Spreading the word.

Two weeks ago, I visited the Notre Dame school and community in the Christian town of Mailia which is located in the northwest of the Galilee close to the Lebanese border. I was warmly welcomed by the principal of the school, the teachers, the students, the school priest, who serves as a spiritual educator, and other important community leaders.

All expressed a great interest in the Galillee Dreamer’s goals and are eager to take part in and support our program. I also met Marie -Anne Crochemore, a representative of the French embassy, who happened to be visiting that same day, and who also expressed interest in our program. Sixteen 11th grade students indicated a readiness to join Galilee Dreamers.

In the coming weeks I will share with you some of the stories told by the people of this beautiful and peaceful town.

The following Sunday I visited the beautiful Druze town of Pekiin located about 10 minutes from Malia. As I drove, I witnessed the most magnificent landscape. The mountains were covered with olives trees. It is fall in Israel and the site was so calming and peaceful. At the school I met committed educators who speak the language of peace. Fifteen students were eager to begin meeting with their Jewish, Muslim and Christian counterparts.

My next blog will focus on the Druze community.

Teachers from the Druze school expressed an interest and initiated interaction with one of the Jewish schools beyond the Galilee Dreamer program. This was wonderful! We applaud every effort to expand shared society in the Galilee.

On Thursday, November 4th almost 100 teenagers and teachers from Philadelphia and the Galilee Dreamers participated in a gathering focused on moral education related to the Yahrzeit of Yitzhak Rabin. We sang and engaged in critical thinking exercises regarding our role in promoting peace. Love, kindness, excitement and caring was felt throughout the activity. It was heartwarming to see Jewish, Muslim, and Christian students work together to enjoy and learn from each other.