“We must reject the way of eternal war. The hostages must be returned to their loved ones. Humanitarian aid must reach the people of Gaza immediately. Israeli and Palestinian leadership must commit to a long term negotiated peace. There is another way, and saying so is not betrayal… it is love.” Rabbi Sharon Braus

Rather than demonizing the other, we each need to ask ourselves, what can I do to support peace? What organizations on the ground are moving towards the direction I want to see? It can be as simple as picking an organization and following their work. Here are some suggestions. Please take the time to explore these organizations before determining where you want to lend your support.

1.   AJEEC-NISPED – (Arab-Jewish Center for Empowerment, Equality, and Cooperation – Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Economic Development) https://ajeec-nisped.org.il/?page_id=17021&lang=en

“AJEEC-NISPED is an Arab-Jewish organization for social change that was established in the Negev in 2000. The organization is made up of a joint team of Arabs and Jews who work together to create an equal, shared society, which allows Arabs and Jews to coexist while preserving their identity and culture. Currently, the organization operates in civil society all over Israel and in cross-border programs.

The organization’s goal is to promote leadership and social involvement among teenagers and youth in Arab society, community development in the Arab-Bedouin sector in the Negev, and development of a shared society for Arabs and Jews throughout Israel. 

The Arabic word “ajeec” means “I am coming to you,” and this is the principle that motivates us – we approach each other. We do everything possible to get to know, explain, understand, join forces, and move forward together for a better common future for all of us!”

This organization was recommended to me by Naomi Eisenberger, director of the Good People Fund. She is “good people,” and her fund selected AJEEC-NISPED to receive a small grant.

2.   Shutaf (meaning, partner) –https://shutafinclusionprograms.org/shutaf-about/

“Shutaf Inclusion Programs in Jerusalem offer year-round activities for children, teens, and young adults, with and without disabilities. Shutaf is committed to quality services for all participants of all abilities, regardless of labels, financial limitations, cultural and religious differences.”

Founded by two immigrants to Israel from the United States whose children had special needs, this program has earned the enthusiastic loyalty of my discerning friend and colleague, Rabbi Debra Cantor, who sits on their board.

3.   Israel Democracy Institute – https://en.idi.org.il/

“The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) is an independent center of research and action dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy. 

IDI works to bolster the values and institutions of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. A non-partisan think-and-do tank, the institute harnesses rigorous applied research to educate decision makers and help shape policy, legislation and public opinion. The institute partners with government, policy and decision makers, civil service and society, to improve the functioning of the government and its institutions, confront security threats while preserving civil liberties, and foster solidarity within Israeli society. Israel recognized the positive impact of IDI’s research and recommendations by conferring upon the institute its most prestigious award, the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement.”

4. The Sulha Peace Project –https://www.sulhapeaceproject.com/en

 “Sulha Peace Project” was established in the year 2000 in the midst of the Second Intifada with the goal of creating eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart encounters between Palestinians and Israelis. We, at “Sulha Peace Project,” believe in the importance of authentic face-to-face meetings as both a condition and a basis for open dialogue and mutual partnership. Conflicts engender erasure of the human faces of the Other. We seek to strengthen humanity and restore the faces of the human beings that live on both sides of the conflict. Our Sulha gatherings focus on training people to listen and feel with our hearts – an ability that is necessary for any future solution to this conflict. We operate in Israel and the West Bank, on both sides of the separation barrier. “Sulha Peace Project” invites all people from all segments of the population to come and participate in our activities.

5. Standing Together – https://www.standing-together.org/en

a grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in pursuit of peace, equality, and social and climate justice. While the minority who benefit from the status quo of occupation and economic inequality seek to keep us divided, we know that we — the majority — have far more in common than that which sets us apart. When we stand together, we are strong enough to fundamentally alter the existing socio-political reality. The future that we want — peace and independence for Israelis and Palestinians, full equality for all citizens, and true social, economic, and environmental justice.

6. Combatants for Peace – https://cfpeace.org/

Combatants for Peace understands that to end the occupation and find a solution to the conflict, we must listen with empathy to each other’s stories and acknowledge injustice in order to achieve true liberation.

7. A Land for All – https://www.alandforall.org/english/?d=ltr

a shared movement of Israelis and Palestinians who believe that the way towards peace, security and stability for all passes through two independent states, Israel and Palestine, within a joint framework allowing both peoples to live together and apart. Some are calling A Land for All the Two-State Solution 2.0

8. ALLMEP (Alliance for Middle East Peace) – https://www.allmep.org/

A coalition of over 160 organizations—and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis—building cooperation, justice, equality, shared society, mutual understanding, and peace among their communities. We add stability in times of crisis, foster cooperation that increases impact, and build an environment conducive to peace over the long term.

9. The Parents Circle Families Forum –https://www.theparentscircle.org/en/pcff-home-page-en/

Parents Circle Families Forum is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 600 bereaved families. Their common bond is that they have lost a close family member to the conflict. But instead of choosing revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation.

Through the different works of the PCFF, these bereaved members have joined together to take tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis on their personal journeys of reconciliation. It is often raw and always emotional. But out of these interactions, comes change. Not the kind of change that makes headlines, but a more personal and profound shift in perspective.

These bereaved members, armed with the credibility of their loss and the uncommon path they have chosen, have opened a crack in the psyche of a hardened populous. They have begun to stir an awareness about the conflict that transcends history and politics. For many, it is the first time they have seen “the other side” as human.

The PCFF hopes for the day that political leaders reach agreement for peace. But they strongly believe that reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian people is essential to ensuring that peace is sustainable.

10. The Abrahamic Reunion – https://www.abrahamicreunion.org

The Abrahamic Reunion, founded in 2004, is a bottom-up grassroots organization designed to overcome the problem of segregation and separation in Israel and Palestine by bringing together small to large groups of people from the four major religions to spend time together, work together, study together, and create an atmosphere of trust and understanding. The basic premise is that religion has been used to divide people in the Holy Land and it can also be used as a force to bring people together while still respecting divergent points of view and cultures. The attempt to bring a political solution without having the support of the people has not worked for 70 years and the Abrahamic Reunion, recognizing this, has removed itself from any political posturing and consciously uses the interaction of women, young people, students, and religious leaders top develop a network of understanding and to train people in conflict resolution and interfaith dialogue.

11. Wahat al-Salam/ Neve Shalom – https://wasns.org/

Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom (pronounced “waaḥat’ as-salaam/nevei shalom”) is Arabic and Hebrew for Oasis of Peace: is a vil­lage of Palestinian and Jewish citizens of Israel ded­icated to building justice, peace and equality in the country and the region. Situated equidistant from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv-Jaffa, the community was established in 1970 by Fr. Bruno Hussar on land of the Latrun Monastery. It is a model of equality, mu­tual respect and partnership that challenges existing patterns of racism and discrimination as well as the continued conflict. The community has established educational institutions based on its ideals and con­ducts activities focused on social and political change. Many of the village members work in peace, justice and reconciliation projects. It has a popula­tion of 70 families and will grow to 150 families.

12. Wasatia – http://www.wasatiamovement.com/

Prof. Dajani (Palestinian) took his students to Auschwitz, and subsequently lost his job and his car was fire-bombed.  He is trying to promote a moderate vision of Islam (wasatia means moderation). 

13.  Arava Institute for Environmental Studies https://www.arava.org .

Although their work is focused on environmental issues, they are among the leaders in the movement. 

ALLMEP, mentioned in the document, is an umbrella organization. Most of the organizations mentioned in the documents are members of ALLMEP. So people who are looking for a movement, they are one of the hubs of the movement. 

14. Mejdi Tours: Socially Conscious Travel – https://mejditours.com/home-mejdi/

They offer global dual-narrative tours to open the doors to empathy, curiosity. They also have founded an org called  InterAct International

15.  The InterAct Education Center – https://www.iinteract.org/

The InterAct Education Center uses story-telling, art and technology to help people connect across war-torn divides: whether those divides be political, cultural, ethnic, religious, geographic, or socio-economic.

16.  Sia’h Shalom – https://talkingpeace.org.il/

We are a non-political organization dedicated to constructive engagement with, and inclusion of, religious communities and individuals in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. 

17. FRIENDS OF TAGHYEER MOVEMENT – https://www.peacedevelopmentfund.org/grants-and-programs/fiscal-sponsorship-program/friends-of-taghyeer-movement/

Taghyeer (Change) is a Palestinian organization that leads a National Nonviolence Movement of grassroots communities and emerging leaders practicing nonviolence as a unifying identity for the Palestinian people. We work towards social and political change by taking responsibility for the self-development of our society. Our Messengers of Change enable community-led social action, empowering the leadership of women and youth to enhance our society by cooperative action.

“Nonviolence is our identity, it’s the art of our humanity, and the best celebration of our existence.” – Ali Abu Awwad, Founder of Taghyeer Movement

18. The New Israel Fund – https://www.nif.org/

The New Israel Fund (NIF) helps Israel live up to its founders’ vision of a society that ensures complete equality to all its inhabitants. Our aim is to advance liberal democracy, including freedom of speech and minority rights, and to fight the inequality, injustice and extremism that diminish Israel.

From Israel’s first rape crisis centers, to fighting discrimination, NIF-funded organizations have driven positive social change and furthered justice and equality. NIF has provided over $345 million to more than 950 organizations since our inception in 1979.

And we are more than a funder. NIF is at philanthropy’s cutting edge—thanks in large part to our action arm Shatil, the New Israel Fund Initiative for Social Change. Today, NIF is a leading advocate for democratic values, building the coalitions and empowering the activists that can drive meaningful social change in Israel.

19. Women Wage Peace/Daughters of the Sun – womenwagepeace.org/il/en

Women Wage Peace is a broad, politically unaffiliated movement, which is acting to prevent the next war and to promote a non-violent, respectful, and mutually accepted solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the active participation of women through all stages of negotiations.

Founded in the aftermath of the 50-day Gaza War/Operation Protective Edge of 2014, Women Wage Peace (WWP) has grown to 50,000 Israeli members, the largest grassroots peace movement in Israel today. WWP’s theory of change refracts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and its resolution, through a gendered lens. In the words of former US Ambassador Swanee Hunt, “Women tend to have a more holistic view of security, which embraces not just political sovereignty and military strength, but also economic security, education, and personal safety.” The movement is non-partisan and does not support any one specific solution to the conflict. Instead, it empowers women from diverse communities to build trust across divides, leading in turn to a unified demand for diplomatic negotiation, with full representation of women, to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

20. Torat Tzedek – https://www.torat-tzedek.org/

Torat Tzedek (Torah of Justice) is an Israeli human rights non-profit organization internationally recognized as a role model for faith-based activism.

The goals submitted to and approved by Israel’s NGO directorate are the following:  1. Torat Tzedek strives for a society that honors God’s Image in every human being, and for the human rights that this necessitates. 2. Torat Tzedek seeks to educate our society that honoring God’s image in every human being, protecting human rights and taking concrete action to further these goals is a human and religious obligation in general, and in particular a Jewish religious obligation.

On principle, Torat Tzedek works for the human rights of both Jews and non-Jews. Torat Tzedek will not work on issues that are consensus, nor be a Don Quixote chasing windmills. We look for issues where our input, combined with the efforts of whoever else is working on a given issue, could possibly tip the scales.