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January 07, 2010 - Image 19

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2010-01-07

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

World

Optimism In Israel

Hand in Hand schools have Jewish and Arab children learning together.

Art Aisner
Special to the Jewish News

kets, toys and basic hygiene items for
children in heavily bombarded Sderot and
needy Gazans who couldn't escape the
violence.

Ann Arbor

A

stalled peace process, continued
political polarization and a
war-weary public are all rea-
sons to be pessimistic about Middle East
Peace right now.
But Lee Gordon and Amin Khalaf have
reason to be optimistic. For 11 years, the
two academics from different continents
have built an unlikely partnership they
say fosters the mutual respect, cultural
exchange and leadership qualities that
can bring peace.
"Many people who were optimistic in
the 1990s-Oslo era have become real cyn-
ical and lost any belief that peace is pos-
sible," Gordon said during a Dec. 9 visit
to Ann Arbor's Beth Israel Congregation
to promote the Hand in Hand Center for
Jewish-Arab Education in Israel.
"But at a time when cynicism seems
to reign supreme and pessimism seems
to be the general mood, having close to
1,000 Jewish and Arab children studying
together daily, weekly, monthly in our
schools is a source of optimism for many
people."
And a source for social change, they
believe.
Since founding the first Hand in Hand
program with 49 students in 1998, the
schools have blossomed while the con-
cept of fully integrated, bilingual educa-
tion among all Israelis — Jews and Arabs
alike — has gained momentum.
Gordon, an Oregon native who made
aliyah, and Khalaf, a product of a small
Arab village in the Galilee, now oper-
ate four schools throughout the county
that serve more than 900 children from
preschool age through 10th grade. The
schools employ roughly 150 people and
directly impact close to 6,000, when stu-
dents' parents, siblings and staff's fami-
lies are included.
The schools are recognized by the
Israel's Ministry of Education and were
called a model of integrated, multi-
cultural schools in a ground-breaking
report this year by outgoing Minister
of Education Dr. Yuli Tamir, who stud-
ied how to create more equality among
Israel's citizenry.

Amin Khalaf, co-founder and president of the Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab

Education in Israel, speaks in Ann Arbor.

Desegregation
Each school has Jewish and Arab co-prin-
cipals; classes are taught by two instruc-
tors who alternate lessons in Hebrew and
Arabic. The students participate without
any translation, forcing them to master
both languages at an early age.
It's an important skill that not only
brings academic dividends, but has real
social value, said Khalaf, 44. Creating an
atmosphere where two peoples share the
common threads of humanity and respect
for each other's culture starts with under-
standing the language and learning from
their experiences, he added.
Educated at Hebrew University, Khalaf
is a success story of Israel's current system
of segregated schools. But he wants better
for his sons.
"I had tremendous opportunity by com-
ing to Jerusalem [for education], but I
never even met a Jewish peer until then:'
he said. "I found that learning together
can be better for everyone. I want Hand In
Hand to be a lighthouse to show the direc-

tion for a better future for both sides."
Susan Greenberg, who has two grand-
children attending the Hand in Hand
School in Jerusalem, said she was sur-
prised during a recent visit by the level of
cultural and social exchange taking place
among the students.
"The impact on the children is unmis-
takable the longtime Ann Arbor resident
said. "They bond; they genuinely care for
one another. I have very positive feelings
about it."
Greenberg said she was struck by the
high level of interaction between Arabic
and Jewish families through school events
and PTO-style groups.
That connection was strained by the
recent Gaza War because the violence
affected both Arabs and Jews. Yet the
students and teachers persevered by
openly discussing their fears, frustrations
and focus for being in the school, which
became clearer as the casualties mounted,
Khalaf said.
As a gesture, students collected blan-

Down the road
Though it's too soon to tell the impact
the students will have on greater Israeli
society, that they've already begun to
break down barriers among members of
two generations of co-habitating, but not
always cooperating ethnicities is signifi-
cant, Gordon said.
And now is not the time to slow down
momentum gained during the relative
calm by Tamir's report.
After living in Israel for two decades,
Gordon, 53, has returned to Portland to
head fundraising efforts for the schools
in the United States. The Ann Arbor visit
was the only Michigan stop he and Khalaf
made on a weeklong trek trying to raise
awareness in Jewish communities across
the country.
The event was sponsored by the Jewish
Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, which
has contributed funds toward Hand in
Hand schools for the past five years.
With help from donors in several
European and South American countries,
Gordon said they have ambitions of open-
ing 10 more schools in Israel, including
more in Arab communities.
Not everyone approves. Arab national-
ists complain that mixing cultures will
erode ethnic traditions and pride.
Jewish religious conservatives fear
further assimilation and are leery of the
social exchanges between teenage school-
mates of different backgrounds.
Still, some schools have waiting lists for
enrollment and others are focused on stu-
dent recruitment and retention.
"People thought we were crazy when
we started:' Gordon said. "But if you look
at social change throughout history, most
major recipes for social change came
out of the work of social minorities, not
majorities." El

To learn more, go to www.handinhandkl2.org or
call (503) 892-2962.

Please share your thoughts online:
http://www.thejewishnews.com/community.
Go to Israel News.

January 7 • 2010

19

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