Building Peace Across Divides: The Work of Women Wage Peace with Angela Scharf

On this week’s podcast, I had the honor of speaking with Angela Scharf, a peace activist and coordinator of Women Wage Peace’s foreign relations team, who is working to create dialogue and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Our conversation explored the power of women’s voices in peacemaking, the resilience required to continue this work during wartime, and how grassroots movements can create change when traditional diplomacy fails.

Building Bridges Through Women Wage Peace

Angela shared the inspiring story of Women Wage Peace, which began in September 2014 after one of the Gaza war’s when mothers declared “enough is enough.” What started as a small group of women refusing to send their sons to war has grown into Israel’s largest grassroots peace movement with 50,000 members. The movement’s strength lies in its diversity—bringing together women from the left, center, and right, religious and secular, Jewish and Arab—all united by a common goal: to bring leaders to the negotiation table and include women’s voices in the peace process.

The Mother’s Call: A New Language for Peace

We discussed the creation of the Mother’s Call, a joint vision statement developed with their Palestinian partner organization, Women of the Sun. Angela emphasized how this document took nine months to create because “every single word had to be discussed, not only translated, but discussed.” This collaboration introduced a revolutionary approach: no shaming, no blaming, and no looking backwards at who did what to whom. Instead, the focus is entirely on creating “a better future for our children and the next generation.” This new language has become the foundation for continued dialogue, even during the most challenging times.

Resilience in the Face of Unimaginable Tragedy

Our conversation took a powerful turn when Angela described the events of October 4, 2023, when 1,500 Israeli and Palestinian women gathered in Jerusalem and at the Dead Sea for a historic peace gathering. Three days later came the October 7th massacre. Angela shared the traumatic impact this had on the movement, including the loss of peace activist Vivian Silver from Kibbutz Be’eri. What moved me most was learning that Rim Al Hajjat, the founder of Women of the Sun, called immediately to check on her Israeli partners and said, “Whatever will happen now, what is for sure, we have to continue. And we have to continue even stronger than before.”

The Power of Holding Hands Through Grief

Angela shared a deeply moving moment from a diplomatic meeting in February 2024, just months after October 7th. Two women sat together holding hands and crying—Yael from Women Wage Peace, whose brother was killed when she was 12, and Nadia from Women of the Sun, who had lost 30 family members in Gaza just three weeks earlier. Yet both remained committed to sitting together, grieving together, and continuing their path toward peace. This image captures the extraordinary courage and humanity at the heart of this movement.

Global Recognition and Maintaining Hope

We discussed the international recognition Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun have received, including two Nobel Peace Prize nominations, awards from Hillary Clinton and Amal and George Clooney, and invitations to speak before parliaments and meet with world leaders. Angela shared inspiring stories from their travels to Argentina, Uruguay, Belgium, and Barcelona, where audiences responded with standing ovations. She emphasized how standing together—a Jewish Israeli, a Christian Arab, and a Muslim Palestinian—transforms hearts and minds in ways that political discourse cannot.

Why Women’s Voices Are Essential

When I asked Angela why women’s participation in peacemaking is so crucial, she offered a powerful answer: “The voice of women is a completely different voice than the voice of men. We have a different approach to solve problems.” Women bring perspectives shaped by their experiences in families and communities, focusing on education, health services, and daily life—the practical realities that war destroys and peace must restore. Yet in both Israel and Palestine, women remain almost entirely excluded from peace negotiations and political leadership.

Finding Strength in Community and Purpose

Angela shared candidly that without Women Wage Peace, she would be “totally depressed, devastated.” Being together with other women who share the same vision and believe there is no other way forward provides the strength to continue. As she powerfully stated, “We are fighting for peace. We don’t ask you to be pro Palestinian or pro Israeli. Just be pro peace. This is the most important. And we will reach it. We will manage it. We have no other choice.”

Angela’s message is clear: “Don’t give up on us.” Despite the ongoing war, the trauma, and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun continue organizing barefoot peace walks, meeting with diplomats, and building bridges between communities. Their upcoming global campaign launching March 24th in Rome—where they’ll walk barefoot to meet Pope Francis—represents hope in action. As Angela reminded us, when all of us are taken care of, that’s when we can thrive as a species. That is peace, and that is worth fighting for.

Learn more about Angela:

Angela Scharf was born in Vienna and moved to Israel in 1976 to study Political Science and Middle East Studies at Jerusalem University. After completing her studies, she launched a successful textile business. In 1990, she relocated abroad—living in South Korea, Germany, and Belgium.

From 1980 to 2016, Angela developed a wide-reaching network in the textile industry, connecting markets across Europe and Asia.

Since returning to Israel in 2016, Angela has been deeply engaged with Women Wage Peace (WWP). She now co-coordinates WWP’s Foreign Relations Team, fostering diplomatic ties and helping to organize global events and peace initiatives.

Angela also plays a key role in promoting collaboration between Women Wage Peace and the Palestinian organization Women of the Sun (WOS).