on.tour: Kosher – Don’t You Have That in Islam, Too?

Documenting an Encounter between Two School Classes in Berlin

The meeting was part of a project organized by the educational initiative on.tour – the Jewish Museum Berlin Tours Schools. It was documented in a 26-minute film by Deutsche Welle.

Since 2007 the Jewish Museum Berlin has traveled to schools throughout Germany with its mobile on.tour program and has talked to many young people. Although school classes are highly diverse, the students often know very little about their classmates. The stories presented in our mobile exhibition prompt the students to engage with their own stories and learn more about their fellow students’ backgrounds and cultures.

A Different Kind of Student Exchange: Two Classes from Berlin Schools Get to Know One Another

In order to give the young people the opportunity to engage with their stories in greater depth, we arranged a student meeting in Berlin. After all, even in a multicultural city such as the German capital, which has a highly diverse population, people often live in parallel worlds and do not interact. In many cases prejudices or fears make it difficult or impossible for people to become better acquainted. In cooperation with Deutsche Welle TV, we documented the encounter between two eleventh-grade classes (around age 16) on film. Students from the Albrecht Dürer High School in Neukölln, an immigrant district marked by great ethnic diversity, met with students from the Jewish high school in the Berlin district of Mitte, which attaches great importance to preserving Jewish traditions and culture.

Kosher and Halal seals for food labeling. — Stickers for kosher noodles and matzah, and a German halal certificate; Jewish Museum Berlin

Results and Impetus

One positive result was the series of additional meetings the students organized themselves without the film team’s assistance. Another is the documentary Kosher – don't you have that in Islam, too?, which provides insights into different cultures. Its target audience is not limited to students.

The 26-minute film is available in German, English, and Arabic. The English version can be viewed online at www.dw.com

If you are planning a similar project or wish to develop other ideas to foster diversity at schools, please feel free to contact us. We will gladly share our experiences with you.