Arab-Jewish Youth Circus

From a correspondence with Rabbi Marc Rosenstein:

After the riots in the Galilee in 2000, a number of local "dialogue groups" got organized, in which Jews and Arabs met to discuss what had happened, why, what changes were called for, and how they could be achieved.   At one such gathering, a subgroup formed to discuss how the arts might be a tool for creating a cultural common denominator – for the Galilee is de facto segregated to a large extent – where people live, the schools they attend, the cultural events they attend, the languages they speak.  The arts might
provide a neutral language, or meeting place.  In this discussion, the idea of circus came up, as a classic example of a cultural tradition that transcends local ethnic identities – in Europe and throughout the world.  After a few years of false starts, we finally got a seed grant from the Abraham Fund in 2003 and opened the Galilee Circus.

The Galilee Circus website adds,

The late Australian circus artist and educator Reg Bolton has written about “circus to save the world.” When you see the child of Russian immigrants from Karmiel balancing on the shoulders of his Arab peer from Dir El Assad – you know exactly what he means. When the kids stop the music at the curtain call of their first show to say – in Hebrew and in Arabic – “The Galilee Circus family thanks you…” you understand that this not just another after-school activity. These kids come on their own time (from different communities, different religions, speaking different languages), they commit themselves, and they understand that they have to do what they do in complete cooperation with The Other – or they will do nothing at all. 

Rabbi Marc Rosenstein is cofounder of Circus Galilee and director of Hebrew Union College's Israel program.