Embracing differences, encouraging tolerance
“Shonim B’yahad”, currently on display at the Jaffa Port, is an art educational project that promotes tolerance, equality, coexistence, and acceptance of the ‘other’ in Israel.
In Israel, “Shonim B’yahad” is an initiative of the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism, headed by Rabbi Meir Azari. The Israeli project is an extension of “Embracing Our Differences”, a project that was launched more than a decade ago in Sarasota, Florida. Today, tens of thousands of students around the world participate in this important project.
In 2017, following the late Nechama Rivlin’s (z”l) visit to the exhibition, her husband, President Reuven Rivlin, remarked: “This exhibition can teach us all about humanity, tolerance, inclusion, patience and human kindness. We need this hope – the ability of our youth to feel beyond what is seen – and to look towards the future. I hope that this wonderful project will continue to create a “meeting of minds” between youth of all faiths, ethnicities and sectors.”
From the artwork we learn that for us to be ready to accept the ‘other’, we must first learn self-acceptance; through self-acceptance we can celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of ourselves and the others around us.
The artwork included in the exhibition was selected from hundreds of pieces created during the 2018-19 school year.