Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel
Professional services
UnclaimedAn Israeli network of integrated Hebrew-Arabic public schools and shared Jewish-Arab communities.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel is an Israeli educational nonprofit that operates integrated bilingual schools for Jewish and Arab children. Founded in 1998 by Israeli Arab educator Amin Khalaf and Israeli-American educator Lee Gordon, the organization was created around the idea that sustained, everyday contact in schools can help build a more equal and inclusive shared society. Its model brings Jewish and Arab students, families, teachers, and administrators into common educational settings rather than maintaining separate language and community tracks. The organization began with two preschools, one in Jerusalem and one in the Galilee. It later developed a network spanning Jerusalem, the Galilee, Wadi Ara, Haifa, Jaffa and Kfar Saba. The network includes preschools, elementary schools, middle schools and a high school. According to the referenced account, it serves more than 2,000 students through six elementary schools, five preschools, two middle schools and one high school. Its schools operate within Israel's public-school system, although government funding is supplemented by donations and tuition. This additional support helps the schools employ more staff and sustain a genuinely bilingual learning environment. Hand in Hand's educational approach treats Hebrew and Arabic as working languages and presents Jewish and Arab histories, identities and cultural narratives within a shared framework. Its stated purpose is not simply language acquisition, but the development of students who can understand members of the other community with greater nuance and empathy. The network uses project-based, place-based and problem-based learning, alongside curricula developed in both languages around multicultural themes and texts. Teachers receive professional development intended to support bilingual instruction and inclusive pedagogy. The organization also works beyond the classroom. In 2012 it established a Communities Department to organize joint activities for families around each school. These activities have included holiday celebrations, dialogue sessions, language and history learning, tours, volunteering, family programs and civic engagement with local authorities. In 2021, Hand in Hand launched a Student University Community in Jerusalem for Jewish and Arab university students interested in dialogue, learning and joint volunteer work. Hand in Hand has received recognition in Israel and abroad for its educational and social contribution. Its schools have received municipal and district education awards, a presidential certificate for educational hope, and national education recognition from Israel's Ministry of Education. Internationally, the founders received the Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East in 2007, the organization was selected for a Global Pluralism Award in 2022, and the Max Rayne Jerusalem School was recognized by T4 Education in 2023 for overcoming adversity. The network has also faced hostility. In November 2014, its Max Rayne Jerusalem School was damaged in an arson attack accompanied by anti-Arab hate graffiti. The incident generated public solidarity, a police investigation and a visit by then-President Reuven Rivlin and his wife to students at the presidential residence. Despite security and political challenges, Hand in Hand continues to present bilingual public education and family-based community building as practical models for Jewish-Arab civic partnership in Israel.
History
Hand in Hand was established in 1998 by Amin Khalaf, an Israeli Arab educator, and Lee Gordon, an Israeli-American educator. The organization initially operated two preschools, one in Jerusalem and one in the Galilee. Its founding premise was that Jewish and Arab children should learn together in a bilingual environment and that schools could serve as long-term institutions for building a shared society. A third regional initiative developed in Wadi Ara after Jewish and Arab parents joined Hand in Hand in the early 2000s. The resulting Bridge over the Wadi School in Kfar Qara opened on September 1, 2004, after delays that included difficulties obtaining recognition from Israel's Ministry of Education. With 106 students at opening, it became Hand in Hand's first and only school located in an Arab town. The Jerusalem network expanded substantially when the Max Rayne Jerusalem School opened on October 21, 2007, in the Pat neighborhood near Beit Safafa. The campus was built with approximately $11 million in donor support, including contributions associated with the Jerusalem Foundation, the Rayne Foundation and European donors. In 2007, founders Khalaf and Gordon also received the Victor J. Goldberg IIE Prize for Peace in the Middle East. Hand in Hand broadened its work from schooling to community development in 2012, when it created a Communities Department. The department organized joint programs for Jewish and Arab families connected with the schools, including celebrations, workshops, dialogue activities, excursions, volunteer work and local civic advocacy. That year, USAID provided a grant of $1 million to help seed three new campuses. The source material notes that USAID support ended before the agency's closure in 2025. The Haifa program began in 2012 with a bilingual preschool supported by local parents. The Ministry of Education did not accredit the school in 2013, requiring it to operate privately for that year. Hand in Hand opened a Haifa elementary school in 2016; the campus later expanded to middle-school education in 2022. In 2022, the Haifa school received full Ministry of Education recognition and its own independent building. In Jaffa, Hand in Hand launched a bilingual program in 2013 with 35 preschool students. Known as Kulna Yachad, the program grew into an elementary school serving children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. In Kfar Saba, an integrated preschool opened in 2015 on the Beit Berl College campus with 37 students from Jewish and Arab communities in the Triangle region. It subsequently developed into an elementary school serving preschool through sixth grade. The organization has experienced both institutional recognition and direct opposition. In November 2014, the Max Rayne Jerusalem School was set on fire and defaced with racist slogans. The attack was described as a racially motivated hate crime, and police arrested several suspects. A support rally organized by the Tag Meir coexistence organization followed. President Reuven Rivlin and his wife later hosted first-grade students and teachers at the official residence, presenting the school as evidence that Jewish and Arab citizens could live and learn together. Hand in Hand's schools have received numerous educational distinctions. The Wadi Ara school and Jerusalem school received major regional and city awards in 2016. The Jaffa school received Tel Aviv-Jaffa's Values-Based Education Award in 2019, while the Jerusalem high school was listed among that city's strongest high schools. The Galilee School received the Israeli president's certificate of distinction for Hope in Israeli Education in 2021 and the Ministry of Education's National Education Prize in 2022. In the same year, it was named the leading elementary school in northern Israel by the ministry. The organization was selected for the Global Pluralism Award in 2022, and in 2023 the Max Rayne Jerusalem School was recognized by T4 Education for overcoming adversity. As of the referenced 2023 information, Dani Elazar served as chief executive. Hand in Hand's network comprised six elementary schools, five preschools, two middle schools and one high school, serving more than 2,000 students. The organization remains dependent on a combination of public funding, tuition and philanthropic support to maintain the staffing levels and community infrastructure required by its bilingual model.
- 2022
Haifa school expands to middle school
[1]The Haifa school added middle-school education and received full Ministry of Education recognition.
- 2022
Galilee School receives national recognition
[1]The Galilee School received Israel's National Education Prize and was named the leading elementary school in northern Israel.
- 2021
Student University Community launched
[1]Hand in Hand began an integrated Jerusalem program for Jewish and Arab university students.
- 2016
Haifa elementary school launched
[1]The Haifa program expanded from preschool into elementary education.
- 2015
Kfar Saba preschool established
[1]An integrated preschool opened on the Beit Berl College campus for children from Jewish and Arab communities in the Triangle.
- 2014
Jerusalem school attacked
[1]The Max Rayne Jerusalem School was damaged in an arson attack and covered with anti-Arab hate graffiti.
- 2013
Jaffa program launched
[1]Hand in Hand opened its Jaffa bilingual program, later known as the Kulna Yachad School.
- 2012
Communities Department established
[1]Hand in Hand created a department dedicated to building Jewish-Arab family communities around its schools.
- 2012
Haifa preschool launched
[1]The organization opened its first bilingual preschool in Haifa with support from local parents.
- 2007
Jerusalem campus opens
[1]The Max Rayne Jerusalem School opened in the Pat neighborhood near Beit Safafa.
Products and positioning
A shared-society education network using integrated Hebrew-Arabic public schooling, multicultural curricula and family-community programs to promote equality, dialogue and civic coexistence between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel.
K-12 education · 1998
Integrated bilingual schools
Hand in Hand operates public-system schools in which Jewish and Arab students learn together through Hebrew and Arabic. The network includes preschool, elementary, middle-school and high-school provision, with additional staffing used to support bilingual instruction, inclusive classroom practice and shared school governance.
Community education · 2012
Shared communities
The Communities Department organizes activities for families connected to each school. Programs include joint holiday events, dialogue sessions, language and history lessons, tours, volunteering, family activities and engagement with municipalities. The aim is to make coexistence a sustained community practice rather than an activity limited to the classroom.
Higher-education dialogue · 2021
Student University Community
Launched in Jerusalem in 2021, this program brings Jewish and Arab university students together for learning, dialogue and volunteer activities. It extends Hand in Hand's shared-society model beyond its K-12 schools.
Controversies
2014
Arson attack on Max Rayne Jerusalem School
In November 2014, the Jerusalem school was subjected to an arson attack and defaced with racist anti-Arab slogans. The incident was investigated as a hate crime, suspects were arrested, and it prompted solidarity from coexistence organizations and public officials. The referenced material also records later controversy when one convicted attacker appeared on a television program in 2018.
Brand decisions
2021
Launch Student University CommunityStrategyBackground
Hand in Hand sought to extend its shared-society and dialogue work to young adults beyond its school-age network.
Action taken
It launched an integrated program for Jewish and Arab university students in Jerusalem.
Aftermath
The initiative added higher-education dialogue and joint volunteering to the organization's program portfolio.
2012
Expand from schools into shared communitiesStrategyBackground
Hand in Hand identified the need to involve Jewish and Arab families and local civic institutions, not only students and teachers.
Action taken
It established a Communities Department and developed joint programming around all six school communities.
Aftermath
The organization broadened its work into family engagement, dialogue, volunteering and local advocacy.
Sources2 sources
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