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Shared Living - Community Archaeology in Lod

Age Group: 9-10 (4th grade). 

Annual No. of Participants:

Approx. 462 pupils - 50/50 Arab & Jewish (33 pupils a class x 14 classes).

Region/Location: Lod, Central District. 

Duration: 1 school year.

Frequency: At least 1 session weekly (4 per month). 

Session Length: 90 minute activities OR day seminars (approx. 52 hrs. annually for each class). 

Organization Staff: Merchavim - 2 directors, 1 coordinator / Antiquities Authority - 4 admins, 2 directors, 6 field workers / A New Way - 1 director, 1 coordinator, 15 mentors / Lod Municipality - 2 professionals. 

Professional staff training: N/A

Evaluation: Pending.

Contact: Tamara Klinger Levi

Resource Development Director

Email: tamara@merchavim.net

+972 54 263 7854

Potential Development - Pending Funding

Could be expanded to include all schools in Lod, ensuring that program becomes an integral part of the annual school curriculum. We would add components for community based archeology/shared life activities for the local population and tours for visitors to Lod. We would like to invest in developing a model for shared life through archeology based on this initiative. We see this project as a model to be developed in other cities in Israel with mixed populations, diverse neighborhoods, populations, communities, and cities.

Projected Cost: 400,000 NIS 

Program Description

The program provides an opportunity for Arab and Jewish school children to learn about their own unique heritage and the mosaic of heritages found in the city of Lod via classroom learning, as well as participation in ‘hands-on’ archeological digs where the pupils study the illustrious history of the city they share, while building a joint future. The program combines joint weekly experiential workshops, theoretical enrichment about the history of the town and archeology with preparatory field tours to selected local sites. A special emphasis is placed on sites with a religious orientation to promote dialogue amongst the different sectors living in Lod. Teachers' training and special community events are an integral part of Shared Living – Community Archaeology in Lod. 

 

The program fosters a sense of local pride and identity amongst school children, to create a meeting point for children from all social and ethnic backgrounds and to ensure the rehabilitation of the ruined urban environment of the old city - we believe this is the basis for promoting shared life and greater social cohesion in Lod.

Program Activities:

  • The in-class teaching of content related to archaeology and shared living into the "My Locality" (H’Yishuv Sheli) curriculum, during lessons, to 4th grade classes in participating Arab/Jewish schools.

  • Participation of 7 pairs of grade 4 classes from 12 schools in Lod (6 Arab, 6 Jewish – including one Jewish religious school).

  • In-class Archaeology lessons (given by the Antiquities Authority) and two lessons that are ‘hands-on’ and are held at the archeological site in Lod for paired Arab/Jewish school classes.

  • Experiential workshops given by “A New Way” (אפשר אחרת) to participating school classes. Mostly in pairs of schools, one workshop for parents and one workshop for teachers.

  • Merchavim ‘in-school’ training for home room teachers from participating schools.

  • End-of-year culminating event.

Budget

GOI: 8% (Merchavim). 

Ministry of Education / Govt. Allocation: N/A

Philanthropic Contribution: 80% (Foreign).

Total Program Cost: 1,283,907 NIS

Other: 12%

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