Erev Shabbat Services with Lee Gordon of Hand-in-Hand

In person & online

Open to members & non-members

Hand in Hand: Building a Shared Future in a Time of Conflict

Please join us in person and online on Erev Shabbat for a powerful program featuring Lee Gordon, co-founder and Executive Director of American Friends of Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel.

In the midst of the ongoing Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, Hand in Hand maintains its unwavering commitment to building Jewish-Arab partnership and a shared society in Israel. Started with just 50 students in 1998, Hand in Hand has grown into a vital network of six campuses and over 2,100 Jewish and Arab students across Israel, where children learn together in a bilingual, integrated environment.

Lee Gordon, a Portland, Oregon native, was driven by his involvement in the peace and dialogue movements to establish Hand in Hand. He and his team are guided by the belief that a shared future for Israel begins in the classroom. Hand in Hand's mission is not just about education; it’s about creating a national model for coexistence, with plans to expand over the next decade.

Lee will share his firsthand account of how Hand in Hand’s integrated communities and schools are navigating the current crisis, providing a haven of hope, and modeling resilience. This is a crucial opportunity to hear how an organization on the ground is working to build trust and shared citizenship between Jewish and Arab Israelis—a powerful, enduring response to conflict—and how this critical work is creating a truly shared society. 

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