Hakol Chai's School Program to Encourage Compassion towards Animals

Written by: Rizek Halaby, correspondent of Panet website and Panorama newspaper

15 April 2013, Translated from Arabic

Full article in Arabic

A seminar was recently held at Beit Oren Hotel, where the organization Hakol Chai presented its program to school teachers and principals.

Asma Halladi

Aimed at the development of the values of preservation and protection of all living things, as well as the prevention of torture, the seminar instructed participants to respect all creation, human or animal. Panorama has met a number of the seminar's participants and gathered their impressions of the program, which has already been implemented in ten schools in the Arab sector, and hopes are held for its further expansion.

"Reexamining the nature of our connection with all living things"

The one responsible for the implementation of Hakol Chai's project "Expanding the Circle of Compassion" in northern Israel is Ella Valensi. When asked about the project's goals, she responds: "The project was meant to provide students with the opportunity to learn about the concept of intellectual development in the areas the organization focuses its efforts on, namely, respecting all that surrounds us: people of all religious beliefs, animals and plants, and accepting those who are different from us. The project presents new thoughts about the ability to change given situations and respond differently, basing the response on respect; this ability stems from a reexamination of our connections with all the living creatures on planet Earth, in light of the concept of the greater good." Ms. Valensi also added: "It all starts at home, with the family, and in school through principals and teachers. In order to fulfill their calling, they need to work with the students in groups, discussing the subject and helping them develop their thought patterns through that particular prism."

"Instilling values in our students and our society"

Educator Omer Halladi, principal of Alburge school in Shfar'am says: "This program has been implemented in our school for the second year in a row now, and it has had a very positive impact on the students' intellectual and moral values, because when each student acquires the skills and learns the science and the other content, they see through them how they need to behave with animals. The student sees an animal being tortured and learns how to be merciful with it, learns what freedom is, learns who the strong man is and who the weak man is, really." Halladi continues and says: "When god, praise his name, created the world, he set a purpose for each and every animal, and we must respect these purposes and learn from the animals, admiring them. We need to pass these values to our society, thus making yet another positive step in our day-to-day actions, through the values."

"The message got across"

Rosie Da'aka, vice principal of Zalah Samur school in Shfar'am, also addresses the subject: "Hakol Chai's program is vital. It is about admiring our environment and strengthening the students' values on this subject. The project addresses the students' behavior with all living creatures, including animals, starting with our immediate environment and our family, and then expanding to more distant situations." Ms. Da'aka continues and says: "Zalah Samur's school staff has done a wonderful job and has really excelled in this project, working with the students on the subject of sciences. It should be noted that our school has a petting zoo, and we are making sure the project is implemented properly."

As for the students' reactions and cooperation, Da'aka said: "Compassion is fundamental in our society. Children are allowed to play with cats or dogs, touch them and pet them, and I believe we can make a difference, change children's opinions. Many children can take care of certain types of animals, even without their parents' permission, but some can feed the neighborhood dog or cat. I think the message got across."

"I see this as a good thing"

Sheikh Ridan Alman, a teacher in Haab Qasra in the village of Samia: "In my line of work, I teach the monotheistic mindset, in accordance with the Druze faith, and we find that, religiously, there is a strong connection to this subject. It originates from fascinating religious stories, which we have woven into the program and are now teaching in class along with the relevant subjects. This has had a very strong impact; there is an awakening in all that concerns the treatment of animals and behavior with them, as well as healthy and unhealthy foods for them." Sheikh Ridan Alman continues and says: "I see this as a good thing. Hakol Chai’s program is important for the handling of animals, as well as others around us."

"Developing the Students' Values and Feelings"

Asma Halladi, a teacher at Al'H'Robiya school in Shfar’am, also addresses the subject: "We make sure the Hakol Chai project is implemented in our school, because this organization strives to preserve compassion and mercy towards animals. This project is not new to us; we started implementing it last year. Now we use it as a tool for advancing the students' understanding of values and developing their emotions around the way animals are treated by man. After all, animals are also living creatures in this world, and we, as humans, have a responsibility — animals have a right to live, because they, too, have souls." Ms Halladi continues and says: "This educational project passes good values to the students, and it is important that the students practice their skills and develop their values throughout our environment."

Sheikh Ridan Alman

Ella Valensi

Rosie Da’aka

Omer Halladi

 

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