Schools engage three faiths in Israel

Four decades ago, the YMCA in Jerusalem opened a “peace preschool” that brought Arab and Jewish children into shared classrooms. Then as now, schools in Israel were strictly divided by language (Arabic or Hebrew) and hence also by religion—Christians and Muslims in Arabic schools, Jews in Hebrew schools. About 15 years ago, some parents at the Y preschool decided they wanted their children’s experience of bilingual, multicultural education to continue beyond the age of five.

That’s the origin of Hand in Hand (Yad b’Yad), a network of six schools in different parts of Israel where Jews, Muslims, and Christians study together and learn each other’s language, tradition, and political views. The school began by opening a first-grade classroom and added a grade each year thereafter. The first Hand in Hand students graduated from high school in 2011.

Hand in Hand schools remain rare outposts of intense engagement between Jews and Palestinians with the goal of building a shared society.