Thursday, 12th May. All the pupils from the Holy Land School in Jaffa, each with their class and distinguished by coloured caps, led by their teachers, joyfully took part in the sports’ day.
After the marathon, run along the lovely seafront of Jaffa, a number of games requiring concentration and sporting effort awaited them in the large courtyard of the school.
For those of us of a certain age, we were amazed at how many services it is possible to receive in today’s society. Ball games, games testing balance or dizziness, passing through laser rays and more contributed to a peaceful and challenging day, full of joy and friendship.
Year 12 class, with older children, by selling sandwiches and cool drinks, made a tidy sum of money which will help to partly pay for the party at the end of the year. All this can be part of the normal activity of a school, the sports’ day included. However, looking more deeply, you can see how many details, in our School, go beyond the actual event and how many normal points are extraordinarily important.
It was an important lesson for us Westerners of today, full of fear of the other. What is impossible not only proved to be possible, but normal, serene and joyful. We reaped the fruits of a great synergy, or better, of great cooperation. An Orthodox Arab teacher is in charge of the activity, the sports teacher, a leading role, is an Israeli Jew, was is the company that assembled all the sports equipment.
The teachers at the various games are Christians of different denominations, Muslims and Jews. The youngsters, Christian and Muslim, made the atmosphere joyous and fraternal with their participation. The music, with the modern songs and rhythms that youngsters are so fond of, were broadcast over the loudspeakers by the DJ. It was like a day in another country. So very different from the very negative news that we are bombarded with every day. The day took place with such joyful and positive naturalness, that it seemed to have been created on purpose to prove to us that it is possible to live in peace and that co-existence is very possible when people want it.
Medals were distributed to all the winners and the cup went to the class scoring the highest number of points. The anthem of the Holy Land school, which everybody sang with great emotion, brought the day to an end.
At the end, leaving the school and heading towards the convent, a little tired, I find the older children sitting on the steps chatting fraternally. I say, "Wen betku?" (Where is your house?), clearly meaning “Well, when are you leaving?” As good Orientals, they answered me with a question: "Lesh madrasetna, mush betna?, literally, “Why, isn’t our school our home?” to mean that “It’s nice for us to stay here and we feel at home.” Their answer immediately reminded me of something… and I said no more.
I thanked them with a smile and I made my way between them, continuing with a light heart on my way to the convent. Deo Gratias.
Fr. Arturo Vasatuto ofm
Head of the Jaffa secondary school
After the marathon, run along the lovely seafront of Jaffa, a number of games requiring concentration and sporting effort awaited them in the large courtyard of the school.
For those of us of a certain age, we were amazed at how many services it is possible to receive in today’s society. Ball games, games testing balance or dizziness, passing through laser rays and more contributed to a peaceful and challenging day, full of joy and friendship.
Year 12 class, with older children, by selling sandwiches and cool drinks, made a tidy sum of money which will help to partly pay for the party at the end of the year. All this can be part of the normal activity of a school, the sports’ day included. However, looking more deeply, you can see how many details, in our School, go beyond the actual event and how many normal points are extraordinarily important.
It was an important lesson for us Westerners of today, full of fear of the other. What is impossible not only proved to be possible, but normal, serene and joyful. We reaped the fruits of a great synergy, or better, of great cooperation. An Orthodox Arab teacher is in charge of the activity, the sports teacher, a leading role, is an Israeli Jew, was is the company that assembled all the sports equipment.
The teachers at the various games are Christians of different denominations, Muslims and Jews. The youngsters, Christian and Muslim, made the atmosphere joyous and fraternal with their participation. The music, with the modern songs and rhythms that youngsters are so fond of, were broadcast over the loudspeakers by the DJ. It was like a day in another country. So very different from the very negative news that we are bombarded with every day. The day took place with such joyful and positive naturalness, that it seemed to have been created on purpose to prove to us that it is possible to live in peace and that co-existence is very possible when people want it.
Medals were distributed to all the winners and the cup went to the class scoring the highest number of points. The anthem of the Holy Land school, which everybody sang with great emotion, brought the day to an end.
At the end, leaving the school and heading towards the convent, a little tired, I find the older children sitting on the steps chatting fraternally. I say, "Wen betku?" (Where is your house?), clearly meaning “Well, when are you leaving?” As good Orientals, they answered me with a question: "Lesh madrasetna, mush betna?, literally, “Why, isn’t our school our home?” to mean that “It’s nice for us to stay here and we feel at home.” Their answer immediately reminded me of something… and I said no more.
I thanked them with a smile and I made my way between them, continuing with a light heart on my way to the convent. Deo Gratias.
Fr. Arturo Vasatuto ofm
Head of the Jaffa secondary school