Amiram and Tilda Goldin moved to the Galilee just before the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000. As Israelis committed to fostering shared society, Amiram founded a Jewish-Arab school in Misgav, and after the Intifada began, they were active participants in a Jewish-Arab dialogue tent that was established between Misgav and the nearby Arab town of Sakhnin.

In 2002, their youngest son Omri was killed in a suicide bombing near Meron Junction. Tens of thousands of people, Jewish and Arab, came to the funeral. Amiram said that the presence of so many Jews and Arabs at Omri’s funeral helped him continue his activities in support of Jewish-Arab shared society. “Fear, hate and revenge won’t bring Omri back and it won’t protect our children. We decided to continue to try to have an impact on life here.”

Together with Arab friends from their area they decided to create a joint Jewish-Arab olive grove named after Omri. Last year, the project was awarded one of the NIF emergency grants awarded to activities promoting Jewish-Arab partnership. The olive grove is still being used for dialogue activities for Jewish and Arab neighbors, which have continued despite the spikes in tension over the last few years. “We’re far more similar than we think,” Amiram said. “I really believe it’s possible to create a better future for the coming generations.”