Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel
Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel (Hebrew: יד ביד: המרכז לחינוך יהודי ערבי בישראל, Arabic: يدا بيد: مركز التربية اليهودي العربي في إسرائيل) is a network of integrated, bilingual schools serving Jewish and Arab children in Israel. Hand in Hand was co-founded by Israeli Arab educator Amin Khalaf and Israeli-American educator Lee Gordon in 1997 with 50 students in two schools.[1]
Hand in Hand's mission is to create a strong and inclusive shared society in Israel through a network of integrated, bilingual schools and active communities. By modeling an equal shared society of Jewish and Arabs students, parents, and educators, Hand in Hand aims to inspires support for social inclusion and civic equality.
Hand in Hand serves more than 2,000 students in six elementary schools, five preschools, two middle schools and one high school, all of which operate under the wider umbrella of the Israeli public school system. Schools are located in Jerusalem, the Galilee, Wadi Ara, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and Kfar Saba.[citation needed]
History
[edit]
Hand in Hand was founded in 1998 with two preschools; one in the Galilee region, near the Misgav Regional Council and one in Jerusalem.[2] In the summer of 2003, a group of Jewish and Arab parents from the Wadi Ara region joined Hand in Hand in establishing a third bilingual school in their region.
After delays, which included difficulty earning recognition from the Israeli Ministry of Education, the "Bridge over the Wadi" (Gesher al HaWadi, Hebrew: גשר על הואדי) school opened its doors on September 1, 2004, with 106 students.[3] The teachers come from Jewish and Arab towns in the area.
On October 21, 2007, Hand in Hand's Max Rayne Jerusalem School opened in Jerusalem's Pat neighborhood near the Arab village Beit Safafa. The new campus was built with $11 million from donors including the Jerusalem Foundation, the Rayne Foundation, and other European donors.
In 2012, Hand in Hand opened its first bilingual preschool in Haifa, with the help of committed local parents, led by Dr. Merav Ben-Nun. In 2016 Hand in Hand launched its first elementary school in Haifa, which expanded to a middle school in 2022. That same year, the Hand in Hand Haifa School received full recognition from the Ministry of Education, as well as its own independent building.
Hand in Hand has also partnered with Project Harmony Israel [4] since 2010 to provide an English immersion summer camp for Hand in Hand students as well as students from around Jerusalem.
2014 arson attack in Jerusalem
[edit]In November 2014 the Hand in Hand Max Rayne School was subjected to an arson attack described as a racially motivated hate crime. The school was defaced with anti-Arab graffiti such as "Death to Arabs" and "Kahane was right!" Shortly thereafter, the "Tag Meir" coexistence organization held a support rally to counter those who threaten Arab-Jewish cooperation and promoting racism in Israel.[5] Mohamad Marzouk, former Director of the Hand in Hand Communities Department, noted that the attack brought out a show of community support for the school. In the minds of many people the attack, he said, "crossed a red line."[6] The Israeli police arrested a number of suspects in connection with the arson attack.[7]
Following the arrest, the mother of one of the arsonists said she would have done the same if it was not illegal. She expressed disgust that Jews and Arabs studied together at the school.[8] In 2018, one of the arsonists, Yitzhak Gabai, appeared on a Channel 14 talk show that was harshly criticized and led to an apology by Channel 14.[9][10]
Aftermath of attack
[edit]Following the attack, former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, along with his wife Nechama, invited Hand in Hand first graders to his official residence along with their teachers. He told them: "I am excited to welcome you to the President’s Residence. You are proof that we can live side by side in peace, and we must not let difficult experiences - such as the one you have been through - harm our belief in our ability to coexist."[11]
International recognition
[edit]In December 2014, the White House commissioned a menorah made by students at the Hand in Hand Max Rayne Jerusalem school and invited two of its students to join U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as they welcomed over 500 guests to the White House Hannukkah celebration. Each of the branches on the multi-colored wooden menorah represents one of the schools' values: Community, Education, Freedom, Human Dignity, Peace, Equality, Solidarity, and Friendship.[12][permanent dead link] President Obama said: "(These) students teach us an important lesson for this time in our history. The light of hope must outlast the fires of hate. That’s what the Hannukkah story teaches us. It’s what our young people can teach us — that one act of faith can make a miracle, that love is stronger than hate, that peace can triumph over conflict."[13]
Educational philosophy
[edit]
In Israel, Jewish and Arab citizens lead largely separate lives, lacking meaningful opportunities to get to know one another, and overcome social and cultural barriers. This separation is particularly obvious in the K-12 public education system, which separates students into Arab and Jewish (secular, religious, and Orthodox) tracks. Although children may legally attend either type of school, in reality few Arab children attend Jewish schools (where the primary language of instruction is Hebrew), and essentially no Jewish children attend Arab schools (where the primary language of instruction is Arabic). The separation between these communities, and the barriers to communication carry over to other aspects of adult life.[2]
Hand in Hand serves both Jewish and Arab children with a values-based bilingual education rooted in equality, inclusion, and peace. Their educational philosophy is based in the notion that studying together in an inclusive environment, and learning one another's language, narrative, and history, will allow these children to view members of the other group in a more compassionate and nuanced way.[citation needed]
Hand in Hand utilizes pedagogic models such as Project Based Learning, Place-Based Education, and Problem-Based Learning, in order to enhance students' critical thinking, independent research skills, and creativity. The Hand in Hand Education Department develops curricula in Hebrew and Arabic tailored to multicultural themes and texts, and provides training for its Jewish and Arab teachers.[citation needed]
Shared Communities
[edit]In 2012, Hand in Hand established its Communities Department. The Community Department organizes events and activities throughout the year for the Jewish and Arab families in each school in order to build a strong, inclusive community that supports that growth of each school. With core funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Hand in Hand launched communities surrounding all six schools. These communities are engaged in a wide variety of activities, including joint holiday celebrations, workshops, tours, family bonding activities, language and history lessons, dialogue sessions, volunteer work, and even lobbying local municipalities to continue their support for each school. These activities not only strengthen the community surrounding each school, but also inspire wider support for a Jewish-Arab shared society across Israel.[citation needed]
Awards
[edit]Hand in Hand has won myriad awards in recognition of its excellent bilingual education, and the societal impact of its work.[14]
The Hand in Hand Galilee School, known for its pedagogic excellence both in Israel and abroad, has won several awards. In 2023, the school received the highest accolade of Israel’s education system: the National Education Prize from the Ministry of Education. This award was given to only 12 out of more than 2,000 schools nationwide. In 2022, the Galilee school was also named by the Ministry of Education as the "Best School in the North of Israel" for its educational excellence and innovative pedagogy.[citation needed]
In 2021, the Galilee School earned the Israeli President's annual "Distinction for Hope in Israel Education" for its outstanding success in promoting true dialogue and partnership between Arabs and Jews, and in advancing social change through multicultural interactions, humanistic education, and partnership across populations.[citation needed]
In 2022, Hand in Hand was selected as one of three winners of the Global Pluralism Award, bestowed by the Global Centre for Pluralism in Canada. The winners were selected from among hundreds of candidates from more than 70 countries, by an independent, international jury chaired by the Rt. Honorable Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada. The following text accompanied the award announcement: “The Global Pluralism Award recognizes pluralism in action. It celebrates the extraordinary achievements of organizations, individuals and governments who are tackling the challenge of living peacefully and productively with diversity.”[citation needed]
In February 2024, T4 Education, a global network of over 200,000 educators, named The Hand in Hand Max Rayne Jerusalem School as the top school in the world in ‘Overcoming Adversity’. The prize celebrates educational institutions that make a significant and long-lasting impact on students, their community, and wider society.[15][16]
See also
[edit]- Givat Haviva - a left-wing, shared society oriented educational institute in Israel
- HaKfar HaYarok - a youth village in Israel, with a number of progressive educational institutions
- Neve Shalom - a cooperative village jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Palestinian-Israeli Arabs
References
[edit]- ^ "IIE AWARDS PRIZE TO FOUNDERS OF BILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL SCHOOLS" Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, International Institute of Education, Press Release, June 14, 2007.]
- ^ a b Beardsley, Eleanor (2024-01-23). "A school in Jerusalem brings Arab and Jewish kids together to boost understanding". NPR.
- ^ Daniel Ben Tal, "Israeli bilingual school bridges the gap between 'Shalom' and 'Salaam'", Israel 21c, September 5, 2004.
- ^ "Home". projectharmonyisrael.com.
- ^ Dvir, Noam (Nov 30, 2014). "Day after arson at school: 'Students forced to understand meaning of hate crime'". YNET.
- ^ Steinberg, Jessica (Dec 5, 2014). "Hundreds march for coexistence after Jewish-Arab school arson: Following attack on Hand in Hand bilingual school in Jerusalem, rally-goers say hatred has crossed red lines". The Times of Israel.
- ^ "Police: Arrests made in arson of bilingual Hebrew-Arabic school in Jerusalem". The Jerusalem Post. 7 December 2014.
- ^ Dvir, Noam (Dec 8, 2014). "Mother of suspect in arson at bilingual school: I would have done the same". YNET.
- ^ "Israelis Like Their Racism Sweetened". Haaretz. 2018-11-05.
- ^ Winer, Stuart; Staff, ToI. "Channel 20 slammed for amicable interview with torcher of Arab-Jewish school". The Times of Israel.
- ^ Hasson, Nir (Dec 4, 2014). "President Rivlin hosts students of attacked Jewish-Arab school:President welcomes first-graders and teachers from Hand in Hand, tells them, 'You are proof that we can live side by side in peace". Haaretz.
- ^ "Jerusalem school hit by arson creates menorah used at White House Hanukka event". The Jerusalem Post. 19 Dec 2014.
- ^ "Arab-Jewish school's menorah lights up White House Hanukkah party". The Times of Israel.
- ^ "Integrated Jewish-Arab school in Jerusalem wins award for overcoming adversity". handinhandk12.org.
- ^ Weale, Sally (2023-11-04). "Integrated Jewish-Arab school in Jerusalem wins award for overcoming adversity". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
- ^ "Mixed Israeli-Arab school in Jerusalem wins World's Best School prize". The Jerusalem Post. 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
External links
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