By Avi Ben-Hur. This year’s Israel Seminar included teachers from Pittsburgh, Columbus and Wheeling, West Virginia and emphasized Israel’s diversity and the search for a teachable narrative. The group met with a high school principal in the Upper Galilee town of Beit Jann, who succeeded in taking a failed educational system and turning it into the pride of the country. Some of the US educators were surprised to hear just how dedicated and eager the graduating students were to serve the country, especially given their ethnic background – Druze Arab.
One of the highlights in the North of Israel was the hosting of CWB participants for dinner in homes of families living in the area around Carmiel. The Israelis came from a wide variety of political, religious and ethnic backgrounds, exposing the educators to a broad spectrum of the local society.
In Jerusalem, the visit to the Temple Mount was an opportunity to feel the angst and tension over this holy site of both Jews and Muslims. Some of the interaction with the people on the sacred site was pleasant and some was not. But the visit was a teaching and learning experience that could not otherwise have been viewed from the classroom.
In the words of Nancy Aloi-Rose, Superintendent of the Bethel Park School District: “It was fascinating to walk the Bible stories of my youth, to experience the cultural and political climate, and to meet with people from the various ethnic and religious groups of the region. The experience broadened my global perspective on the issues surrounding the Middle East and around the world. Participation in the 2014 CWB Israel Study Seminar was a tremendous privilege. Administrators benefit from the experience by gaining a broader understanding of cultural differences among students and their families. They gain greater insight and support for the importance of including multi-cultural curricula in their schools. Travel abroad also provides opportunities for personal growth, leadership development, and cultural sensitivity, which are vital skills for administrators.”
This year, CWB managed to add an additional element to the seminar: an unmediated meeting with a settler in the West Bank. Another very powerful program connected the participants with a special joint Israeli-Palestinian organization that seeks to promote an open and close-up dialogue with average Israelis and Palestinians. The co-directors’ presentation was inspiring and offered a completely different perspective of how some people are trying to deal with the ongoing conflict in the country. The importance of meeting people who are doing what they can to lower tensions and facilitate people-to-people dialogue was retrospectively even more meaningful given the looming violent confrontation between Israel and Hamas.
As the region becomes more and more complex, the seminar will need to adjust to the changing realities and work hard to provide a rich and complex experience that will enable our U.S. educators to bring their insights and knowledge back into the classrooms. CWB will strive to bring in more voices and create more people-to-people interactions on our upcoming 2015 Israel STEM seminar, which will take place from June 28 – July 10, 2015. For more information or to register, visit www.classroomswithoutborders.org/programs.