Dear friends,
“When I think about what influenced me more than anything else in the formation of my humanist ideals, I find that literature played a critical part. Through literature, I realized that I am not the only or most important person in the world. I learned that all people are my brothers and sisters, and that they and I are equals. […] Of course, children’s literature – a child’s first window into culture – serves as a powerful lever for fostering a humanistic approach in all of us. […] We all know that the children of today are the citizens of tomorrow, who will determine the fate of humanity.”
This is what author Sami Michael, the president of ACRI, wrote in the introduction to our remarkable new project, led by Noa Rivlin and Kholod Idris of ACRI’s Education Department. In honor of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21st March, we turned to Israeli Jewish and Arab authors of children’s books, and asked them to recommend literature written for children, which they believe conveys a message against racism. We didn’t list any special categories – they could choose any publication from any genre, written in Hebrew, in Arabic or translated, which deals directly or indirectly with racism. Our only criteria was that their choice be appropriate for children of all ages – from kindergarten to the end of primary school, to reflect our belief that education against racism should start at an early age.
The result? A varied list of stimulating literature, which serves to remind us of the power that literature has in captivating our minds and imaginations. The process reminded me of memories from my own childhood, and of reading stories to my daughters when they were younger. It was touching to look at them from a new perspective, presented through the recommendations of the authors who took part in the project. It exposed new pieces of literature that I was unfamiliar with, and illustrated the many creative and diverse ways that one can convey the same message. I wish to extend our gratitude to all of the authors who participated in the project.
Educating children against racism is not just a topic for one “special day” on the calendar, or for a single activity. It ought to be a significant educational process, spread across many different avenues that touch on a child’s different life experiences. Various literary works are a good basis for this process – and there are plenty of them – some of which you will find in our list of recommendations, and you will certainly think of many others. We hope that you find this list useful and inspiring, and we encourage you to share it with your friends, and with other parents and educators.
Yours,
Sharon
Sharon Abraham-Weiss
Executive Director
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
