There’s a quiet hilltop in the mountains near Jerusalem. A hilltop where people of different ethnicities and religions have chosen to live side by side. The name of this place is Neve Shalom / Wahat al-Salam (The Oasis of Peace). In this place, for the last fifty years, Jewish and Arab Muslim families have shown that coexistence can be a vibrant, everyday reality.
The word “peace” can sometimes feel like a distant, abstract goal. Co-existence is something much more tangible. Arab and Jewish Children laughing in two languages on the playground. The sight of neighbors sharing coffee while discussing the mundane details of village life. It is a radical, hopeful act of choosing to be neighbors.
The Visionary Founder
Behind the history of the village, there is a revolutionary man named The Father Bruno Hussar. Hussar was a Dominican priest of Egyptian-Jewish origin. He was born in Cairo in 1911 to a Jewish family, and later converted to Christianity. His life bridged multiple identities: Jewish, Christian, Israeli, and Culturally Arab, which profoundly shaped his vision for reconciliation between Jews and Arabs in Israel.
In the 1960s, Father Hussar settled in Israel and became deeply concerned about the ongoing divisions between Jewish and Arab communities. He envisioned a shared community where dialogue, equality, and education would replace fear and mistrust. Hussar’s idea was revolutionary, especially during a time of constant war and distrust between Israel and its Arab neighbours. He sought to create a living model of coexistence, a place where both peoples could learn to live together in daily life.
Establishing the Village
In 1970, Father Hussar, together with a small group of committed Jews and Palestinian Arabs, purchased land in the Latrun Hills, halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. This location was symbolic, intended as neutral ground where neither community would feel dominant. The group worked tirelessly to build a community based on equality, shared governance, and mutual respect.
Hussar insisted that both Hebrew and Arabic be official languages and that the village’s institutions, schools, decision-making bodies, and social events—reflect joint participation and shared responsibility. His leadership combined vision with practical organization, and his charisma attracted like-minded individuals willing to dedicate their lives to the project.
A Blueprint for Shared Life
Neve Shalom was built on the presence of respect. The community is designed with a deliberate “architecture of hope” that ensures no one is an outsider in their own home.
The Power of Parity: The village is maintaining a strict 50:50 ratio of Jewish and Palestinian families, and creates a space of true psychological safety. No one is a “guest,” and no one is a “host.” Everyone belongs equally.
The Gift of Two Languages: Language is a bridge rather than a barrier. When you grow up hearing both Arabic and Hebrew from infancy, the “other” ceases to be a mystery. You learn that every story has multiple layers, and every person has a name.
Perhaps the most hopeful corner of the village is its primary school. It is the first binational, bilingual school in the country, and it serves as a model for what education can look like when it is rooted in empathy and shared values.
In these classrooms, history is a conversation rather than a single narrative. Children learn that they can be proud of their own identity while simultaneously holding space for their friend’s identity. It is a place where the next generation is being equipped with the tools to build a shared future.
Why This Matters for All of Us
Neve Shalom is a “living laboratory” for the rest of the world. It reminds us that:
Hope is a Practice: It’s something you build through the daily habit of showing up for one another.
Difference is a Strength: When we stop fearing our neighbors and start living alongside them, our lives become richer, deeper, and more vibrant.
The Future is Human-Sized: We may not be able to solve global geopolitical shifts overnight, but we can choose how we treat the person living next door.
The Quiet Miracle of the Everyday
The true “miracle” of Neve Shalom is found in the grocery store, in the community gardens, and in the quiet evenings when the sun sets over the valley. It is the quiet, persistent proof that when humans decide to see the humanity in one another, the walls we’ve built begin to look very small.
Neve Shalom is a reminder to the world that even in the most difficult of times, we can choose a different way. We can choose to stay. We can choose to listen. We can choose to live together.
