Written by @thisbrokenpastor.

One of the reasons for starting he Scrolling Hope project is because of the constant negative news in our social media and headlines. For each of us we’ll have our own issues that either fill us with hope or drag us down. On a national or international level it feels beyond our abilities to do anything, to make change, to see hope. The conflict between Israel and Hamas, terrorist attacks and the unilateral destruction of Gaza, offers very little in the way of optimism or hope.

Following the Hamas attack of Israel and the kidnappings of 7th October 2023, I came across the Hand in Hand Schools. Hand in Hand is more than a school; it is a Movement and a Community choosing to live together rather than with division. Their mission reads:

“In Israel, Jews and Arabs live in separation, fear and violence. We’re on a mission to change that.
Starting with only 50 children in 1998, Hand in Hand now operates six campuses, serving thousands of Jewish and Arab students. As Israel’s fastest-growing, integrated social movement,
our work reaches thousands of people every day,
proving that we can live together as Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians.”

With every new attack, every destruction, and every killing Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones and know deeply the full effects of the conflict, are choosing to live together in community. There is so much I could write about how the courage of this community is challenging me. I could share all their posts from the current war as well as the conflicts that have been ongoing for decades, but I share with you a brief selection with the hope that they will encourage you to look further and deeper. Scrolling through to choose a selection of posts I have read with emotion of the strong stance Hand in Hand have chosen to take in the face of opposition.

I hope you too will be inspired to see hope in the face of despair. I hope you too will see that hope can overcome when we look for humanity and not inhumanity.

There is hope when we come together, and journey hand in hand, listening and in relationship with one another.

There IS hope for Israel and Palestine, for Arab and Jew, let this be our headline, let this be our news.

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✏️ @thisbrokenpastor

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💬 All views are those of the author, and copyright belongs to them. This has been presented as provided to thebrokenchurch.

📧 If you’re interested in sharing a little hope between 5th March and 17th April 2025, get in touch (abrokenpastor@gmail.com) with your contribution. It can be an article, blog post, artwork, poem, song, photo… there are no rules others than it be your original work and offers a little bit of hope.