Reshaping conflict through school ceremonial events in Israeli Palestinian-Jewish coeducation

This article on the joint Hanukkah/Id'l Fitter/Christmas celebration examines Arab-Jewish coeducation aimed at encouraging each group to take pride in their cultural heritage while experiencing and respecting the heritage of the other. The study is an attempt to better understand the ways in which bilingual/multicultural efforts can shape individual and group perspectives and help overcome intergroup tensions and conflict, inquiring into the potential of ritual events to support this endeavor. The article aims to assist teacher educators in (re)designing new or existing multicultural education programs for conflict-ridden areas, and to illuminate the dynamic interaction between the declared expectations of those programs and the conflictual contexts that constrain them.