This is a program between two 10th grade classes from two different countries:
1. Germany: Landesgymnasium fuer Hochbegabte, Schwaebisch Gmuend.
2. Israel: Leo-Baeck High School, Haifa.

Each class read a German and an Israeli short story in its English translation. We created the website because we want to help each other discuss and analyze the two stories that will read. Perhaps we will give each other new insights on the stories. The website consists of three parts:

  1. Background information related to "Siren" by Etgar Keret, provided by the Leo Baeck Class.
  2. Background information related to "Russians in Berlin" by Vladmir Kaminer, provided by the LGH students.
  3. The internet forum where the students discuss the stories and write each other about other topics as well.

This program allows an opportunity for cultural exchange between German and Israel high school students. It is also an opportunity for students from both countries to practice their English skills. In addition to the above mentioned activities the students will also participate in lectures about the two countries and in a video conference together with Etgar Keret.
The highlight of this program is when the Israel and German students visit each other in their native countries.

Our project was initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Education, which established the Israeli Collaborative Learning Network in order to create a learning environment for schools around the world, and promote the issue of collaborative learning through the Internet, with emphasis on multicultural learning, tolerance, open-mindedness, improvement of communication skills in English, and acquaintance with the Internet. In order to learn more about the ICLN, click here.


(April 2006)
4 weeks ago, 12 journalists from Germany came to Israel. On their trip they came to our school LEO-BAECK and in groups of 3 to 5, they interviewed all of the students in the class about politics and the life in Israel. This was a good experience for us and I think that they felt like me. About a month ago, we saw the movie "HALF". It talks about a man whose father objected to the Nazi principles so he moved to Israel and married a Jewish woman. They had a boy and when he grew old, he wanted to know more about his German roots so he, his father and a group of camera men, flew to Germany and met with his family and found out a lof of things about his father. This is a documentary film, and it was very interesting and educating. And then, on Sunday, March 26, the group of students from the LGH school from Germany came to Israel! They stayed at some of the Israeli student's houses, and joined the 10th graders on their trip to the Golan Heights. Although the noise was a bit overwhelming, everybody had a great time. However, the highlight of this visit was the visit to Yad Vashem, the Old City and the Wailing Wall, where Germans and Israelis alike put notes and then Tel-Aviv where we met with Etgar Keret at the Goethe Institute.

(October 2006)
 In July 14 Israeli students traveled to Germany. Our trip contained many memorable moments. Who would have imagined that a group of Israeli youth would visit a concentration camp together with their German contemporaries and perform a ceremony planned jointly by representatives from both groups? Although a visit in a concentration camp can never be a pleasant experience, the fact that we were there together as friends transformed it into something very special. As tears streamed down the cheeks of Israelis and Germans alike, our guide in Dachau commented, “I can’t see who the Israelis are and who the Germans are.” That same day, some of our students had their faces painted the colors of the German flag on the bus ride back to Schwaebisch Gmuend, as our visit to Dachau coincided with the semi-final World Cup soccer match between Germany and Italy. This odd juxtaposition of events showed us that despite our troubled history, it is possible to bridge the gaps of the past and build a bridge into the future by forming positive relationships between our young people. And today, two months later, all students involved are still emailing eachother on a regular basis, waiting for an opportunity to meet again.