I am the Black and Red of the prestigious AC Milan football club, renowned for its defensive heritage.
I am the voice of the opera house, which has always been the master of performances and a platform for refined art, where music, voice and emotion converge.
I am the scent of spices in the spice market of Jerusalem, drawing people to it.
I am the taste of taboon bread with olive oil that my grandmother used to bake for me when I was little.
I am the texture of the ancient stones in the alleyways that have stood the test of time.
I am the colors Blue and Yellow. Blue is the color of my eyes and the clear sky, and yellow if the color of the bright sun that fills my mornings with light and beauty. For the first time in my life I climbed the HaKirya Bridge in Tel Aviv early in the morning. Before me was a view I will never forget: a blue sky, a bright sun, tall buildings, soldiers in their green uniforms, birds flying above and people walking below. The scene was so beautiful that I did not know what to look at first, because everything around m e was worth admiring.
I am the sounds that live in my memory, the ice cream truck announcing moments of happiness, the school bell that was part of my days, my cat meowing, and my mother calling my name with love.
I am the smell of musk that fills AlAqsa mosque, and the scent of the place from which the Prophet ascended to heaven. It is a fragrance that carries with a feeling of peace and tranquility.
I am the delicious taste of my mother’s cooking during Ramadan, the taste of qatayef filled with cheese, and the taste of cold tamarind juice at Iftaar.
I am the feeling of a female soldier’s face, soft and warm. When I was little, I was visiting the Jordan River and wandered away from my mother for a few moments. Some female soldiers found me. I was frightened and crying, so one of them carried me and tried to conform me by talking to me. I was too young to understand what was happening around me and I thought they were like the characters from PUBG. I placed my hand on her face and felt how soft and warm it was. I felt calm and safe and realized that she was a human being with feelings just like us.
This piece is from a new series: “I am in 5 Senses”
I am the colors White and Green. White is the color of the dove of peace carrying in its wings a world free of war and spreading a message of love and hope among people. Green is the color of the olive tree, a symbol of the land’s eternity and peace, whose roots remain deep no matter how the days change. These two colors carry in my heart the meaning of life, peace and hope for a brighter future.
I am the sound of the call to prayer that we hear in the morning and evening, bringing peace to our hearts, the sound of the man who woke us up during the nights of Ramadan so we could prepare for suhoor (pre-fast meal), and the quiet prayers of my mother filled with love, mercy and comfort.
I am the smell of the delicious Jerusalem ka’ak that fills the streets of Bethlehem and the scent of incense in the Church of the Nativity spreading through Manger Square carrying with it the spirituality of the city and its beauty that brings together history and holiness.
I am the taste of Palestinian food grown from the land: delicious maqluba filled with potatoes and local cauliflower, and sweet Nabulsi Knafe with local cheese and delicious pistachios.
I am the feeling of the soft therapy putty that I exercise with every day to strengthen my joints and hands, a feeling that gives me strength and helps me develop my skills with every practice.
Five students from the Writers Matter program visited Philadelphia and NYC for a six day reading and speaking tour. Mahdi (from the Agricultural High School in Rameh), Yuval (Ort Givat Ram in Jerusalem), Rula (Terra Santa school in Akko), Meeran (Wainar school in Yarka) and Bina (Yachad Modi’in) presented their writing and discussed their experiences in the program for approximately 350 people, including a series of dinners hosted in their honor in Philadelphia, and in meetings held at the Temple University Hillel, Temple Beth Hillel, Coop City Islamic community, Kehillat Hadar-Sha’are Tzedek and Smol Emuni.
This was the first Writers Matter trip to the US since April 2024, with two books already published in the interim: The Write Path and The Write Path II, and the growth of the program to include collaborations with students from other countries, as well as a Gazan writing program (in Arabic). The trip also marked the 20th anniversary of Writers Matter in the US.
In addition to reading some of the pieces that the students had written individually and collaboratively over the last two years, there were also some exclusive pieces written just for the speaking tour. The group also held Q & A sessions for audiences curious about how their choice to write with peers from other religious and ethnic backgrounds was seen by their family and peers, which languages they thought in, and other questions. The group also visited the Weizman Museum of American Jewish History, UPenn, NYU and Columbia University campuses, and the Jewish Center synagogue on the Upper West Side, among other sites of interest.
The group also visited the Weizman Museum of American Jewish History, UPenn, NYU and Columbia University campuses, and the Jewish Center synagogue on the Upper West Side, among other sites of interest.
As the project continues to grow, plans include involving new students and teachers, as well as adding additional communities in Israel and the West Bank. These students are future leaders who represent shared community and peaceful initiatives between all Israelis and Palestinians.
Debate for Peace thanks Tony and Pam Schneider, Larry and Dotty Brown and Mickey and Barbara Black for hosting the group in Philadelphia, and the Bermont family, the Gal family, and David Brotsky for hosting the group in NYC.
After making history last year with the largest ever interfaith iftaar in the holy land, Mohamad Jamous and his partners set out to do the impossible–hold a repeat event connecting Israeli Jews and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Despite the outbreak of war with Iran, transportation cancellations, and threats of missiles, they once again succeeded in bringing together leaders from all walks of life and religions.
On Tuesday March 17th, one of the final days of Ramadan, hundreds of Israelis, Palestinians and international guests met in the West Bank for a series of speeches by religious and community leaders about the importance of peacebuilding. Simultaneously, several hundred Gazans met in a second location, with several addressing the main forum via Zoom. Additional groups included an interfaith Israeli-Palestinian group in London, as well as the Jaffa interfaith group. Later in the day yet another Jewish-Muslim interfaith iftaar was held at the home of Sheikh Musa Drammeh in the Bronx, NY.
Mohamad Jamous, the main organizer of the Children of Abraham Iftaar, shared his thoughts after the event:
“Even in the middle of war, we chose to build a table for humanity bringing Palestinians and Israelis together to say that humanity, dignity, life, and peace must come first.
This interfaith Ramadan Iftar brought together over 1,500 Palestinians and Israelis across Gaza and the West Bank, with parallel gatherings in London and Tel Aviv connected online.
The initiative created a shared human space during war and raised a united voice for dignity, peace, and an end to violence.
From Gaza, voices like Moataz reminded us that even in the darkest reality, people still choose life and hope. Samira shared a simple but powerful message: no more mothers should lose their children we all deserve a future of peace and humanity.
This event was made possible through the dedication of many coordinators and partners who believed that even in the hardest moments, humanity must come first.”
Aviv Lis, who organized the London Iftaar group after being unable to travel to Israel, explained that with only three days to plan the London meeting, he quickly got dozens of guests, who “heard from a Palestinian from Gaza, a Mizrachi Jewish Israeli woman from Jerusalem, a Palestinian refugee from Gaza who just received asylum in the UK and an Iraqi Jewish man from Baghdad who spoke of his natural friendships with Arabs who all shared their stories in person and via zoom to the Holy Land. Right before Iftar breakfast we all sang together songs of peace in Arabic and Hebrew led by a Tunisian Oud player who was assisted by my Israeli friend Ella and my Palestinian friend Abdulrahman. It was a magical event and I was so thankful I was able to organize it at such a short notice. None of it however would have been possible without Mohamad’s support and vision for peace, a vision that many here in London share and support.”
After a three year hiatus, Debate for Peace returned to our favorite conference, Yale MUN! Seven top Model UN students from six schools and cities around Israel joined the delegation, which included three days in NYC, followed by 3.5 days at Yale College for YMUN 52, together with students from over 35 countries around the world.
This year’s delegation was hosted by families from Park Avenue Synagogue. They held briefings with the Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations, the Mission of Austria to the United Nations and the United States Mission to the UN, as well as meeting with Professor Mehnaz Afridi, Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College. In the evenings, the group ran panels and workshops with youth at Park Avenue Synagogue and Central Synagogue, as well as meeting with Sheikh Musa Drammeh, and joining a simulation run by the International Association of Youth and Students for Peace together with the Women’s Federation for World Peace.. The group also found time to take in cultural highlights of NYC, including the tram to Roosevelt Island, Staten Island Ferry, 9/11 Memorial, Wall Street, Highline Park, Little Island, Times Square, Grand Central, the Lower East Side, Chinatown and Little Italy.
At Yale MUN, the students got to experience the unique opportunities of one of the world’s most prestigious MUN conferences, which featured nearly 2,000 students in 50 simultaneous committees. The Debate for Peace team included Daniel and Mohamed from the Hand in Hand School, Yonatan from Atid Raziel, Alon from Hadassim, Natalie from Sharet Netanya, Naomi from Studio Ankori, and Rula from the Terra Santa school, and the Ort Hilmie Shafie MUN club. They represented characters in seven diverse committees: Jumanji, 2001 Space Odyssey, Money Heist, Qing Imperial Court, Death Note; Yellowstone Explosion, and the Joint Cabinet Crisis: Blackfyre Rebellion. All of the students were congratulated for their hard work in preparing for the conference and contributing to their dynamic committees, and Naomi Gildor received an award for Best Position Paper in the Blackfyre Crisis committee.
In addition to the conference, the delegation participated in a peacebuilding simulation run by Yale University’s International Leadership Center, and visited the Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale for shabbat lunch. They also got to sample an East Coast winter experience, with two days of snow on Saturday and Sunday.
Debate for Peace expresses gratitude to the YMUN team for their tireless and unparalleled efforts to ensure a unique learning experience for every student, and for enabling our delegation to join, to the Park Avenue synagogue community for opening up their homes to our students and staff, and to all of the diplomats and academics who made time to meet with the delegation.
On the second night of Hanukkah, Monday December 15th, Debate for Peace had a book reading celebration for “The Write Path II: Hope”. The Write Path II is now the second book published as an initiative of the Writers Matter project founded by Professor Bob Vogel, which has given a voice to students and teachers from all over Israel. The celebration was supported by the Bosch Alumni Network, and hosted at America Hub Israel in Jerusalem.
The event included candlelighting on a special Hanukkiah prepared at the Hub’s 3D printing center, followed by readings of poems, short stories and personal narratives by Jewish Israeli and Palestinian teens and teachers, a young writer from Bosnia-Herzegovina, young female writers in Gaza. The guests, who came from all over Israel, along with many other countries who joined via zoom, enjoyed a powerful and inspiring evening that brought light and hope through the spoken and written word. Congratulations to all of the writers, readers, and contributors to this wonderful initiative!
Debate for Peace participated in Yale Model UN Dubai, the third annual MUN conference hosted in Dubai by the Yale International Relations Association, as part of their global series of Model UN conferences. Students dealt with topics ranging from disrupting transnational organized crime’s financing to women’s healthcare access to expanding the historical House of Wisdom of Abbasid Iraq, and the maritime conflict between China and Vietnam in the International Court of Justice.
The delegation consisted of seven students from six schools around Israel: Shaked from Wizo Hadassim, Itamar from Atid Raziel, Sameer from Nimer Hussain School Shfaram, Noa from Dror Educational Campus, Ethan and Itamar from Kfar Hayarok high school, and Rula from the Terra Santa school, and the Ort Hilmie Shafie MUN club. In addition to the conference activities, the delegation also toured Dubai Creek by sea, and visited the Shindagha historical and ethnographic museum.
After three intense days of challenging multilateral diplomacy, speeches, negotiations and resolution writing, the delegation returned with the experiences of competing in Model UN at a global level. They also left a positive impression on their chairs and fellow delegates. Congratulations to all of the members of the delegation, and in particular to Ethan Neumann and Itamar Harel, for winning Best Position Paper and Best Delegate respectively in the World Health Organization.
This piece is by Rula, a writer based in the old city of Akko
In another life, my dear, I hate that saying, we are just hoping But somehow it’s giving up We just say…. Maybe in another life we will be together Why can’t it be now? Maybe in another life, we will be parents They say as they’re losing hope and giving up trying to be See you in another lifetime She says as she is taking her last breath He says I WILL LOVE U IN EVERY LIFETIME, See you in another lifetime As they’re breaking up Maybe in another life I would have been PRETTIER, SMARTER, SKINNIER We say in desperation to be something we are not Maybe in another life, we will not be from a broken home They say as their parents fight for custody in court
Maybe is hope. Another life we just say we hope Life a lifetime of someone living that could not be replaced Hoping is a feeling of wishing and hoping for something to happen
Life is a rollercoaster of ups and downs Hoping for our another lifetime to be perfect Everything we hoped for to come true Is it giving up???
I don’t know how and what Should I lose hope HOPE HOPE HOPE
Maybe in another life it will be him Why can’t it be him now? In another lifetime, i will get the schoolership Why can’t I get it now? Work harder, smarter in another life i would be Why not work harder now
In another life another life another life Hopes dreams wishes that do come true Is hoping bad ? Is it giving up? Will it happen ? Is there even another life? Will everything we hope for come true In another life my dear ……
Emily is a Junior in high school who splits her time between the Jewish city of Netanya and the Arab town of Nazareth. This piece is titled “Reflections”
As little kids, the world promised us a safe future, as if they could guarantee us one, maybe in the long run.
As a teenager, all I witnessed was a world divided into two parts: One for ones who hold sovereignty and strive for ruthlessness, and the other is an audience with crossed legs, eyes wide, jaw dropped with zero actions.
The world treated the conflict as a piece of art, the blood its artists had on their hands was just a red paint, the kind of piece people visit the gallery to see once a year, or once a decade. “More replicas” is what the gallery wanted to create.
We got used to the bomb alerts and rockets flying above our heads became our routine like it’s something we ought to normalise. Was it all a sacrifice?
They call them hostages, we call them innocent lives trapped in a nightmare they never signed up for. They call it genocide, we call it erasing history and the spirits of its ancestors from their land. The kind of history that no propoganda will prohibit us to carry until the light no longer enters our eyes, until the last breath our lungs will hold on to.
Lack of peace leads to lack of lives. But the world wants to put the theme of peace in the largest of billboards on one condition: that they define it in their own way. We want peace, but the next day on one side there is death and grief and on the other there is fear and sounds of bombs here and there, everywhere. How many masks should a person put on to have the urge to say that there is peace when the word is not used for its meaning in the first place?
Speeches here and there, that get a round of applouse so loud we forget the sound, that sound of bombs and crying. Of traumas and scars that will never heal.
Today the little kids shall arise from the bottom of our souls to remind the world of the false promises we have fallen for.
Debate for Peace 