Oz VeShalom – Netivot Shalom
About the Movement
Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom was founded in 1975 in order to present an alternative expression of religious Zionism. It is committed to promoting the ideals of tolerance, pluralism, and justice, concepts which have always been central to Jewish tradition and law.
As the only religious Zionist peace organization of its kind, we are in a unique position to counter fundamentalist and extremist political arguments that have erroneously placed the value of the Land of Israel ahead of human life, justice, and peace — concepts which have always been central to Jewish law and tradition. We seek to effect a fundamental change within the national religious community and throughout Israeli society by endeavoring to:
- Demonstrate support for the peace process on the basis of political reality and justice.
- Enhance Jewish unity and pluralism among Israel's religious and secular publics.
- Practice coexistence and support for equality for Israel's Arab minority.
- Advocate political rights for Palestinians, including the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's activities have received extensive media coverage, both local and international. In addition, the movement issues frequent press releases and is often asked for a response to unfolding events. Its leaders publish opinion pieces in local newspapers and appear frequently on television and on the radio.
Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's programs include both educational and protest activities. Seminars, lectures, workshops, conferences and weekend programs on a variety of topics are held for youth, students, educators and families, while protest activities focus on issues of human rights, co-existence between Jews and Arabs, and responses to issues of particular religious relevance.
Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom's educational forums attract not only religious Israelis, but also secular people who are keen to deepen their Jewish knowledge and to hear an alternative religious standpoint on the subjects of peace and social issues. In many respects, therefore, Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom fills the ideological vacuum which has been created and counteracts the stridency which is emerging in the right-wing community.
You Can Help Us
Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom is funded by membership fees, by donations from individuals and by grants from foundations. As our role in Israeli society acquires both immediacy and relevance, our resources must be made to stretch further.
Oz Veshalom-Netivot Shalom needs funding both to maintain existing activities and to develop new programs, so as to take advantage of interest in its ideas in this critical historical period of time.
Tax-exempt contributions to OzveShalom may be made through the New Israel Fund or through P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. Contributions should be marked as donor-advised to OzveShalom/Netivot Shalom.
- New Israel Fund, POB 53410, Jerusalem 91534
- New Israel Fund, POB 91588, Washington, DC 20090-1588, USA
- New Israel Fund of Canada, 801 Eglinton Ave. West, Suite #401, Toronto, Ontario M5N 1E3 Canada
- New Israel Fund of Great Britain, 26 Enford Street, London W1H 2DD, United Kingdom
- P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc., 317 Madison Ave., Suite 607, New York, New York 10017 USA
Donations in NIS may be sent to Oz ve-Shalom, c/o Miriam Fine, 9 Dustrovsky St., Jerusalem 933806. Donations are tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to OzveShalom.
To distribute issues of Shabbat Shalom in synagogues, to receive the digital edition, to dedicate an issue, and to make a tax-exempt donation via bank transfer, please call Miriam Fine at 0523920206 or write to ozveshalomns@gmail.com.
In order to carry out the mission that we have set for ourselves, we must invigorate our efforts and our ranks. In particular we are in need of:
- Writers who can work in editing and publishing our movement's journal.
- Volunteers for our various committees: protests and responses, current events, Palestinian relations, and public relations.
- Volunteers to translate our publications from Hebrew to English – such as our Parshat HaShavua sheet, articles from our journal, or other publications. This is so we can provide current material, via electronic mail for our supporters abroad. We would like volunteers who can translate one article or parsha sheet every 6 to 8 weeks.
- Additional volunteers to distribute the Parshat HaShavua sheet in synagogues. Our efforts to distribute this publication widely have been very successful. We began distributing 3000 copies and that number has risen to 8000.