Roots is…
Building and expanding our network of five local associations of Israelis and Palestinians committed to Roots’ values.
Addressing injustice by:
A) Providing reactive support after acts of violence.
B) Advocating against separation, violence, and inequality.Creating openings between religious and ideological camps that were previously seen as the obstacles to peace.
Building Trust and Understanding
Interreligious Exchange
At Roots we believe that identity plays a central role in this conflict and here in the Middle East, religion is a very important factor in identity. Therefore, many of our activities focus on Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
We organize and host small learning groups, lectures, and events that provide a setting for dialogue and for building understanding, respect and appreciation between religious communities.
Our Iftar events are among the highlights of our programming. Every year, during the Muslim month of Ramadan, devout and less devout Muslims refrain from eating and drinking every day from dawn to dusk, breaking their fast with an evening meal called Iftar.
Once a week during the four weeks of Ramadan, Roots organizes Iftar events including food and drink, presentations, prayer, study and traditional music. Many of these events draw upward of 100 local Muslims, Jews and Christians, as well as guests from around the country and around the world.
During the course of the year, lectures on various aspects of Islam and Judaism are conducted by Roots, often with a focus of religious matters that bear directly on the conflict.
One of the core study units of our Young Adults program focuses on religious literacy and religious identity.
Lastly, interfaith study and dialogue are a central element of our programming. Almost from the very inception of Roots in early 2014, we have had a Jewish-Christian religious leaders group that meets approximately 6 times a year. Since about the same time, Roots has – together with the Interfaith Encounter Association - co-sponsored a rabbis and sheikhs group that convenes about 8-10 times a year. In the year 2020, we founded a second Muslim-Jewish study group, this one for laymen.
Near the beginning of 2022, Roots revamped and revitalized our two Muslim- Jewish study groups. More about this can be found here.
Partnership Lectures
We host monthly lectures, given in Hebrew and Arabic, about aspects of each other's societies, religions, politics and culture. Our lectures increase awareness of how our two peoples are living and how to form stronger partnerships.
Cafe Judur
Our ongoing meetings for people interested in the project to come and meet with activists.
Youth Group
Meeting every other week, our youth group is composed of 20 local Israeli and Palestinian high school students and is organized and facilitated by Israeli and Palestinian university students and an advisor. Our meetings involve discussion groups, recreational activities, and day trips to heritage sites that are integral parts of the identities of our participants in order to explore the different narratives of the group's members.
After-School Program
We host photography workshops which bring Palestinian and Israeli youth together in ongoing meetings throughout the year. These meetings are unique opportunities for Palestinian and Israeli young people to connect over a shared activity they enjoy and mitigate against the fear and distance otherwise between them.
Women’s Group
The Roots Women’s group consists of over 20 Palestinian and Israeli women who consistently meet once a month at the Roots Dignity Center. The meetings are coordinated by an Israeli and a Palestinian Roots staff member who are members of the group, and are facilitated by a translator.
The women are of all ages, shapes and sizes and the meetings consist of discussions in which they talk about and learn about each others’ ethnic and religious traditions, holidays, superstitions, and foods; their homes, families, and child-rearing experiences; and activities such as yoga, crafts and games.
Language is an ongoing obstacle, but with the right preparation and structure the women have found ways to communicate with each other in small groups, using English, sign language, even drawing. They hope in the future to start a Language Exchange group to help members learn Hebrew or Arabic from their peers.
The only criteria for participation in the group is a willingness to share one’s honest self and listen to others with an open heart, no matter how difficult it may be.
Participants have said how much they have learned about the “other”, how much more understanding they have, and how things they heard stayed with them long after they returned home.
These meetings are instrumental in bringing about change in participants’ hearts and minds, which is a basic but at the same time essential step to any future change. Inshallah.
Summer Camp
Roots runs an annual summer camp for children ages 5-12. Since starting during the summer of 2014, over 550 local children have attended. The camp is week-long experience of photography, crafts, cooking, playing with animals, and dance, providing a fun and carefree setting for positive interaction between Israeli and Palestinian children.
Solidarity and Support
Incident Response Team
Members of the both communities make visits to the site or family attacked to show solidarity and condemn the violence. We have also organized large-scale rallies against violence to send a loud message of support.
Points of Calm
As a way of preventing escalation and lowering tensions, we facilitate communication channels between neighboring Israeli and Palestinian leaders and citizens to be an immediate source of calm and understanding between local communities in times of increased tensions. Through these meetings, we work to reduce the chance of volatile escalations and violent outbreaks between neighbors.