Forty years ago, the village members of Wahat al-Salam – Neve Shalom undertook an experiment: They created a school in which two languages would be spoken, with neither language having preference. The school arose from need: The children who had come up through the binational daycare/kindergarten system in the village needed a school.
In a village in which Palestinians and Jews lived together, practicing peace, the village members wanted to send their children to a school that would be not only bilingual, but one that would instill in the children respect for others and the values they worked to uphold. Unfortunately, the school system in the country is sectarian, dividing children not only by language, but by religious and social affiliation. That is, to create a school that brings children together rather than separates them from one another, they would have to start from scratch.
There were 14 children in the first class in the village. From the beginning, each class has had an Arabic speaking teacher and a Hebrew-speaking one.
By 1990, the school staff was ready to open its doors to children from outside the village. But one rule remained: Keep the balance roughly 50-50 between Palestinian and Jewish students, and between staff as well. Although some were opposed to the move, the school applied to be accredited by the state. That accreditation, for the kindergarten as well as the primary school, came in 1993 (as an experimental school). Accreditation means many of the teachers would be funded by the Ministry of Education, and core lessons would be provided by them as well. This latter was important to the children for the next stages of their academic careers in middle and high schools.
As the school accepted more and more children from outside the village, it gained a reputation for academic excellence.
Forty years later, the experiment is still ongoing. In recent years, the HOTAM Education, Culture, Tradition curriculum was developed to standardize the way the children learn about their own identities and that of others. It is a curriculum that let the teachers experiment with teaching through art, games, music and field trips. The Language Center, opened in 2023, is place where teachers learn how best to instill in children a love of learning language, at the same time as the children are learning to speak, read and comprehend a second language. Teacher training sessions and retreats focus on improving the curriculum while teams work on new pedagogy.
We welcome the 40th first grade class to the primary school. A new adventure and new challenges await you all. You are all part of an amazing experiment in which we keep working to improve on an already excellent format. We wish you all the best of success.
