Abstract:

The goals of this paper are to:
(1) describe the educational process and impact of a pioneering course in “Jewish-Arab Inter-religious Dialogue” at Bar-Ilan University, Israel as an effort in
intercultural education;
(2) report on the outcome of joint Jewish-Arab study in two academic courses at the Shaare Mishpat Academic College in central Israel.

The Jewish-Arab Inter-religious Dialogue course was organized and run by the first author as course lecturer in the 2018-2019 academic year. 30 students were participating, part of the Bar-Ilan University’s School of Communication International Program, comprised of approximately 50% Jews, 30 % Arabs (all Moslems with the exception of one Christian Arab student) and 20% Christians primarily from Europe and Asia, and two Chinese Confucian students.

Assisting the lecturer were two student assistants (one Jewish and one Arab) who in the year prior had helped initiate a student branch at Bar-Ilan University of the Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA), active throughout the State of Israel. The course reflected best practices of inter-religious dialogue encounters used by the IEA over the years. The rationale for the effectiveness of inter-religious dialogue as a means of furthering perception change and relationship building and transformation across the Arab-Jewish divide has been described elsewhere (Mollov and Lavie 2001, 2006, 2016).

The course also received recognition from the President of Israel for its contribution to advancing intercultural understanding within Israeli society. Evaluation/impact of the course was measured by both quantitative data and qualitative reactions by the students who were required to submit written personal reflections on the impact of the course. While quantitative questionnaire data responses indicated a degree of positive perception change,the written reflections (which will be cited) were most instructive and strongly attested to the efficacy of such a course organized around inter-religious themes.

A second case study currently involving joint study of approximately 125 Arab and Jewish students in the Shaar Mishpat Academic College in central Israel,in two courses taught by the second author in the health management program, affords the opportunity to evaluate the impact of joint educational encounters in another context, based on the contact hypothesis (Amir 1969). This higher educational venue is particularly suited for such co-existence educational encounters as the College has a significant Arab student body along with its Jewish students with positive interactions taking place between them.

Keywords:

Dialogue, Jewish-Arab, Intercultural, Inter-religious, Contact Hypothesis.