Christians, Jews, and Muslims all look to Jerusalem as a holy city. Yet Jerusalem is also a city separated by nationality and religion,
where children grow up in their Muslim or Jewish neighbourhoods without ever interacting with one another. Now the Bible Lands
Museum is using a common ancestor to bring these youngsters together. Half of these fourth graders pounding on drums come
from a Jewish school in Jerusalem. The rest are from the Israeli Arab village of Umm Tuba on the eastern side of the city.
The Bible Lands Museum invites children from both sides of the city to come and learn about who they consider to be their common ancestor, Abraham, known as Avraham in Hebrew and Ibrahim in Arabic, as a way to promote understanding between Muslims and Jews. A Jewish student named Shoham said. “I realized they are kids just like us.” Ibrahim had never been to the West side of the city before. “It was good,” he said. “I met them and learned about a new culture.”
Museum director Amanda Weiss says, “It offers young people, children especially, their teachers and their parents an opportunity
to come together in an environment that has none of the political overtones, works to develop a sense of mutual respect and
understanding,” Weiss said. “That is our focus and our goal while teaching about our shared common heritage,” she said. The course includes workshops in which children recreate biblical era objects. The process does take time – Museum counsellors begin working with each group of children at their schools months before the first museum visit.
Source:Israel Up Close Production; CBN News
BIBLE STUDY: Psalm 122:6-9
PRAISE: God that He is the great peace-giver. Pray for lasting fruit in the lives of these children.