Here is the Haaretz article about mepeace.org. Please introduce yourself.

Below you will see the Ha'aretz article which brought us new peacemakers. Please say hello and introduce yourself in the comment section below.

U.S. immigrant builds bridges with the 'Facebook of peace'
By Oded Yaron, Haaretz Correspondent

At some point, every member of the networking website Facebook is invited to join noble campaigns such as "Save Darfur!," promote causes such as gay rights, support Barack Obama's presidential bid, or join a "save water, drink beer" group. Virtual activism is on the rise thanks to Facebook and other social networks, but in many cases it is not more than another bland item on the profile page.

The founder of mepeace.org, a web site that connects Israelis, Palestinians and people from other parts of the planet, believes that independent social networks are still relevant. A former yeshiva student, Eyal Raviv says he has gone through a long process of secularization and devoting himself to promote peace.

Raviv, who immigrated from the Untied States three years ago, initially conceived his Web site as a forum for Israeli peace activists only. But when he took part in a meeting between Israelis and Palestinians, he says, "a Palestinian told me I was the first Israeli he had met, and that made me realize the site could build bridges between Israelis and Palestinians."

Despite the green background and the abundance of images of olive trees, Facebook users could feel at home while visiting www.mepeace.org. Featuring updates on the activities of other users and a notice board of peace events, it is a social network in its own right.

But the striking resemblance to the most popular social network is not coincidental. "I call it 'the Facebook of peace'," Raviv says.

Why not just create another Facebook group?

"I already have a Facebook group, and we use it to promote mepeace; to this end we fully integrate Facebook's photo album, video and music applications. But I do deliberate over this question every day. I could have created much more popular Facebook groups, but here we have peace makers, not momentary visitors - people who are dedicated to reaching out."

Tags: Haaretz, article, peacemakers

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Permalink Reply by Eyal Raviv on March 12, 2008 at 12:09am

Hi. I am Eyal and I created mepeace.org so people like us will meet. Thank you for responding to the Ha'aretz article and for joining us. We are happy to have you. Please reply to this discussion, say hi and add a few words about yourself so we will know you.

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Permalink Reply by Yigal D. Kahana on March 12, 2008 at 12:12am

What can I say.
I gave you the short version on the homepage
and the long version is just too long.
I hope we'll get to know each other over time.
Speaking of which, are you in Israel?
I plan on being there from Pesach to after Yom HaAtzmaut.
Would love to meet.
Yigal

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Permalink Reply by Bracha on March 12, 2008 at 7:50am

Shalom and salaam everyone. My name is Bracha (aka Tzfonit on HaAretz talkbacks) and I live on a moshav in northern Israel. I grew up in the US and left there as a teenager following a strong Zionist upbringing.
In the past few years I have grown increasingly concerned with the deteriorating situation between the Palestinians and us, and with the failure of our leaders to make any real moves towards solving the conflict. It is my conviction that we, the people are the ones who will really make peace, and in order to do that we have to begin dialoguing with each other, fostering understanding, and recognizing each other's narratives. I am also a moderator of another peace forum, but hope to meet some other people here as well. Thanks for the opportunity to join and post here.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Silberman on March 12, 2008 at 1:11pm

Hi,

I'm Jason. I grew up in New York City, and have been living in Israeli for almost 4 years.

In short, though obviously, being raised in a strongly Jewish and Zionist home, I feel a storng connection to Jews living here, and having a right to live here in peace, but have come to the realization that - being in the conflict that we find ourselves in - there is is simply no military solution to the conflict that would bring peace. The only way to bring peace for the people here is to get beyond stereotypes, tired slogans ("They only understand force"), and to actually accept the fact that though we may not always agree on a lot of things, even strongly disagree, we are not that different. We both feel a connection to being here, and we both aren't simply going away. So we need to actually meet each other on an individual level in order to break down our preconcieved notions of each other. Hopefully, once we learn a little more about each other, we can learn to make compromises and live together.

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Permalink Reply by Shlomo Anker on March 12, 2008 at 1:26pm

Salaam Friends

My name is Shlomo. I am from London, England and my ethnic origin is German-Jewish.

I just want to add a extra reason to why we need peace. I believe we need to understand communities mix. Jewish men will have romantic relationships with Palestininans women and Palestininan men with Jewish women. Plus Jordanians coming to visit Israel and israelis going to visit Jordan. We can't help to be attracted to the opposite gender and I am sure in the coming years this will be very common sight.

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Permalink Reply by Earl Prignitz on March 12, 2008 at 4:42pm

Very nice Haaretz article Eyal. Every means of spreading the word helps in the peace movement. I'm not sure I ever told you that I am a Quaker. Friends have schools in Ramallah and I was privileged to visit there in 1974. So I have an interest in several avenues of the Middle East.
Peace, Earl

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Permalink Reply by Eyal Raviv on March 14, 2008 at 9:39pm

Thank you friends for sharing yourselves so beautifully. Continue to share with all of us.

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Permalink Reply by Ada Aharoni on January 21, 2009 at 11:39pm

I am glad Haaretz gave some positive covering to MePeace, that has brought us some new members. My name is Ada Aharoni,
I was born in Egypt, and always had very good Egyptian friends. That is why, since 1999, I founded IFLAC: The Israeli and International Forum for the Culture of Peace, which has a daily Iflac Digest Newsletter for the spreading of understanding, respect and peace.
I hope that in time, MePeace can become an umbrella for all the organizations, forums, and people, working for peace in our region. If we all unite our efforts, we can indeed bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Moslems, and between peace - loving people of all nominations. May it be, INCHA ALLAH!

Dr. Ada Aharoni
Conflict Resolution
www.iflac.com
http://www.iflac.com/ada
iflac@bezeqint.net

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Permalink Reply by eileen fleming on January 27, 2009 at 3:58pm

Hi

Less than a month after returning to USA after my first trip to Israel Palestine, I established WAWA:

WAWA/WeAreWideAwake is my Public Service to America as a civilian journalist who has journeyed six times into Israel Palestine since June 2005.

WAWA is dedicated to confronting media and governments that shield the whole truth.

We who are Wide Awake are compelled by the "fierce urgency of Now" [Rev MLK, Jr.] to raise awareness and promote the human dialogue about many of the crucial issues of our day: the state of our Union and in protection of democracy, what life is like under military occupation in Palestine, the Christian EXODUS from the Holy Land, and spirituality-from a Theologically Liberated Christian Anarchist POV.

Eileen Fleming, Founder WAWA:
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Author "Keep Hope Alive"
"Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
Producer "30 Minutes With Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"

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Permalink Reply by Mambo on January 27, 2009 at 5:35pm

Hey! Salem & Shalom! BIG UP to all the peacemakers
I'm Mambo, from Tunisia, and I joined Mepeace because I believe on peace and I wanted to say that Arabs and Jews can live together as they lived (and still live) in Tunisia, which is a muslim country.

Every year, my country welcomes a jewish pilgrim to the Griba 's Synagogue, we used to live together in peace and without hate. Such things could be possible if Israelis and Palestinians make they own decisions, have to ignore USA, Europe and UN : they are fake friends for both of you.
They are useless. They do bad things, they did genocides, and so they aren't good partners. You no need partners. No need Iran & Egypt and Syria. No need USA, France and UK. They intervene to make war, everytime. Check History.

We have to fight this horrible propaganda, that is made by arab medias and occidental medias. They need war, because it's their best way to have more control on people, DNA stuff, repression, no freedom because of insecurity, anti-terrorism laws etc.. Their system is working thanks to the war in Israel/Palestine

We no need.. No More Trouble ©

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Permalink Reply by Robert Ray Hedges on January 28, 2009 at 9:28pm

How can we experience real peace with death unresolved?

Mortality Resolution International

Intention relevance quotient

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Permalink Reply by Robert Ray Hedges on February 1, 2009 at 2:26pm

Your love has impacted my life and inspired me to do more.

I am Robert Ray Hedges from Sedona Arizona.

I have created around 900 wesites centered on children's immortality education done internetedly.

Google. Yahoo and Live search show me #1 for
taking over the human mind, an immortalising force radiating into the heart mind of our collective organism and its potential.

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I love to learn and play at age 67.

Thank you for this beautiful website and all the loving people who use it!