Old Trail School welcomed Erez Kaganovitz in September. He is the creator of Humans of Tel Aviv, a series of online photos and memoirs telling stories of the many people of the city.
This visit was part of a continuing collaboration with Classrooms Without Borders, and was made possible thanks to a generous gift from the Mandel Family Foundation.
Grade 5 students worked with Mr. Kaganovitz to learn about how Tel Aviv’s public sphere is comprised of many different social groups that are able to live together in peace, respect, and harmony. Through photos and memoirs, students ‘walked’ around the city and observed religious Jews sitting next to secular Israelis in public squares. They also “saw” women wearing Hijabs having fun at the beach next to women wearing bathing suits.
Tel Aviv manages to bring together many different walks of life and protects the human rights of each one. Grade 5 students are studying countries and cultures from around the world as part of their Social Studies curriculum.
“I believe that knowledge is a great power for change. The first step towards multiculturalism and respect among different humans is to get a better understanding about the unique culture and values that every different facet of humanity holds. By telling the life stories of different humans from different backgrounds, Humans of Tel Aviv is trying to change (even a little) the way we are all seeing one another,” said Erez Kaganovitz.
