This has been a painful year for Israel. The horrible and tragic events of October 7th have disrupted all of our lives, and the ongoing war threatens to tear asunder the delicate fabric of social life Jews and Arabs share. Now, more than ever, a robust civil society is essential to promote the values of peace, tolerance and reconciliation. The Hagar Association has been fostering shared life in the Negev for over 15 years through education, culture and the promotion of a vibrant, Arab-Jewish community.
But to continue our efforts, we need your help!
Arabs make up 20% of the population of Beer Sheva, and 35% of the northern Negev. Nevertheless, the Hagar school remains the ONLY bilingual school serving the entire Negev region. Although Israel's Jews and Arabs share a common citizenship, they have few opportunities to interact and get to know one another. This only exacerbates mistrust and polarization, thwarting attempts to promote equality, multiculturalism, tolerance, friendship and mutual respect.
Our efforts to build shared society in the Negev include the following:
Formal Education. The Hagar Association operates the only public education frameworks in southern Israel where Jews and Arabs learn the values of equality and multiculturalism. Beginning with a small kindergarten in 2007, we have grown to become a vibratn educational community with some 400 children from pre-school through sixth grade. We supplement the Education Ministry's core curriculum with bilingual and multicultural content, and offer after school enrichment activities.
Informal Education. In 2020 the Hagar Association launched Scout Troop Adam, the first and only Arab-Jewish scout troop in Israel. Scouting activities, conducted in close cooperation with the Isael Scouts Movement, are open to all children in the greater Beer Sheva area.
Shared Culture. In 2021 Hagar Launched the Thaqafat Initiative for Shared Culture in the Negev. The program offers a wide variety of joint artistic, cultural and recreational activities for Jews and Arabs in Beer Sheva and the northern Negev. The Thaqafat initiative has organized a series of groundbreaking events in Bedouin and Jewish communities, spawning new and innovative collaborations involving municipal authorities, cultural institutions and third sector organizations across the region.
Community. With some 350 families, the Hagar Association is the only Jewish Arab educational community of its kind in the Negev, and one of the largest nationwide. Our members, who reside in the greater Beer Sheva metropolitan area, are a significant force in the economy and society of the region. Our dynamic and vibrant community life includes field trips, weekend activities, and joint holiday celebrations. Nevertheless, Hagar is not immune to current events. Ongoing hostilities have taken their toll, and rising tensions make communal activities ever more challenging. In order to expand and deepen our community programming next year, we must continue with the professionally led process of internal dialogue we began over the past few months and empower the core group of Arab and Jewish parent leadership, with the goal of strengthening the Hagar educational community in the 2024-25 school year.
To continue our activities and expand them - we in Hagar need your partnership and support- every donation can be very significant for us!
NOW more than ever- Hagar is a space of connection and empowerment, hope and sanity.
