A group of young Arab and Jewish Israeli student teachers recently visited Heathlands Village, a community care home in Greater Manchester.
On a trip organised by social business, Visible Outcomes, the guests, who were from Bet Kerem in Jerusalem, took a tour of the facilities at the home, which is run by Jewish social care charity The Fed, as part of a fact-finding tour of communities in the UK.
The group, all of which are studying to be early years education teachers, was escorted around the site by the activity centre’s deputy manager, Jennifer Berger, and volunteer training and recruitment officer, Dalia Kaufman. In addition, the trainee teachers were taken to see The Fed’s children’s centre, with one group member remarking: “how amazing it is that there is something for all ages here, not just older people.”
After a full site visit, the students split up into groups and took part in a range of activities around the village, while others accompanied residents on a trip to a nearby synagogue, with many successfully carrying out conversations in a mixture of English and Ivrit.
Mark Cunningham, CEO of The Fed, also gave a brief outline of the charity’s history, explaining to the visitors that many people living in Heathlands Village still lead active and full lives, and thanked them for giving the residents the greatest gift of all – a chance to stop and enjoy a conversation.