Education Palestine Project #67382

Achvat Amim: Building Solidarity in Time of Crisis

by Achvat Amim - Solidarity of Nations

Project Report | Jul 22, 2026
As the violence increases, so does our commitments

By Becca Strober | Director

Working on a plot together with the Adara family

On July 1st, Achvat Amim welcome our 2026 summer cohort - 12 people from around the world, aged 19-73, who asked to show up, learn, and working in solidarity with our partners throughout the West Bank.

This summer, we are doing two main projects - the first is helping to re-claim an agricultural plot outside of the village of twane. As settlers have violently taken over large swaths of land near the village, we are now working with local partners to access and claim these plots back.

The second project is running a summer camp twice a week in Um Al Kheir. For months, settlers backed by the state, have blocked access to the school in UaK, preventing the children of the village form accessing an education. Together with residents, we realized that a meaningful way we could contribute our time this summer was to run a camp and make sure kids are getting education and having a fun summer filled with some carefree moments. This need has become even more glaring the past few weeks as the village has faced increasing violence from settlers in their homes and on their community.

While in Masafar Yatta, we are also studying Arabic twice a week with local teachers from the community, which is both helping our participants to be able to communicate with the community better and is allowing us to straengthen our relationships throughout Masafer Yatta.

We still have three weeks left, after which our participants will go home and continue organizing for justice for these communties.

English class at Summer Camp

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Mar 24, 2026
In a Time of Escalation, Continuing to Build

By Miriam Alexander | Resource Development & Operations Director

Where I'm Coming From Activity

Dear friends,

We are now over three weeks into a regional war between Israel and Iran. Each day brings more uncertainty, fear, and a kind of emotional disorientation that is hard to define. Everything feels fragile and increasingly dystopic. And while much of the world’s attention is on this escalation, another reality is intensifying on the ground in the West Bank.

Our partners at the Human Rights Defenders Fund report a sharp and coordinated rise in settler violence targeting Palestinian communities and those working alongside them. Since January 1, 270 incidents have been reported—compared to 102 by this time last year, and 57 the year before. At least six Palestinians have been killed by settlers since the current war began.

What we are witnessing is not isolated violence, but a pattern that is increasingly systematic and directly impacts the communities our participants are in relationship with every day. At Achvat Amim, we are holding a few core commitments:

Supporting participants with care, grounding, and clear safety protocols
Staying in close relationship with partners navigating acute crisis
Continuing education and solidarity work while adapting to rapidly changing conditions

We are not pausing this work—but we are constantly adjusting to meet the reality on the ground.

Our current Spring cohort of 11 participants is living and learning in Jerusalem in the midst of this moment. They are volunteering with partners at Tent of Nations, Rabbis for Human Rights, The South Hebron Hills Storytelling Project, Gisha, and new partners: the Sotna Music Project, which brings Palestinian youth together through music and community-building, as well as Satyam, a Palestinian women-led center that brings Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals together for nonviolent activism.

The cohort is not only learning about systems of power, violence, and resistance - they are navigating them in real time, in close relationship with those most directly impacted.

In moments like this it can be tempting to reach for simple narratives about security, justice, or liberation, but what we see again and again is that without these relationships on the ground and a deep commitment to self-determination for all people, those words lose their meaning.

We thank you for your commitment to Achvat Amim and belief in a more just future in this land.

With appreciation,
Miriam + the Achvat Amim team

Painting a sign with the kids of Umm Al Khair

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Nov 24, 2025
Rooted Solidarity in a Difficult Season

By Miriam Alexander | Resource Development & Operations Director

Over the past few months, our work at Achvat Amim has taken on renewed urgency. This fall, two participants in our educational-justice program were detained and deported after accompanying Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest—part of our long-standing solidarity efforts in the South Hebron Hills. This moment revealed exactly why our programs matter: because young Jews are showing up with humility and commitment, and because communities under threat continue to ask for international presence and partnership.

Since our last update, our participants and alumni have been on the ground supporting families in Masafer Yatta facing home demolition orders, accompanying local activists during documentation shifts, and volunteering daily with organizations providing community services.

At the same time, interest in Achvat Amim’s programs has grown dramatically. Dozens of young people from around the world have reached out in the last few weeks alone, eager to volunteer, learn, and join the movement. Your support has allowed us to meet this moment—covering emergency legal costs, sustaining our partnerships in the South Hebron Hills, and ensuring that our staff can safely guide participants through an extremely complex period.

Thank you for standing with us during a time when this work is both more difficult and more necessary than ever. Your support allows us to continue walking alongside communities who invite us in, preparing the next generation of committed movement-builders, and holding onto the belief that solidarity can shape a different future.

Links:

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