Teachers' Lounge

Promoting multicultural tolerance and peaceful shared society.

two women smiling at each other in a classroom

Established in 2014, Teachers’ Lounge is a signature program of HUC-JIR/Jerusalem promoting multicultural tolerance and peaceful shared society. It is accredited by the Israeli Ministry of Education.

classroom setting with two women in a discussion

Program Overview

Teachers’ Lounge brings together Arab and Jewish educators for a year of sustained professional development and relationship-building around their passion for teaching.

Throughout the program, teachers engage in deep exploration of their personal, professional, and cultural identities as they discuss common educational challenges. The experience of meeting with “the Other” is facilitated through a variety of mediums including theater, art, writing workshops, video, and photography, as well as through joint tours of the city.

people looking over Jerusalem at sunset

Guiding Purpose

The guiding purpose of Teachers’ Lounge is to enable educators from various, often adversarial, communities to create an open dialogue centered on overcoming barriers to peaceful coexistence.

At the heart of the program are the participating teachers who serve as moral, civic, and educational role models for students in every community. Since the program began, Teachers’ Lounge has created a safe haven where teachers from around the city can meet and learn with and from each other.

group of people smiling at the at the camera from a balcony above

Growth of Teachers’ Lounge

Based on the success of the Jerusalem program, Teachers’ Lounge expanded in 2021 to serve educators in the Western Galilee. In 2022, two additional centers were opened – one in Ramle in collaboration with the Rossing Center, and one in Tel Aviv-Jaffa offered jointly with Beit Daniel.

This program is conducted in Hebrew. See the Hebrew language page.