Seeds of Peace

Seeds Café Public Lecture Series

With the support of USAID, Seeds of Peace organizes a monthly forum in Jerusalem to present and discuss cultural and political issues relevant to Palestinians, Israelis and the international public.

This is a networking event and an opportunity to showcase and deepen inspiring examples of cross-cultural understanding and cooperation across the lines of conflict.

Examples of Lectures

Interfaith Dialogue

• Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari | Co-Director of Jerusalem Peacemakers Organization
• 'Rodef Shalom' Eliyahu Mclean | Co-Director of Jerusalem Peacemakers Organization.
• Father Nael Abu Rahmoun | Priest-in-charge of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Ramallah.

On February 18, 2009, Seeds Café was pleased to host a special event focusing on religion and the conflict. It was the first event taking place after the recent outbreak of violence in Gaza. The topic of the event was interfaith dialogue, and involved three speakers emphasizing the importance of tolerance and communication between all human beings, regardless of their religion. They stressed that they respect people from different religious background and expect others to do the same.

The Nature of Peace: Environmental Efforts for Peace

• Nader Khateb | Palestinian Director of Friends of the Earth-Middle East
• Gidon Bromberg | Israeli Director of Friends of the Earth-Middle East
  

On November 30, 2008, Seeds Café hosted a forum focused on the need of Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians to meet the shared environmental challenges related to water and human waste—and the potential for cooperative action to improve the environment while building trust, mutual respect, and peace.

The event took place at the Notre Dame Institute in Jerusalem in partnership with Friends of the Earth-Middle East. Presenters sketched a bleak picture of the water situation in the region: there is not enough water to meet increasing demand; the water that exists is increasingly polluted; and water resources are distributed with radical inequality. They then described real and dangerous challenges that can only be solved through joint action. Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians should cooperate not because of an abstract longing for peace, but because of immediate, tangible, positive improvements. The recognition of a common environment is bringing Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians together on the ground.

Bilingual Education

• Ira Kerem | Teacher and Senior Development Associate
• Mohammed Ayyad | Parent of a Palestinian student

The Seeds Café program on August 28 explored bi-lingual (Hebrew-Arabic) elementary and middle-school education in Israel. An audience of about 45 Israelis and Palestinians heard about the unique program of Hand-in-Hand, a nongovernmental organization that has, since 1997, founded four bi-lingual schools, in Jerusalem, Sakhnin, Kafr Kara and Be’er Sheva. Unlike most other schools in Israel, whose students are from only one community, either Jewish Israeli or Arab Israeli, Hand-in-Hand’s students are chosen from both communities. Each school is administered by one Jewish and one Arab principal and every class is jointly taught by a Jewish and an Arab teacher. In this way, children from both communities begin to learn the other language at an early age and after a comparatively short time are able to follow lessons given in both languages.

Two speakers from Hand-in-Hand, teacher and senior development associate Ira Kerem and parent Mohammed Ayyad, told their audience about the philosophy of the schools and the challenges they have faced in bringing this unique brand of education to more than 900 students in the four schools. The study of language, culture, religion and history of the two cultures by mixed groups of students produces young people who are open and empathetic. The session showed participants a positive example of bridge-building between Jewish and Arab Israelis, and between Israelis and Palestinians from the West Bank, a small number of whom send their children to the Hand-in-Hand schools. 

Women in the Lead

• Naomi Chazan | Former Knesset member
• Lily Habash | Founder and head of the board of directors at PARTNERS
  

On April 13, 2008, about 50 Israelis and Palestinians attended the monthly Seeds Café event in Jerusalem. Two fascinating speakers addressed the topic of Women in the Lead: former Knesset member Prof. Naomi Chazan, and Ms. Lily Habash, founder and head of the board of directors at PARTNERS. The speakers emphasized the role women are taking in politics, the peace process, and education both in Israel and in Palestine, and encouraged the participants to take more action in their own daily lives.