Education for Social Change: Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel
March 6 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
A Conversation with Palestinian and Jewish Hand in Hand Leaders
Thursday, March 6, 2025
7:00-8:30 pm
The Center for Social Innovation, Room 101
192 Spadina Ave
Light refreshments will be served after the event.
As discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict grow ever more polarized and painful, one groundbreaking initiative offers a powerful and practical model of shared education and community. Hand in Hand, Israel’s only network of integrated, bilingual schools and communities, is a countrywide institution and movement of equality, inclusion, and respect.
Since 1997, Hand in Hand has brought together thousands of Jewish and Palestinian students to learn side by side every day. In the face of division and conflict, these schools defy zero-sum thinking by enriching students’ individual identities while cultivating respect and knowledge of the other. The youngest Hand in Hand students become friends before learning that they are ‘enemies’, and ultimately graduate with unique abilities to think critically and compassionately, prioritize humanistic values, and actualize their beliefs.
Hand in Hand Communities are school families who champion values of equality, mutual respect, and peace across the country. Hand in Hand community members come together for programs ranging from shared holiday celebrations to dialogue meetings, collectively becoming a powerful engine of social impact and inspiration to millions around the world. Against the tides of popular opinion, Hand in Hand staff, students, alumni, and parents continue to choose a shared path. Even in these dark times, it is the path of hope.
Join a special conversation with two senior Hand in Hand staffers: Shada Mansour, Hand in Hand Communities Director, and Ofer Matan, Communications Director. They will share their experiences, exploring both the challenges and opportunities of building a shared society against all the odds.
Presented by the New Israel Fund of Canada and Hand in Hand.