The 'Ceremony for Shared Living' at the Hand in Hand Max Rayne Jerusalem Elementary School
There is a new tradition at the Hand in Hand Max Rayne Jerusalem Elementary School: the Ceremony for Shared Living, which marks the end of the National Days.*
The memorial days are important and connect us to our communities, identities, and histories. At Hand in Hand, students, educators, and families learn, dialogue, and listen all through these highly complex weeks, determined to keep our hearts open through this season of memorial days for both peoples.
At the same time, we don’t want the memorial days experiences to push us apart, and so the Ceremony for Shared Living is an intentional moment of hope and reconnection to our shared values, vision, and one another.
Principal Johaina Dakwar-Salim spoke at the ceremony, and shared the following words:
“It is moving and heartwarming to stand here together today—students, staff, and families—and celebrate our shared lives and our choice to walk the path of togetherness. After a complex and sensitive period, we choose to pause for a moment and focus on what truly holds us together: the ability to be with one another, even within our differences. In a time when it is easy to pull away, to be angry or afraid, there is great meaning in the choice to draw closer—to listen, respect, and see one another first and foremost as human beings.
Our shared life together is not a given. It demands responsibility—for our words, for our actions, and for the ability to choose differently even when it is hard. Each and every one of us has the power to make a difference: a kind word, a moment of listening, choosing respect over contempt, partnership over division—all of these create a different reality and give us hope. And today I want to say thank you. Thank you for the togetherness, for the courage to meet, to listen, and to believe that things can be different. Thank you for choosing to be together even in difficult moments, even when we don’t always agree. Our togetherness is a strength. It reminds us that good still exists, and that the privilege of living here together—with dignity, in peace, and with love—is a shared responsibility that belongs to all of us. May we continue to choose this, every single day.”
Arab and Jewish teachers from the school also co-wrote a beautiful piece for the ceremony:
“We walk together… There is no difference between one hand and another, for light grows when it is shared, and the heart becomes a homeland when it opens itself to all. We plant hope along the way, and hear the laughter of children more beautiful than the sounds of war. We say: we all have an equal right to dream, to joy, and to a tomorrow born of love. Hand in hand, we build a bridge that does not fall between people, a bridge of respect, partnership, and peace.”
*Israel’s National Days include Holocaust Remembrance Day, Land Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Nakba Day.
