Although the tension between Jews and Arabs is currently high amid recent terror wave, Jewish and Muslim schoolchildren from Jerusalem decided to greet mark and honor each other's holiday proving that some, just want to live in peace.
Arab schoolchildren from the Palestinian town Beit Safafa in East Jerusalem decided to greet Jewish children with a happy Passover, while the children from Hebrew Gymnasium school in the city in return, wished their Muslim peers, Ramadan Kareem.
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Beit Safafa children's basketball team
(Photo: Hachaluz - education through sports organization)
The Arab children from the Beit Safafa basketball team decided at the end of their training session to ease a bit the current tension in Israel and greet their Jewish neighbors. Together with the team coach Elad Lipschitz and the team manager Mutaz Hussein, they filmed a short video with their good wishes for Passover.
The Video of the children from Beit Safafa
(Video: Hachaluz - education through sports organization)
The video touched many teenagers in the Zionist Hachaluz movement across the country, particularly a team from the Hebrew Gymnasium school in Jerusalem. They decided to film their own video in which they greeted Muslim children with the traditional Ramadan Kareem.
"In our group, we always say there's no place for racism, and on the field, we are all equal players," said Carmel Hativ, a girl from Beit Safafa, who is part of a multi cultural education project. "It is fun for me to meet with the Jewish society and I have new friends thanks to the project. Happy Passover and Ramadan Kareem for everyone"
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Hebrew Gymnasium school team
(Photo: Hachaluz - education through sports organization)
The Hachaluz organization, specializing in social sports for children and youth, stated that the aim of its annual project is to promote tolerance and equality between the various groups in Israeli society.
"We are not surprised by this gesture, but we are certainly happy that our activity makes a change and creates such cross cultural greeting, that are done out of goodwill and the caring of the children for those around them," said Omer Livnat, founder of the organization.
The children's team from Beit Safafa includes 10 boys and 15 girls. "When we started this project we visualized how sport can create a common language among the youth," said Harel Stryvsky, a member of the organization.
"We witnessed how playing together became natural for the children that take part in the project. And although the past month was tough, the children's initiative to greet each other is exactly the result we aimed for when we started this project. Behind all the political discourse and violence there are teenagers who just want to live, celebrate holidays, and play," he added.