TAMRAT EL ZEITOUN, Fruit of the Olive Tree, is the first flourishing Arab Waldorf School. Located in Israel, the school teaches Muslim, Christian and Druze children together in the same classrooms and demonstrates how Waldorf education can be integrated into an Arab community.
Watch this short video to learn about what Tamrat El Zeitoun and Waldorf education mean to the teachers, parents and children in our community.
“We put a seed in the earth and it grows beautifully. I believe that’s what we must do, not just for our society, every society must have that. All the world needs that. And if we believe in that, I think we can change the world.”
TAMRAT EL ZEITOUN, Fruit of the Olive Tree, is the first all-Arab Waldorf School. Located in the Galilee, it is the only school in its city that places Muslim, Christian and Druze children together in the same classrooms. This school provides a model institution for Palestinians in the West Bank, illustrative of how Waldorf education can be integrated into an Arab community.
Each year since the first kindergarten class, new ground is broken at Tamarat El Zeitoun. History is made in the development of Arab Waldorf curriculum for each grade level that incorporates the seasonal celebrations from the Muslim, Christian and Druze faiths. Tamrat El Zeitoun, is a bridge-building catalyst, bringing all three faiths of its community together in one classroom.
Tamrat El Zeitoun, represents an exciting new educational direction arising from an inspired and empowered Arab community from Shfar’am, a city of over 30,000 Muslim, Christian and Druze inhabitants in the lower Galilee. Already prevalent for children in the Jewish communities in Israel, families from Shfar’am wanted Waldorf education to be available for Arab children as well. They also believed that this education which embodies universal human values, could become a unifying force in a society torn by a century of bloodshed and mistrust.
From its inception, Tamrat El Zeitoun was a catalyst for bridging Shfar’am with the neighboring Jewish community involved at the Harduf Waldorf school. Arab faculty from Tamrat El Zeitoun work with teachers at the Harduf Waldorf school in order to create an effective and comprehensive curriculum, including joint activities for their classes.
The existence of Tamrat El Zeitoun is testimony to the resourcefulness, determination and dedication of this small but vibrant Arab Waldorf community. These qualities have enhanced their resilience in confronting and overcoming significant obstacles. Last year alone, Tamrat El Zeitoun negotiated with the city of Shfar’am for permission to continue occupancy of the community building, so as not to be evicted before the end of the school year. Seeking a more stable long-term location, they miraculously raised the funds necessary to build their new school building on land leased to them by a Tamrat El Zeitoun parent. After a summer of community hands-on participation in the building process, the school triumphantly took occupancy of its newly completed structure this last fall semester.
The first and only Arabic-language Waldorf school in Israel, Tamrat El Zeitoun runs on the dedication of their volunteer founders, modestly paid teachers and parent community. olive trees, rooted in their communities, beginning to stand strong and wide in a Middle East where children can flourish.
“When I started learning this special unique education, step by step, little by little, I started to understand what it means, and then I recognized that I need to be here and I want to be here and I want my children to be here.”
Shepha Vainstein
ReGeneration, President
shepha@regenerationeducation.org
Faten Tabaja
Tamrat El Zeitoun, Administrator
fatentabaja@gmail.com
GIVE
Great thought is put into every dollar spent so that we can continue to build the dream of possibility for a better future through education for all children of the Middle East. Plant your roots so that you can reGenerate possibility.
Here is how you can support Tamrat El Zeitoun:$50 pays for a child’s school materials
Your dollars can not only help support our pioneer school, but can create possibility in a child’s life. Imagine the potential.
