Building A Shared Future at Camp Shomria in Upstate New York

Photo Credit: Camp Shomira

On Sunday, August 10 at Camp Shomria in upstate New York, over 100 young leaders, among them Jewish Americans, Israelis, and Palestinian citizens of Israel, including 15 NewGen lay leaders, came together for the first-ever Jewish and Palestinian Youth Peace Summit. It was a day devoted to dialogue and imagining a shared future.

Hosted by Hashomer Hatzair USA in partnership with the New Israel Fund, Partners for Progressive Israel (PPI), and the Ajyal youth movement, a program for Palestinian citizens of Israel that is similar to the Israeli Tzofim or “scouts,” the summit opened with a deeply moving panel of Jewish, Israeli, and Palestinian peace activists, each of whom spoke from the heart. They talked about what brought them to this field, the personal cost of doing their work, and the resilience necessary to keep going. The conversation, moderated by Rabbi Margo Hughes Robinson, the executive director of PPI, set the tone for an inspiring day.

After the opening panel, participants dove into sessions that brought the human stories of the conflict to life, including modules led by current and former NIF fellows. Among them was a workshop on growing up in Gaza, led by Ezzeldeen Masri, chief field officer for PeaceWorks Foundation, an organization that aims to empower Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders. There was also a conversation about youth activism, led by activist Ori Heffetz, who grew up in Kibbutz Nirim, one of the kibbutzim that Hamas attacked on October 7.

Participants then joined two full group sessions; they worked together to design a flag that would represent a shared land and, later, simulated peace negotiations, grappling with issues at the core of the conflict. The sessions enabled deeper understanding of the issues and the obstacles to resolution. Perhaps most importantly, they encouraged participants to imagine that peace is still possible. In the midst of our fractured reality, NIF and its partners at Camp Shomria created something rare: a space where Jewish and Arab young people could speak openly, listen deeply, challenge, and support one another.