Binational School for Jewish and Palestinian kids

Since the Spring, children have been adjusting to shifting between virtual and "real” school, missing their friends, and then learning to wear masks even when they can be together. When they were able to return to school this Fall, the children were greeted by their most-requested addition to their school day:  new playground equipment! The earlier playground equipment, which wasn’t accessible and was getting worn out, had served 25 years of Primary School students! Filled with joyous and fun-filled chattering in Hebrew and Arabic, playgrounds are nearly the only place where our students can do what children are supposed to do- PLAY! More equipment will be added this year as funding becomes available.

Like families around the world, some parents were furloughed from work and had great difficulty paying for tuition and transportation. Parents who could afford to keep one child in school spoke about needing to take the second child, or both, out. While the Primary School trimmed costs where ever possible, donors have been instrumental in supporting an unbroken education for families in need. A scholarship fund was opened to support 50 Jewish and Arab families facing extreme financial hardship to help pay for their school tuition and transportation. 

We are glad that all available places for the two classes of each grade 1-6 have been filled. That has raised, once more, the question of growing into a bilingual, multicultural middle school. Because several years of study have already been done,  the planning stage for this is likely to begin this year.