1,000 Jewish and Arab Students Learning Together

Summary

Fostering mutual understanding, peaceful relations and conflict resolution between Arab and Jewish communities through an extraordinary network of award-winning bilingual multicultural Israeli schools

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

“Our leaders talk about peace. The school that we have started together as Arabs and Jews, parents, educators, and community members, is making peace, building it every day, every hour.” Carmel Ron, parent. In a region fraught with violence and fear, almost 1,000 students (Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Druze) attend our four K-12 public schools, teaching mutual respect and pride in their heritage, and acquiring the skills and experiences to create and live in a peaceful, diverse society.

How will this project solve this problem?

“We have no choice but the path of cooperation and ta’ayush—coexistence…it is not realistic to sustain violent conflict forever” Faisal Haikal, school parent. Through our schools, we reach beyond the classrooms making an impact locally and globally.

Potential Long Term Impact

1,000 Jewish and Arab students are learning together and learning to live together every school day. Despite violence in the region, a new form of partnership and coexistence is succeeding, in the context of providing the highest quality education.

Project Message

I accept people the way they are and believe (school) has made me the person I am today. After attending Hand in Hand, I want to do something to make a difference in my community and in the world.
- Yaeli Keinan, 8th grade Hand in Hand Student

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources