Recently, our students had the chance to go on an amazing opportunity under which they were able to visit Jerusalem, see its holy sites, conduct projects within the city, to learn outside the classroom, and to connect their learning with the mission of the school. Jerusalem Week, which took place on the 30th of January to the 1st of February, was an opportunity for students to engage with their surroundings and to learn more through seeing different parts of the city and hearing different opinions on the city.

On the first day, the students had the chance to undergo an extensive tour of the city and to visit holy sites central to the beliefs of all three Abrahamic religions, those being the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, The Western Wall, and the Aqsa Mosque (Haram Al-Sharif). In addition, the students had the chance to see other sites and to walk through all the quarters of the Old City. After dinner at the Gloria Hotel, where the students stayed for the days of the project, the students had the chance to engage in a panel with Palestinian and Israeli experts on Jerusalem and the conflict, which allowed students to consider additional views on the city.

On the second day, students had the ability to overtake a project of their own planning in the city, in order to research learn more about the city and its functionings. As such, students went in person to research many topics, ranging from political views to urban planning and education. Students visited NGOs, schools, the UN offices, and many other places. That same evening, students paid a visit to Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) to learn more about entrepreneurship in the city and to hear a talk from a representative of the Quartet on economic and social development within the Palestinian Territories and its relation to peace building. Finally, on the third day, students had the chance to reflect within their group about their learning over the past few days. The students did a problem-solving workshop and presented their findings during the week to their fellow schoolmates.

Overall, Jerusalem Week was a wonderful opportunity in which students learned much about the conflict, Jerusalem, religions and the connections of many people to the city, and about a myriad of subjects and aspects of the city itself. Most importantly, the students learned about themselves and their relation to conflict; the students learned to listen to new or opposing views and showed their prowess at doing so over the days of
Jerusalem Week.