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20 The Jewish Journal – jewishjournal.org – may 26, 2011
Pingree Initiates Exchange with Arab and Jewish Schools Ciara Jacques and Diana Hong Special to the Journal
HAMILTON — In March, Pingree School instructors Crystal Davis and Andrew Lee journeyed to Israel with Deborah Nathan of the Artsbridge Institute, an organization using collaborative art to help young Arabs and Jews work on conflict resolution. While there, they visited several Palestinian and Jewish schools in order to gain a greater understanding of the history, cultural traditions and pedagogical approaches used. In April, Galit Granot of the Jewish Reali School, and Edwar and Randa Shiban of the Arab Orthodox College, visited Pingree’s campus in Hamilton. During their stay, they participated in classroom discussions, spoke with special interest groups, held a forum, and taught traditional Palestinian dancing. They openly shared their per-
spectives as people living and working in this area of conflict, along with their hopes for a peaceful future in the Middle East. We recently interviewed our teachers, Ms. Davis and Mr. Lee, about their visit to Israel. Tell us about the schools in Israel. Mr. Lee: There are a lot of different schools in Israel. This reflects the demographic diversity of Israel, which includes Jewish, Arab and Druze students (the Druze are a small religious minority in Northern Israel). We visited six schools: two public and four private. Three of them were Jewish, two of them were Arab, consisting of Muslims and Christians, and one was a Druze school. All featured students and faculty who were passionate about and committed to learning about different cultures. Ms. Davis: The schools in Israel are very much like urban schools here. The difference is
that school ends there by 1:30 p.m. As a result, most schools don’t have school lunches or a cafeteria. Some schools do have a store where students can purchase snacks, though. How did the schools compare to the ones here? Mr. Lee: Sports are much less emphasized there. Ms. Davis: I found the vigor and energy around civics classes important in both Jewish and Arab schools. The schools seemed deeply committed to educating students about their rights and privileges as Israeli citizens. The excitement and passion of nationalism and citizenship was palpable. What is the biggest misconception Americans hold about Israel? Mr. Lee: A common misconception, fueled by the media’s focus on issues of conflict, is that Israel is an unsafe war zone. There are certainly areas that are more dangerous, particularly around the Gaza Strip, but the vast majority of the country is safe. We traveled to the three largest cities and into the West Bank, and we felt safe at all times. Ms. Davis: A large misconception is that Arab Israeli and Jewish Israeli populations are so polarized that they can hardly contain their contempt. Sometimes I think our news reports can oversimplify or exaggerate cultural differences. From my experience, the differences there are very much human differences. What surprised you most
Deborah Nathan
Pingree dance instructor Crystal Davis (on camel) with Pingree history teacher Andrew Lee, in the Negev Desert in Israel.
about the culture? Ms. Davis: The pace of life was a bit slower than our lives here. People didn’t seem pushed to work relentless hours, or be in a hurry to fit everything into their schedules the way we do here. Maybe I didn’t meet those incredibly busy people though, because they were always working. How was the food? Mr. Lee: I loved the fresh salads and vegetables, seasoned lightly with really fresh lemons and olive oil. The hummus and seafood were also terrific. We didn’t eat falafel until the final night but, when I bit into that
piece of falafel, I nearly yelled out in delight. Ms. Davis: The most interesting and yummy food was the stuffed zucchini. This dish consisted of zucchini stuffed with ground meat and rice, then boiled. It was delicious. Anything else you want to share? Ms. Davis: The people we met in Israel were gracious, kind and a joy to meet. I would hope everyone would get the opportunity to travel to Israel. Ciara Jacques and Diana Hong are students at Pingree.
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