A Cross-Cultural
Learning Experience
JENNIFER FINER STAFF WRITER
T
he students at Oak Park
High School who met with
two Ethiopian Israeli teens
discovered there is little dif-
ference between themselves and
their visitors — except when it
comes to racism.
During an April 20 visit with
an 11th-grade English class,
Ethiopian Jews Esther Elias,
16, and Yonas Belay, 17, were
asked if racial divisions exist
in Israel.
"In Israel, it is not the
same," Esther said. "There is
something in common for us:
we are all Jews. It's not like
in the States where everyone
has a different religion."
Most of the American stu-
dents' questions, however,
were not about color or reli-
gion, but about life in Israel.
Students asked whether
there are cartoons in Israel,
whether everyone wants to
serve in the army and how Is-
raeli students dress for school.
Some questions were more per-
sonal. A few students asked how
old one has to be in Israel to start
dating; if teens in Israel have sex
and if drugs are a problem.
Esther and Yonas were two of
six Ethiopian students who spent
14 days visiting schools in the De-
troit area to promote an increased
understanding among ethnic and
religious groups. The students,
who left on Thursday, paid a vis-
0-
—J
er3
0
Llewellyn Jones snaps
pictures of the Ethiopian
visitors.
Esther Elias walks down the
halls of Oak Park High
School with Kimika Fowler.
it to nine ethnically diverse high
schools in the area. The program
that brought them here, Children
of the Dream, was sponsored by
Fifth-Grade Students
Open Minds And Arms
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
L
indsay Gordon and Lilleah
Howard are both in the fifth
grade. Both like the color
purple and enjoy reading.
Lindsay. attends Hillel Day
School in Farmington Hills. Lil-
leah is a student at Schulze
School in Detroit.
While their worlds may seem
miles apart, they talk on the
phone, "just about stuff," and ex-
change birthday gifts. Last Fri
day, they worked on an art
project, listened to stories and
learned Israeli dancing together.
So did about 60 other pairs.
The girls met through a joint
program between the two schools
called Open Minds Open Arms.
Begun as a lunch-time elective,
Open Minds Open Arms'was in-
stituted into the schools' curric-
ula two years ago.
At the beginning of the school
year, fifth-grade students are
matched with pen pals.
In the fall they exchanged let-
ters of introduction, along with a
video of each pupil and a tour of
the school. Holiday greeting
cards, complete with messages
like "don't eat too many latkes,"
were exchanged.
After winter break.iiillel stli-
dents piled into a bus headed for
the city. They came with board
.
One pair was linked
because both
students are twins.
games to play with their pen pals.
The students ended the afternoon
with a sing-a-long.
Thank you notes followed.
Their second meeting was last
week.
Before the end of the school
year, they'll exchange letters
again and meet at a YMCA camp
the Michigan Region of the Anti=
Defamation League.
After class, Esther said she did
not think any of the questions
were too difficult. She also said
she has learned a lot about Amer-
icans from being in their schools.
Their visit was especially ben-
eficial for the Oak Park High
School students, who in one class
treated their visitors like celebri-
ties by taking their pictures and
exchanging addresses.
"I've had a lot of fun with them
and enjoyed talking to them,"
said Llewellyn Jones, an 11th-
grader and member of Student
Leadership at the high school.
"It seems like a mixed and di-
verse culture in Israel. You hear
about how everyone there is
equal. That sounds much better
than here. I'd like to visit Israel,
maybe even before I visit my
mother country in Africa."
"Our kids know Jewish peo-
ple," added Oak Park teacher
Gayle Miller. "The teachers here
are predominately Jewish. For
them to have this experience, to
see blacks who are Jewish, is eye-
opening for our students." ❑
in Holly for a day.
In preparation for the year of
interactions, Hillel students met
with Rabbi Aaron Bergman of
Congregation Beth Abraham Hil-
lel Moses to discuss common de-
nominators between blacks and
Jews. Schulze students complet-
ed units on Jewish holidays and
the Holocaust.
"We're putting two totally dif-
ferent cultures together, but kids
are kids. If they like each other,
they'll get along," said Shirley Co-
hen, a language-arts teacher at
Hillel. "Aside from learning about
different cultures, the students
are learning something about
themselves. It's about pride. And
this program is a sounding board
for them."
One pair was linked because
both students are twins. Anoth-
er.two discovered they shared the .
same birthday.
Rachel Leemis and Tanganyi-
ka Murray both play clarinet, ice-
skate and own dogs. Tanganyika
brought a camera to Hillel.
cr,
"She just called me two days
" Ef., ago," Rachel said of her pen pal. =J
F "I hope we stay friends. It's fun." cf.
E
The teachers hope so, too. Ms. <
Cohen said a handful of students
F2 from former years remain in con-
Laura Noveck, Tamekia Daniels, Tommy McCauley and Oren Goldenberg: Pen pals. tact. 1::1
15