SHARED LIFE EDUCATION DATABASE
Age Group: Pre-K through 12th grade.
Annual No. of Participants:
1,525 in all 6 Hand in Hand Schools.
Region / Location: Jerusalem / Galilee - Misgav Region / Wadi Ara / Haifa / Jaffa-TLV / Ha'Sharon (Triangle).
Educational Content: 2 Dialogue facilitation kits for teachers / specialized history & civics curricula for high school students / Yearly calendar w/ religious & national celebrations of all religions & nationalities / Guide to best practices in early ed. second language acquisition.
Professional staff training: 55 annual hrs. per teacher.
Evaluation: Pending.
The Hand in Hand (HIH) mission is to create vibrant and inclusive shared society in Israel through a network of integrated bilingual schools and organized community activities bringing together Jewish and Arab citizens. HIH founded its first classes in 1998 with two first grade classes in Jerusalem and the Galilee. Today HIH operates a growing network of schools and has developed a proven model of bilingual education and community impact. With six school locations, more than 1,520 Jewish and Arab students and 6,500 adults participating in community activities, we are proving that shared society is viable and scalable.
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School Description
Hand in Hand Schools
Instructors: Over 80% of preschool and elementary school classes are taught by both Arab and Jewish instructors. Certain high school classes are taught by a co-teaching team (history, civics, etc.), while other specialized subjects (mathematics, science) are taught by a single teacher.
Language Studies: Hand in Hand dedicates additional language hours beyond the MOE minimum. Elementary students study Hebrew, Arabic and English and high school students study both Hebrew and Arabic.
Events & Community: Over the course of the year, we conduct approx. 65 unique social, cultural, and educational community events for over 2,500 families and community members. Some are one-time events (Pesach meal, Iftar meal, family picnics, etc.) while others are ongoing (dialogue groups, community gardening, Hand in Hand basketball team, Beit-Midrash/Madrasah for the joint study of Jewish and Arab religious texts, etc.). Average number of participants differs according to location, with an average of 20 participants in the newest communities and up to 50 or more in more established ones. In During our national community retreat in April, over 700 adults and children came together for a day of discussions, music, and fun in Jaffa.
Hand in Hand’s educational structure is based on bilingual classrooms and school environments that reinforce shared educational experience and teach respect for each other’s language and identities. Highly trained Jewish and Arab co-teachers lead classes together – setting personal examples of partnership while facilitating critical thinking and transformative dialogue. The multicultural curriculum teaches the music, art, holidays and historical narratives of both Jewish and Arab citizens.
Curricular Structure
Yearly Budget
Philanthropic Contribution: 18,824,655 NIS
(5% Domestic / 63% Foreign).
Ministry of Education / Govt. Allocation:
16,875,000 in-kind for core ed. expenses such as school grounds & basic salaries, not included in yearly budget.
Total Program Cost: 26,581,938 NIS
Tuition: 26%
Municipalities & MOE: 5%
