On Sep. 19, the Heschel community welcomed the Galilee Dreamers to the high school. The Galilee Dreamers, a group of united Arab and Israeli high school students, seek to collaborate in their local communities and travel abroad to learn through open discourse and community-building activities.

Jewish Student Life team member Julia Bernstein explained why school administrators were so eager to welcome the Galilee Dreamers into our community: “It was special to have them here because the work they are engaging in is more critical now than ever. This type of program is not something a lot of people are exposed to, so sharing that with our students was a unique opportunity.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Juniors and seniors met with the Dreamers, who shared how living in Northern Israel during the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict has impacted their lives. While some discussions uncovered uncomfortable truths, the candid exchanges fostered hope among students that open dialogue could cultivate genuine empathy and change.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Some students even had the opportunity to converse with the Dreamers one-on-one during lunch, connecting over everyday topics.

Senior Elena Bakhchi reflected on her lunch experience: “We had such a nice time; it felt like we were friends speaking, and where we came from didn’t matter.”