Dear TalkMatters Supporters,
I’m settling back home again after two trips to Israel – the first meeting leaders of the initiatives that TalkMatters promotes and the second trip co-leading a UK Interfaith Group with Tal Arrowsmith, the Director of Oasis of Peace UK. This newsletter is the diary from the Interfaith Group visit with thanks to Tal and Stephanie Wolfe who supplied some of the pictures and text.
We stayed at Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom (Arabic and Hebrew for Oasis of Peace, WASNS). WASNS is a village of Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel who choose to share their lives with one another. Residents are dedicated to promoting justice, peace and equality in the country. Situated equidistant from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the community was established in 1970 by Father Bruno Hussar on land belonging to the Latrun Monastery. In this unique village half a classroom of children have family in Gaza, and the other half have siblings in the Israeli Defence Force. A place of immense complexity.
I first came across WASNS in the 1980s looking for ideas for BBC Radio and I have been visiting and taking people to visit ever since. The village has expanded and developed over the years and there are now 90 families, 50 more families building their homes and another 80 waiting to acquire land to build on. For me, the four educational institutions that are housed in the village are the most important. In particular the bi-lingual primary school where 150 Jewish and Arab children learn and play together. To visit the institutions, to meet their inspirational leaders, and to see what is possible if people get to know each other and build up trust gives a little hope for the future in this troubled region
“Welcome to our British Friends, and the interfaith group they organized, now visiting WASNS. They are leading the way in bringing visitors back to our village, and we welcome the opportunity to give them a taste of our educational institutions and to create new ties and renew old ones.” – the village people
Our arrival
Our first evening gave us an opportunity to get to know each other and to meet some of WASNS’s residents and leaders of the educational institutions. We heard about the challenges and achievements of living at WASNS.
Our first day
Our first day was spent in the village. In the morning, Co-Director of the Educational Institutions and Deputy Principal of the Primary School, Nir Sharon guided us on a walking tour of the village and its institutions. Nir told us the history of the village and we discussed the concerns around emotional and mental health for the residents of the village since the Hamas Massacre and ensuing Gaza war.
Then we visited the Primary School to meet a couple of the teachers. They explained that in contrast with Israel’s sectarian school system, children in the WASNS primary school learn in an environment that is binational and bilingual. The school excels in core subjects and offers the children extracurricular classes in sports, music, technology and more. In recent years, the pedagogic staff, together with the Ministry of Education, developed a binational curriculum called HOTAM, Education, Culture, Tradition, which is designed to nurture each child’s identity while teaching respect and appreciation for the cultures of the others.
In the afternoon we visited the School for Peace (SFP) – The SFP works with Jewish and Palestinian professional groups, women and youth, creating an egalitarian dialogue between the two people. Through workshops, training programmes and special projects, the SFP develops participants’ awareness of the conflict and their role in it, enabling them to take responsibility to change the present relations between Jews and Palestinians.
Director of SFP, Dr Roi Silberberg gave us the chance to experience first-hand the pioneering conflict resolution methods of the SFP in a workshop he created especially for our group. The workshop focussed on the terminology used in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Painful and difficult discussions ensued as we discussed why or why not we would use or not use words such as apartheid, oppression, genocide, colonisation, etc.
Our second day
We went to Jerusalem to meet our tour guide par excellence Benji Behrman. With the theme of ‘Holiness of Space in the Old City’ , we visited three sacred sites:
- Mount Zion – the site chosen by King David to house the Ark of the Covenant and chosen by Solomon his son to build the First Temple (You can read about this in 2 Samuel 5:7, 1 Kings 8:1 and 1Chronicles 11:5)
- The Southern Wall archaeological site near the Western Wall where we saw the grand ancient stone stair-case leading to the Temple, the streets from the Herodian Period and the ‘Trumpeting Place’ where the Priest blew on the shofar to announce the beginning of the Sabbath
- The Church of the Holy Sepulchre – the site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. A lot of climbing up and down steps ending with a hearty meal in good company and a lot to talk about
Our third day
We went to Ramle to meet the Anglican Rev’d Samuel Fanous, his brother Councillor Michael Fanous and Greek Orthodox Priest Faiez Mansour. Lovely to meet them all in Samuel’s beautiful home and garden and to have the opportunity in an informal setting to listen to theological and secular views on what is happening in the mixed Arab/Jewish town of Ramle and in the country as a whole.
Our discussions included how Christian Arabs are treated by the rest of Israeli society, how Christian communities have responded to the Hamas attack and the ensuing war in Gaza, how relations between Jews and Arabs have evolved over the years and how they see the way forward. I’m pleased to report that some hope remained for them all – especially because of the positive relationships within the Interfaith Community.
The day included a slap-up lunch and visit to Ramle market.
In the evening we returned to the village and in small groups, we went to meet some village residents in their homes. Raida, a teacher at the Primary School hosted my group. She told us that after October 7th the resident Arabs and the Jews were angry and frightened. Many could not speak to each other. They started a WhatsApp group and tried to explain to each other how they felt. This didn’t work because of the lack of nuance so three face-to-face meetings were rapidly organised and facilitated by professionals. Now there are regular meetings to discuss the everyday internal politics of the village as well as the world outside.
Our fourth day
We went to Akko to visit the Clore Jewish Arab Community Centre run by Mohammed Fahili. We heard from Clare Lassman-King and Rehab Kut about the wide range of services and activities they provide for babies, children and adults.
We were dismayed to learn the effect of the rockets fired from Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. Akko in Northern Israel is close to the border with Lebanon and so the Akko residents had only 15-30 seconds to get themselves to a blast resistant room. Not enough time for the elderly and families with very young children.
We heard how both sides had been fearful after the 7th October Hamas massacre and the ensuing Gaza war but that despite the trauma there had been no conflict between Jews and Arabs in Akko.
After lunch we had a fascinating tour of Old Akko which ended up at the magnificent Al-Jazzar Mosque. We observed that our guide Abdu Hassan, one of the tiny minority of Christians in the city was warmly greeted by everyone at the mosque. Yet another example of co-existence in action that we witnessed on this trip. Interesting because media hype leads us to believe that there is little connection between Christians and Muslims in Israel.
Our final day
Our last programmed day was spent back in the village visiting the Pluralistic Spiritual Community Centre (PSCC), the Rescuer’s Garden and the Oasis Art Gallery.
The PSCC was established in memory of WASNS founder Father Bruno Hussar. It is a non-denominational complex that enables spiritual reflection, whether in the dome shaped House of Silence known as the Doumia, with windows overlooking the Shfela valley and the Latrun monastery, or in the courtyards, halls and open spaces extending down the hillside.We went to the Doumia and held a moving ceremony in memory of the late Rev’d Keith McNicol. Keith lived in the village for several months reporting to the Anglican Church on how Christians were faring in Israel. Also a former Trustee of the British Friends and my co-leader for the Interfaith group over many years, Keith loved the village and Israel. After the ceremony, Hezzi Shuster the Director of the PSCC told us that spiritual reflection is embraced in community holiday celebrations, in the mindfulness and yoga classes that take place there and in nation-wide interfaith leadership meetings hosted by the PSCC. For some, it is a site for quiet meditation or prayers for peace, for others, a place to share the joys of community.
Events held in the PSCC include community meetings, films, artistic presentations and panel discussions, book launchings, and international peace and women’s day events. People outside the village are often invited to the celebrations held in the PSCC, including nuns from Bethlehem, local religious leaders and local residents.
We visited the Rescuer’s Garden established to honour individuals and groups who have demonstrated extraordinary courage and humanity by rescuing others during times of peril. This tribute is not limited to any specific nation or religion, embracing heroes from all backgrounds who have risked their lives to save others. The Garden serves as a lasting reminder of their noble deeds and aims to inspire future generations to act with similar bravery and compassion.
The quiet, shady olive trees, stone benches and view of the Shfela valley below invite all who walk into the Garden to sit and reflect, surrounded by the names of those rescuers.
After lunch and conversation with Rayek Rizek, long-time resident and owner of the Ahlan cafe, we visited the Oasis Art Gallery run by Rayek’s wife, Dyana Shaloufi Rizek. The Oasis Art Gallery attracts a wide range of artists, as well as visitors of all ages to WASNS, bringing people into the village who might not otherwise take an interest or make the trip
.
Palestinian and Jewish artists collaborate and participate in the Gallery’s mixed group exhibits. The exhibits, which are renewed every few months, each take on a subject related to the conflict, social, environmental, and cultural issues.
Reflecting on our trip
Our visit to NSWAS was now at an end. The trip was successful, our group cohesive, all worked out well. Now home I wish I could remember everything I was told, I wish I had taken more notes, I wish that I had recorded conversations, I wish I could relive the trip in slow motion….but I was there – in the moment.
As complex and complicated as ever both the microcosm and the macrocosm with more questions than answers! But as always, I am left with the belief that this village represents a wonderful concept brought to life by some wonderful people whom I feel privileged to have met.
Do so hope you have enjoyed reading about the visit and that you will consider coming along next year to see for yourself what is going on.
In the meantime, I wish you a festive season full of fun and happy times. I wish you a healthy 2026. And I wish that the New Year will bring peace to the whole world.
As ever in friendship,
Jenny
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