ISRAEL 21C
Making friends while racing with ‘the other’ in Jerusalem
by Abigail Klein Leichman
May 17, 2018

Philip, like many of the teens involved in Arab and Jewish Jerusalem running group Runners Without Borders, doesn’t know enough Arabic to converse with his counterparts from Arab neighborhoods. But as a recent Russian immigrant, he barely speaks Hebrew either.  While running through Jerusalem’s Liberty Bell and Mesila parks for training once a week, Philip nevertheless has made friends. “He found common ground with both sides, communicating with signals and a few words as they run together,” says Israel Haas, cofounder of RWB, which encourages Jewish and Arab residents of the city to meet, interact and cooperate through athletics. READ MORE