Operation Understanding Program

Program Components

Selection and Orientation
In early February of each year, six to eight African-American and six to eight Jewish high school juniors are selected from scores of applications for a year and a half of cross-cultural exchange. Every effort is made to choose participants who represent diverse communities and come from all economic backgrounds. Operation Understanding is financed through donations, so ability to pay is not a consideration in the selection process. The selection committee, made up of African-American and Jewish community leaders and two immediate past participants, selects candidates based on their demonstrated leadership ability, communication and interpersonal skills, and commitment to foster social change. Over 350 Philadelphia students have participated in our program over the past twenty years.

The program consists of three segments: orientation, summer travel, and public programs. The orientation phase begins after the selection process is complete. The objective of this phase is to build a foundation of knowledge regarding African-American culture, Jewish/Jewish-American culture, and the history of African-American/Jewish relations. Students are also provided with training in group dynamics and interpersonal communication.

Summer Travel
In recent years, Operation Understanding has had both international and domestic travel phases. Students in the international program will travel to Senegal and Israel during the month of July. In these countries, students are exposed to the distinct ways of life and cultures that make these countries unique. They visit sites of historical importance and learn about the origins of the traditions of each group.

The domestic trip consists of travel to New York City and to the South. During their travels in the US, the group meets with Holocaust survivors and Civil Rights activists, and visits sites of cultural and religious significance for both communities. From New York, the students travel to the Gullah/Geechee islands off the cost of South Carolina; Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma, Alabama; and Memphis, Tennessee. This journey will educate the students on the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the alliance between African-Americans and Jews during through history up to the present. They will learn the roots of racial conflicts in the U.S., which will enable them to draw parallels from history to issues of racism and anti-semitism in today's society.

During the summer of 2008, all students will travel internationally.

Two adult Group Leaders accompany each group and act as chaperones and facilitators. They encourage the students to think of themselves as cultural anthropologists rather than tourists. Nightly meetings are held during which the students discuss stereotypes, racism, anti-semitism, African-American/Jewish relations, identity, and what they can do to combat these problems. Strong bonds of friendship result from the experience of living and traveling together and having daily conversations. Having cultivated this new appreciation of one another's cultural heritage, the students are inspired to take their message to the community, which is integral to the goals of the next phase.

Education and Training
The third phase takes place during the students' senior year in high school, when they take what they have learned and educate others. They share their message in a variety of forums including radio and television shows, newspaper articles, and personal appearances. The students do speaking engagements throughout the community, and often start multi-cultural clubs at their schools. While the students devote a lot of time to educating others, their own learning process in not over. They continue to meet monthly to discuss what is happening in their schools and communities, sharpen their leadership, communication and facilitation skills, and maintain the cohesion of the group.