Israel: Arab-Jewish School An Island Of Unity Amid Violence

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“Psychologically, this is the only place where we feel that my children, and my neighbor’s children, are secure. It’s a great relief.”

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: USA Today The Hufington Post
By Shira Rubin | November 8, 2015

JAFFA, Israel — Amid ongoing violence between Palestinians and Israelis, a school in this city seems more determined than ever to teach Arab and Jewish children about coexistence.

In a sunny playground here just 3 miles south of Tel Aviv, children paint recycled tires in vibrant colors and refurbish wooden furniture to beautify a place that many in the community say is their best chance at a peaceful future.

This is the Jaffa branch of “Yad b’Yad” — or “Hand in Hand” in both Hebrew and Arabic — a school made up of four kindergarten and two first-grade classes that aims to respond to growing Jewish-Arab segregation and violence with mutual respect and open dialogue.

“Psychologically, this is the only place where we feel that my children, and my neighbor’s children, are secure,” said Hani Chamy, an Arab engineer and generations-old resident of Jaffa who was one of the first parents to send her two girls to the pre-school. “It’s a great relief.”

The current round of violence began in mid-September over tensions at a holy Jerusalem mountaintop site sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Since then, confrontations have increased. So far, 11 Israelis have been killed, mostly in stabbings, while 55 Palestinians, 35 of them identified by Israel as attackers, have been killed by Israeli fire.

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