Social Workers for Peace and Welfare (Ossim Shalom) is an Israeli organisation comprised of Jewish and Arab social workers. Ossim Shalom was established in 1990 by a small group of Jewish and Arab social workers who believed that there was a need for pro-peace activities which stressed the interdependence of peace, welfare and human rights.
Ossim Shalom calls for the use of dialogue - the basic tool of social work – as a means to help resolve the conflict between Arabs and Jews. Together with the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Al-Quds University in east Jerusalem, and in cooperation with the Jerusalem Foundation, Ossim Shalom is developing the Social Working Together programme, a collaboration between the Hebrew University and Al-Quds University Schools of Social Work.
Ossim Shalom believes that no sustainable peace is possible without bridging divides and dealing with the conflicts within and between the Israeli and the Palestinian societies. Therefore they have directed a great deal of their activities to reach those aims within the diverse Israeli society.