COURSE SUMMARY
The Unity Program is a course designed to educate high school students about Muslims, Jews, Islam, and Judaism while strengthening the relationships students have to their own communities and religious traditions. We examine issues within North American Jewish and Muslim communities, the historical relationship between Muslims and Jews, and the relationship between Judaism and Islam. Each of these components deepens students' understandings of their individual and group identities in the contemporary world as well as the textual, ideological, and historical relationship between and within each community.

This course derives its name from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who writes in his epic treatise, Why We Can’t Wait, “unity has never meant uniformity”. Whereas uniformity describes something unvaried and monolithic, unity portrays a pluralism of opinion and expression within a collective that shares a singleness of purpose. The Abraham’s Vision Unity Program is aimed at developing both Jewish and Muslim identities while drawing from the similar religious purposes of these two communities, teaching students the vital imperative to learn with and from the ‘other.’

The four major components of the Unity Program are:

(1) Teacher-led classes on issues related to Jewish-Muslim relations, Islam, and Judaism.

(2) Presentations by Muslim and Jewish guest speakers.

(3) Inter-school field trips to sites of cultural, historical, and/or religious significance.

4) Inter-school meetings in which train facilitators lead students in group dynamics sessions.

The Unity Program utilizes these methods to create an environment where students learn with and from the ‘other.’


 

Apply Now for the 2010-2011 Unity Program!

(When filling out the application, please download the pdf, save a copy to your hard drive, fill out the form and send it as an attachment. For Mac users, please be sure that writing in the fields of your UP application are visible after you save the document.)









The Unity Program: Jewish and Muslim Students Speak About Their Experiences






A Sneak-Peek at the 2009-10 Unity Program Graduation Footage



Abraham's Vision - 2010 Unity Program graduates - Muslim & Jewish teens from Libby and Len Traubman on Vimeo.







Unity Program II
For 2009-2010 Unity Program Alumni ONLY:

Unity Program II, a year-long program, run through Abraham’s Vision, will be offered on Sunday afternoons, twice/month from October 1, 2010 through June 1, 2011. In October, November, and December student-participants will engage in bi-monthly inter-communal meetings focusing on Group Process, text study, and social justice activism. In January, February, March, April, and May student-participants will engage in bi-monthly activities focusing on a single social justice project, a cause the group will decide upon together in the fall semester. Only students who participated in the 2009-2010 Unity Programs Bay Area are eligible to apply as the course is intended to build upon the 2009-2010 Unity Program curriculum. Meetings will alternate between the East Bay and South Bay.




Apply Now for the 2010-2011 Unity Program II
(When filling out the application, please download the pdf, save a copy to your hard drive, fill out the form and send it as an attachment. For Mac users, please be sure that writing in the fields of your UP application are visible after you save the document.)