This is the first time that such a thing has happened to our Open House community and I wish to share it with you..

Adam Hijazi from Neve Shalom died this summer in a car accident together with his father Ahmad Hijazi, the director of the School for Peace in Neve Shalom. Adam participated in our summer camps each year since 2008 when he was seven years old. This year, I had the chance to talk with him when I visited the summer camp. I asked him if I could interview him when the camp was over. I did not have this chance. The news struck us and the whole community of Neve Shalom.

The question was how to share, in a suitable way, with his friends from the summer camp what had happened, how to do something together in his memory..

On the 23 of October, we met at Open House, children and parents. It was to be a reunion. This was the opportunity to inform the children in as gentle a way as we could, of the death of their friend.

We painted a tree on the wall of the yard, Adam’s Tree, and each child created their own special leaf for the Tree. The leaves would then be connected to the tree. For us all, the joy of the creativity and of the reunion mingled with the pain.

Now Adam’s Tree is always with us at Open House.

Dalia

Creating leaves for Adam’s tree at the Open House yard.

Adam’s Tree