Women Wage Peace has been blessed with several natural born leaders – women with many professional achievements who have exchanged a successful career for activity in seeking peace. Rehab Abed Elhalim is one of those women – an Israeli -Arab with a Doctorate in Philosophy of Education whose peace activity is a natural continuation of her career in education.
With her talent, vision and determination, Rehab converted a failing school in a small town into an award winning educational facility. She also developed her own theory of education which reflects something that her late father said to her: “Think positive! Thoughts generate your fate.”
She grew up in Nazareth and came to Manshiya Zabda (a small town near Ramat Yishai) when she married her husband who was a resident of this town, and after completing her studies in education. In Manshiya Zabda she wanted to teach Arabic in the local elementary school, but discovered that the school had no electricity or water and that the children were studying a few hours a day in huts that were located in the cemetery.
She turned this traumatic move from the city to the neglected village into her mission. “I
took upon myself to improve the situation. I saw this as national service to my people, but not from the position of deprivation”. She founded and was principal of a school for special needs children from all faiths – Muslims, Jews and Christians. For her work in the field of education, Rehab was honored with lighting one of the torches at the 48th Independence Day celebrations. Rehab has 4 children and 9 grandchildren.
“Education will lead to the change of our reality and to peace”. Rehab’s philosophy is based on 2 basic tenets:
Human Dignity: Each pupil is an individual with his/her own particular abilities and needs. Schools are morally obligated to meet all the child’s needs – a safe environment and a hot meal to meet their physical needs; a democratic environment encouraging the freedom of choice and enabling friendships in order to meet social needs; Acceptance of diversity , respect for the child’s abilities, an atmosphere of trust and love , and encouragement of thinking and curiosity to meet emotional needs.
The Ray of Light Theory: Every child has his/her own special talents that must be developed. When you discover one “ray of light”, other rays are illuminated enabling a person to fulfil him/herself. Her approach emphasizes what is and not what isn’t within each child. By reinforcing the special talents of each child (the ray of light), other skills and abilities are strengthened. The staff of the school works according to this philosophy and discovers the special skills of each child, enabling each one to reach his/her potential.
In addition, Rehab emphasizes three values that are crucial in teaching: responsibility, commitment, and belonging. It is no surprise that in articles that have been written about Rehab she is considered “the influencer of influencers”.
“When Women Wage Peace approached me, I said: ‘I’m not a decoration on a jacket’. They asked me if I would agree to meet women with different opinions who don’t believe in equal rights. Of course, I agreed. At the end of the meeting we embraced each other and today we are friends. We are changing the nature of the dialogue”. Rehab has since participated in parlor meetings and rallies and in 2015 she was chosen to be on the WWP steering committee.
“I live among Jews and Arabs and all of them respect this feminist initiative. I’ve heard men 
say that only women will make peace, but there are many who express doubt. They say that reaching a political agreement should be an initiative of leaders and is bigger than us. I understand that it is complex, but we cannot accept the present situation. During wartime fewer people visit the village and the villagers themselves were fearful of going into the Jewish cities. This is how it was during Operation Protective Edge. Therefore every small step helps.”
“The movement was founded through the hope of mothers that their children would not have to go to war. Mothers need to sleep calmly when their sons are in the army, and women can also see the other side – the Palestinian side. In this movement, impressive women devote a lot of time and effort for the hope of peace.”
“We must not give up. We are determined to make peace. We women said after the last war (Operation protective Edge) – ‘enough of wars that don’t resolve the conflict.’ We demand a political agreement. We are planting seeds of peace”.
Translated from Hebrew by Sue Levinstein
A filmed interview with Rehab from 2016 before the March of Hope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WYCORm7bj8
