Last month, a select group of Upper School students had the opportunity to connect with students at Ramot Yam High School in Mikhmoret, Israel. Bridging the distance of seven time zones and more than 6,000 miles, the morning Zoom call from Latin greeted Israeli students in their respective homes at the end of their day. Following a brief round of introductions, Ramot Yam teacher Ms. Joyce Schwartz encouraged her students to share what life has looked like since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

“The terrorists came in through part of Gaza and went to that big party,” said one young man. “Much of my country woke to sirens telling them to go to bomb shelters.”

“It was Saturday—our day of rest,” one young lady emphasized. She described how the attack at the festival was a true nightmare for every kid or teenager in Israel. “Every time you go to a large place with thousands of people, you think, ‘Wow, this would be a great place for a terrorist attack.’ A bunch of kids went to a big outdoor concert and were suddenly bombed,” she said. “Nobody took it seriously because there are lots of bombs in that area [Gaza]. But then they heard shooting…”

Ms. Schwartz said her husband’s cousin was at the music concert and taken hostage. She said the terrorists are posting photos of hostages online, but nobody knows how many people have been taken.

“The spirit of my home is not the same after Saturday,” a young man mourned. He recounted how one of his neighbors lost his wife and children on October 7. They were visiting family in one of the villages attacked while his neighbor stayed behind in Haifa. “They were my neighbors,” said the student. “I can’t walk past his house and even imagine what he’s feeling after this. I saw my neighbor interviewed on TV and the reporter asked, ‘How can you keep going?’ [My neighbor] said, ‘I keep trying to do as much as possible to help others who are going through worse.’”

On the Zoom screen, students sat with the background of their homes contained in individual rectangles, yet that day they’d already heard rockets overhead three times.  Ms. Schwartz confirmed this is “about average” for their coastal town of Mikhmoret. “Hezbollah and Hamas are firing missiles in both the north and south now,” she said, “to create terror.” 

“As we are speaking, there are rockets being fired 50 miles north of where I am,” a young man interjected. “I’m waiting for a message from my grandparents letting me know they are ok.” 

During the school day, they practice drills. Every building has a bomb shelter, and they have 90 seconds to get there. “We sit inside for a while and continue our lessons,” said one student. “For us it’s a drill, but other schools seek shelter multiple times a day and stay for hours. Some live in shelters. All day. That’s the only way they can continue doing school.”

Ms. Schwartz explained that many people in the country aren’t working anymore or they were drafted into the army. Migrant workers fled when the war started, leaving farmers in Mikhmoret—an agricultural community just south of Haifa—unable to harvest or sell their produce. “Last week, we went as a grade to help some of the farmers pick fruit from the trees,” said one young lady. “That’s what we did for school that day.” 

The Israeli students wanted to hear American students’ perspectives on the war, the hostages, the media coverage, and how Israel is being portrayed. They asked if there are many protests in Charlotte and what conversations are happening in schools, among peers, and in the community at large. 

Latin students shared about the newly formed Jewish Culture Club and a recent school assembly that educated students and faculty about Israel, Gaza, Hamas, and the current situation.  They said their teachers have been encouraging of dialogue and that students are talking in class and in small groups. Wanting to know how they might support fellow teenagers enduring the traumas of war, Latin students asked, “What can we do to help you?”

Several Israeli students offered answers around two central points: 1) Differentiate between the groups, what is happening, and where. 2) Qualify where you are getting your numbers and understand the context. “Many different organizations are wanting to be the first to report, but many do not fact check,” said one student. “And context is so important. If you hear numbers without context, it’s irrelevant.”

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Charlotte Latin has been invited to continue joining the conversations with Cape Henry Collegiate and Ramot Yam. Ms. Moreland says they have interest from Latin students and will see about coordinating schedules to permit ongoing dialogue.

The opportunity came via William Fluharty, Director of the Nexus Center for Global Studies at Cape Henry Collegiate (an independent school in Virginia.) Mr. Fluharty and Ms. Kelly Willis, Director of Global Studies at Charlotte Latin, currently serve together on the NAIS Global Ambassadors Advisory Working Group. Ms. Willis reached out to US Math teacher Lisa Moreland and Speech and Debate teacher Bilal Butt to help coordinate the experience.