A school in Jerusalem brings Arab and Jewish kids together to boost understanding

The Hand in Hand Jerusalem school principal Efrat Meyer, who is Jewish, and vice principal Engie Wattad, who is Arab Muslim, are longtime colleagues and friends. The school is mixed and bilingual. (Ayman Oghanna for NPR)

JERUSALEM — When the bell rings at Jerusalem's Hand in Hand school, you hear something that's not common in Israel: the sound of young people's voices rising together in laughter and conversation in both Hebrew and Arabic.

Israeli society is largely segregated. There is no law officially mandating segregation, but the separation of Jews and Arabs — who make up 20% of Israel's population — usually begins at a young age, with separate school systems.