The School for Peace

The start of the 2024-2025 academic year is met with a harsh and unsettling reality. The violence and destruction of the ongoing war are deepening the rift between Jews and Palestinians, undermining the possibility of creating a safe, just, or equitable space for everyone. In this kind of situation, where security and trust have almost completely vanished, creating an alternative space is more necessary than ever.

Despite the various challenges, we launched two new courses this year that address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the aim of establishing egalitarian spaces for meaningful dialogue within academia: one in the Tel Aviv University Department of Psychology and the other in the Ben-Gurion University Department of Psychology.

Both courses invite, Jewish and Palestinian participants to explore the complexities of their identities, process their feelings about the war, and discuss the asymmetrical power relations that shape their lives. These are not simple spaces to inhabit, but they allow for honest and profound discussions that foster emotional processing alongside critical reflection on personal and collective responsibility.

The continuation of these courses is not something we take for granted. It is bolstered by the strong feedback we received from last year’s participants who have emphasized the importance of creating such platforms.

“I think the course allowed me to see Palestinians as individuals,” shared one Jewish participant. “It also helped me recognize my own assumptions and understand that they can be challenged. Moreover, I learned how to carry myself in encounters with narratives and identities different from my own, even when I disagree—just to be there and listen.”

A Palestinian participant shared:

“I felt there was a safe space to speak, and that someone was listening. The dialogue was respectful and inclusive.” And that “As a Palestinian who came in with more knowledge than others, I learned a lot about myself and the other side.”

It is precisely when reality feels unhinged, and inequality and injustice run rampant that we see the importance of holding such courses within academic circles —arenas that among the most crucial in the struggle for freedom, equality, and justice.