About Us

Elham - the Day After weaves together the creative forces of Israeli and Palestinian artists, all driven by a collective aspiration: to sow the seeds of hope and potential of a shared future.

Through a dynamic fusion of various activities, immersive in-person engagements, and the art of content creation, this initiative is dedicated to igniting a political imagination that dares to dream the seemingly impossible—a society embedded in peace.

The collective endeavor envisions a future where the creative energies of both communities meld to forge a path toward transformative societal change—one that champions justice over inequality and inclusivity over division and domination. One that is rooted in Interdependence and reconciliation.

At "Elham - The Day After" we try to navigate turbulent times of polarization and division with a quest for understanding and unity. In the midst of these divides, we explore the uncharted territories beyond our predetermined positions, seeking to create havens in the spaces between.

Our mission?

To carve out sanctuaries that nurture healing connections and kindle the flame of imagination for a brighter tomorrow. A tomorrow where peace and dignity reclaim their place in our country.

But what exactly are these sanctuaries?

They're like landing pads during turbulent moments, retreats for healing from trauma, vibrant cultural events, community gatherings, inspiring co learning courses or art projects that breathe hope into the future. Everything we do is built on the belief that through direct interactions, open communication, and participatory initiatives, we can restore humanity to both sides and cultivate a new culture of peace and solidarity.

In these times of crisis, the time has arrived for forming new steps in this transformative journey as we usher in a new era of resilience, understanding, and hope.

“ As it is devastating to see each other go into polarities, and disagreements, it is our duty to keep on training ourselves to keep the oppressive, forceful, painful energies from piercing into our beings. We think that this type of work, with consistency will nourish the young consciousness we are trying to emerge so as to prevent other catastrophes like this from happening in the future.

Maybe from the silence and between the thoughts a solution will emerge for the real time conditions we are facing at this point in time. “

- Jawdat Kassab

Meet the Team

The co-founding group gathers decades of involvement in various fields with direct experience working for leading organizations such as Combatants for Peace, Breaking the Silence, The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, The Midburn Community, Yala Young Leaders, The Parents Circle, IPCRI, and more.

  • Graduated summa cum laude with a BA from Columbia University in Middle East Studies, Katie’s thesis focused on academic trends in the Arab world. She completed her MA at Ben Gurion University where her research examined movements of reform and critique in Gulf, focusing on Oman and the UAE.

    Outside of academia, Katie has been involved in numerous people-to-people, environmental, and cultural diplomacy initiatives in the realm of Israel-Palestine-GCC relations. She has initiated a network of GCC-involved individuals and entities in Israel and Palestine and consults with various NGOs and private sector initiatives regarding Gulf markets and discourse. She is a research associate at The Forum for Regional Thinking focusing on the developing ties between Netanyahu’s administration and the rulers of the UAE, KSA, and Oman, and has published in Haaretz, YNET, +972, and n

  • Born in Hizmeh, a town just outside Jerusalem. At the age of 14 Sulaiman was sentenced to 15 years in Israeli prison and served a term of 10.5 years. He spent his time in jail learning about history, Hebrew, English and about other world conflicts and peace activists such as Gandhi and Mandela. This is when he began having new thoughts about the conflict and the means for resolving it. As a result he is a committed advocate for peace in the Middle East and an active member of various programs aiming to promote a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, within local communities, as well as on regional and international levels. Co-founder and former Director of Combatants for Peace, a non-profit Israeli and Palestinian peace building organisation whose founders are ex-Israeli soldiers and ex-Palestinian prisoners who decided to join hands in non-violent resistance as a means to end the occupation, and bring equality, freedom and peace to both peoples. Currently he serves as the Director of International Relations for Combatants for Peace.

    Sulaiman was the founder and General Director of Al-Qud’s Association for Democracy and Dialogue, which works with youth in order to create effective and sustainable projects and programs focusing on the promotion of peace, democracy, dialogue and civic participation in the Palestinian Territories. Co Founder and lead group of Israeli and Palestinian wounded from the conflict 2008 -20011 supported by People's Peace fund. Sulaiman and Chen Alon, another co-founder of Combatants for Peace were nominated twice for the Nobel peace prize 2017 & 2018. Sulaiman is currently working on publishing a biography in February 2021 with Beacon Press, written by Penina Eilberg-schwartz.

  • Nur, a Yaffawi artist, navigates the complexities of identity and heritage in Jaffa under Israeli rule. Her journey, expressed through art and dance, explores the nuances of Palestinian identity amid ongoing oppression. As the artistic director of "Moving Together," Nur dedicates herself to promoting Arab culture. Her works, including "SeventyThree," "HaKovshim X Allenby," and "72 Virgins," delve into themes of occupation and appropriation, reflecting a powerful exploration within her artistic endeavors.

  • Graduate of B.A. in Media Studies at Sapir College and M.A. in Science, Technology and Society (STS) at Bar Ilan University (Cum Laude), Yahav's work focuses on advocating for freedom of the Plaestinian people, right of return for refugees, and equal rights for all people living between the river and the sea. Her independant podcast Disillusioned showcases the voices of Jewish Israeli activist who stand in solidarity with Palestinians and the journey that led them to that point.

  • Born in Israel to a Libyan father, Liel wondered about his identity and its position in the region throughout his life. Since his participation in the Middle East Jam in 2011, he has been dedicated to changing the human dynamics in this region. Through working in group facilitation, community organizing, mobilization, and social entrepreneurship across the region, Liel aims to contribute to a future where people are more empowered, have self-agency, and live in a more supportive, sustainable and regenerative environment. Liel is a regular contributor at the Forum for Regional Thinking and holds an MA degree in International Development, a B.A in Middle Eastern studies and received the IIE Goldberg Peace Prize for co-founding the Sinsila Center.

  • Marwan Halabi is an accomplished independent musician and creative force. In recent years, he has made significant strides in his career, marked by a series of successful single releases and live performances.

    Marwan has showcased his musical talents at various festivals across Palestine, including the prestigious "Bethlehem Life Festival" in the West Bank and "Final Festival" in the Aravah

    region. He has also participated in the NEST program, an initiative by the esteemed "Jafra" label in Ramallah, dedicated to emerging musicians.

    Marwan's music is a voyage through the intricate web of his own life, unraveling tales of a tumultuous reality. His lyrics and vocals extend an intimate invitation, drawing the listener into the depths of his rich yet enigmatic identity. In the tapestry of his songs, traditional Palestinian folk interweaves with the ethereal strains of Western psychedelic folk, crafting a style that is both distinctive and captivating.

    Marwan's music stands as a call to question the roles imposed by society. His art resonates with an audience sharing his quest for understanding, seeking new ways to define themselves.

  • Sarah Perle Benazera is a peace-activist, storyteller, and dialogue facilitator. After studying at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in 2007 she realized that cross-cultural dialogue and peace-building were her callings. Since then she has been working with youth and adults in the peace-building and education field in Israel and Palestine. Sarah worked as a project manager and blog editor at YaLa Young Leaders for 5 years, developing and running a citizen journalism program; she has been involved in various peace and cooperation projects, organizing conferences, participating in panels and programs about peace education and cooperation, and working and volunteering with Kids4Peace Jerusalem, and has been working as an educator and program director with Jerusalem Peace Builders since 2014. She studied Environmental Studies and Cross-border Cooperation at Ben-Gurion University and the Arava Institute, as well as Political Philosophy at the Université Panthéon Sorbonne in Paris.

  • Born and raised in Nataf, a Zionist-Religious community. His family has fled from Natzi Germany. Achiya served between 2005 and 2008 as a soldier and commander in "Duvdevan", an elite unit of the IDF, and attained the rank of staff sergeant. acquired a B.A. in Politics and Government studies from Ben-Gurion University. Achiya worked as the Communications Director at Breaking the Silence and for the past 5 years has led the organization's strategy and campaigns unit.

  • Born and raised in Nazareth, 28 years of age, with an optimistic take on life.

    Jawdat had acquired his LLB and LLM from Kingston and BPP Universities in London. Alongside being a trained solicitor, he is also an admitted Lawyer in the Israeli Bar Association, practicing Intellectual Property and Civil Litigation.

    In addition, Jawdat is an Arava Institute Alumni for Environmental and Political Studies.

    Yet, Jawdat holds a growing passion for building communities and cultures. He is the Co-founder of the FALLAHI project that harnessed skills of participatory leadership, dialogue, storytelling, and NVC for the purpose of creating a safe space for collective healing.

    “Forgiveness is when you know that people won’t understand your pain, and yet, you won’t wish it on others”

  • Sharon was born in a small agricultural village in Israel to a mixed family of immigrants from Europe and a deeply rooted family of Jewish Arabs who have lived in Palestine since biblical times. Since his early days growing up in a community, Sharon felt the empowerment of living within a supportive community, and throughout his life, he has worked to build sustainable social structures.

    As an artist throughout the course of his life, Sharon has found himself drawn to the nature of social textures—the behavior of a human within a group, and the individual and collective relations that man derives from his meaningful experiences.

    His works deal with intimate connections between people, creating new and unconventional spaces in which the person or group receives new meaning through the medium of photography, interactive installations, or a transformative event space.

    Sharon has led several grassroots social initiatives, including Project Midburn—a regional Burning Man communal event in Israel—leading the initiative from its first steps, as well as co-founding an interdisciplinary collective of artists, designers, and engineers that creates art installations and cultural events around the world. Additionally, for the last 7 years, Sharon has been leading a community lab project at his ranch in a small village, building a space to research community-building tools, sustainability, and self-governance.

  • Reut Crystal, engineer and an educator, activist who works to promote equality in Jaffa: Against the evictions of indigenous Palestinians from their homes in Jaffa, and part of an emergency team to support single Palestinian moms who got fired for their ethnic identity during the current war in Israel-Palestine.

  • Laila Alsana holds a B.A. in Social Work from BGU University. As a student, she founded the "Almatrah" club, a safe space for Palestinians to develop their own unique identity within Israeli institutions. With a focus on community building, she continued her studies at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. Laila has worked as a field coordinator in unrecognized Alnaqab villages, addressing community needs through lobbying, crowdfunding, and education. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, she initiated a project empowering women in unrecognized villages to be able to learn & teach their communities how to gain their rights through digitalized gov platforms, now impacting 18 villages and potentially gaining Ministry of Welfare recognition. Laila's commitment to social change is evident in her impactful contributions to our team.

  • With a background in biotechnology and food engineering, her expertise in Research and development spans from concept to production.

    With a background in biotechnology and food engineering, she brings a unique perspective shaped by her role as an experienced community organizer. Reema's commitment extends to collaboration with Engineers Without Borders and empowering women who have survived the world of prostitution. Additionally, she has dedicated her efforts to supporting endangered youth within the Arab community.

    As a food engineer, Reema brings a unique perspective to her role. Driven by a passion for innovation, she focuses on alternative protein sources, seeing them as pivotal for the future of culinary technology and sustainable societies. Within our organization, she strives to redefine our connection with the planet, emphasizing the untapped potential of the engineering approach to a sustainable agriculture vision.

  • Rotem Levin is an activist and speaker for “combatants for peace”, a community organizer and MD by profession. During his medical studies in the Ben Gurion university he dedicated most of his time to teach himself Arabic and breakthrough the Zionist segregated bubble by making meaningful relationships of solidarity with Palestinians.

    He Invests most of his time to help creating spaces of personal and collective healing around Israel/Palestine.

    He lives in a home-bus he has built and decorated in his own hands, enjoys playing the flute and practice meditation.

  • Mariam Abd El Hay is a multifaceted individual, embodying a blend of Palestinian and European heritage, nurtured in two diverse cultural landscapes. Born and raised in Tira, Mariam ventured into dentistry in 2017 and pursued her academic journey in Germany. Currently pursuing Environmental Studies at the Arava Institute, she stands at the intersection of varied experiences, driven by a fervent passion for challenging norms and redefining established realities. Her aspirations extend beyond personal growth; Mariam is dedicated to cultivating communities, fostering safe spaces, and empowering the next generation through education and critical thinking. With an innate curiosity and a commitment to questioning conventions, she champions the importance of lifelong learning and aims to ignite curiosity in others. Her guiding principles involve embracing her inner child, finding joy in her pursuits, and kindling a passionate enthusiasm for life.