Map

Women of Faith for Peace is an association that aims to operate and communicate through images and gestures for a real brotherhood among peoples. It is a group of women, leaders in five religious communities of the Holy Land, who meet regularly to break the walls of prejudice and to find new ways to build a true dialogue in daily life, in conflict areas as well as in countries that live in situations of tension. Women of Faith for Peace was born thanks to the commitment of Lia Beltrami, director, manager and Catholic writer, who has always been involved in interreligious dialogue and on the path of reconciliation. His initiative was immediately welcomed by Adina bar-Shalom, sister of the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and Faten Zenaty, a Muslim Arab. Adina bar-Shalom is a teacher, columnist and activist in Israel and has a long-standing commitment to overcome gender discrimination, especially within Jewish Orthodox Communities. She is the promoter of a course on conflict-resolution and human rights. She works to bring together ultra-orthodox Jewish women with Palestinian and Christian women, promoting initiatives for mutual understanding. Faten Zenaty runs the “Lod Community Centre”, a social centre open to Jewish and Muslim youths in one of the hottest spots in the Country. The group of women includes, inter alia, Hedva Goldschmidt, among the most important distributors of Israeli films and Evelyn Anita Stokes-Hayfor, Protestant Christian, for years Ambassador of Ghana in different countries. Finally, Nuha Farran, Christian lawyer, is active in the defence of human rights. She served as chair of Jerusalem’s YMCA, one of the most important cultural centres in the city. Her commitment exposed her to serious threats that forced her to leave Jerusalem and move to Haifa.

In 2009, in Trento, eight leading women coming from different walks of life from the Holy Land met for the first time to tear down the walls of prejudice and discover common grounds through dialogue. Since then, the group has been meeting every two years in Trento, as well as hosting several Italian delegations which have visited the holy city of Jerusalem.

The group, spread across the five continents, proposes an open platform made up of women from different communities and faiths, coming from areas of conflict, to start a path of dialogue starting from motherhood and the formation of families. This project aims to inspire positive values of life for young generations, women and men, values based on respect and peaceful coexistence

In December 2016 Lia Beltrami realized for the Holy See the short film Prayer which aims to bring a message of hope through art.

Deepening on the role of women in interreligious dialogue through research work, in small groups on female figures, who have distinguished themselves in the field of interreligious dialogue
Ascolto, analisi e commento dei brani musicali realizzati dall’Associazione Women of Faith for Peace. Riflessione scritta sulle emozioni suscitate dall’ascolto dei brani musicali.