Building One Accord

Since the Neve Shalom school opened in the early 1980s with 15 of the village's own children, its founders have been hoping that the idea would catch on elsewhere in the country. But it has been an uphill battle. The Israeli Ministry of Education did not recognize the Neve Shalom school until 1992, making it eligible for funding as an "experimental school." If the pioneer private institution can obtain additional donor funds, the teachers and parents would like to open a middle school and, eventually, a high school.

Currently, the only other educational facility in Israel that is similar to Neve Shalom is the Arab-Jewish preschool at the Jerusalem International YMCA. Just two years ago, after a decade of offering separate classes for Arab and Jewish children, the school decided to open an additional integrated program.

During a recent afternoon party that started out with a short play in Hebrew and in Arabic, parents said that the opportunities for them to meet through their children was one of their favorite aspects of the school. But, to their dismay, Jerusalem has no integrated elementary school where their children could continue such activities.

Things may change soon, however, because a group of parents are trying to launch a network of integrated Arab-Jewish schools in the Galilee, a northern region of Israel populated by large Arab and Jewish communities. The idea this time would involve five public schools -- more controversial than one small, private facility. Though the concept has met with some opposition and doubt from the education ministry -- and Arabs and Jews -- the group gained tentative permission to start a mixed 1st grade class in an existing school last September.