© via Netzwerk Israel
How can we raise children's awareness of issues such as solidarity, respect, and tolerance?
Yonathan Bar-On has been teaching at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa for 15 years. In his lessons, he combines the English curriculum with civil society topics such as human rights, remembrance culture, and migration, often in collaboration with the organization Centropa. Yonathan brings with him many years of experience from international education projects, including collaborations with schools in Germany, interfaith workshops, and exchange programs between Jewish and Arab students.
More insights into his stay and his projects can be found in his detailed blog post online.
A children's book for dialogue
The focus of his stay in Berlin was the project “The Man in the Clouds” – a trilingual children's book that was translated and illustrated in collaboration with Israeli, Arab, and German students. The aim of the project is to use the book as a starting point for intercultural and interreligious education in schools – in Arabic, Hebrew, and German. During his stay, Yonathan worked with the team at the House of One to develop educational materials to accompany the book. The content is based on the universal values of the book: sharing, respect, empathy.
House of One is to become a shared house of worship for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The first cornerstone was laid in 2021, and the opening is planned for 2029. This project is unique worldwide, a house that will house a synagogue, a church, and a mosque. In addition, it is intended to be a place of encounter, of getting to know each other, and of exchange between people of different religions and atheists.
Making memorial sites visible
In addition to the book project, Yonathan developed a digital overview of 69 memorial sites, monuments, and museums in Berlin that deal with the history of National Socialism and the Holocaust. The map “To Warn and Remember” is a practical guide with background information, opening hours, locations, and links—for teachers, students, and anyone who wants to discover Berlin through the lens of remembrance culture. The guide is supplemented by Yonathan's personal perspectives and recommendations.
The scholarship enabled Yonathan to engage creatively and sustainably with remembrance culture, education, and interfaith dialogue. The plan is to use the book and accompanying materials in schools in Israel, Germany, and the Palestinian territories in the future.
