Pomegranates for Peace will be promoted to bookshops and libraries, radio and TV.

Pomegranates for Peace is a Middle Grade novel centred on the aftermath of the October 7th 2023 atrocities conducted by Hamas in Israel and the terrible war in Gaza which followed. The story takes place in November 2023 in London when Tamara Cohen learns that her cousin Gidi who lives in Israel, is coming to stay with the family because his dad as a medic is on the front line and his mum has been taken ill and is in hospital. At first Tamara is upset because she has to give up her bedroom. Dad is withdrawn and angry and spends all of his time following the events unfolding in Isreal and Gaza. Mum is anxious about it too and worried about Gidi who hardly speaks and seems to have arrived with little clothing. Over the next few weeks, friendships in school become strained and Tamara is concerned that she is losing her best friend Yaz. Bouts of racism against Jewish and Muslim children and families, inside and outside of school are becoming more frequent and everyone in school, including the teachers, are taking sides. In the end it is Gidi who teaches the children that Peace is the path to sorting out the mess created by adults and opens their eyes to the youth leaders in Israel and Gaza who work tirelessly to build bridges of communication. 

Released on the 20th November, on World Children's Day. The day marks the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. In 2025, World Children's Day calls on adults to listen to the future. 

Miriam Halahmy is a Jewish Anglo author and Peace Activist. 

Pomegranates for Peace is a Middle Grade novel centred on the aftermath of the October 7th 2023 atrocities conducted by Hamas in Israel and the terrible war in Gaza which followed. The story takes place in November 2023 in London when Tamara Cohen learns that her cousin Gidi who lives in Israel, is coming to stay with the family because his dad is a medic and his mum has been taken ill. At first Tamara is upset because she has to give up her bedroom. Dad is withdrawn and angry and spends all of his time following the events unfolding in the Middle East. Mum is anxious about it too and worried about Gidi who hardly speaks and seems to have arrived with little clothing. Over the next few weeks, friendships in school become strained and Tamara is concerned that she is losing her best friend Yaz. Bouts of racism against Jewish and Muslim children and families, inside and outside of school is becoming more frequent and everyone in school, including the teachers, are taking sides. In the end it is Gidi who teaches the children that Peace is the path to sorting out the mess created by adults and opens their eyes to the youth leaders in Israel and Gaza who work tirelessly to build bridges of communication. 

Released on the 20th November, on World Children's Day. The day marks the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1989. In 2025, World Children's Day calls on adults to listen to the future. 

Miriam Halahmy is a Jewish Anglo author and Peace Activist. 

Describing why she write the book, Miriam says: 'The inspiration behind this book has been my personal commitment to working for Peace over many decades and the dozens of grassroots organisations in Israel committed to building Peace in the Middle East.

My book is set a few weeks after October 7^th 2023 when Hamas, the organisation which governs Gaza, launched an attack on Israel. Thousands of people; Israeli Jews, Muslims, Christians, Arabs, Bedouin, foreign workers and foreign students were killed and injured. Many people were taken hostage into Gaza and hidden away. A war started between Israel and Gaza which left many people killed and injured on both sides.

As a result of the Israel/Gaza war, divisions opened up in our communities in the UK, America and all over the world. In our schools, the atmosphere between Jewish and non-Jewish students was sometimes very unpleasant.

As a children’s author and former teacher, I decided to write a book for young people to open the discussion. As a Peace Activist, I have run groups with Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians, to create a bridge across our divided communities. I have also run Peace Workshops in a Lycée in France as part of the Erasmus Programme, bringing students together from different countries to learn about each other. This included both Muslim and Jewish students.

I believe that all divided communities can build bridges and find ways to come together. I hope that my book will inspire young people from all backgrounds to work for the kind of future they wish to build.

Shalom. Salaam. Peace to all Life on Earth.'