Clore Tikva strengthens friendship with Israel

Pupils, parents and staff at Clore Tikva Primary School in Barkingside who took part in the UJIA School to School Partnership celebrated the launch of Clore Tikva Friends of Israel. They launched the initiative on Sunday 16 January 2010 at an event supported by Redbridge Jewish Community Centre where families shared their experiences from a UJIA Parent Pupil Delegation to northern Israel.

Over fifteen families joined together to learn, discuss and be involved in practical activities to develop their understanding of Israel. Parents and pupils described how they were spiritually motivated by the many exciting sites of Israel they visited, as well as the close connection they had built with their host families and children at the Kerner Ma'ale Hagalil Primary School in Meona. Leading up to Tu Bishvat, children made 3D paper trees and the families joined in planting a tree at the front of the school and the event ended with communal Israeli dancing.

Participants included Adrienne Cinna (UJIA Living Bridge Co-ordinator), as well as David Janner-Klausner (UJIA Programme and Planning Director) who spoke to parents about the two new schools that recently opened in the Galil with funding from UJIA, where a more inclusive learning environment had been created. In the Galil where UJIA is active and where their Partnership 2000 communities are, the population is 50% Jewish and 50% Arab, Druze and Circassian, which is why communal relations play a particularly significant part in UJIA's strategy. Promoting co-existence between Jews and Arabs, improved educational opportunities and believing in a better future were agreed as positive steps for Israel's future.

The day helped teachers, parents and teachers understand the impact of UJIA's "Living Bridge" project and how it connects communities in the UK and Israel.

Adrienne Cinna, UJIA Living Bridge Coordinator, commented:

"I am delighted that Clore Tikva Primary School has launched its own Friends of Israel programme and I am looking forward to working with the school to build its connection with children, teachers and families in the north of Israel. Participants on the UJIA Parent-Pupil Delegation to the Galil will be hosting a group of Israelis in April, helping to strengthen the 'Living Bridge' between the UK and Israel."