Community Building for 1000 Jews & Muslims 2023-25

We divided the students into three groups. Each group had an Hebrew specking facilitator and an Arabic speaking facilitator.

• First activity: who remembers the names of students from the other group (most of them did remember…)
  - Putting stickers with the names;
  - The students wrote their names in both Hebrew and Arabic;
  - The students cooperated in the writing of the names and in the acquaintance activity;
  - Activity to mix the students. The facilitators mentioned peace greetings in Hebrew and Arabic, such as: hallo, shalom, salam etc.
• Temporary groupings of children according to similarities:
  - All those who like basketball;
  - Those who played football yesterday;
  - Those who wear a coat;
  - Those who have brown eyes.
• Breakfast break:
  Students ate together breakfast that included elements related to the olive harvest season: Zatar, Labaneh, oil, olives…
  They enjoyed a lot the joint meal.
• Work in small groups:
  - Planet in space: students cooperate and help each other to have the "earth" stay steady in the place indicated by the facilitators;
  - Presentations of various groups. Each student explained what he saw in each of the groups. The goal was that each student will be aware of the group s/he is part of and at the same time be able to identify with other groups.
  Each time the students and facilitator held a conversation about the explanation of the student to the group.
  - Choosing five words and presenting them in movements – an activity that requires cooperation and concentration.
  - Creating Mandalas:
  First the students were presented with different Mandalas and shared what they saw, what is common to all drawings, what feelings the drawing arouse.
  Then they received explanations about the Mandala:
           - the meaning (center, circle in ancient Indian language)
           - Mandala-like drawings are found in several world cultures in America and
             Asia, without connections between them. The Mandala symbolizes
             existence and the human sole.
           - Mandala is a drawing that has a central point with branches going out of it,
              making a circle full of lines, symbols and circles.
           - Its purposes are art, healing, conveying a message of wholeness and
             equality, circle of life and implication of world peace.
  
  

Students expressed their satisfaction and joy from this encounter and the connections and conversations between them, with mutual respect and acceptance. We all look forward to the next encounter.

Links:

• IEA Website