Thank you for your interest in this project. Here are further details of the retreat. We have tried
to keep it as brief as possible, and such things as how to get there will be sent to you upon
registration. There is a link to the registration
form at the end of this page. If you wish to participate please complete it.
For those coming from the local area it is possible to attend the retreat for a shorter period. We do not recommend this for those who are coming from abroad. The situation is quite complex, and not easy to meet fully in such a short time.
The full retreat dates are: 1—15 October 2025
Shorter dates: 1—7, 3—7, or 9—14 October
It is possible to combine two of these periods, or maybe to extend them to make for a fuller
experience of the retreat. Yet, due to the considerable workload of running this event, it is not
possible to shorten any of them, nor come for other periods. We thank you for your understanding,
and hope you will join us.
Registration forms are at the end of the message.
We have been running this retreat offering this retreat in Israel and Palestine since 2006, yet each year will be unique, and we can't exactly predict how it will look. Our days together will combine working, with time for meditation, inquiry and processing of our experience. We believe full heartedly in the importance of the work we will do together.
Some of the retreat will be spent in a Palestinian village. We will stay in the village by invitation of the local council. They have asked us to help by harvesting olives with the villagers. But in their own words, the main need and wish is for us to listen to their stories and to bear witness to their suffering.
During the rest of the retreat we will be joining the activities of several organisations probably including Rabbis for Human Rights, Breaking the Silence, and Combatants for Peace.
One of the main activities we will be involved in is olive harvesting. Most days we will travel out
to the fields around Palestinian villages to help with the harvest. Palestinian villagers living in
the territories occupied by Israel
are prevented from freely and easily accessing their olive groves during the harvest season, either
by the Israeli army or by Jewish settlers. They therefore lose their sole or major source of income.
In a beautiful act of non-violence
Jewish Israelis and international volunteers come to pick the olives with the villagers. With the
presence and protection of these non-violent activists the Palestinians themselves are able to work
their land.
We feel very privileged
to be working with many inspiring organisations. During the retreat we will meet many people working
for peace.
The retreat we propose will combine time for hands-on work with time for meditation, as well as the opportunity to meet both Jews and Palestinians and share in their lives. We hope to provide an opportunity for all of us to express who feel ourselves to be. This may include stepping out into the unknown.
It is not just about helping, but about the willingness to experience things for ourselves. Not about judging, but about witnessing and sharing. Together we can support each other on this journey, creating moments of inner and outer peace as we go.
We are confident that our time will be of value to ourselves and others. A lot of hard work is going into making this retreat happen, and just the idea of it is already providing much needed support and an injection of energy to peace activists.
Due to us having many different days during the retreat, it is not possible to offer one suggested
schedule. Our working days will be quite long, and start quite early, but we will also have rest
days, and days of meditation and reflection.
Something to remember is that both the
middle-eastern mentality and the volatile situation make all plans subject to change. We must all be
prepared for changes to the schedule.
We wish the facilitation of this retreat to provide a safe environment that will allow each of us to
freely offer our wisdom and support to each other. We envision this retreat as an experiment of
living and working together, with each
of us participating and contributing to the fullness of the retreat.
The facilitators offer
their time and energy freely and do not receive any payment for what they do. You are welcome to
offer them a donation at the end of
the retreat.See below for more information about supporting the facilitators.
The work retreat will be facilitated by Nathan Glyde and Zohar Lavie
The risk involved in this kind of work is obvious to all of us. Yet we believe if we act
clearly and consistently in the name of peace, we can evolve the changes we want to
see.
We do not intend to be daredevils or put
any lives in danger. There is plenty of work to be done away from areas of armed
conflict. Your safety is our primary concern, and during our time together we will do
all we can to ensure that everyone will know where we
are and why we are there. All the villages we work in understand our peaceful
intentions.
In peaceful acts peace is born, through non-violence violence ceases.
We will mostly be doing our own cooking on a rota basis, but no one needs to cook on their own!
The food will be vegan and locally sourced, organic and fair-trade where possible, and we prioritise
supporting the Palestinian economy
as much as we can.
In order to keep the retreat affordable we will be staying in dormitory accommodation or camping.
A flight from Europe to Israel costs around £250-300 / €325-390. Usually, the earlier you book the better the price.
To register your place for this retreat we require a non-refundable deposit of £100.
The cost of this retreat does not include a fee for the facilitators. The facilitators are offering their time and teaching as part of an ancient system of ‘Dana’- an old word from the time of the Buddha meaning ’generosity’. This is a gift economy in which teachings are offered freely, and those who come to hear them are invited to offer donations to support the teachers to continue offering more in the future. We will explain more about this in our booking materials and in the week.
If you would like to join the retreat but require financial assistance, please do contact us. If you are touched by this project but cannot join us, you could also help by sponsoring someone else to go, please contact us for further information on how to do this or visit the support page
For any other questions please contact us
For those interested in the whole event please fill out the form at the bottom of the page. If you're interested in one or more of the shorter periods, please fill out the relevant form by following one of the links below it.
To register your interest for this retreat please fill out the form below.
Some people don't see a form here: if you are experiencing that absence please go to: this page to see the form