PEACE CHILD ISRAEL 

Volunteers for Peace and the Peace Child Anthem

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THE MAKING OF “VOLUNTEERS FOR PEACE”

Eight Arab and Jewish professional performing artists answered the call of composer/pianist Shlomo Gronich to transform the Peace Child Israel anthem “We Brought Peace Upon Us” into an anthem of healing in the community after the traumatic events of autumn 2000. Teenagers from the Peace Child Israel workshop in Ramle and Lod, and elementary school students in the Tel Aviv and Qalansua communities where Peace Child Israel is active, also participated in the project.

At the initiative of composer Shlomo Gronich and Peace Child Israel, with the initial support from Hed Arzi Records, “Volunteers for Peace” evolved into a with the combined voluntary effort of ZAZA Recording Studios, New Generations Productions and JCS Post Production. A compact disc and video clip were produced. The example of cooperation set by the professional musicians, the teenagers and the youngsters, supported by the professional services of the participating companies, generated a response of positive energy sorely missing in the community.

Based on texts written by the teenagers in the Peace Child Israel Millenium Year workshops, Magid Abu Rokun and Ehud Manor produced lyrics for a song composed by Shlomo Gronich with the Mikhail Marun (oud) acting as consultant for lyric adaptation and eastern music style.

The power of this song, eastern in style and including the text:

“...and still in our life time, still during our days on this earth, we will sing in our own voices: we brought peace upon us...”

when it is performed by all the volunteers, is an expression of hope and an example of the possibility for existing together which is sorely lacking in the media. Yet it is a fact. Ultimate exposure of this initiative is a contribution to problem solving.

More - Ode to Volunteers for Peace  

Adamai - Main Page

 

The Story of our Song

The song "We Brought Peace Upon Us", which once "belonged" to Peace Child Israel exclusively, as its anthem, was given a new arrangement, at the initiative of its composer, Shlomo Gronich and presented at as a gift to a country in severe pain in the autumn of 2000.

Based on Arabic and Hebrew texts written by the teenagers from the Peace Child Israel millenium year workshops, the song We Brought Peace Upon us" was composed in February 2000 by Shlomo Gronich, in consultation with Mikhail Marun, oud.  Israel Prize winner Ehud Manor and Mr. Magid Abu Rokun transformed the text of the teenagers into lyrics for the anthem which was first performed with all the "graduating" teenagers of the 1999-2000 workshops on July 2, 2000.

In mid-November 2000, during a period of pervasive despair, at the initiative of composer Shlomo Gronich and with the support of Hed Arzi Records, JCS Productions and Next Generation Productions, a new arrangement of the song was recorded for video clip and compact disc. "Volunteers for Peace" is exactly what it says: individuals and corporations volunteering for peace, at a time when a majority of the populations, inside the Green Line and beyond, were committed to attack and revenge. 20 Arab and Jewish professional vocal and instrumental artists, together with Arab and Jewish teenagers from the Peace Child Israel workshops and elementary school children from Qalansua and Tel Aviv, set personal agendas aside and answered the call at a moment's notice, to share their talents in an effort to make a small contribution to healing in the community. The anthem was heard on radio and seen on television screens throughout the country.

Peace Child Anthem- Hearing and Seeing is believing

The Peace Child Anthem Words

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Participants in

‘VOLUNTEERS FOR PEACE”

Singers: (a-z) *

Zehava Ben, Shlomo Gronich, Nivine Jaabri, Elias Julianos, Eli Luzon, Lubna Salame, Lea Shabat and Sahmir Shukri and participants from the Peace Child Israel workshops in Ramle and Lod and elementary schools students from Ibn Rudg (Qalansua) and Elentary School for the Arts (Tel Aviv).

Instrumentalists: (a-z) *

Drums: Doron Rafaeli

Bass: Alon Nadel

Percussion: Gadi Seri

Guitar: Shmulik Budagov

Oud: Mikhail Marun

Piano: Shlomo Gronich

Darbuka: Bishara Nadaf

Flute: Amir Milstein

Nai Alfred Hadjar

Violin: Bashir Assad

Clarinet: Chanan Bar-Sela

 

 Peace Child Israel - Background

Established in 1988, Peace Child Israel is the veteran organization utilizing theatre and the arts as a tool for cross-cultural dialogue in Israel.  Committed to addressing minority-majority relations and co-citizenship issues. the goals of Peace Child Israel are:  education for democracy, pluralism and tolerance in the Israeli society.  Through the medium of theatre and the arts, the pedagogical objectives of compassionate listening, critical thinking and non-violent communication are applied whiling workshop participants address issues of identity, stereotypes, mutual respect, equality in a democratic society, cultural similarities and differences.  Role playing, reverse role-playing, collage, movement and improvisation are among the numerous tools used to facilitate experiential learning.  cooperation in the creative process reSULTS in the writing and performance of AN original play by each group of teens from neighboring schools that participate in the project.  programs for parents and teachers were added to the organization’s agenda in 2001.  The Peace Child Israel program is recognized in the Ministry of Education “Community service program”

 

How to Donate

Donations may be made payable to Peace Child Israel and sent by mail to:  PO Box 57431, Tel Aviv, 61573 Israel or via the New Israel Fund.

In North America, contributions to Peace Child Israel can also be made via the
  P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc


 

Peace Child Israel: Making Conflict Resolution and Dialogue Work in the Middle East

 

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