In a demonstration held this evening, 12/08/19, in front of the Hufit school at the Aliyah Gate, the residents waved signs against the move. Two of the parents at the bilingual school (one Jewish and one Arab) also came to the demonstration, in order to talk with the demonstrators and get to know them. One of the parents from the bilingual school, stood quietly on the side of the demonstration and talked with the demonstrators calmly. He explained to the protestors and Lahi Pa that the school's parents are divided about the move and that some of them intend to organize their own demonstration against the move, in front of the Haifa City Hall.
A bilingual school is a mixed school, where Jewish and Arab students study together, in a unique and pluralistic curriculum. This format is successful when the students arrive with openness and a willingness to learn in the current framework Unusual (for the better) in the Israeli landscape, since this is a unique way of deep and positive acquaintance between Jews and Arabs.
The municipality of Haifa decided to move the bilingual school into a normal, neighborhood school building, which exists within the Shaar Aliya neighborhood. The intention is to house the bilingual school on a separate floor, within the school building, but there is no intention to impose this framework on the students of the neighborhood. Needless to say, the parents of the students in the neighborhood neither asked nor wanted to take part in this unique framework, or to share the school yard with this framework, which is rarely appropriate in Israeli society.
This created friction, which was expected, due to the fact that this is a setting that is not similar to the setting of a normal school.
This evening it became clear that some of the parents of the bilingual school are also not satisfied with the move. Two of the parents (one Jewish and one Arab) came to the demonstration to feel the area and meet the residents of the protesting neighborhood. In an interview with Lahi Fe, A says - we will come to demonstrate in front of the municipality (the full interview with A is presented later in the article).
Lahi Pa learned that one of the reasons for the planned move is the fact that the Hofit school suffers from a small number of students and continues to shrink and that the Haifa municipality is actually asking to unite two schools, in order to strengthen it.
Usher Habov, a resident of the neighborhood, told Lahi Pa:
Einat Kalish takes advantage of the fact that Shaar Aliya is a disadvantaged neighborhood. She believes that the residents cannot oppose the move and therefore she chooses to force a bilingual school on us, a move that would not pass in any strong neighborhood. We will not give up and we will not give in to the aggressiveness of the mayor, but we will close and shut down the school.
Habov recounts an encounter with G, an Arab public figure from Haifa, whose children attend the bilingual school, who came to the demonstration to talk to the demonstrators and express his views to them. According to Habov, C told her and the other protesters that he sees himself as a Palestinian who intends to bring the children to the neighborhood, so that will be decided by the Haifa municipality, but he does not recognize the State of Israel and intends to raise the Ashaf flag on Independence Day, to mark the "Day of the Nakba" ( The Day of the Palestinian Disaster, as defined). Habov adds that such an attitude is a defiant attitude, in the heart of a Jewish neighborhood, and it cannot work in a normal school. We will not agree to fly wizard flags here on Independence Day.
Watch the full interview with Usher Habov:
Usher Habov in an interview with Lahi Fe - we will shut down the school
A. (Name withheld in the system, refused to be photographed) A Jew whose children are studying today in the Kabbir neighborhood at the bilingual school, came to the demonstration. He stood aside, talked quietly with the protesters, and also expressed opposition to the move to the beach school. He explained this evening to Haifa - "We are planning a demonstration against the move planned by the municipality of Haifa":
"Today our children study in trailers, in the Kabbir neighborhood. These are conditions that are not suitable for a school. The children must move to a permanent structure, but, since this is the solution proposed by the Haifa municipality, it is a solution that will lead to friction, which is not suitable for the children.
Soft children who study in elementary school cannot absorb this friction, with residents who are not interested in this educational framework. Therefore, half of the Arabic speakers have already informed the parents' committee that they intend to leave the school and move to other settings. The community of parents at the bilingual school is divided about this transition.
We want our own bilingual school. We are on the same side as the residents of the neighborhood, meaning that in the opinion of the parents of the school, this mixing of the residents of the Shaar Aliya neighborhood with a bilingual school, which is forcibly inserted into a normal school, is an unwanted friction and a school structure that is incorrect and inappropriate.
We, the parents of the bilingual school, intend to go out and demonstrate against the bad solution proposed by the Haifa municipality."
Gilad Mulian, father of two children in the bilingual track, told Lahi Pa: From what I understand, the absolute majority of parents at a beach school are interested in us joining. I get the impression that the school has excellent educational leadership from the school principal. I believe the connection can work. We will prove that in Haifa, Jews and Arabs can study in the same school, even if they come from Sha'ar Alia, Ramat Hanasi, Carmel, and Challis.
The response of the Municipality of Haifa - by Sigal Tzioni - holding the education portfolio:
Forces operate in the Shaar Aliya neighborhood, the vast majority of which do not belong to the school's community at all, and this, seemingly for foreign and irrelevant motives in Iztala and under the false representation of "concern" for the future of the school and the future of the neighborhood.
The education system works in a professional and orderly manner and in accordance with the urban educational vision, it will not be managed and will not be influenced by forceful and improper methods of intimidation of any kind.
The process was carried out in partnership and dialogue with the Ministry of Education, the school administration, the parents' committee, the Yad Yad association and the parents.
Branding and labeling the neighborhood "as a weakling" with irresponsible and disrespectful statements is an injury and causes injustice and hard feelings among residents, especially in view of the fact that the neighborhood is facing urban renewal and there are expectations of growth for the educational institutions and the Beach School which will continue in its current unique format without any change in the management of Ziva and its staff "S" who does wonderful educational work and marches the value and community educational school with great success.
The bilingual track will be temporarily hosted at the school as a completely separate course with management and an adapted teaching staff until the end of a process with the Ministry of Education of recognition and institution symbol and moving to the campus separately.
Haifa Municipality's response: The municipality's administration attaches great importance to the existence of a bilingual school in the city and is therefore working in an orderly manner with the Ministry of Education to establish an independent and separate bilingual school.
Until the establishment of a separate school, the municipal administration examined various alternatives for the temporary occupancy of the bilingual track. The process was carried out in partnership and dialogue with the Ministry of Education, the school management, the parents' committee, the Yad Yad association and the students' parents.
At the end of the procedure, the Beach School was found to be the best and most suitable alternative to temporarily host the track, as a separate study track with management and an adapted teaching staff.
The transition to the school is carried out in full coordination with the Yad Yad association and the Ministry of Education in full cooperation with all the professional parties in order to ensure that the students' admission is carried out in the best and most correct way.
We regret that a small handful of parents and residents choose to oppose the move, however the education system will continue to act in a professional and matter-of-fact manner for the benefit of all the city's students and residents and to fulfill the educational vision it set.
We at the Hai Pe system will continue to closely monitor the development of matters and see if the Haifa Municipality will come to negotiations and a settlement by agreement, both with the residents of the neighborhood and with the parents of the bilingual school.
Osher Habov - I must point out that your words are words of taste. You are absolutely right and I couldn't have put it better. Every word in stone.
Let them integrate in Dania or Ramat Eshkol... we'll see what happens.
Haifa municipality on the face!!!
Instead of promoting her goal and exhausting her potential going forward, they try to make her sink more.
It's not about racism, that's our tradition and we won't change it for our children for the sake of a hundred students and for money that the municipality plays it poor..
And Mrs. Klish, you're just stupid instead of setting up a school especially for them until you insist on changing our habits and we won't give it to you.. there are a lot of abandoned places and a lot of places with nothing to do. For problems and mess because well you didn't get anything out of it
Such disgusting racism. Haifa is a city where coexistence has been preserved for decades. The Arab, Jewish, Armenian, Christian, Muslim population lives in common harmony. It is more than positive to have a bilingual school where each and every one will learn about the other's culture and customs. This way a common language will be created between everyone. I detest such racism. In any form it is about children. If we do not touch to create a bridge of shared exposure and instill hatred, racism and fear of the city, we will not get anywhere, neither in Haifa nor anywhere else in the country.
I am an Arab child who has already been to a school in Hofit and I did not influence anyone. I agree with you that you do not want to accept the children or the customs, but you said it in a hurtful way. As a teenager I watched it and felt unwanted. I have a little brother in Hofit. Now after the demonstration my parents decided to transfer him. and thank you
Many parents do not agree and are furiously opposed to a bilingual school. I am one of the parents who strongly opposes the Palestinian joining a Jewish school that can never go together... I and most of the opponents will fight to the end that the "project" does not come to fruition and in addition the town of Haifa does not give us many choices and works Bekah and lies that they don't have a place in other schools in the area..and lets our children be in a situation that we don't want..so the town of Haifa we won't send our children to a school that we don't want. Let them be our children and not your children. So our children will not go to a place where the decision is in your hands. At home, is this what you want?! You won't be helped by a kvassit or shoes. You will understand the message at a Jewish school. It didn't work out for you here, it won't work for you either. They have a Palestinian in the house, insolence and shame, the town of Haifa and the supporting parents, you will understand where you are putting your children and then you will be accepted in the meantime, you are blind only in health
It suddenly turns out that there is a Jewish-Arab conflict in some areas of Haifa, suddenly Haifa Arabs from the sea with the Palestinian side?
Suddenly the Jews don't want Arab students to be brought to school?
In my opinion, racism is starting to exist in Israel and it disgusts me
Everyone here is a resident of Israel and must live together
The solution is not what Klish brings, but the building of an orderly Arab school in Kabavir.
Klish always brings provocative solutions that will raise the Jewish-Arab conflict and the identity problem of whether an Israeli Arab is Palestinian or Israeli
Cliché Damage to the State For thirty years there was no conflict between Jews and Arabs in Haifa
Klish made the conflict, created it, and it will kill her inside the city
Electing a mayor who does not have administrative ability and wisdom creates war and arson
Everyone is angry about the cliche 'wasting money on nonsense instead of building proper educational institutions
Maybe you will resign and stop making fire and bonfires between Jews and Arabs in Haifa please??
Sigal Tsinoy is that you have a vision for coexistence, check first where and what you are doing here, a mix of right and left, Arabs and Jews, traditionalists and people with different values on both sides, this will cause racism, so speak up about your decision
Those who are protesting are both parents from the school and the residents of the neighborhood, stop lying all the time and saying that those who speak are not from the neighborhood, you just want to do whatever you want to force it on us and let the children experience and feel things they shouldn't have to go through
What a salad you made here, may you be healthy!
1. Not a single bilingual parent demonstrated alongside the racists from Shear Aliya. The fact that one parent said they were on the same side in terms of the opposition to entering the beach, does not mean that a bilingual parent came to the demonstration. When she mentioned that there was one parent, she was talking about the one before me. He really didn't participate in the demonstration with them.
2. C, the Arab parent that the racists quote who talked about the Nakba, probably said something similar that they didn't quite understand in the conversation that took place two or three weeks ago. Not in a demonstration.
3. Usher Habov says so much nonsense and lies that it's amazing. Real journalists would check the facts and confront her with these claims. Is she even a mother of children at school?
3. You asked who are the factors behind the money for the signs and who pushes and heats things up there? Because these are foreign factors that are not related to the parents of the children on the beach.
4. Did you ask my parents what they thought? Do you know that the Hufit parents' council supports and encourages the entrance of the bilingual?
5. This issue is complex and there are many opinions and positions even within each of the different groups. The minimum before publishing an article on such a sensitive subject is to research the subject a little and understand the parties. What you are doing right now is a deliberate attempt to heat things up even more and cause an explosion. It may be good for your ratings, but it's crappy newspapers and appalling ethics.
They didn't ask the parents from a beach school and many bilinguals don't want to come, what are you playing her that everything is fine