HAGAR: Jewish-Arab Education for Equality

How can Jews and Arabs find common ground if they cannot talk to each other?  In Israel, Jewish and Arab children attend separate schools, creating space for fear, stereotypes, and inequalities to grow. These children, who might even be neighbors, grow up in two parallel worlds that rarely intersect. In order to change this reality, parents and community members in Beer Sheva have played an active role in developing a future of tolerance and respect for their children and their community.
 
HAGAR: Jewish-Arab Education for Equality is a spring-board for social change through its bilingual, multicultural school and community programming.  Hagar advances relationships between Arabs and Jews for children- who study and learn together- and parents- who seek to optimize their children’s educational opportunity and to create a peaceful future.

About The Hagar Association
 The Hagar Association was founded in 2006 by Jewish and Arab parents, teachers, community organizers and other concerned residents from Beer Sheva in order to create successful relations and equal opportunities for Arabs and Jews in the Israeli Negev.
 
The Hagar Institute (currently nursery school through 3rd grade) is dedicated to academic excellence for each student to reach his or her potential. Class enrollment is balanced between Jewish and Arab children. Two teachers (one Jewish and one Arab) are present in each classroom guaranteeing both the Hebrew and Arabic languages and their respective cultures equal status. Religious diversity is taught using holidays for both celebrations and educational moments. By design, classes are small, the school day is extended, and a nutritional lunch is served.
 
Our community outreach program offers activities to members of the wider Beer Sheva community. These activities include: spoken Arabic classes, joint Arab-Jewish holiday celebrations, bilingual shows, and family workshops.
 
Hagar and MAPMES: A Fellowship Opportunity
Receive hands-on experience teaching our students through a three-hour weekly commitment in the afternoon (with financial compensation), two workshops on Jewish-Arab relations and bilingual education in Israel and join our community nature hikes and picnics at your leisure.