Mar Elias/Ibillin – Germany

by Fawaz Haj, Mar Elias High School Civics Teacher

Youth exchange programs between students of Mar Elias and students from different countries is one of the intensive informal activities which was initiated by the administration of Mar Elias Comprehensive school, since the school was founded in the year 1982.

The efforts gained fruits and Mar Elias developed youth exchange with different schools and organizations in the U.S.A and Europe, particularly Germany.

The most successful and continuous exchange started in the year 1997 with a youth organization in Bavaria, south Germany called KreisJugandRing – MunchenLand. It has taken place every year since 1997 including 2009.

The German partners visit Mar Elias at Easter and our students visit Germany in summer. The relationship are so strong that even during the years we had wars like in 2006 when the German parents refused to send their children to Israel, the German side insisted that our students visit Germany in order to keep the momentum the meetings.

Similarly, this year 2009 the original plan was that the German group visit Ibillin in Easter (April 2009) and our group visit Germany in August. Because of the war in Gaza in December 2008-January 2009, the German students were afraid to come to Israel, so we decided with our partners to change the order. Our students visited Germany in Easter and the German group will visit us from August 3-14, 2009.

In such an exchange students from the 11^TH and 12^TH grade are involved with their teachers leading the groups. The surprise fact is that females more than males are joining the exchange.

Our goals for the exchange are;

• Intercultural learning of both sides from both sides in different fields and levels; daily life, history, society and so on.
• To open horizons for our students in various fields including studies abroad.
• To break prejudices about the Palestinians. The image of the Palestinians in the seventies and eighties of the 20^th century was  "Terrorists," which is far from the truth. I will never forget the summer 1983 when a group of students visited Ibillin lead by a catholic priest named Karl Fleig.  After 2 days in Ibillin the priest came to my house and said; "Fawaz ,I have to confess that I am very surprised. I came to Ibillin with a lot of fears. But I found in Ibillin normal human beings and security more than in Munich." For me it was a great feeling.  We succeeded to give this feeling to our guests and to change our image as Palestinians in their eyes. It means that our exchange is successful and our efforts are worthy.
• To create friendship on an individual level.

When our students visit Germany they stay some days with families' homes, some days with their partners at the Alps Mountains to enjoy the nature, climbing, biking, and  swimming, beside social activities. And some days the 2 groups stay in Munich in a youth hostel, just to experience the different aspects of the town's life.

When the German students come to Israel we organize for them a program of 2 parts. They take a trip of 6 days/5 nights together with our students to Eilat, the Dead Sea, and Jerusalem. We visit historical, archeological, and religious sites and take walks to experienc the natural landscapes. The second part of the exchange the German students stay with Arabic families. It is the best way to have the process of intercultural learning. During these days we organize also trips in Ibillin, in the villages and towns around beside social and sport activities. Such a program is planned in order to reach the goals of the exchange.

I believe and feel that the most important of the program is living with the German families where you can experience many aspects of the German culture.