Building Freedom and Trust Together
Gazel4Peace en Stichting Rainbow invite you to witness hope in the drawings of children from both Gaza en Israël.
Through those drawings the exhibition Shaping a Hopeful
Future remnids us that, even in times of conflict and war, there is a way for healing.
The exhibition is in Amsterdam at the Lutheran Church in the Rivierenbeurt – Uiterwaardenstraat 279 and can be visited Monday to Friday, when the flag is hanging out or the board is put in front of the door.
When you wage your wars, think of others (and don’t forget the peace seekers). When you sleep and count the stars, think about others (some people can’t find a place to sleep).
In this text written by the Arab-Palestinian poet and creator Mahmoud Darvish, the basic mechanism inherent in all of us humans is embodied. A mechanism that has been severely damaged since October 7th.
Over the years, during security crises in Israel, we saw in our Jewish-Arab school in Be’er Sheva that the children are the first to adapt back to play and talk to each other- no matter what is their identity. For them, the mechanism of think about others is much easy and natural, unlike us adults.
Our school in Be’er Sheva is happy to take part in this joint exhibition with children from Gaza. Paintings are a great means of thinking about others. To know his or her pain, but also his or her dream and hope, in Israel and Gaza. If we can all know better how to strengthen the ‘muscle’ of compassion and tolerance towards those who are different from us, it will move us a serious step forward to a better future.
This is how we have been educating our children for over 15 years. And NOW more than ever, despite all the difficulties and challenges, it is important that we continue to promote this mission.
Thanks to all the organizers who took part in the production of this brave and exciting exhibition.
Thank you,
The Bilingual school of the Hagar Association, Be’er Sheva, Israel
On June 8th 2025 we gathered at the Public Library in Amsterdam West (De Hallen) for the opening event of the exhibition Shaping a Hopeful Future. Children’s drawings touch a universal feeling of solidarity and compassion. From that shared sense of humanity, space opens up for dialogue — about pain, hope, loss, and connection. This is precisely what makes this project so powerful. By seeing the world through the eyes of children, differences fade away and bridges are built.
The exhibition will be shown in different locations in the Netherlands and Europe. Here is the current list of dates and locations. Please e-mail us to suggest more locations for this exhibition.
Read the inspiring words of the initiators Vered Raz (GazEl), Marwa from Gaza and from The school of the Hagar-association in Beer-Sheba. These were read during the opening event.
All photo’s taken during this event were taken by photographer Inbal Tur-Shalom.
The exhibition creates a lasting impact by raising awareness and sparking dialogue about the need to listen to one another with mutual understanding.
This is the up-to-date list of locations and dates of this travelling exhibition:
Shaping a Hopeful Future is a unique exhibition that combines the creative expressions of children from Israel and Gaza. This exhibition aims to amplify the voices of children from Israel and Gaza and provide a platform for their dreams and visions for a peaceful future through drawings and texts.
Would you like to contribute to this meaningful project? Every contribution, big or small, helps us keep this initiative alive. All efforts behind Shaping a Hopeful Future are entirely voluntary, and your donation directly supports the exhibition and its mission to inspire dialogue and understanding.
👉 Click here to donate
Participating children made the drawings below. Click on each image to read more about its description, inspiration, and reflections.
Team:
Voices of Peace brings two Arab peace activists from Israel and Gaza for a dialogue in the Netherlands. They will unfold personal stories living with war in Israel and Gaza and their activities for Peace.
Soumya Bashir, an Arab-Israeli Muslim, is a mother of five, 4 daughters and a son. Somaya is a social and political activist who served in the Israeli parliament. Among her social-political activities are founding the We Have No Other Country group bringing social partnership between Arabs and Jews in Israel, the Insan Association for the Rights of the Underprivileged Populations, and the coordinator of the Women Rage Peace society. In her activities, Somaya advocates for Arabs as full-fledged Israeli citizens and fights against racism and extremism in Israel.
Houssam (Sam) Khadra is a Gazan Palestinian, a father of three: two kids in Egypt and a little baby in Paris. Sam is an actor, and a journalist for an Egyptian newspaper reporting from Gaza. Sam started his youth under Hamas education and now is a peace activist preaching against terror and extremism.
We work on the civic level, driven by participants while cultivating mutual trust, and empathy.
We recognize the trauma and pain of our shared past, along with the differences in the narratives that have shaped it. With this in mind, we encourage openness, a willingness to learn, and an effort to understand and connect with each other’s perspectives on history.
We do not work towards political solutions to the conflict, but we believe in dialogues and activities that are conducted with sincerity and mutual respect.
We cannot change history – but together we can build a hopeful common future, based on mutual respect.
Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, stands as a testament to the resilience of its residents, who united to overcome the relentless threat of flooding. Through cooperation and collective effort, the city transformed adversity into strength, showcasing the power of community.
Inspired by this civic history, we aim to build unity and strength between Palestinians and Israelis through a European-based collaboration..
Amsterdam’s legacy as the birthplace of citizen-led global trade initiatives has fostered a deep sense of participation and engagement. Coupled with its long-standing tradition of openness, liberalism, and tolerance, the city provides the ideal setting for for the launch of GazEl, bringing together Gazans and Israelis living in Europe to work on the citizen2citizen level rather than the political arena.
December 15th 2024, Amsterdam
A panel conversation will be held featuring a diverse group of Palestinians and Israelis. These participants, some of whom are based in Europe, will share their experiences navigating the complexities of being victims of Islamic militias and the ongoing war between Gaza and Israel.
The panelists will openly acknowledge the suffering, pain, and bloodshed endured by both sides of the conflict. Through their stories, they aim to highlight the power of bottom-up cooperation and dialogue as tools to inspire hope and a path toward reconciliation.
Confirmed round table participants (subject to change):
The round table participants (subject to change):
Talshalom (Israel), Wasim (The Netherlands – Gaza), Hamza (Germany – Gaza), Rami (Egypt – Gaza), Hanna (The Netherlands-Israel).
16 December 2024 | 19:00 to 20:30 | Amsterdam
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken
Listen to the recording of the lecture using the player below.
The situation in the Middle East is changing fast. Who could have expected that the regime of the Asad dictatorship will crumble so fast? But this is only one aspect of the situation in a very volatile region. Regional powers have their say as well as European countries, Russia, and the United States. Understanding who is fighting whom with whom is not easy. And while geopolitics play an important role, one should not forget that these conflicts are also about freedom, self-determination, and a better future for millions of people. What is the agenda of the rebels who have taken over the Syrian regime? And what can we expect to happen elsewhere in the region? What should Israel do?
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, Director of the German-Iraqi NGO Wadi, has been working in the Middle East since the early nineties. Wadi is supporting a variety of projects to empower women and strengthen civil society movements. He will talk about his experiences, how the Middle East is changing and what could be a perspective for a better future for all in this region.