"This is Jaffa" - The Hand in Hand "Kulna Yachad" Jaffa School on Kan 11 News
On December 31 2025, Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 featured the Hand in Hand “Kulna Yachad” Jaffa school in a segment showcasing Jewish-Arab partnership in Jaffa.
“This is Jaffa,” shares Hand in Hand Jaffa parent Alaa Siksek. “What takes place outside of our school is the ‘bubble.’ When my kids come home, they’re prepared, and they’re aware of the reality. We’re not trying to normalize the situation, but this school gives them the tools to deal with complex situations, and to think together about how we can do things differently.
“I told him [my son] there are people who don’t believe in a shared society and want to ruin it, and that we won’t let them,” shared Karin Even Haim, Hand in Hand parent and co-community organizer.
“My son knew I went out and protested after the assault [of Hanan Abu Shahada], and I explained to him that it doesn’t matter if the person who was attacked was Arab or Jewish, it’s not OK for anyone to be attacked because of their nationality, or their religion, and this is what we’re fighting against.”
The school principal Gidi Yehoshua shared, “We’re something of a thorn in the side of extremist groups in the city. We’re not well-received by them. On the other hand, we’re very well-received by other groups who think, look, there’s a shared space here, how do we manage it? How do we live in it?
We live in a shared home, all the people who live here share a home. They’re neighbors; they see one another on the street, in stores, at playgrounds, everywhere. There are two options for this shared home: Each group can retreat into their own silos, living in their own designated areas, getting to know only their own identities. Or they can open up their hearts and minds to other things that exist here. This does not mean they will lose their own identity.”
As underlying tensions between Jews and Arabs surface in Jaffa, the Hand in Hand community continues to stand firm in its commitment to partnership and equality, serving as an inspirational and aspirational model for the rest of the city – and beyond.
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