The School for Peace Alumni Conference is now in its fourth year and has become our largest annual gathering.

The goal of the conference is to create a space for alumni of all our courses – from all years and fields – to meet, connect personally and professionally, exchange knowledge, learn together, deepen their analysis of the current reality, and recharge in order to continue their work in the field as change agents.

We live in a reality of ongoing catastrophe and continuous trauma. Despite so-called “ceasefire agreements,” genuine repair, healing, and deep transformation are nowhere in sight. Feelings of grief, loss, despair, paralysis, and helplessness have accompanied us all for the past two years. We are witnessing genocide, starvation, and massive destruction inflicted by Israel in Gaza, alongside attacks and expulsions in the West Bank, abuse of detainees, political persecution, neglect, and violence among Palestinians of 1948. At the same time, entire Israeli communities are being abandoned – from those kidnapped by Hamas to communities that were massacred, displaced, and left without proper response; a never-ending war is being nurtured, tearing apart society and the economy, sacrificing soldiers to injury and death, while the leadership shirks responsibility and dismantles democracy.

Looking this reality in the eye is almost unbearable. It is hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to act.

Amid this profound challenge, the School for Peace chooses to continue serving as a home for its alumni. We find it vital to keep exploring and discovering ways to sustain healthy relationships between Palestinians and Jews, even as the political conflict deepens. We are committed to supporting our alumni in their efforts to change reality and to offer an alternative vision for life here – one grounded in justice, equality, peace, and partnership.

Conference Theme:
Living in an Ongoing Catastrophe – Between Dispossession and Building Influence

We will open a conversation and ask questions such as:

• How do we continue to live side by side during and after an ongoing catastrophe?

• How can we work toward repair, partnership, and dialogue within such a post-apocalyptic reality?

• How do we reclaim control over our future when powerful forces dominate our lives and we feel powerless?

• Is it possible to create a new space that is not based on a zero-sum game but on values of justice, equality, and care?

Conference Structure:
The conference will take place over two full days and is designed as one continuous program. Participants are expected to attend both days in full. Overnight accommodation is available at the Neve Shalom Guesthouse.

The conference will include:

• A main Friday panel featuring speakers addressing the conference theme

• Bi-national and uni-national dialogue groups, facilitated by School for Peace facilitators, focusing on the conference topic

• A film screening on Friday evening

• Presentations by alumni showcasing impactful political and social change initiatives from across our various courses

The Conference will take place on December 5-6 in Wahat al-Salam Neve Shalom

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