The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School

The school fostering empathy, respect, and equality in a deeply divided land

The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem - the only bilingual, integrated Jewish-Arab primary-secondary school in the country - breaks down barriers between Jewish and Arab communities in the deeply divided Israeli education system. In a country where 99% of Jewish and Arab children study in separate schools, the school’s pioneering approach to bilingual, multicultural education and its 25-year legacy of promoting shared society and equality has not only transformed the lives of its students and surrounding community, but also created a ripple effect across the country, inspiring a growing network of integrated, bilingual schools. The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School is a beacon of hope and an example of how education can promote understanding and foster a more peaceful and equitable future.

The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School opened its first class in 1998. Today it serves over 600 Jewish and Arab students from Pre-K through Grade 12. From its very outset, the school's focus has been to create an environment where Jewish and Arab students can learn together, in both Hebrew and Arabic, with co-teaching teams of Jewish and Arab teachers. This immersive approach to bilingual, integrated education not only helps students learn each other's language but also fosters cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.

This cross-cultural appreciation is reflected in the school's values-based educational model, which emphasises equality, respect, and empathy and permeates every aspect of the school's culture and curriculum. Students learn to celebrate and honour the language, culture, and narratives of the school’s diverse Jewish and Arab communities, and are taught to take pride in their own identity while also learning to respect the identity of others.

The school's leadership reflects the diversity of its student body, with an Arab elementary school principal and a Jewish secondary school principal, as well as equal representation of Jewish and Arab staff, who work closely together to create an inclusive learning environment, modelling the values they wish to imbue to their students.

The school's unique approach to education has been refined and developed over the past 25 years, with a rich array of curricula that include dual-narrative history, art for social change, human rights law, environmental science, regional civics, as well as clubs that promote debate, feminism, and climate action.

If the Max Rayne Hand in Hand School wins the World's Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity, the school intends to use the prize to support its unique co-teaching model, as well as raise awareness toward the values of shared society and equality among a wider audience.