On Thursday, January 31, SAR High School’s 10th grade Ivrit class welcomed a special guest, author Sayed Kashua. These students are currently reading Kashua’s book ״,ערבים רוקדים״ (“Dancing Arabs”) and it was an honor to have him visit SAR High School. Similar to his protagonist, Kashua was born in the small Arab town of Tira. As a young child, he was sent to boarding school in Jerusalem for gifted students. This was Kashua’s initial exposure to Israeli Jewish society, culture and particularly to its literature. These experiences were the inspiration for his first book, ״.ערבים רוקדים״ Since then, he has written multiple books in Hebrew and many newspaper articles, often addressing issues such as the identity of the Arab Israeli, with his own signature humor.

Students met with Kashua, who spoke about the strain between Jewish and Arab Israelis and their inability to see and treat each other as human beings, and how they get caught up in stereotypes, making such hurtful slurs as ״.ערבי יישאר ערבי״ Kashua shared his own emotions as a kid who wanted to fit in with his Jewish classmates. He explained how humor was his tool for dealing with many of these complex issues and also discussed his struggles with identity. 

Kashua was impressed with the level of Hebrew students demonstrated and the level of interest they had in the life of a young Arab boy raised in Jerusalem.