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.