Unity Day events in memory of the three kidnapped boys brought the Prime Minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, on a special tour of the city of Lod this morning (Thursday) - a city where secular, ultra-Orthodox and Arabs live.
Netanyahu began her visit to the city at the Neve Shalom Arab elementary school in the Hareket neighborhood of Lod, where she was invited by the school's principal, Raed Azbarga.
The students welcomed her with a choir singing in Arabic.
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In 2014, Neve Shalom received the Israel Prize for Education for curriculum programs promoting heritage and coexistence.
Zamzam Azbarga, an 11-year-old sixth grade student, presented to the Prime Minister's wife a research paper she initiated as part of her studies, on the subject of the occupations of women leaders from around the world and in Israel.
""I asked to examine whether those women continued their work and occupation during their husbands' terms as heads of state, and I found that Mrs. Netanyahu was the only one who continued to work in her occupation as a child psychologist in the Jerusalem municipal education system, even though her husband was elected for the fourth time as Prime Minister of Israel," Zamzam said during the presentation of her work.
The Prime Minister's wife spoke: ""I wanted to congratulate you and thank you for the beautiful welcome. The basic idea of the school is coexistence. Everyone talks about its importance. It is important to us as Jews and as Israelis with our neighbors and with the non-Jewish citizens of our country - Druze, Arabs, Christians, Circassians.
""Coexistence is not a casual statement but a way of life. Coexistence is the inheritance of every person, as part of the cycle of life: starting from childhood at home, coexistence within the family, continuing to educational frameworks and also between husband and wife.".
""When they arrive at school, and this is where I enter my role as a child psychologist, children go through a maturation process. At first, children don't know how to distinguish between different behaviors, and later they learn about the value of human dignity and respect for others, as a person who is equal to me and who is my mirror.".
""This is how social life is learned - from personal and family frameworks to broader frameworks, which include peoples and countries. I think the world would be better if we remembered this: we don't want quarrels between people and groups, and the same goes for peoples.".
""I am happy to see your education for peace and I wish us a lot of peace with our neighbors and also among ourselves.".
Later, Sara Netanyahu also met with the mayor, Yair Revivo, and with a team of municipal psychologists.
A boon granted to Netanyahu:
In a meeting with the school principal and the mayor:
