Our Stories: "In this immensely complex and difficult situation, if there is ever to be hope for the future, we need to begin with the children." Dalia Peretz, former principal. Read her story.
AT A GLANCE: BRIDGE OVER THE WADI
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 145
GRADES: kindergarten through sixth
LOCATION: Wadi Ara valley of central Israel
New computer lab and sports field give the Wadi school a boost.
Opened in 2004, Bridge Over the Wadi is located in the the Arab town of Kfar Kara in the Wadi Ara valley of central Israel. Never before had Israeli Jews commuted from their neighborhoods to an Arab town to attend school; the program's success sends a strong message that Israeli-Arab coexistence is realistic. This region of Israel is often stereotyped as dangerous and violent, but Jewish families feel safe sending their kids to school in Kfar Kara.
The one-story school, built around an inner courtyard, started with 105 students in grades kindergarten to third grade. The school has added a grade level each year, with the current enrollment at 145 students through grade six. Last year the students celebrated the arrival of a new computer lab and sports field. See below for video footage of the school.
The Kfar Kara school was born when a committee of Jewish and Arab parents, seeking hope in a region with a long history of conflict and violence, approached Hand in Hand about a partnership. Together, Hand in Hand and the parent committee lobbied the Ministry of Education until the school received official approval. This is the type of partnership that Hand in Hand hopes to pursue for the development of future schools.
The Wadi Ara valley slopes east from the Mediterranean Sea, approaching the Green Line (the dividing line between Israel and the West Bank) at its southern border. The valley is home to several sizeable Arab towns and an assortment of smaller Jewish towns, agricultural communities and kibbutzim. It is very difficult in this particular region, due to geography and history, for Arabs and Jews to come together.
Violence last erupted here in October 2000 when a general strike in the Arab sector swelled into a stone-throwing riot. Thirteen Israeli Arabs were killed. The Hand in Hand school is one of the few places in the valley where Jews and Arabs interact in an ongoing, meaningful way. Its success has impacted peaceful coexistence in numerous ways, including spurring positive collaboration between the mayor of Kfar Kara and the head of the Menashe regional council representing the valley's Jewish communities.
WADI ARA SCHOOL ON INFOLIVE.TV
