"The desire for peace is our greatest source of hope" - HIH Principal Daniel De Shalit

We are still in the midst of Israel’s National Days, a period that calls for a high degree of sensitivity in our schools and communities. 

Daniel De Shalit, Principal of the Hand in Hand Jerusalem High School, captured the complexity of these days in his address at the school’s Memorial Day ceremony.

Below is a translation of Daniel’s address:

“Today we mark Memorial Day—together, and apart. Coming together on this day is not easy. It requires a great deal of maturity and a stable identity to remain empathetic throughout this war. Mahmoud Darwish famously wrote: “As you conduct your wars, think of others (do not forget those who seek peace).” We are so proud, year after year, to see all you, our students, treating one another with respect and care on this day.

On Memorial Day we remember those who once were here, and are no longer. We grieve over those who were taken from us by war and terror. The toll of war is horrible. Every bereaved family is stricken by sadness, pain, and suffering. On this day, we halt our routines, and focus on those who have paid the most horrible price, engulfed in the flames of war.

But I don’t wish to speak only of death. I wish to speak of life and hope. I want to tell you about Uri, a volunteer at our school, who loved working with our students, and brought so much joy to our campus. And about the enormous love Nicholas Berger, a graduate of our school, had for his family. How he always looked out for his family above all, and what an amazing older brother he was. And Hirsh Goldberg-Polin, who was such a positive human being, that he managed to bring his friends hope even when they were in a state of horrible distress. ‘He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how,’ he told them.

The author David Grossman, who lost his son in war, spoke at the joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day service eight years ago, and shared: ‘How easy it is to surrender yourself to hate, rage, and a desire for revenge. But I discovered that each time rage or hate tempts me, I immediately feel myself losing my connection with my son. Something seals off. I made my decision, and I’ve chosen a different path. I think everyone who is here with us has made that same choice.’

“The desire for peace is our greatest source of hope. For me, this was once an innocent dream, but has become a political aspiration, a value, according to which I live and educate.”

Certain songs stay with us our entire lives. ‘We are the children of the winter of ‘73‘ is one of these songs. It talks about the generation that grew up after the Yom Kippur war. 

“When we were born, our country was injured and sad. You looked at us, hugged us, tried to find solace. When we were born, the elders blessed us with teary eyes. They said, ‘these children, may they never be in the military.'”

As a child, I was raised on this promise – by the time you grow up, there will be no need for an army. I clung on to this idea every Memorial Day. Since then, the winter of ‘73 has been replaced by the winter of ‘23, and the wars have continued, and grown more extreme. Sometimes it seems as if our two peoples have forgotten that war is not a predetermined destiny, and that there is another possible way forward.

The desire for peace is our greatest source of hope. For me, this was once an innocent dream, but has become a political aspiration, a value, according to which I live and educate. Here in this school, at Hand in Hand, we state what should be obvious: yes to peace—no to violence.

Yesterday a group of Arab and Jewish teenagers sat in my office and wrote a speech together about peace and hope that they will share on stage as Hand in Hand representatives at the People’s Peace Summit before 5,000 people. I thought to myself, how bizarre it is that this simple, natural gesture might seem odd to folks outside our school.I’ll conclude by sharing words from our students’ speech: ‘We believe that if more students go through a similar process to us, then we can approach a solution to this conflict, so that our children can grow up together, in peace.'”