The Image of Abraham Project


	Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem The Image of Abraham Project Recently published in Ha’aretz Newspaper - English Edition (Friday, March 21, 2003) was an excellent article by Annette Young, entitled *Making friends against all odds. A Jewish-Arab coexistence project grows* The following are some excerpts from it: "The Image of Abraham," which began in 1998, encourages schoolchildren, aged 9 and 10, to explore their shared religious heritage. Following its success, the museum decided this year to extend the annual eight-week program to include parents. To their surprise and joy, the turnout was much higher than expected with between 30 to 40 parents showing up for each session. "There was just as much enthusiasm and curiosity among the parents, as there were among the children," said Yehuda Kaplan, the head of the museum's education department. The 9 to 10-year-old age group was chosen as they were old enough to grasp the historical perspective of learning the Bible but "young enough to be open and eager to take on a challenge like this," explained the museum's programming director, Amanda Weiss. "Language is more of a problem for us than the children," admitted 36-year-old Michal Tannenbaum whose daughter Shira attends a West Jerusalem school and signed up for the workshop. "But it is a really nice atmosphere for the children, and it is important for them to be here and break the equation that the Arabs are enemies. For Nesreen Basheer and her nine-year-old daughter Mona, it was a small but defiant gesture. "It is not logical being here, I know, but we had to keep coming," said the soft-spoken East Jerusalem Arab mother of five on why she had joined some 30 Arab and Jewish parents and 130 children at a coexistence workshop organized by the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. "They want to live here in peace" she said gesturing to the Israeli parents," and we want to live in peace. And we have to get on together. This is the road we have to keep walking on, no matter what happens." Parents spoke of children who were nervous and terrified at the first session - to the point of crying in some cases - and were now exchanging phone numbers and hugging each other as each session ended. "This project is about building communication and trust where none exists," Amanda Weiss said. "It is a very delicate project, trying not to tread on anybody's pain and suffering." The museum has worked hard to convince schools, teachers and parents alike that the program's aim is not to proselytize, while allaying concerns that cultural identity on either side would be protected. "The museum is the perfect place for this kind of project because it is about our shared history and heritage," said Weiss who is desperately seeking donations for the year ahead with the intention of extending its adult program.