Jewish and Arab elementary school students from the mixed city of Lod in central Israel are working together in a unique program that includes an archaeological dig at the site of the city's famous mosaic, in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority. The program, titled "Shared Lives -- Communal Archaeology in Lod," is run jointly by the IAA, the Efshar Aheret (Different Can Be Better) organization, Merchavim -- The Institute for the Advancement of Shared Citizenship in Israel, and is funded by the Morningstar Foundation and the Lod Municipality. As part of the program, the students learn together about the city's past and take part in an excavation at the mosaic site. Students from Jewish and Arab schools meet throughout the program. Efshar Aheret project manager Etai Ziv said, "These meetings [between the students] allow for change regarding tolerance, respectful relationships, understanding and intercultural sensitivity." At the same time, there are classroom visits from IAA staff, wherein children enjoy experiential learning workshops about the history and archaeology of the area. Esther York, who manages the project for IAA, said, "It is important to us to encourage pride among the students and to have them become ambassadors for publicizing the importance of preserving antiquities." The Lod Mosaic was discovered in 1994. During IAA excavations at the site, archaeologists found remnants of an ancient Roman villa and an exceptionally well-preserved mosaic depicting animals, geometric shapes and marine scenes.
