TRUMAN_17

LEARNING ABOUT LANGUAGE –
AND EACH OTHER
PROMOTING UNDERSTANDING
THROUGH RELIGIOUS STUDY
Although Jewish and Arab students attend classes together at Hebrew
University, they rarely meet outside class. Now, 18 Jewish, Moslem and
Christian students are meeting on a regular basis to explore their different
religions by studying fundamental texts - including the Jewish bible, the
Koran and the New Testament – through a new initiative: the Inter-Religious
Beit Midrash-Madrasa.
In small groups led by one Jewish and one Moslem or Christian facilitator,
participants are focusing on topics such as the creation of humans in
the image of God; relating to others; conflict between tradition and new
religious ideas; and women and religion. Through their study, the students
are revealing similarities and differences among religions, learning about
different cultures and traditions, and discovering the facets of religion that
connect them all. Along with studying texts, the students visit religious
places – synagogues, mosques, churches and religious courts.
With support from the Truman
Institute, a new Arabic language
and culture project is breaking
down social barriers between
Jewish and Arab students in the
Hebrew University’s Department
of Islam and Middle Eastern
Studies, while helping students
learn to speak Arabic. Arab
students teach Arabic language
to Jewish students, working with
them to increase their vocabulary,
read texts and increase their
spoken fluency while introducing
them to Arabic culture. With
the Arab students guided and
supervised by university Arabic
teachers, the program is exposing
Jewish students to the differences
between spoken Arabic and the
literary Arabic taught in school, as
well as to Arab culture, customs
and holidays.
With the students’ progress in
learning Arabic and the positive
relationships that have developed
between the Jewish and Arab
students all pointing to the
success of the program, the
project is expanding to include
cultural activities, such as movies,
theater and music performances
and culinary events.
TRUMAN NEWSLETTER 2017 9