the award was bestowed on december 1 at a fundraising gala titled
"opening
doorways to peace". keynote speaker at the event was he sheikh
hamad bin
jassim bin jabr al-thani, first deputy pm and minister of foreign
affairs for qatar. altogether about 1,400 people attended.
as the largest arab american organization in the united states,
the adc
is committed to defending the rights of americans of arab descent
and promoting their rich cultural heritage. the adc’s michigan
director, mr. imad
hamad, championed the award to ms. armbruster as a way to raise
the profile of the "oasis of peace" in the arab american
community.
ms. armbruster has earned the award through her strong dedication
to
developing the american friends of neve shalom wahat al-salam
in such a
way that arab and jewish americans (as well as others) are strongly
involved. like the village itself, afnswas is engaged in building
bridges.
ms. armbruster is, together with michael emery, co-author of
tears in
the holy land: voices from israel & palestine.
special
event in recognition of 35 years of the “oasis of peace”
israel-palestine: long term prospects
for peaceful coexistence - a roundtable discussion and luncheon
in washington d.c.
the american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam hosted a roundtable
discussion and luncheon at the katzen art center at the american
university in washington d.c. on friday, october 20th from 10:00
a.m. to 1:30 p.m. speakers included: sara ehrman,
senior advisor for the center for middle east peace and economic
cooperation; hon. samuel lewis, former ambassador
of israel; aaron david miller, former u.s. middle
east negotiator; robert satloff, executive director,
washington institute for near east policy; khalil jahshan,
pepperdine university; shibley telhami, professor
of peace and development, university of maryland; and general
brent scowcroft, former national security advisor to
the president. peter yarrow of peter, paul and mary performed
as a featured musical guest. in addition, village residents ahmad
hijazi, a palestinian resident of the village, and ohad bar shalom,
a jewish resident of the village, shared their first-hand accounts
of living at the “oasis of peace.”
summer activities at neve shalom/wahat al-salam
as violence raged this summer, programs and activities bringing
jews and arabs together to build understanding and mutual respect
continued at neve shalom/wahat al-salam: young adults that were
born and raised at nswas organized a summer
camp for palestinian children; the
“agents of change” program at the school for peace
held courses as scheduled, no small feat during a time of war;
staff of the bilingual, binational primary
school at the “oasis of peace” prepared for the
new school year, enrolling approximately 180 jewish and arab students;
and, arab
and jewish residents of neve shalom/wahat al-salam shared their
feelings about the war and continued communicating across
borders and despite differences, when virtually everyone else
had stopped. thank you for your support, warm wishes and concern
at this difficult time. the american friends of neve shalom/wahat
al-salam join the village in asserting that now, more than ever,
jews and arabs must work together to create a better future.
roger waters draws 60,000 people
to neve shalom/wahat al-salam | june 22, 2006
the fields below neve shalom/wahat al-salam were transformed
thursday, june 22nd as legendary musician roger waters (co-founder
of rock band pink floyd) performed the biggest concert of the
summer in the region. the concert was sold out, with an estimated
60,000 in attendance and thousands more listening to the concert
via radio. waters chose the “oasis of peace” as his
concert venue to demonstrate his solidarity and support for those
israelis and palestinians that are seeking, through nonviolence,
to promote peace and justice between the two peoples. ibrahim
eid and david broza opened the show. broza is one of israel’s
biggest rock stars and is often compared to bruce springsteen.
his grandfather, wellsley aron, was among the early residents
of neve shalom/wahat al-salam. the concert received a great deal
of media attention, beginning in april when the concert was announced
and continuing through and after the event. for a sampling of
these articles, please visit the newsroom.
you can also read more and view photos on the village’s
website.
jewish
and arab students of nswas primary school uncover church mosaic
archaeology in the middle east can often spark disputes and
tensions, but the neve shalom/wahat al-salam bilingual, binational
primary school has created an archaeology program that allows
jewish and arab 5th grade and 6th grade students to discover the
ancient history of the area together and to develop a renewed
awareness and appreciation of the land that they share. teachers
and parents recently joined arab and jewish students as they gently
dug through a shallow layer of soil, gradually revealing a mosaic
that has lain on the hilltop for sixteen hundred years. as the
children uncover the history that lies beneath the “oasis
of peace,” they engage in some history making of their own
as they look toward a different future – a future where
arabs and jews, israelis and palestinians, live together in peace.
click here to read a recent article
about this project.
successful
tour of neve shalom/wahat al-salam
may 2006
the american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam recently held
its 2006 tour to the “oasis of peace.” the trip provided
participants with a chance to experience the unique environment
of this bilingual, binational village first-hand. participants
observed the educational programs of the village in action, including
the bilingual, binational primary school/junior high school and
the world-renowned conflict management program, the school for
peace. they also had the opportunity to participate in an interfaith
conference at the bruno hussar pluralistic spiritual center. the
trip also included excursions outside of the village as well.
two
new families at neve shalom/wahat al-salam share their thoughts
and insights
fall 2005
over the last ten years, neve shalom/wahat al-salam, the "oasis
of peace," the only community in israel where jews and palestinians
have chosen to live, work and raise their children together since
1978, has grown from 35 families to a community with now more
than 50 families, still equally balanced between jews and palestinians,
all of whom are citizens of israel. the recent growth of the community
is a positive sign that others are interested in learning to live
together in a mutual commitment to peace. at the same time, as
the new families there have discovered, it is a very challenging
and difficult place to live and no prior experience can truly
prepare someone for living there. read
about the experiences of two families, one jewish and one
palestinian, who are new residents of the "oasis of peace."
inspired
to give: impressive youth efforts for oasis of peace
summer 2005
over the years, young people across the country have chosen to
give their bar/bat mitzvah funds to the american friends of neve
shalom/wahat al-salam (afnswas).
will edwards-mizel
chose to support the “oasis of peace” as his bar mitzvah
project by raising funds for tuition fees for two primary school
students, a total of $1,700. to achieve this, will mapped a 31-town,
110-mile, 2-day bike ride and sent letters to local businesses
to sponsor his ride, receiving many gifts. he also shared information
about the “oasis of peace” at his bar mitzvah and
surpassed his financial goal. still, he continued, sending an
e-mail to his entire congregation. will explains, “we studied
a lot about social justice and tikkun olam (repairing the world).
i wanted to do something that reflected what shir hadash (his
congregation) stands for.”
jacob rosenson montgomery
also decided to support the village through his bar mitzvah, asking
guests to make contributions to afnswas in lieu of gifts (he chose
to support the american jewish world service special campaign
for darfur as well). in addition, jacob purchased (with a little
help from his parents) “oasis of peace” key chains
to give to all of the guests at his bar mitvah and got to meet
two representatives from the “oasis of peace” during
a tour last april.
we often receive gifts from bar/bat mitzvah's, weddings, anniversaries,
in memory of loved ones, and other celebrations and recognitions.
we invite you to think about ways that you might be able to help
support the "oasis of peace." both the american friends
of nswas and the community have been impressed and touched by
such efforts; these youth are making a difference. the “oasis
of peace” is happy to know that its mission continues to
inspire others!
neve shalom/wahat al-salam featured
on philadelphia's whyy radio
august 2005
neve shalom/wahat al-salam was featured on philadelphia's whyy
91fm radio of greater philadelphia on august 29 in the hour-long
program voices in the family with host dan gottlieb.
ahmad hijazi, a palestinian resident of the village and a facilitator
at the school for peace, and nava sonnenschein, a jewish resident
of the village and director of the school for peace, were the
featured guests of the program, with deanna armbruster, executive
director of afnswas opening and closing the interview. listen
to this edition of voices in the family.
richard goodwin receives ambassador
of peace award from the american friends of neve shalom/wahat
al-salam at the national liberty museum in philadelphia
april 9, 2005
american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam president deborah
first and ambassador samuel lewis were honored to present the
ambassador of peace award to richard c. goodwin in recognition
and appreciation of his commitment to peace and dialogue between
israelis and palestinians, arabs and jews through support of the
american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam and many, many
other organizations. the goodwin foundation, the middle east peace
dialogue network, and richard’s personal philanthropic fund
give support to over 130 charities, including the israel policy
forum, the national liberty museum, the goodwin holocaust museum,
americans for peace now, seeds of peace, and the nisan young women
leaders organization. such efforts are part of goodwin’s
belief in the power of education to change the world. “society
must learn to accept people’s different cultures and backgrounds.
the key to reducing much of the violence in the world is communication
and education,” richard says. over 150 friends, admirers
and respected colleagues attended the award ceremony, demonstrating
their appreciation for richard’s work. the national liberty
museum hosted the event and the museum founder, irv borowsky was
the master of ceremonies.
“alternative
avenues for peace in israel/palestine” educational forum
at harvard university
april 15, 2005
this unique forum was co-sponsored by the outreach
center at the center for middle eastern studies at harvard
and the american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam and held
at the fong auditorium at harvard. abdessalam najjar and michal
zak, of the “oasis of peace” were the keynote speakers
for the event, which was the concluding event of their 10-day
speaking tour in the united states. the keynote session was followed
by a panel workshop with lee gordon and ala khatib, founder and
principal of hand
in hand: the center for jewish arab education in israel, lucy
nusseibeh, women and public policy fellow at the kennedy school
of government at harvard and head of middle
east nonviolence and democracy, and nahanni rous, program
manager at just
vision. after the panel discussion, attendees mingled with
each other and the speakers and enjoyed middle eastern food and
a screening of the academy-award nominated documentary, promises.
barbara petzen, outreach coordinator of the center for middle
eastern studies at harvard, also presented an innovative educational
curriculum designed for use with promises by teachers in their
classrooms. more than 70 people attended the event.
oasis of peace at “toward justice
and reconciliation,” global peace initiative of women conference
december 15-18, 2004
the global peace initiative of women, which began in oslo, norway in
june of 2003, hosted an invitational conference in jordan to bring together
palestinian and israeli women who are working for peace in the region
to network with one another and strengthen their efforts. central to
the conference were business initiatives, peace education, the role
of the media and the capacity of religion to play a greater role in
promoting peace. attendees came from 20 countries, including delegates
from the middle east, asia, africa, europe and north america. attendees
also included notable nobel peace laureates and prominent international
government leaders with a total of 240 delegates participating in the
3-day conference. eight delegates were invited from the oasis of peace:
dorit shippin, maram masarwi, nava sonnenschein, nihiya daoud, daniella
kitain, shireen najjar, daphna karta-schwartz, and maisoun abbas karmen.
american friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam president deborah first
and executive director deanna armbruster also attended the event.
oasis of peace at the chautauqua institition
july 2004
in july 2004, four women from the oasis of peace spent one week
discussing their lives as peacemakers and friends at the chautauqua
institution in upstate new york. the chautauqua institution, founded
in 1874, hosts over 142,000 visitors each summer for lectures,
workshops, and public events ranging from arts to religion. nihaya
daoud, dafna karta-schwartz, daniella kitain, and maram masarwi
were featured as part of chautauqua's religion department's program,
"women breaking barriers: yesterday, today and tomorrow."
click here to download (pdf,
16kb) excerpts from two of the women’s speeches. to download
audio clips (4mb each) of their speeches, right click on the following
links and click "save target as...": dafna
karta-schwartz | nihaya daoud |
maram masarwi | daniella
kitain
adi
& laila tour a success
may 2004
thanks to all of our friends and supporters who helped make laila
najjar and adi frish's u.s. speaking tour a success. adi, who
is jewish, and laila, a palestinian arab, addressed over 50 events
during their 8-city, two week visit. among their many interviews,
laila and adi appeared on radio
free santa cruz and on madison's
wort fm's feminist news show her turn. click
here to read a letter
they wrote upon ending their tour. in addition, highlights from
conversations with adi & laila are now available for download.
click here to visit the download page.
versions are available for both high-speed and dial-up connections,
but they both require windows
media player to view.
walter cronkite, peace talks radio visit
nswas
cronkite opens the program with this statement about the oasis of peace:
“some argue that israeli jews and palestinians can never live
together. but over 20 years ago, a group of people formed a small village
to prove them wrong. neve shalom/wahat al salaam, just outside jerusalem,
is israel's only integrated palestinian and jewish community. they have
conflicts, they argue, they vote. most importantly, they continue to
live together. the town's accumulated experiences hold some valuable
lessons for important lessons for the future.” click here
to download the transcript of the rest of the program (pdf, 35kb).
1000 women for the nobel prize
may 2004
in may 2004, the village of neve shalom/wahat al-salam, the “oasis
of peace” hosted a meeting with the swiss coordinators of a 1000
peace women, a project to award the 2005 nobel peace prize to 1,000
women working for peace. click here
to read more about this visit.
nswas art exhibit
april-may 2003
in april and may 2003, the american friends service committee and the
american friends of nswas presented an art exhibit in pasadena, california,
featuring the artwork of the children of the "oasis of peace."
an opening reception was held april 10, 2003, at 7 pm. deanna armbruster,
executive director of american friends of nswas, was a featured speaker.
click here to view the artwork (pdf,
500kb). if you would like to print out any of the artwork, click here
to download a high-resolution version of the artwork (pdf, 4.5mb).
jane fonda and eve ensler of the vagina
monologues visited nswas for an evening with women activists
december 2002
about 250 palestinian and jewish women were in attendance to network
on solutions to problems facing women and hear eve ensler recite excerpts
from her award-winning play, the vagina monologues. click here
to read more about jane fonda’s visit.
nswas honored by episcopal diocese of
washington
december 2002
with the work of long-time nswas supporters ambassador sam lewis (a
member of our honorary council) and his wife sallie, nswas was honored
on december 4, 2002, by the commission on peace of the episcopal diocese
of washington at the washington national cathedral during their annual
peacemakers award dinner. the village was honored along with co-recipient,
the arab evangelical episcopal school in ramallah. the commission on
peace, founded in 1982, seeks to bring a christian and episcopal perspective
to issues of peace, justice, and reconciliation. previous recipients
of this award include care and desmond tutu. director shibley telhami
accepted the award on behalf of the community in front of more than
200 friends and supporters in the washington, dc area attending the
dinner and ceremony. click here
to read an article about the evening that appeared in the washington
post on december 7th.
oasis of dreams: teaching & learning
peace in a jewish-palestinian village in israel
march 2002
this book by professor grace feuerverger, published by routledge falmer,
is available for purchase through our website. click here
to download the order form. dr. feuerverger was interviewed march 31,
2002 by cbc radio one's "tapestry." click here
to listen to the interview online.
promises film screening
february 2002
on thursday, february 21, 2002, the american friends of nswas teamed
up with cowboy pictures and the promises film project to screen promises,
a 74th annual academy award® nominee for best documentary by b.z.
goldberg, justine shapiro, and carlos bolado. to learn more about promises,
click here.
the umbrella project
created by afnswas friend hilda brown, the umbrella project continues
to bring color and unity to the children of neve shalom/wahat al-salam.
click here for background and photos.
back to top
american friends of nswas news
november/december 2006:"dialogue,
engagement and conflict transformation at neve shalom/wahat al-salam"
september 2006: "is
there any place where jews and arabs can actually talk?"
summer 2006: usaid grant
supporting the school for peace/sfp at costa rica's peace university;
afnswas arab-american intern interviews jewish-israeli "oasis of
peace" resident; jewish and arab youth discover ancient ruins together
at nswas; opening of bruno hussar pluralistic spiritual center; american
friends of nswas lead tour to the village; roger water of pink floyd
rocks the "oasis of peace"
back to top
recent news articles
qatari foreign minister addresses adc
gala, the arab american news - december 2, 2006
the american friends of nswas receives building bridges award from
the arab american anti-discrimination
committee at its annual banquet in michigan.
neve
shalom / wahat al-salam, adbusters: the magazine -
nov/dec 2006
planted squarely on a barren hilltop in the no-man’s-land buffer
zone between the west bank and israel, neve shalom wahat al-salam –
“oasis of peace” in both hebrew and arabic – glimmers
hopefully in a desert of violence...
you can help rebuild it,
the times educational supplement - august 4, 2006
in a village in israel, jewish and arab families have found a way to
share a community while learning about each others' lives, cultures
and viewpoints...
an oasis of
peace surrounded by hatred, the independent (london) - july
27, 2006
in a unique village in israel, halfway between tel aviv and jerusalem,
a class of six-year-olds is talking about peace and war...
are
there peace partners? jewish news of greater phoenix -
july 14, 2006
ari rath, former editor of the jerusalem post, knows that he is in a
minority...
roger waters performs in ‘oasis
of peace’ village in israel - june 22-27, 2006
a look at various articles from this historic concert at neve shalom/wahat
al-salam.
jewish and arab children uncover church
mosaic, jerusalem post – june 2006
an article about archeology excavation by jewish and arab students at
the nswas primary school.
roger waters (of pink floyd) to
play concert at neve shalom/wahat al-salam - april 17,
2006
a look at various articles about this upcoming event.
neighbors, not enemies,
north jersey news – march 29, 2006
a look at the israeli elections in neve shalom/wahat al-salam,
the “oasis of peace.”
vision of peace lives on in village,
syracuse post-standard – march 4, 2006
this article reflects on the vision of village founder father bruno
hussar and the lasting impact of his work.
good mideast news,
baltimore jewish times, md – july 26, 2005
an article about allmep (the alliance for middle east peace), a coalition
of 27 ngos that have banned together to garner support for arab-jewish
coexistence programs. afnswas was among the founding members of this
organization.
mideast community scorns violence
as the norm, express-news, san antonio, tx - june 13, 2005
two residents of the oasis of peace discuss how arguments do occur
between jews and palestinians, but they are not resolved by violence.
non-profit spotlight: american
friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam, mideastconnect - may
8, 2006
this online journal spotlights the american friends of nswas.
sacred activism, seattle
times – april 16, 2006
a reporter promotes “sacred activism” or engagement and
reconciliation and cites the “oasis of peace” as one of
many positive examples of this type of work.
two calendars, one holy season
& interfaith leaders see
lessons of tolerance in holy days, philadelphia inquirer –
october 4, 2005
two articles about interfaith celebrations and study at the “oasis
of peace.”
to seek middle east peace,
seek equality, the city newspaper, rochester,
ny - april 20, 2005
an article about the oasis of peace with a bold question and answer
section with michal zak and abdessalam najjar, two residents of the
community who have each lived in the village for over 20 and 25 years,
respectively.
a message from the oasis of peace,
april 13, 2005 & jew,
palestinian to describe israeli town of peace, april 8,
2005
the syracuse post standard of syracuse, new york, ran two articles
in order to shed light on the community of the “oasis of peace”
and their efforts to promote dialogue, mutual respect and equality.
the
territory beyond war, february 4, 2005
beyond war, a nonprofit peace organization, featured laila and adi,
two “middle east heroes,” living their lives as an example
of peace. this article, written by kevin anselmo, was originally published
in global heroes magazine.
neve shalom/wahat al-salam: the
"oasis of peace", judaism - january 2005
a detailed article outlining the history of the community, its educational
programs, and its impact and hopes for the future.
help world learn to live in harmony,
new jersey express times – december 26, 2004
columnist tony nauroth writes about longtime friend and former band
mate, bob mark, and the remarkable village of neve shalom/wahat al-salam
that bob currently resides in.
qatar’s
queen brings word of change, detroit free press, mi –
october 7, 2004
the queen of qatar brought her message of change to a dearborn
crowd saturday at the annual banquet of the american-arab anti-discrimination
committee … one guest speaker who touched on the arab-israeli
conflict was abdessalam najjar, the mayor of a unique city between tel
aviv and jerusalem that is made up of both israelis and palestinians…”peace
can only be achieved by two empowered societies.”
holy
land: a place of despair, a place of hope, the columbian, wa –
july 25, 2004
my brother bob has been living in israel for more than 20 years, and
my invitation to come experience his world has been out there all that
time. finally, i made it. and bob's world is unusual, even by israeli
standards. bob mark is the only american in a village known as neve
shalom/wahat al-salam, which is hebrew and arabic for "oasis of
peace."
a
real roadmap for peace: laila and adi’s friendship, ap,
wayne perry, april 9, 2004
strangers who meet laila najjar and adi frish often scratch their
heads and look confused. how, they ask, can a 20-year-old arab be friends
with someone whose government oppresses and kills palestinians? and
why, they wonder, would a 21-year-old jew be friends with someone whose
people turn themselves into human bombs, itching to kill israelis? but
peace and friendship are all the young women have ever known; they grew
up together in an israeli village founded three decades ago to prove
that arabs and jews can live together in peace.
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soundbites
what the press is saying about neve shalom/wahat al-salam, the “oasis
of peace”:
bbc outlook radio. listen
to this program's piece about neve shalom/wahat al-salam from october
31, 2002.
peacetalks radio, with walter cronkite, 6/04 “residents
have built up trust among themselves, as seen in elections for mayor
and village council. when people first arrive, they tend to vote exclusively
for their own nationality. in the early years, the town elected israeli
jews as mayors…as both sides gained more confidence and trust,
they voted for the best person. and in recent years, they've elected
palestinian mayors.”
cleveland jewish news, 5/04 “after he toured neve shalom,
anton shammas, a noted palestinian journalist, wrote, "it is always
risky to be lured by metaphors, especially in the middle east, but those
who live in this 'oasis of peace,' have managed to achieve the impossible:
by refusing to be lured, they have concretized a metaphor. we, who are
still wandering in the desert, envy them.’”
the seattle times, 5/04 “community members — whether
jewish, christian or muslim — worship side by side at a spiritual
sanctuary.”
st. petersburg times, 8/26/03 “…when differing
groups face each other in every day living, they learn more about one
another. it becomes easier to understand the reasons for what they do
and where they are coming from. then it is easier to find ways to compromise.”
wisconsin jewish chronicle, 4/4/03 “coexistence is a
powerful buzzword, particularly in israel. many israelis talk about
living in peace, with jews and palestinians side by side in a spirit
of cooperation and mutual respect. neve shalom/wahat al-salam, whose
name means oasis of peace, has been turning the talk into reality.”
o, the oprah magazine, 11/02 “it’s almost impossible
to imagine jews and arabs living together in peace. and yet, it’s
already happening in a place called neve shalom/wahat al-salam.”
glamour magazine, 8/02 “all over israel, most arabs
and jews prefer to live in separate cities and towns, maintain separate
school systems and partake of separate cultures. but in this one village,
families from both groups have chosen to live together.”
newark star-ledger, 7/14/02 “no one is ready to give
up and leave. three hundred families remain on a waiting list to move
into nswas. jews and arabs throughout the area still send their kids
to the elementary school here.”
cnn interview of village residents, 7/8/02 “we have
so much in common. we have so much good going between us.” –
palestinian village resident, pamela nasser. “this is the way
we are bringing them up, with connection to the jewish culture, the
jewish holidays, and to the muslim holidays too.” pamela’s
husband, sadik nasser.
national journal, 5/25/02 “one of the reasons why nswas
differs from other experimental forms of conflict resolution is that
residents are actually encouraged to confront the issues that divide
them.”
st. louis post-dispatch, 4/28/02 “all those who live
here came with the view that they can break down walls of mistrust and
hostility by living side by side and building mutual respect. the place
where those principles are most on display is the school where children
are taught in hebrew and arabic and learn about the histories of both
people.”
the jerusalem post, 4/5/02 “in the sea of hopelessness,
there exists a small island of sanity; a tiny glimmer of hope.”
“it is the children of neve shalom who make this place so inspirational.
jewish and arab kids don’t make a big deal that they can speak
each other’s language; they don’t regard the fact that they
learn and play together as anything extraordinary. anyone who knows
anything about israel knows that it is.”
the philadelphia inquirer, 3/22/02 “amid olive branches
and eucalyptus leaves, 40 palestinian and jewish families are conducting
a hilltop experiment that sounds more radical today then it did when
it began three decades ago: they are trying to live together.”
the jewish advocate, 1/18-24/02 “[the oasis of peace]
illustrates what could be the end result of the middle east peace process.”
the jewish bulletin of northern california / jewish telegraphic
agency, 1/02 “they try as adults to practice what they preach
to their children—that problems can be discussed rationally, and
that jews and arabs can live together, even if some differences are
painful.”
voice of america, 8/5/01 “in a country where arabs and
jews rarely interact as equals, this community stands out as a place
where differences are acknowledged and respected, perhaps even celebrated.”
jewish herald-voice, 12/00 “the residents of neve shalom/wahat
al-salam (oasis of peace) not only believe in equality and pluralism.
they live it.”
the palm beach post, 12/12/00 “in neve shalom, the schools
work for peace today by teaching the leaders of tomorrow.”
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press releases
the following press releases are in microsoft word format
(.doc)
promoting, supporting and demonstrating
jewish-arab cooperation and equality in israel
the relevance of israeli-palestinian
coexistence work in the middle east
israel-palestine:
long term prospects for peaceful coexistence
jews and palestinians beating
the odds: living, working, studying together
jewish and arab children
uncover mosaic
a peacemaker and visionary remembered
jewish and palestinian students in israel
vote together
twenty-five years later, new families
struggle in binational jewish-arab village
coalition for middle east peace hosts special
conference on capitol hill
businessman gives away money
to teach peace, not hatred
palestinian and israeli
- building a community of peace for more than 25 years
center
stage: israeli actress speaks out about growing up with arabs
jews
and palestinians can live together in peace
jewish
and arab discuss friendship in the midst of regional strife
unique
israeli/palestinian peace project takes part in arab civil rights conference
friends
of israel come together to support jewish-arab co-existence programs
as solution to violence
journalist
turned peace activist fights for peace
integrated
jewish and arab summer camp wraps up
jews
and arabs break ground on school expansion
jews
and arabs deliver humanitarian aid to palestinians
jews
and arabs return to integrated jewish and arab community
art
display shows that israeli children believe peace is possible
jews
and palestinians can live together peacefully – author of oasis
of dreams, book on palestinian-jewish coexistence in neve shalom/wahat
al-salam, to speak in los angeles
jewish
and palestinian children celebrate the holidays together at bilingual,
bicultural school in israel
jewish-palestinian
peace village brings together women activists
young
palestinian woman aims to prove that jews and palestinians can live
together
palestinian
from arab-jewish village in israel teaches peace to international teens
in florida
jewish-palestinian
village in israel provides medical assistance to palestinian towns,
even under fire
jewish
and palestinian teenagers from israeli village to visit u.s. to talk
about living together in peace
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american
friends of neve shalom/wahat al-salam
12925 riverside drive, 3rd floor
| sherman oaks, ca 91423
ph. 818-325-8884 | fx. 818-325-8983
afnswas@oasisofpeace.org
privacy
policy
Acceuil
suivante
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