Shortly after the October 7 atrocities in Israel and the onset of the war in Gaza, Bob Vogel, Professor Emeritus of Education at La Salle University, was asked to design and facilitate an eight-week Writers Matters program with Israeli Jewish and Palestinian students and teachers living in Israel.

The program, now in its third year recently has worked with hundreds of students and recently published “The Write Path II: Hope – Israeli and Palestinian Youth Finding Hope and Empathy Through Writing” The book offers a powerful glimpse into the lives of students and teachers three years after the war began on October 7, 2023.

This book and program capture how they cope, heal, and hold on to hope. Through their writing, they reflect on trauma, grief, resilience, and the courage to rebuild their communities while imagining a peaceful future. Their stories reveal that writing can be a tool for healing, fostering empathy, and connecting across divides. Even in the darkest times, hope shines through, reminding us that hope is what carries us forward – it is our future.