Annual report for 2019
Note from School for Peace director Dr. Nava Sonnenschein:
Since we started writing this annual report, the world has been turned upside down by the CoronaVirus. It once again reminds us how small the world is and how we are all more similar than different and how important it is for us all to work together for the common good. This is the focus of our work and it depends on you, our supporters and our ability to bring people together despite their differences. As this epidemic unfolds we will work hard to try and find ways to keep going. The unknown is ahead…
Our annual report has been written following Israel’s third elections and I am very proud to say that the person who organized the voting campaign in Arab society was Samer Swaid, a senior facilitator at the SFP and SFP graduate. The Joint List (of Arab parties) for the first time won a record 15 seats in the Knesset! We shouldn’t give up and we must not despair. We don’t have this luxury and must work harder and better to bring about change in Israeli society promoting equality, shared society and peace with the Palestinians. Only with Jews and Arabs working together, peace and equality will advance and bring a better future for both people.
In 2019 over 600 Jews and Palestinians participated in SFP programs, workshops and conferences. This report highlights the impact of these programs and continual work being done with support and guidance of
the SFP staff and graduates. 2019 was a challenging year for the School for Peace (SFP). In January USAID notified us that due to U.S. Government policy changes our funding, and all funding of joint projects with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, will be stopped. Despite this, with support from our
Friends Associations and foundations, we were able to complete the work with two of the three groups of mental health professionals from Israel and the Palestinian Authority and ran a third program for Jewish and Arab mental health professionals from Israel. As you read in this report the change agent programs are developing and we are adding new programs for other professions. We are continuing to develop our research, ran four courses for university students and we plan to open a branch of the SFP in the north.
The biggest project the SFP is developing is creating a community of our graduates. We started with three communities: planners, architects and engineers; leaders in mixed cities; and mental health professionals. Next year we will create another three graduate communities for up and coming
politicians, lawyers and environmentalists. We are committed to helping them develop and carry out projects that will promote peace and shared society. The Fred Segal Peace Library at NSWAS will be used to create a ‘hub’ where new initiatives can be nurtured and evolve and we are working with other Israeli and Palestinian organizations to develop this project.
Following the elections, more than ever it is important to widen our influence and we will focus our development on working with populations in the periphery to advance justice and peace.
The staff and I thank all of you who have supported our programs over the years. Without your help it would not be possible for us to continue. I also thank our wonderful staff, Dr. Roi Silberberg, Harb Amara, Amir Fakhoury, Bob Fenton, Faten Abu Gosh, Jacky Sherman and Rina Shuval and our freelancers who contributed to the success of all of our activities this year.
Looking forward to healthier and more peaceful times.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nava Sonnenschein