Community Building for 1000 Jews & Muslims 2023-25

February 20^th, 2014

On Thursday, February 20^th, we met again – pupils from the two schools, A-Salam in Majd el-Krum and Dekel in Karmiel.

The theme of the encounter was encounter between religions, focusing on getting to know the 'other' from the religious perspective, after watching a film that describes children from both societies who study together in the same school.

The film shows how the students are mixed together and study about each other. Arab pupils joint the Hanukah activities and learned about its meaning for the Jews and similarly Jewish students learned about Islam and how the prayer is performed in one of the school's rooms.

We held a joint summary with feedback questions to the pupils, such as:

1. What did you learn from what you saw?
2. Who of you will be willing to study in a mixed school?
3. Did you hear that Arab and Jewish pupils study together?And we started a conversation about the advantages and disadvantages when Arab and Jewish kids study in a mixed school.

A summary of some of the children's arguments:           

              Disadvantages                                    Advantages

1.  Losing our tradition                           Learning about the tradition of the 'other'
2. Mixing languages                               Acquiring a second language.
3. Missing from our culture.                  Learning another culture. 

February 25^th, 2014

Place: Dekel School in Karmiel

Theme: forming a joint choir of pupils from the two schools

Participating: the two school principals, the two school vice-principals and the music teachers of both schools.

Dr. Yehuda Stolov suggested the preparation of a joint song for the choir, with support from a famous conductor and having the song recorded and published. 

Then the two vice-principals presented the stages we went through so far in our joint program.

It was agreed that the music teachers will start working on preparing the task.