The department provides the educational, cultural and civic foundation for peace and solidarity between Arabs and Jews and for the creation of a shared society. We perceive education as a building block in the construction of social justice and democracy in the spirit of Yigal Allon’s Humanist-Zionism.
We offer different educational programs addressing the needs of diverse
populations. In addition, we collaborate with other individuals and organizations working together to construct a shared society.
Spring Gatherings
In the Israeli reality, there is a significant lack of trust between the Jewish and Arab societies. The lack of trust is created, among other things, because of the meager number of opportunities for a substantial encounter with the other society. We see that it is in the power of such meetings to crack a significant opening, and thus step by step we will succeed in bringing about a shared, pluralistic and humane society. For the past 20 years, The Yigal Allon Center has been running the “Spring Gatherings” program – a program that brings together about 2,500 middle school students a year. Participants meet throughout the school year, lead a dialogue, learn about the culture of the other and at the height of the process create a joint artistic venture. The meetings are led by expert facilitators alongside members of the “Allonim” preparatory schools (a network of joint army preparatory residential programs – mechinot – for Arabs and Jews established by the Yigal Allon Center in cooperation with the Jewish Agency), thus creating both active volunteering and personal example of cooperation between the sectors.
Main Objective:
Building joint work teams, who see the value in diversity and use it to work together and jointly create works of art and a better and brighter future.
Objectives:
- Knowing and accepting the identity of the other while promoting a multicultural and pluralistic worldview.
- Discussion ‘about’ and construction ‘of’ a common Israeli identity, which is not contrary to the particular identity.
- Building a sense of self-efficacy for collaboration that will be expressed at its peak in a joint art project.
Method:
The program brings together junior-high students who are able, on the one hand, to grasp the complexities of such encounters and lead a dialogue about the difficulties and challenges of a shared society, and on the other hand sufficiently flexible and open-minded to the other. We see the meetings between the students as opening a window for acquaintance, removing fears and an opportunity for discourse. The activity is based on an educational, playful and artistic gathering in which the barriers fall and the students understand that we are all actually human beings, Israeli citizens who are partners in one society. In a reality where youth do not have the opportunity to meet with their there is value in creating an initial encounter within the school. We see that in the power of such an encounter to be a spark of curiosity and motivation to deepen the encounter and discourse in the future, and so by step by step we will succeed in battle and bring about a society that is common.
Filming a Joint Campus
The years in which students are within the walls of the university are critical years in shaping their identity as citizens of the country, their perceptions and values. The college campuses are sometimes the first meeting place between different parts of society, certainly when it comes to Arabs and Jews. Due to the primary nature of the meeting there is potential for explosiveness, alienation and hostility between the parties, but also an opportunity to create a respectful and inclusive discourse that leads to shared learning and mutual acquaintance. The “Fiming a Joint Campus” program was established to create this initial connection and partnership.
What We Offer
Out of a desire to bring Arab and Jewish students together The Yigal Allon Center initiated the “Filming a Joint Campus” program. The purpose of the program is to create a meaningful opportunity for meeting, dialogue, and acquaintance, which will lead to joint work on a photography project. The program will bring students together throughout the school year and touch on socio-cultural issues on the one hand and professional-artistic issues on the other. At the end of the program, a joint photo exhibition will be produced, which will be displayed once at the college and a second time at the Yigal Allon Center Museum.
