Profiles in Courage: The Next Israeli Chalutzim (Pioneers)
By Susie Sorkin
Sometimes, living an ordinary Israeli life takes a courage that most Americans never have to face. Residents of Sderot live with the reality that at any moment they will have 15 seconds to get into the nearest shelter. Soldiers live with the knowledge that when attacks happen, their job is to charge, not to retreat. Of course, most Israelis don’t face these physical dangers in their daily life. But the Israelis we met on our Consultation trip, showed remarkable courage in daring to dream and daring to fufill those dreams.
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This next generation of chultzim (pioneers) are no longer content to let the government solve (or not solve) society’s problems or let the current social inequalities remain. Here are just a few of the courageous Israelis we met this week:
Anwar Alh'jooj & Akiva Leibowitz – the co-chairs of the board of the HAGAR school, who helped found a school whose mission is to promote Jewish Arab education equality. They believe that all children deserve the right to learn equally and together. Against a backdrop of distrust and fear, they have built a community where not just the children become friends, but the parents do as well. They inspire others in Be'ersheba and beyond to see the possibilities of a shared dream for Israel.
![Hagar School, Be'er Sheva](http://sfjcf.smugmug.com/IsraelPrograms/Israel-and-Global-Consutlation/i-JHwWGmx/0/S/IMG3127-S.jpg)
Categories: Israel