| NSWAS Week-by-Week | ||||||||||
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July 11 - July 17 1999 |
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Bulletins:
Last Email "Week by Week" of the Season! Since summer is definitely low-season for newsworthy events in the village, the email version of "Week by Week" will now be taking a break for a few weeks (we urge you to do the same!), unless there are any special items to report on. During this time, please watch the web version for occasional reports and new photos. Children's Educational System A study session for teachers of binational education On August 23-24, the NSWAS Primary School will host a study session for teachers of binational educational programs for first and second grade levels. The program is being coordinated with the Association for the Advancement of Bilingual Education in Israel. Besides the teachers of the NSWAS school, teachers of the Galil School in northern Israel, which this year began a binational first grade class, and the Experimental School in Jerusalem, which intends to begin a binational first grade class in the coming school year. Among the agenda items will be the following:
Following the tripartite training, the NSWAS Primary School will continue with in-service training and study sessions for our own teachers (who must teach at higher grade levels than the other two frameworks). In the meantime, the teachers and directors of the school have been busy working on plans for next year. The Jewish teachers have been learning Arabic (see below). The Arab teachers have been busy looking into various new methods for teaching Arabic, both for the Jewish and the Arab pupils. Stop Press An article giving a broad overview of the current state of bilingual schooling in Israel entitled "Two for the Sea Saw" was published in the English version of HaAretz newspaper on July 21. It can be found at: http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/ however there is a fee for downloading archived material. Visits A number of interesting visitors passed through the village this week. On Sunday July 11, Tamar Raff of the Valley Beth Shalom Day School of Los Angeles paid a visit. Children of her school sent examples of beautifully painted sun umbrellas (parasols) to our school. The School offers to provide materials so that our school children can work on a similar project. On Monday July 12, we all enjoyed a concert by the Scottish folk singer Lorraine Jordan, who came to Israel as part of the Jacob's Ladder Folk Music Festival, which is held every year at this time in northern Israel. Lorraine, who sings mainly original material in a traditional mold, was accompanied by Johnny Craddon on bouzouki and guitar, and Kate Baker on cello and fiddle. The three were brought to us by Menachem Vingard, the organizer of Jacob's Ladder. Thanks to them all for an evening of wonderful music! On Friday July 16, two senior representatives of the Rissho Kosei-Kai Japanese lay Buddhist organization paid a visit. These were Mr. Morio Sakai, chairman of the RKK board of directors and Rev. Masahiro Nemoto, the director of the external relations division. The two were in the area in the context of the WCRP Preparatory Committee meeting (for which, see below). Their purpose in visiting was to be updated on the primary school. They were met by NSWAS Secretary Rayek Rizek, together with Boaz Kitain, Diana Shaloufi and Bob Mark from the school. This year, RKK again renewed its generous annual grant to the school, which it has continued since the award of the Niwano Peace Prize in 1993. "Cooperation" Language Project On Sunday, July 11, Eyas Shbeta began to teach an 80-hour course in spoken Arabic to Jewish teachers of the NSWAS Primary School and a few residents. The first part of the course was given in six hours a day for one week. The group made quick progress and agreed to continue to meet on a weekly basis. The Bruno Hussar Spiritual Center In its current phase of activity, the team of The Bruno Hussar Spiritual Center has begun an inquiry into various methods of spiritual training. On Saturday, July 17, ten members of NSWAS took part in the first of four lessons in meditation given by Shirona Stilleman of the Israel branch of the Brahma Kumaris organization. The Brahma Kumaris Organization was established some fifty years ago. It has centers in many countries and enjoys consultative status as a UN non-governmental organization. The group teaches a non-sectarian form of meditation and works with schools to establish a more value-based society. WCRP Assembly Preparatory Committee Abdessalam Najjar was asked by Rabbi David Rosen, the local chairman of the World Conference of Religion and Peace, to stand in for him at a preparatory meeting for the next conference which, like the preparatory meeting, is to be held in Amman, Jordan (November 25-28). The Conference takes place on a four-yearly basis and was last convened in Italy. The three day preparatory meeting was attended by international delegates and hosted by Jordan's Royal Institute. Prizes for Journalism J. Zel Lurie has informed us that this year the journalism awards award established by him "to recognize and encourage journalism that contributes to better understanding between Arabs and Israelis" will be given in the framework of the Search for Common Ground organization. Prizes will be given for one Arabic, one Hebrew, and one English-language article, "each of which goes beyond the daily headlines to break down myths and stereotypes, opens windows into the other's society, provides insight into the ongoing debates in the region, and exposes readers to new points of view in the Arab-Israeli context." The awards are sponsored by the J. Zel Lurie Fund for Investigative Journalism, which seeks to promote the ideals of peaceful co-existence as represented by Father Bruno Hussar. |
Eyas Shbeta teaching the Arabic class
Shirona (rt.) with participants
J. Zel Lurie |
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Copyright ? 1999 by Neve
Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. All rights reserved. |
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