Vision
I believe that personal acquaintance between people breaks down walls of prejudice. With a little willingness and reasonable information, it is possible to bridge gaps that seem too deep
Activity
The Israel School of Tourism at the University of Haifa has been conducting courses for over 60 years that focus on presenting the beautiful facets of the country to tourists, both Israeli and those arriving from abroad. Representatives from all communities and religions in Israel participate in the courses, and the conclusion is that joint study of subjects that appear controversial is made possible thanks to a fruitful and respectful discourse. In the current project, the focus is on creating a stratum of leadership composed of Jewish and Arab tour guides, who will serve as a social and cultural bridge between the two societies.
The program is based on a multi-stage learning methodology. The first stage involves content relevant to each group; the second stage, content for mutual enrichment and discussion; and the third stage, shared experiential tours at sites characterizing each group. As guides, they have already studied introductory lessons in Judaism and Islam, and the lessons detailed below constitute gap-filling and deepening of topics already learned.