Breaking Down Borders: Youth Self Discovery

What is the value of understanding? What is the impact of first-hand experience? That moment of realization and discovery, the “ah-ha” moment, leaves an indelible mark that changes your mind.

The Massa-Masar program provides the opportunity for Jewish and Palestinian teenagers to discover each other on their own terms. Everything gets put on the table. What do they know about each other? What do they think about each other? What is their life like? It is usually the first conversation that either group has ever engaged in with the “other”.

Guided by facilitators who are experts in conflict resolution, these teenagers step into each other’s world and see another story, another perspective and another reality.  The facilitators, one Jewish and one Palestinian, work together as an example to the participants of an equal partnership. Through the program, participants glimpse another possibility; a reality where ‘mine’ and ‘yours’ becomes ‘ours’.

“I will take an important lesson with me, that everything is possible, there is always hope, there are good people around, regardless of their religion or background.” -Alif Palestinian participant

“We see that it is possible. It starts from this age. It starts now. It mustn’t wait. We shouldn’t be afraid of it, we simply need to dare.” Eden, Jewish participant.

These face-to-face interactions are the introductions that these Jewish and Palestinian youths will bring with them into their adult lives.

By contributing to this program, you can be a part of the peace process. A process that begins when people see the possibility of another reality. Your support creates the opportunities for Jewish and Palestinian youth to have the chance to meet as equals and realize that the conflict is not insurmountable, and that change begins with them.

Education in Israel is largely segregated. Recognizing the enormous potential for students to gain a greater understanding of one another, Palestinian and Jewish educators have brought youth encounters into their schools. Inspired by the unique program developed at Neve Shalom/Wahat-al-Salam, Palestinian and Israeli students from four schools are meeting to explore ideas and opinions in an educational setting with equal representation.

Through Neven Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, a group of Jewish and Palestinian teachers have been motivated to create partnerships between schools and implement groundbreaking, nationally recognized programs that focus on bringing Palestinian and Jewish students together through literature.

The Ministry of Education has approved a pilot program that will bring 11th graders from Branco Weiss School and the Jadeidi-Makr School together for joint writing projects based on a collaborative study of Hebrew and Arabic literary works.The Ministry’s approval allows other schools to adopt the program and initiates a ‘feasibility study’ in the coming years.

The Presidential Award for education initiatives was presented to 10^th grade teachers form Ibn Rushd and Rothberg High for their joint program that brings students together to attend joint learning sessions of Palestinian and Jewish literary works.

With your support, Neve Shalom/Wahat-al-Salam can continue to reach across cultures and create opportunities for foundational peace-building encounters between Jewish and Palestinian youth.