Wahat al-Salam - Neve ShalomHome > Oasis of Peace > Visiting > Visitors Center > Visit of Women Wage Peace
Visit of Women Wage Peace
Sunday 10 March 2019
On Friday March 1 we hosted a group of 30 women from the Gedera branch of the organization Women Wage Peace. Visit Center Director, Rita Boulos and WAS-NS member Boaz Kitain received them in the Oasis Art Gallery. Afterwards the Oasis Art Gallery’s curator Dyana Shalufi Rizek gave them a guided tour of the current exhibition, "Violence against Women," which confronts the issue of women murdered by close family members.
The group showed a lively interest in both the village and the exhibition, and stayed beyond the scheduled time. They also promised to arrange more such visits by other chapters of Women Wage Peace around the country.
Thanks to everyone who worked to make this visit a success!
In photos: They gave us two peace bracelets and two small bags of seeds. They are sharing these seeds with Palestinian women, as seeds for peace.
After the visit, the women wrote a letter of thanks, a quick translation of which appears below (the original is attached):
9/3/2019
Dear Rita.
There are meetings that leave the heart of the listener feeling that much is hidden beneath what is visible. Such was our meeting - things were said honestly and heartily, but in brief.
A week has passed since the meeting with you and Boaz took place, and our discussion is still reverberating. We felt that this was an experiential and thought-provoking encounter that left us with questions and a desire for more.
From the outset, it was clear to us that such a short encounter could not encompass the entire fabric of your shared life, and it would be impossible to provide an optimal response to the questions that were asked and to those which were not. But, as for many of us (especially for women), the small details are what provide the joy of curiosity and learning, They paint life with a special seasoning, do not they?
Indeed, it was fascinating to listen to your words and understand that, although each side carries with it the history and the personal narrative and there are differences of opinion between you, the basis of the relationship is based on mutual respect demanding a stubborn and daily struggle of openness of thought and flexibility of positions. The knowledge that there is one village, in the foot hills of Jerusalem, which was established 50 years ago with the aim of promoting coexistence between Jews and Arabs and which coexists bilingually. This is certainly not self-evident and is worthy of appreciation and continued depth, study and emulation.
It is a pity that after so many years, the village of Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam remains like a natural laboratory, special and unique, unlike any other.
Dear Rita, Thank you for the comprehensive organization of the visit, for the interesting tour and for the possibility of entering the "House of Silence", for sharing moments of silence and the poetry of peace, in the face of the magnificent view that embraces all hearts.
We will conclude with Bruno Hussar, who founded Neve Shalom - Wahat al-Salam who saw the establishment of the village as "faith in the victory of love over hostility".
May it be so.
We look forward to your continued cooperation.
Regards and warm thanks to you and Boaz.
Women’s Movement Make Peace - Gedera and the Surroundings.
