South Hebron Hills, Hashem alDarej, Thu 9.5.13, Morning
Purpose of the workshop: Musical activity in the Hashem el-Daraj preschool with participation of Huda.
Topic of the activity: Teaching children songs (Arabic) with movements and dance.
There were about 30 children in the preschool day, more than usual.
Activity: Hanadi taught the children simple songs accompanied by various movements that allowed for improvisation. She also came with a disc of music so that she did not have to sing all the time. The children and Huda fully entered into the activity with much enthusiasm. Even children who are usually very inhibited readily and happily entered into the activity. The dancing movement changed from individual movements to group movements – this also helped to increase participation.
We brought percussion instruments with us and gave each child one. In a circle activity, each child had a chance to play the instrument in a ‘solo performance’ which the children enjoyed. For the last activity, Hanadi organized the children into a train and she led them around the room to the tune of the songs they learned.
Pictures of the activity (Judy – Gan Huda art activity April 18th, 2013https://picasaweb.google.com/113044451662544057850?authkey=Gv1sRgCNS_j8qy0sCOGA
“Staff” meeting:
We felt that this was a very successful activity. It seems that an activity which combines dance with familiar children’s songs works well. In one of our next activities we will arrange to sing with the children. We celebrated with Amna’s sweet tea, Huda’s pita and lebana (soft white goat’s milk cheese), and the cookies and dates we brought. We talk about the organization of the next event – butterflies. We also discussed the participation in the ‘day at the sea’ that is being organized by the women of Machsom Watch. It was upsetting that the preschool’s assistant Amna, who is the second wife of the head of the village, will not be able to attend because the village head will participate with another of his wives. We brought cleaning materials – even though in Hebron these material cost half as much. Next time we will also bring toilet paper – which is lacking.
South Hebron Hills
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South Hebron Hills
South Hebron Hills is a large area in the West Bank's southern part.
Yatta is a major city in this area: right in the border zone between the fertile region of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants.
The surrounding villages are called Masafer Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.Since the beginning of the 1980s, many settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with withholding water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.
There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Roadblocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.
Updated April 2022
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