Articles

• Last day of school
  2 July 2004

  Photos from the end-of-school-year events

• "Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr" for German volunteers
  7 June 2004

  Till recently the social benefits of the
  so-called "Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr" provided by the German government were available only for
  young German women who did that service in Germany or neighbouring countries. Now it is possible to get it also in other countries like Israel, if the participants are well prepared and sent through an organisation recognised by the government.
  If young people from Germany wish to come as volunteers to Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salam they may therefore like (...)

• Doumia Sakinah Update
  4 June 2004, by Dorit Shippin

  Recent and planned activities of the Pluralistic Spiritual Centre

• I will sell my dream to the highest bidder
  1 June 2004, by Daoud Boulos

  My oldest daughter Ranin*, 18 years old, came home one day very agitated and in tears. Her blond hair, fair complexion and fashionable jeans did not help, nor her perfect Hebrew. She was wearing a cross.
  It was a week that witnessed several suicidal attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilian targets inside Israel. The general atmosphere was that of fear and suspicion; travelers who had no choice by to ride public transportation, a major target for these attacks, got on the buses (...)

• 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize
  31 May 2004

  NSWAS hosts a meeting with the Swiss coordinators of a project to award the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize to 1,000 women working for peace.

• Children of the school celebrate three holidays
  23 May 2004

  As in recent years, we celebrated a tri-religious event, and this year focussed upon the Jewish holiday of “Shavu’ot”, the Muslim “Mawlad el-Nabi” and the Christian “Pentecost” (“el Ansara” in Arabic). The latter also was combined with a celebration of Ascension Day (“es-Su’ud”). The event took place on a warm and lovely spring evening. The school and its surroundings were adorned with symbols of the three holidays, scriptural quotations, and artwork. It gave an opportunity for children, parents (...)

• Experience of a volunteer in NSWAS
  15 May 2004, by Rosa Blumenfeld

  During the past two and a half months I have been a volunteer here at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. I had been in Israel for a few months already as a student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The first time that I came to the village was when I attended a conference here about “Religion, Social Identity and Education Among Arabs and Jews in Israel”. I was to start volunteering at NSWAS the following week. I was to be the first volunteer working with the Public Relations office as the (...)

• February in NSWAS
  29 February 2004

  It’s springtime in Israel. The almond trees have been in blossom from the beginning of the month, and now the earth is carpeted with yellow and red flowers. During the last weekend of the month, temperatures reached an unseasonal 30 degrees Celsius.
  As every year at this time, the primary school and kindergarten celebrated the tree planting holiday – Tu Bi’Shvat in Hebrew, Eid I-Shajara in Arabic. It was not the only holiday, for at the beginning of the month came the Moslem holiday of (...)

• Commission rejects plan to build new settlement next to NSWAS
  5 February 2004

  On Tuesday, February 3, the National Building and Planning Commission met to discuss the proposal by developers to build a new settlement adjacent to NSWAS. The plan called for the allocation of 60 hectares of state land for the construction of some 520 homes. Due to opposition by various parties including NSWAS, the Association for the Protection of Nature and the Jewish National Fund, the plan was rejected, despite a government decision from 2002 in favour of establishing a new settlement (...)

• Religion, Social Identity and Education (Conference)
  February 2004

  Conference
  Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salam and The Global Network of Religions for Children invite you to a conference on: Religion, Social Identity and Education Among Arabs and Jews in Israel
  Questions and challenges of religious identity facing educators in a multi-cultural society
  Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salam
  February 25 – 26, ‏2004
  Sponsored by the Arigatou Foundation
  Program
  Wednesday, Feb. 25th
  13:00: Registration 13:45: Introduction
  Castro Daoud, Secretary of Neve Shalom (...)

• Preparations for Id al-Adha
  30 January 2004

  As every year, the children in the school and kindergarten celebrated the Moslem Festival of the Sacrifice, which commemorates the Quranic story of Ibrahim and his son Ishmael.

• The encounter is also for teachers
  26 January 2004

  January 11: The second of three encounters for the staff and management of the Primary School and pre-school framework of Neve Shalom – Wahat al-Salam took place over the weekend. The two-and-a-half day encounter was conducted at conference facilities in Jerusalem and sponsored by the Arigatou Foundation, Japan.
  The NSWAS school, like most others, is a place where the pressures of the school day make for frenetic activity among teachers and management alike. There is little time for (...)

• New developments in the HAP program
  13 January 2004, by Michal Zak

  HAP needs your help: See below on how to help provide kits for volunteer ambulance crews.
  January 2004: In a recent committee meeting, we shared information on the latest developments with our ongoing projects and decided upon some ones. Medical equipment for clinics
  The most ambitious of our ongoing projects is the provision of medical equipment to clinics in three Ramallah district towns and villages, namely Naalin, Media and Budrus. In preparation, we met with the Naalin’s mayor (...)

• Eitan Haber visits the primary school
  12 January 2004, by Daniela Kitain

  Eitan Haber - who was personal advisor to the late PM Yitzhak Rabin - visited our primary school in December. Favourably impressed, Mr. Haber promised to help in seeking support for the school in Israel and abroad.

• December 2003 - preparing for Hannuka and Christmas
  12 January 2004, by Daniela Kitain

  The primary school children preparing for the celebration of Christmas and Hannuka. Thanks to Philipp Burckhardt for the photos.

• Formation years of the Educational System
  31 December 2003, by Ety Edlund

  Ety Edlund recounts the establishment and first years of the kindergarten and primary school in the 1980s and 90s.

• Ramadan in Neve Shalom - Wahat al-Salam
  24 November 2003

  Every year during the month of Ramadan, many of the Moslem members of the village observe the daytime fast, breaking it at dusk with the traditional Iftar meal. This year, families got together for a weekly evening meal, and the school and kindergarten also celebrated the holy month with various activities.
  On November 19, the village municipality and Doumia – Sakinah together arranged a special evening to which the whole village was invited. Beginning at 5 PM with a festive meal, the (...)

• NSWAS elects a new leadership team
  17 November 2003

  Following annual elections in the village, incoming Secretary Castro Daoud speaks of his perspective on NSWAS and his hopes for the coming year.

• A letter from Battoul’s father
  15 November 2003

  To my friends in Neve Shalom – The School for Peace
  THANK YOU FOR EVER
  Dear respected friends
  I am Bashar Jaloudi from Jenin Governate Faqoaa village Palestine I would like to express my deep and great thankfullness to my friends in Neve Shalom for their help by financing the heart surgery for My daughter BATTOUL 5 years old who was suffering from VSD. She had a whole in her heart when she was born 1998 and now she was having another whole in the VALVE and the nerves are closed the (...)

• Notable Quotes
  31 October 2003

  What others say about Neve Shalom / Wahat al Salam
  Ronit Tirosh, director of Israeli Education Ministry (visit, January 2002):
  The school works towards the aim of nurturing the personal, national and cultural identity of both peoples. The students conduct educational and cultural dialogues with no regard to the difference between them.
  I saw students and educators, who are trying to find, through this encounter, what they commonly share. Let us pray that perhaps from you will come out (...)