current projects

Current Projects > Salaam Shalom Aikido

The Salaam Shalom Aikido initiative aspires to create joint Palestinian Israeli aikido training centers in order to build bi-communal ties and strengthen inter-cultural relations. The project draws on the capacity of aikido to enhance mutual understanding and offer tools for constructive conflict resolution.

The long-term vision behind this project is to enable Arabs and Jews to practice this "Art of Peace" together, wherever they live. To begin with, the project envisions establishment of three such sites, at the Shuafat community center in Jerusalem, at a site to be determined in Jaffa, and at the community center in Ramla.

Salaam Shalom Aikido training will be led by Israeli and Palestinian instructors with internationally certified rank who are committed to the vision of the project. High-ranking instructors from Israel, Jordan, Europe, and the United States will also visit the Salaam Shalom Aikido dojos periodically.

As the project matures, other Aiki Extensions ideas that have proven successful elsewhere can be brought to enrich this effort. These include focused youth outreach efforts, volunteer trainers from what may become an international Aiki Corps, and methods of imparting new conflict management skills to law enforcement personnel and teachers.