Children of Peace

Documentary by Ma'ayan Schwartz (2022, Hebrew/Arabic/English with German subtitles)

Documentary about a place in Israel where Jewish and Palestinian-Arab Israelis live and work together as equals - an island of hope.

The screening will be followed by a talk (English) on Zoom with the film director Ma'aya Schwartz and the social psychologist Dr. Slieman Halabi. Dr. Slieman Halabi lives and works in Germany and grew up as a Palestinian in Israel. He organizes dialogue groups together with the School for Peace in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam.

"Children of Peace" was filmed in Neve Shalom - Wahat al-Salam (Oasis of Peace), the only place in Israel where Jewish and Palestinian-Arab Israelis live and work together as equals in the midst of the Israel-Palestine conflict - an island of hope.

The children of the 2nd generation of the village grew up in this context; many of them now have children of their own. They have to clarify exciting and controversial questions of identity for themselves: The Jewish youngsters have to decide, for example, whether or not to join the army; their Palestinian-Arab friends have to decide what a "yes" from their boyfriends or girlfriends to serving in the army means for their friendship.

Ma'ayan Schwartz struggled with the question of whether he was "a failure" educationally because he served in the army, even though this meant that he might be ordered to act against Palestinians who could be friends or relatives of his friends.
This question was one of the important motives for him to make the film Children of Peace.

The film was first shown in 2022 at the documentary film festival in Tel Aviv. In April 2023 it was shown at the Vienna Film Festival and in June 2023 at the Jewish Film Festival Berlin/Brandenburg. In February 2024 it was shown at the International Jewish Film Festival in San Diego/USA.

Free registration required.