My name is Abdesalam Najar. I am 59 years old. I get to know Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom since the first years of the idea, when it was still dream in the mind of the person, his name Bruno Hussar, considered as the founder of this community. In that time I was student in the Hebrew University, and I was active in the Jewish-Palestinian's students dialogue in formal ways and not formal ways. By occasion a group of students, Arabs and Jews, we started thinking about starting bilingual education for Arabs and Jews, and we were talking only, we didn't do anything practical in that time to realize our dreams, but we were talking on this subject. In our surprise, people from outside the university... teachers... they were interested in our ideas. It was in the middle of the 70's, the political time was not so quiet, it was the Land Day occasion, and even I found myself going to Jewish schools totalk about what's happening, something like a personal story or something.
Then we heard about a place called Wahat Al Salam, Neve Shalom. One of the teachers told us about it, and he invited us to his home. And we met, for the first time in '75 Bruno Hussar, and he invited us to come to his village, "to create your school," he told us. When we came here to visit him, we realized it's no village, no children, no families he was talking about... only dreams in his mind. Yes, he has a piece of land, he is living in a very old bus that he bought to stay inside in the night, and a bamboo bungalow, this hole that he was creating meetings in it.
Okay, the idea attracted me and others, since that time we are in relations, ups and downs... one of the most important milestone in this community was a summer camp in 1977 for Arabs and Jews talking in dialogue. In that time there were not a lot of groups making dialogue. From this summer camp, one week, a nucleus group was created to establish the community. The first family came in '78. The first one, they didn't continue to live here, but after that in '79, 5 families came together, and one of them was my family. Since that time we are here, we are accepting new families. All together we are today 60 families living here, half Jewish, half Palestinians. In the last year we accepted 30 new families that are now in the stage of planning and constructing their houses.
The piece of land exists here, it's given to the founder Bruno Hussar by monastery nearby us ... and they gave him the land upon their understanding of what should be, because Bruno was a religious person, a man of faith, a priest, and they thought that the community will be based on interfaith dialogue; Muslims, Christians and Jews.
In reality, the first families including me, that first came here, we were not motivated by religious motivations, it was more by a political approach. We believe that this conflict is more political and social conflict, and we should talk on the conflict and deal with it in this level, not on the level that we are avoiding the conflict and saying we are human beings and sitting together. We say that yes, because we are human beings, we have conflict. Everybody from his own point of view: I was a teacher, Bruno was a religious person, the expression that he was using was different than the expression I was using. In the end we talk about the same thing.
From the beginning we decided it was not only a community of Jewish and Palestinians based on equal numbers. But also we are going to activate educational institutions; through these institutions we will bring our message to the people outside, because not all Palestinians and Jews will live in communities like us. But, the issue will be important for them also. This is the way we started the community in the same time we started the educational institution.
The first one we called it a school for peace, it's a frame where we are conducting encounter workshops between groups in conflict. Our main activity here in the local conflict, Jewish and Palestinian groups - the methodology that we are working is group dynamics. We bring two groups, choosing as equal interests, equal abilities or all of these things, the same age, and bring them together working with small mixed groups, each group with two facilitators one Arab, one Jewish. What is happening between the participants here and now? It's the material to study and to explore structure of conflict. Mainly, where I am in this conflict? Everybody will participate, will gain more awareness about his or her place and participation in creating the conflict or the other.
The Second educational institution, when the first kids were born here, we didn't want to send them to separate schools, to separate kindergartens we decided without a lot of, high ideology, just with some dreams I was talking before I came to Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom to create... to put Arab and Jewish kids together, let's see what would happen. Our concept of equality, we said, okay, we should have one Jewish, one Palestinian mother, each will speak to the kids in her own language. In the young ages, it was surprise; all kids became bi-lingual, just like this. When the children grew up, we grew up with them, they came to the age of primary school the community decide to ask two teachers, I was one of them, to start bi-lingual elementary school. It was not easy, it was difficult, but with a lot of commitment not only from the side of the staff but also from the side of the parents (I don't see this commitment in these days, but in the first years it was very strong commitment).
First of all I was not only a teacher; I was a parent at the same school. When we opened it, when we started, nobody, no single institution in Israel no single academy in Israel, they agreed to give us some support. All of them they said it will be failure, it will not be successful and other things. Then we came to look at other experiences in the world. The main experience really that we think was the most successful it was what's happening in Canada in Quebec, the French immersion methodology. When we want to adopt that things we didn't succeed to make it here because it was big objection from the Jewish parents to adapt it because the French immersion approach gives the dominant language less time from the dominated language. Here it means, that if we want to achieve equal bilingualism, it means that in the first years we need to give all children more Arabic and less Hebrew, and this was not accepted. The only thing that was accepted, let's make it half-half time. A-half, a-half time will not result with full bilingualism. Arabs will be bilingual, Jews not. Not because the Jews they are not willing to know Arabic, or because they are not what we call clever like the Arabs, but because the reality outside, it's inside. We are micro-cosmos to the macro-cosmos outside. When the Arab children acquainted the Hebrew it's not only a second language, it's a very important and vital language in his life, he will use it immediately, the three words that he knows or she knows, will use them outside. But the Jewish ones, when will they use their Arabic? And even if they will know some Arabic, and they want to show it for their environment, to their relatives outside or to friends of their parents or something like that, they will not get any positive feedback. The main thing... "Why Arabic? Why not French?" And then small child, 7 years old, that he wants to be appreciated by the surrounding, he see that or she see that Arabic is not bringing to him any appreciation, then why I should I know more Arabic?
The way this school is functioning, it's only for the elementary, 12 years old, we tried to continue after that and we faced with more complicated reality. This complicated reality bring us to think again if really we want to continue. The age of 14 years old and plus it has a big difference between the Arabic culture and the Jewish Western culture. We found that Arab parents they stay in the schools and Arab kids they stay in the schools, but the Jewish ones they want to look for another "schools" more bigger schools, because in their cultural concept of the Jewish society, boys and girls over 14 years old, they need to have more possibilities of creating friendship relations, and then with the small number you don't have a lot of possibilities, they look for bigger number, that is one thing. This age in the Arab society, it's not the most important thing, maybe it will be 3, 4, 5 years later, but not in this age, and here you find Jewish families that they send their children to Jewish schools outside, and will never find Jewish families that send their children to Arabic schools outside, but most Arab families they send their children to Jewish schools. Then you will find why. The declaration of the Arab families and youngsters is not to find a friendship relation outside... it's to have a good school. Maybe, all pupils they need a special way of education, they have some difficulties of learning. In Jewish schools, they will find the appropriate teachers and mechanize them to deal with these things. Arab schools they don't have the abilities for dealing with a special way of learning to special children. These are the main things parents they declaring why they send their children into Jewish schools.
Thursday we have a general meeting here in Wahat to look about the status of our school. Status of our school in the beginning was non-recognized school. After some years, we get some, what we call Private Recognized school. In the year 2000, we go to public recognized school. In 2006, we came down from public recognized school to private recognized school. We have our reasons why, and today big pressure especially among the Jewish parents to come back to public recognized school. Now what's the problem, what are? Why? You see there is no title in the administration of education about bilingual schools, Arabic and Hebrew, there is no title like this. There is no recognition, publicly as bilingual schools. They are ready to recognize our school as a public, in the best Jewish school accepting Arab pupils, this kind of recognition will have its influence on the curriculum for that, and not only on the curriculum...
DS: Explain the effect it would have on the curriculum?
AN: It means that the curriculum should be a Jewish school, they will teach Arabic, but it's a Jewish school teaching Arabic. The curriculum of the Jewish school they will have, they need to have some hours for Bible or for Hebrew literature or something like that, you can't make list like this, but if you can make it then you won't have time for Arabic language, for Arabic history, for all of these things. This one thing. Secondly, who would be the teachers, the headmasters in that school? In our bilingual school, we need all teachers to be bilingual. The curriculum should be taking care of that these things. And then in our school, especially for the young generations, first grade, second grade, in the same group they have two teachers; one Arab, one Jewish. In the Jewish schools, No, it's enough one teacher. Then all of these things, yes if we are public recognized schools, we will get more support or all teachers will be paid by the ministry of education, but half staff, 60 percent of the staff, not half staff. And the headmaster will be appointed by the minister of education. This is what happened in 2006...we decided not to continue with that. Even we came to high court, and the high court looked to the law, to the way of recognition... the minister of education have all the right to appoint headmaster they think should be, and the headmaster, she was declaring that she is following the minister of education's curriculum, not the...we don't want this kind of school.
Yesterday I met a person that he was in the first years here and he left in his life and yesterday he came here to one of the activities and he asked me, he said "did you believe in 1982 that Wahat Al Salam will became like today?" I said "why are you asking this question?" And he said... "If I knew that, I would have never leave I'm so jealous about these achievements," And then my response... no I didn't believe, but I was strong in my faith that we will make Wahat Al Salam the best place to live in it. And I don't know if it's the best place to live in it, but the reality in spite of my strong belief that one day I will leave, I am still here.
In the beginning of Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom, some peoples they were looking at us as a Kibbutz. And we said... No, no, we are not a Kibbutz. Because Arab- Jewish society is a big challenge, a Kibbutz another challenge, two challenges is too much at the same time. Then we should make it in this way.
Community here - I mean intentional community - like Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom. Mostly in the world they have what they call some kind what they call A big leader, like a guru in each community, and the strength of Bruno and the greatness of Bruno, he didn't agree to be this one in the first years, he was declaring when the first family came to live in Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom, my rule finished. I'm not a practical person, I'm a dreamer, and dreamers they will continue to dream and practical people they create a reality, and he stayed with us until his death, without leaving and without taking any what you call it leadership any practical or formal leadership position, And this is... comparative to other initiatives this is one of the constructive factors in Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom. Maybe when we look back in the first years, the ideologies of Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom was not so clear, crystallized and it's a lot of ambiguity. Today I say maybe this is the thing that make it successful, because from the first years it was not one was not one big factor pulling in one direction it was slowly, slowly and everything happening until today here in this community is the result of all factors, or active factors in the community. We can be this, we can be that and things can be decided not only in a democratic way, but in a very long process.
Because we see ourselves as a not natural reality, as an artificial reality: not all Palestinians and Jews want to live in Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom, and this is not the only way of making peace and cooperation between Jews and Palestinians. Then what we say is like this... We have a real experience, very important experience in Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom. Our way of life maybe its artificial, but it has some processes pre- the reality outside that we examine it here and if from our experiences help others from outside, it's the best.
We look for example to the mixed towns: Haifa, Acre, Ramle, Jaffa. All these towns, not only the mixed ones, the neighboring communities. If we will help them to adapt our concept of life here, and they will do it there... not exactly what we are doing here, but the main concept its a - Reality should be built on participation from both equal sides and any consensus building or any making agreements should be committed by the leaders in that communities that we will do it in dialogue, negotiations, nonviolence actions and voluntary participation.
Our social and educational processes it's a little bit different from political ones. It didn't mean that we don't believe in political processes, we think that politicians should make the decisions, not we. We are creating, we are educating, we are the grassroots, we are not the decision-makers. Decision maker is somewhere else and they should do it. And we are educate ourselves and the surrounding communities to know how to select our leaders, and how to make our leaders to make it... but we are not the only players in the field, there are others, they are working in more opposite way. This is the reality, but I'm looking to the results, the outcome of this community as a meaningful one, as very important in the things, as people say if one day in Heaven they will ask me what you did, I will say I was in Wahat Al Salam...
AN: There is a history of the land between the monastery and Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom
DS: The other monasteries in the world...
And there is the history of the development, the legal development of the ownership on the land. Now, when the monastery gave the land, we learned they gave it to Bruno Hussar, and even before giving him the land they gave him the possibility to get the land, for designating that this piece of land and even he start coming to the monastery gave him a piece of land nearby the monastery up there on the hill. Immediately he learned that the monastery exist on the occupied territories. And he will...he didn't see that it will be proper to create a peace village inside the occupied territories. And even he said that, even If I will agree, the Jews will agree, but Palestinians will not come to this spot, and then he came back to discuss the issue with the head of the monastery there in that time, and the head of the monastery he told him; "see we have a piece of land on the other side here, and we have a spot of 400 dunams we will give it to you as a lease for 100 years." Happy came Bruno and he immediately brought the old bus and he put it here and he start preach for Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom and then I came down.
Okay we start asking these questions in the beginning, the more practical ones; how much money do you have, and who will support you? And then the approach of Bruno was "Look Abdesalam," he told me, "if I have 20 million dollars to start this community and no people willing to come it will not happen, if I have only 20 dollars, really this is what I have, and there is a big people like you wanting to join us, it's enough 20 dollars to make it."
DS: How is it possible to go from a piece of land to living area with a non-zionist agenda?
AN: I think the decision it was not from a Zionist person, he was not a Zionist person who made the decision to recognize the place. You see there are different levels of recognition. There is the recognition under the line or above the line. Under the line means that you are not a village. In Hebrew, NEKUDAT TZIYUN.
DS: Does that mean amount of people?
AN: No, nothing. A lot of villages in the, all the villages in the non-recognized village, like Al-Araqib, all of them like this. We were until 1985, nun tsadiq means non recognized, but under the level. In ‘85 the minister of interior affairs recognized us as a village
DS: Deri??
AN: It's Aryeh Deri. We were not believing, and he said I will surprise you, himself. I think it should be a village like this in Israel. And then here he give us the recognition, he has the any minister has his way of thinking like this.
DS: You went to him?
AN: Yea we went to the ministry and then if it's a political decision, should be decided politically all the offices that there is what they said. And it was not easy for him, it was a fight inside the government, if all that.
Yes, yes ArikSharon was against that. And even after this recognition, when Arik Sharon made his decision he realized that he can't change this recognition, you tried democratic ways how to change Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom. And as an infrastructure minister he wanted... he brought a plan to enlarge the community of Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom . And we were surprised. How can that decision to enlarge a community without the agreement or speaking even with the people of that community. And where to enlarge it? All the land we have it is a private land, belonging to a monastery. We don't have any meter of state lands. And all our demands they are rejected, because we are not fit to the national priority, this was the reason at that time and now there is a national priority to enlarge Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom? And we realized that it was a group of 300 ex-military families that they wanted to have a place to live in the center of Israel. And because there is a decision that they will never be a new established village in the center of Israel from Hadera to Gedera, and if you want, you should go there. And these people wanted here they tried with other communities but when they found that maybe they're not able, they came to Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom and they, hill at the opposite side of Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom was designated to be this enlargement.
DS: Just over here?
AN: Yes just over here. State-lined. Because we don't have a.. and after that we tried all our best not to let it happen and of course all political entities have very short life, and social processes have a long life then we said okay lets make a social process. We will go to high court, we will enter into negotiations we will see and we will meet what kind way of way we can benefit from this decision. But our aim it was in the beginning, Stop this thing. And then it was even Arik Shalom himself came, and he was explaining how this area, Bab al-Wad, it will never be an Arab community, they will let the Arabs living in Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom stay there in their houses, but they want to make it in a democratic way 300 Jewish families with 20 Arab families, that all decisions will be taken by Jews, not by Arabs. It's not even, how you say that the decision to destroy [names of nearby Palestinian villages]. It will not be on the other hand to make an Arab village here. All the time he was saying that has a fear that the Arabs one day will decide to kick the Jews out and to be only an Arab village here. This isn't, but this is not things.
DS: The villages here that they would be destroyed?
AN: 3 villages destroyed after '67 In this area here in the aim that this is the way of from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to be clean from Arabs.
DS: What happened to the people living there?
AN: They are living in villages nearby, in Ramala, in Jerusalem some of them they are in Jordan, and the other countries. And the, the way that we came, we didn't get any decision to forbid them. The court can't say that it's forbidden because it's planned there and it's accepted by the government. But we promised all families that we will continue struggle and we will stop their plans. And these families they wanted in 2-3 years to build their houses. And when they realized that it will take 15-20 years , they went, and this is what happened. This plan was not realized.
And we have Arab-Jewish mixed family, like this. This kind of question you see, you will never hear it from Arabs... you hear it more from Jews, this question about mixed marriages. It seems that its in the history of that group this issues is very important and central, in the Arabic history it's not so important this kind of question. A lot of mixed families came to Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom as Jews and Arabs, but in the end only one family came, the others they left out. It seems that the issue, the dynamics here in the empowerment of the national identity, it makes it more difficult for mixed families to live in a place like Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom. Childrens every day in the mornings wake up and they should decide to participate in this activity or in that activity, you are Arab or you are Jewish? That for mixed families like this you need to be very strong parents, that they will face it first at home. Not everybody, most of these families they came here as escaping reality outside and coming to Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom to solve for themselves these things that we are nothing. Here there is nothing, we are nothing, we are means that in this family, really they are very strong family here their children are the best in our community and when the teacher was telling these children you are half Jewish, half Palestinian... he says, no I'm both, I'm Jewish 100% and I'm Palestinian 100%. You will see the difference of approach, I'm not half-half, I'm full from both sides. Today I'm Jewish, Tomorrow I'm Palestinian, these small kids were telling the teacher. And you will not decided for me when to be like this, like that. See the issue can be enriching reality of the children and it can be the opposite... its depends how you face it and relate to it. Sometimes, especially more Jewish side, they have some non-ease feeling of accepting families like this. Why? They don't want the image of Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom in the Jewish society to be a place of mixed families.
DS: Why?
AN: Because, I don't know, because also everybody wants to be accepted by their community outside. We are not assimilating here. This issue is not as I said important in the Arab society, other issues they are more important and here is the...
DS: Why is it not so important?
AN: Because I don't think that there is a fear in the Arab society that the Arab society will disappear like the Jewish one from the Diaspora, they inherited it from outside. And then this is one of the big fear of the Jewish society about this assimilation... In the arab society... even, I remember, an old lady like my late mother we were asking her that if the daughter of your son will be married with Jewish, she said God Bless them. She's not open-minded one... but it's not in her fear, or mind or something like that... but in the Jewish society its even for very secular Jewish people here, they have personally... they will say personally if my daughter or my son will marry with non-Jewish it's no problem with me, but I don't want Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom to be thing like this. And even... I think that it's happened here... A Jewish youngster that she married with non-Jewish and the family was very happy for her, but they still declared we don't want to be place like this. We in Wahat Al Salam Neve Shalom, I was saying that, we face it in very clever way, we saying okay marriage is interpersonal thing and it's not our interest. The thing that we are interested in the intergroup relation, not in interpersonal relation, Is how much marriage there are interpersonal or intergroup it depends how people how you look to that…
