Roi Silberberg (pronounced Ro-ee Zilberberg) holds an MA in human rights from the University of Malta and a PhD in philosophy of education from Haifa University. He first encountered the School for Peace in 2005 as an MA student in neurobiochemistry at Tel Aviv University. He took the course that is run jointly between the School for Peace and the university, and says it changed his life. The following year, he began to work at the School for Peace, where, during the intervening years, he has fulfilled a variety of key roles.

Besides working for the School for Peace, he is  involved in many organizations and movements. He started an NGO called AMAL (spoken Arabic for all) that teaches Arabic to elementary school children in Tel Aviv/Jaffa. He is a board member at Zochrot and is a founder and cooperative member of This is not an Ulpan, a critical political language school.

He is a researcher in the fields of pedagogy and philosophy of education as these relate to peace education, education against racism and educational policy.

The following interview took place over Zoom on September 28, 2020.

Tell us something of your family and where you are living.

I live in Gedera with my partner Elinor and my 1-year old daughter, Tamara. A few years ago we applied to live in Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom, and as soon as the infrastructure for the final stage of the village expansion is completed, we will build our house and move in. Right now we are dealing with the obstacle that there is an archaeological find on our plot. It’s an ancient wine press.  In Israel, when this happens, it becomes the responsibility of the land owner to finance an archaeological dig, and it can take a long time for that to happen. Fortunately, we reached an agreement with the Antiquities Authority to do a “community dig”, which should be quick and less expensive.

What was your motivation in coming to the village?

Well, Israel isn’t such a comfortable place to live. There are many disturbing political, communal and social aspects to deal with. The village is really an oasis that offers a place to rest from the craziness taking place all around – this seems to be only increasing – though from my perspective, it is mainly that people are beginning to notice it more.

So you have just been appointed as School for Peace director (replacing Nava Sonnenschein). How do you feel about your new role?

Excited; a little afraid, maybe, but mostly happy. It’s a role that I wanted, that I felt I have to take on, and the staff chose me. But it will be very demanding; I feel a huge responsibility towards the staff and the projects we are running. There are currently many challenges on many different fronts, so we need to stay focused and prioritize our time.

The School for Peace has a very small staff: a director, three part time project managers, a secretary, our fundraiser and freelancers. Now we will have to reassign our different roles. A tiny staff requires high commitment. We are all very committed both to the organization and to our mission – this is what’s special and makes it possible for us to achieve so much. Each of us knows the work really well and we are able to take care of what we need to do independently, so this prevents the kind of friction that so often slows down an organization.

How is the Coronavirus pandemic affecting registration to new courses?

Recruitment is always difficult, and in the last two years there is a feeling both among Jews and Arabs, that peace work is less relevant, because it’s not on the national agenda. So a large part of our energy and budget is spent simply on recruitment.

In the coronavirus period, this is no harder than usual. There’s the advantage that people have more time; they are stuck at home, there is high unemployment, they feel isolated and like the idea of taking part in group work. Some are seeking new things to do, new horizons. On the other hand, there is a lot of uncertainty. When I ask someone to register for a course that is six months away, she will say, “How can I do that – I don’t even know what tomorrow will bring.”

So there are advantages and disadvantages in this period, but, practically, our new courses are filling up.

In mid-October we will be opening a new course for filmmakers and dramatists. Surprisingly, our registration is almost full. It’s really surprising, because this is the first time we are doing such a course, and we had no contacts in this film or theater industry.

In mid-November, we are opening a facilitator training course, which is also completely full.

How about the university courses?

Yes, for the first time we are opening a one-semester course at Bezalel, Israel’s most prestigious arts school, which is connected to the Hebrew University and that’s very promising.

It’s interesting that the Bezalel course and the course for dramatists are our first foray into the arts field.  The only similar course we had was for literature and poetry – which was very successful – we ran the course five times and it won an award.

We will also be running the annual course at Tel Aviv University and a course at BGU in Beer Sheba.  The registration for the Tel Aviv University course is phenomenal – both among Jewish and Arab students. People are lining up for it, and we will need to conduct a selection process. We are also insisting that even if there’s a decision to do distant learning this year, those who register to the course will come in person; naturally they will follow social distancing rules.

What ambitions do you have for the coming years – how do you see the School for Peace four or five years from now?

I think the main area we need to develop is working with our graduates. There is wide agreement that this is a field with huge potential: you are working with people who are already committed and want to be involved. So we have to encourage and support them in this. They have great potential to do significant work, both through their activism and by virtue of their ready access to the institutional and human resources they need to accomplish it.

In order to make progress in this important field, the School for Peace needs to develop additional skills in mentoring, accompaniment and facilitation of activism.

My understanding was that many of the graduates are already working independently, such as the planners and the leaders in shared cities? 

Totally. We have lots of graduates who are already active; they have the commitment, the networking and the professional skills that they need. But this isn’t true across the board.  Some graduates need greater assistance. For them, the School for Peace can be a pivot to support their activism. So besides our existing dialogue facilitation skills, we need to learn how to facilitate action for change.

A second area that we need to develop is our partnerships. With our well-known expertise in the field, we can lend support to other organizations that have a similar political orientation, goals or vision, as well as learn from them. There is a great possibility for synergy and cooperation, especially in this period when funding is so tight, and the resistance around us is so strong.  After all, the general public believe we are dreaming. In the given situation, it will be helpful to create as many coalitions and as much synergy as possible.

These are the two areas I think we need to develop. This is not to say that we are starting from zero.  Most of the courses we do are the result of partnerships. But what I would like to see is that the projects themselves emerge from partnerships that we have already built, not that we decide to go into a field and then seek out partners. We need to be already inside the eco-system, and, based on that, create projects based on what’s needed, and what can truly help.

Can you say something about the role of the village and its Friends Associations?

The existence of the village and its educational work, especially the work of the School for Peace, with its outreach to Israeli society, provide a model and inspiration for everyone who feels that they are alone in their outlook and opinions. Before I became involved with the School for Peace and the village, I felt that I was in a minority, misunderstood and weak. The village and the School for Peace are able to provide a beacon to lead people out of that dark place.

The role of the Friends Associations in this is fundamental. Thanks to them, the School for Peace knows that it has a stable basis, and someone on whom to rely. In the Zoom meeting we had after the fire, they gave us such a strong feeling that we are not alone. This is really important to us – we so much appreciate it. When we are under attack, they lend their support.

I know that just as we have to overcome resistance, the Friends Associations  too have to work against resistance in their own societies. That isn’t easy. My whole life I have had to push against resistance. You have to believe in yourself, be internally strong, and be very committed, in order to continue.

After the recent fire, the only occasions where I felt real encouragement and concern were the visit from the ambassadors and the meeting with the Friends Associations. They gave us the feeling that they understood that our work is crucial and must continue. I’m very thankful for this.

I have to admit feeling some misgivings about taking on the role of director during this difficult time, with both the arson attacks and the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic. But thanks to the unwavering support of friends around the world and the strong encouragement we are receiving at home, I am confident the School for Peace can overcome the obstacles and succeed.

Roi says about his role:  

As a political educator, my strongest belief is that people can change; and so, likewise, the political situation. When working in a group, my goal is to raise awareness to the importance of invisible factors like racial and economical background. Similarly, I make sure that we do not exclude the influence of the historical context on the current political reality, which is one of conflict and oppression.