00:00 Breaking down walls and prejudices, these are some of the aims of Parlez-en-Paix.
00:09 The organisation, whose name means 'speak in peace', teaches Arabic and Hebrew to
00:14 the same group of pupils who wish to reconnect with their roots or discover a shared heritage.
00:23 The idea of Parlez-en-Paix is to create a climate of living together, both in and out
00:30 of class.
00:31 The concept was established in 2004 by two teachers of the languages, determined to create
00:36 a space for cultural exchange in a friendly environment.
00:40 Political positions are kept out of the classroom, making lessons successful in spite of the
00:45 current conflict.
00:46 "I was amazed to finally come across a place like this, where there's no prejudice, where
00:54 you're not afraid of being Jewish or Arab."
01:00 There are three classes of different levels that would usually be held in a secondary
01:04 school.
01:05 But this changed after Dominique Bernard, a teacher in northern France, was murdered
01:09 in October.
01:11 Since then, a member has been hosting the lessons as the school reviews its security.
01:16 Some students use classes as an opportunity to reconnect with their history, like Joseph,
01:21 who is Jewish and has Tunisian roots.
01:23 "I didn't want to be lost.
01:25 I wanted to hang on to my origins, despite being uprooted."
01:31 With current events in the Middle East personally impacting some of its members, the organisation's
01:35 mission has become all the more pertinent.
01:38 "I think that an organisation called Parlez-en-Paix should be about hope.
01:45 Without hope, you don't come here to learn Hebrew or Arabic."
01:52 The evening usually continues after classes have finished, with conversations that bring
01:56 members together.
01:57 - That's true. - Yeah.
