Changes in the heart of Jaffa
August 9th, 2008Hi. My name is Youval, and I teach in a Jewish elementry school in Jaffa.
I’d like to share with you a project I am part of, that we (the teachers) have started in the school.
It all started several years ago, when Palestinian families from the neighbourhood started sending their kids to the school (very uncommon in Israel, as education is highly segregated). They did it because they wanted their kids to be able to integrate in the Hebrew speaking Israeli society, and because they weren’t satisfied with the public Arab schools in Jaffa.
From the beginning the Palestinian kids where not very wellcomed in the school, but still they were intitled to enter by law. Then, three years ago, The school’s principle changed, and suddenly there was a change of atmosphere in the heart of Yaffa. The new principle decided that a school with close to 50% palestinian pupils can not remain “an ordinary Jewish schhool”, so with the help of the teachers she suggested a new vision: A Jewish school that acknowledges and respects the Arab identity.
Since then 3 Palestinian teachers started working in the school, Arabic is being taught, and Arab, Muslim and christain calender is respected. Still, there are many more difficulties and problems ahead, one of them being the language question:
Should all kids study together, or should jewish and arab kids study each his own language.
Much more can be said and written, but I thought I’d see first if people are interested. Youval
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Wow, a Jewish school with 50% non-Jewish membership cannot remain “an ordinary Jewish school” so instead it should be “a Jewish school which respects non-Jews.” Sounds like Israel, still privileging the Jewish identity over all others!
Excellent! I’m glad to hear about this!
I think that all kids should study together – otherwise segregation continues, but Palestinian kids should receive help in Hebrew, and Jewish kids should learn Arabic.
I was a teacher myself once, in Switzerland, and I remember an experiment of a bi-lingual school (I don’t remember any details, sorry) where some lessons were held in one language and some lessons in another.. Like: Mathematics would be held in Arabic, and Geography in Hebrew (just to illustrate).
I wish this “new idea” had been brought up many years ago – and I wish that it will spread!
Kol HaKavod to all of you!
This is a very beautiful project, and I’m proud of everyone, Palestinian and Israeli, Muslim and Jew, who was a part of it. Such a project looks to the future instead of obsessing about the past.
I sometimes wonder why people the world over get so excited about the birth of a new baby. What’s the big deal, I used to think. Yet recently I have come to believe that a new baby is one of the few indications we get that there is hope for the future. A new born is an affirmation that life will continue, and that we can only imagine the greatness that can flow from this little person, as she grows up and makes her way to adulthood.
Therefore, your focus on young students is particularly appropriate, as a way of showing that there is still hope, that all people basically want the same things for their kids, including a good education, and that kids, who are not yet scarred by the injustices of the past, are perhaps the best ones to show that we are all one, and that the differences between us are not as significant as the things we share.
Congratulations, and continued success in this noble endeavor.
I think they should learn together as well. Isolating people from each other usually leads to mistrust. Also, I cannot even begin to emphasize the importance of learning multiple languages! The world is only going to get more connected and they will have to develop the skills necessary to compete on a global scale.
Thank you for your comments and support. I would like to relate to Eva’s remark regarding the language and studyng together.
First of all, what are the relations between a school and the community it serves? When we decided we want to create a change in the school, we took upon our selves to recieve our community’s consent. Making changes without consent would have been patronizing by us, and would probably have failed.
Our dialouge with both communities was very interesting. The Jewish parents were part of the parents board, and were against Arab participation in the school for many years. We asked them where their opposition was leading too?, showing that since law is on the Arab children’s side (in this case) the school might become an Arab school if they don’t adjust to living in a “mixed” society. On the other hand we were empathetic to their frustration from becoming a minority in the school, and suggested we sustain an equal number of Jews and Arabs in the school. This we could only do by defining the school as an “experimental school” through the ministry of education. All this is to say that enforcing Arabic teaching on Jewish kids is not such an easy thing to do, and that we have to be wise and patient about how we do it.
As for the Palestinian parents, first of all they were not represented in the parents board, so we started a parents disalouge group to let them have their say. Their first reaction to the idea that their kids would have separate Arabic lessons, was an angry one. At first they thought it was discrimination. Only later, with the building of trust, one by one they started seeing that this was done to allow their kids to become litarate in Arabic as well as in Hebrew, and they agreed.
Youval
Dear YOUVAL
it is great to hear such intatives ,and i hope every one try to spread the world about your school so people will learn that efforts are being done for preseriving human security for all poeople in the area ,keep the good work and may you have all the seccuess
Hi Youval,
Great to hear about this project. I was wondering how the children themselve react. Do they integrate with each other, or clearly stay seperate? And what language do they use to communicate with each other?
Best,
Erik
Hi guys, and thanks for your comments. All the kids, including the Arabs, speak Hebrew, because their sorrounding has a lot of Hebrew in it. The sad thing is that many of these Arab kids can not read and write in Arabic. They are pretty much torn from their roots.
Hi Youval.
It is very nice of you to be in a project that makes innocent kids learn how to live and interact peacefully as they deserve. I am in Iran but we are learning Hebrew and Arabic both, as we dream for a more peaceful Middle East, where all the races and religions and indetities are respected. All I can do at the moment is wishing you good luck from Iran. G-d bless you
Hi Youval and all the other friends from the MEYF!
My 5 years old niece studies in Jerusalem at the “Hand in hand” bilingual school. I can see how the common education is complicated (apart from the more technical issue as in which language should the children study, more difficult is the question of the contents, i.e. in history classes). But I can see also how much fundamental it is. It is the basis of the attempt to coexist, as we need to invest in the new generations. It sounds very banal, but usually the banal is true. The problem of a “balance” in such kind of education is huge, in my opinion, but it shouldn’t be a barrier by itself. A lot of compromises are needed. I’m very fascinated by this field and I see it as the more effective long-term solution to the the Israeli society’s inner conflict.
It’s a good thing that these kids are being taught together, and hopefully they will learn both languages. Multi-lingualism is an excellent skill to have.
As for the other subjects, I betcha the modern history class is certainly going to be interesting considering the makeup of the student body….