Dear John, (Wed Nov 13 2002) I read your letter to my students. they were thrilled to get it
and hear about your city, the bridges, and your school. My students wrote back to you, and asked
a lot of questions. It would be great to hear from your class, or some students who can
respond. My students wrote in their native Hebrew and Arabic and I translated the letters and
incorporated them into one letter to you. Here it is:
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Dear John, We are a class of 26 kids in a school of only 130 students. We have two teachers,
Yaffa Shira and Nadia. Your school and city sound beautiful. Rani writes that next to his house
there is a small store that sells chocolate "Kinder Eggs", and hot candies. He also says that during
the weekend he will eat in a Chinese restaurant. Avery says she would love to visit china. She
explains that the children who started studying at the school from the first year, know both Arabic
and Hebrew well, but that there are a few kids who only joined the class this year, and they all
know Hebrew, but not as much Arabic, yet. Tamer is learning Kung Fu, do you learn other
martial arts in school? What do the children in your class eat for breakfast? Do they eat with
chopsticks? What subjects do they like the least in school? What do you teach? You mentioned
that a digital camera is very expensive, how much does one cost in china. Here, we think one
costs 3000 Shekels. Ayala tells that she wrote a report about the Great Wall of China, and she is
learning Ninjitsu. Our city is special becasue it is the capital of the country and we have a new
and fancy Supreme court building. During recess we like to play in the school yard. Many of us
play soccer. What do the children do during recess at your school? Sari brings a baked potato
to school to eat for his mid-morning meal, and Kevin likes eggs and meat sandwiches, what do
you eat in China? Our teacher is reading us a book called, Ramona Kimby Age 8, by Beverly
Cleary (translated into Hebrew). Please write back to us. Contributors to this letter: Ruth
(girl)Kevin (boy)Sari (b)Hamudi (b)Moshiko (b)Horatio (b) Ayala (g)Aviv (b)Abud
(b)Tamer(b)Avery (g)Rani (b)Itamar (b) Rasha (g)Laith (b)
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Dear John, (Sun Nov.3,2002) I was extremely impressed with your website! It is so
extensive! I was especially impressed with the letters to and from your pen pal class in the
US. What an exciting plan to have them come to visit China!!! Thank you so much for the
answers to my questions! I know my class will find it very interesting! I will try to have my
children write a collective letter with information about us and our school. I liked how you put it
in your letter that the social securities in our area are "uncertain". I would say that that is a huge
understatement. The social securities are much worse than "uncertain". They are downright
war-like! That being said, our school is unique. In our school we are trying to create an equal,
bicultural environment. Although the school is a recognized government school, we are also run
by a non-for-profit organization for Palestinian/Jewish co-existence. We get donations from
private sources. Obviously, the families who choose to send their children to the school, agree
to the unique nature of Arabs and Jews learning and teaching together. They must agree to have
their children learn both languages with a specific goal of proficiency in each language. Because
Israel is the Jewish State and its official language is Hebrew, the Arabs who come into the school
come in understanding and speaking Hebrew, and of course their native Arabic. This is not the
same for the Jews who come into the school. Generally, the Jews come into the school with little
to no Arabic. So the dominant language is Hebrew, even as we strive to balance that. The
population of the school, on the whole, is of the left-wing political persuasion. I think the
children in my school are much more aware of the tension between the two peoples in our land,
than other children the same age in regular schools. We spend a lot of time discussing the hopes
for peace between our nations, and the hurtful things that are happening on and to both sides.
Some things that are less stressed in an all Jewish school. On this note I must add a personal
note. My own children are much younger (5-1/2, 3, and 1). My five and a half year old goes to
an all Jewish kindergarten. Even though the political and security situation is so bad these days,
my son has no idea what is going on in this country. He has a normal everyday life, going to
school, going to parks, and the pool, and playing with his friends, going to the supermarket and
the synagogue...etc. His life is not affected at all by the "war-like" situation that I described
earlier. We do not see or hear shelling, shooting or bombs from where we live. As an adult
and a mother, I do think twice or three times about where in the city I need to go and if I can avoid
going to particularly crowded or "dangerous" places. As adults and parents, my husband and I go
out less than we used to, and to different places. I wonder how my class will touch on this topic
of our co-existence. I look forward to keeping up our correspondence. -Yaffa Shira
From Jerusalem