Beyond Coexistence — A Story That Challenges Us All
From The Forward, by Nora Berman
“Can an Idyllic Dream of Israel Ever Be Reality? She Says: ‘Coexistence, My Ass.’”
From The Forward, journalist Nora Berman takes a close look at comedian and activist Noam Shuster Eliassi, raised in Wahat al-Salam / Neve Shalom, in her new article: “Can an Idyllic Dream of Israel Ever Be Reality? She Says: ‘Coexistence, My Ass.’”
The piece explores Shuster Eliassi’s journey — from growing up in the only intentional Jewish-Arab community in Israel to becoming a fearless voice on global stages. Her story is both deeply personal and urgently political. With sharp humor and unflinching honesty, she challenges us to ask what it truly means to live together — and why coexistence without co-resistance isn’t enough.
Special Event - A First Glimpse at: Standing Alone Together
An exclusive sneak peek and conversation with Maayan Schwartz and Alon-Lee Green
Date and Time:
Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 6:00-7:00pm
Where:
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
Lower Level 2 Auditorium
334 Amsterdam Ave NY, NY, 10023
We want to clarify and apologize for any confusion about the upcoming event with director Maayan Schwartz. The film is not yet completed — and this gathering on November 13 is not a standard film screening, but rather a special sneak peek event.
This will be the first-ever public glimpse of the project — an opportunity to see early footage, hear directly from Maayan Schwartz (Children of Peace) and Alon-Lee Green, one of the central figures in the story.
The new documentary, follows Standing Together, a grassroots movement of Palestinians and Jews working side by side to end the war and shape a shared future. Through raw and personal storytelling, Maayan is capturing a vision of courage, dialogue, and hope — one that urgently needs our collective support to be realized.
Here’s How They Do It - The School For Peace
Surrounded by unthinkable disasters, the School for Peace is in universities, clinics, urban planning offices … providing the training to build relationships across differences; asking questions to find ways forward, making small steps to build and rebuild trust. With nearly 30 years experience, and thousands of success stories, the School for Peace has always committed to choosing that which gives life, to a common humanity, to becoming a shared society of local and global citizens committed to one another’s welfare.
Learn how dialogue training works and why it’s so important now. Then enjoy our first look at the rebuilt School for Peace. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of arson two years ago, the School for Peace offers students and professionals preparation for becoming the wisdom and example we can all follow.
“More than ever before, the noble and imaginative efforts by Neve Shalom to bring together Israelis and Arabs in an atmosphere of cooperation and friendship deserve to be encouraged.”
—Eli Wiesel, Author and Nobel Laureate
We are the American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (“Oasis of Peace” in Hebrew and Arabic), a nonprofit organization committed to supporting Israel’s only intentional Arab-Jewish village.
Join us in our work to promote multicultural equity and secure a genuine, durable peace in the Middle East through real-world, life-changing initiatives and programs.
“If you don’t have faith, you despair, and just curse the dark. That’s not me. I want to light a candle. I want to make a difference, to change public opinion, and to influence the reality we live in.”
— Suhad Hammond Dahleh
“Every day, the Village gives us proof that building knowledge and trust is essential if we really want to reach agreement at the end of the day. It gives us proof that peace is possible.
— Rawnak Natour
“My time in the Village taught me that my job is not to blame others for having terrible eyesight, but to try to understand that they see things differently. It unequivocally changed my life.”
— Michael Sfard
“We had in mind a small village composed of inhabitants from different communities in the country. Jews, Christians, and Muslims would live there in peace, each…finding in this diversity a source of personal enrichment.”
— Father Bruno Hussar
The Village
Since its founding by Father Bruno Hussar in 1970, Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam has grown from a collection of tents and caravans into a vibrant village of more than 70 families, half Jewish and half Palestinian, all with Israeli citizenship.
Residents are committed to collective goals of equality, democracy, and peace. Living side-by-side, Villagers govern together, attend school together, work together, and play together, daily finding connections across language, culture, religion, and politics.
Our Impact
American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam gives to a range of Village activities and programs. In 2023-24, we donated a total of $673,000.
$310,000
to the Primary School
$188,000
to the School for Peace
$70,000
to the Humanitarian Aid Program
$65,000
to the Spiritual Center and the Oasis Art Gallery
$40,000
to the Nadi Youth Club
Share in Our Work
The American Friends of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam supports the Village in many different ways, from fundraising to volunteering to spreading the word. Our efforts not only ensure that their community thrives for generations to come, but that it is held up as a model for all those who are seeking to build a more just, equitable, and peaceful world.