In a reality where demographic change is accelerating student heterogeneity in classrooms, teachers are required to find ways to balance the tension between the demand for professional teaching and the commitment to address moral dilemmas, work to reduce disparities, and cultivate a tolerant attitude towards "otherness".

The term 'other' means the ability to be distinguished from the familiar. One group may refer to different groups as 'others' in terms of age, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and other demographic factors (Gallos & Ramsey 1997). According to Lev-Ari and Hassisi (2020), 'otherness' is related to the interrelationships between different groups in society. "Our" group is successful in our eyes, to which we feel belonging and appreciation. In contrast, the "others" are socially inferior, and we compete with them or oppose it.

'Otherness' in school

Education frameworks in many parts of the world are becoming more diverse, and the challenges of inclusion, integration, and narrowing gaps are becoming more significant. In Israel, too, almost all schools are heterogeneous, with veteran Israeli children, immigrants, and refugees studying there.

According to Abu Asaba (2015), the school allows for an encounter with the ‘other’, and one of the educator’s main roles is to cultivate attitudes of tolerance while overcoming the feelings of threat and fear that accompany expressions of hatred and racism towards the other. Kumi-Yuboah and Smith (2017) discussed the relationship between the socio-political discourse in school and the achievements of children from minority groups. According to them, a school that respects the heritage and social norms of children from diverse cultures significantly reduce xenophobia and cultural discrimination.

Otherness in the Bible

Biblical literature describes the people of Israel in different periods and reflects diverse "otherness":

Ethnic Otherness - Attitudes towards other peoples are characterized by rigidity, hostility, and fear of the influences of a foreign culture. This hostile attitude is immersed in law, historiography, prophecy, and books of wisdom. The strangers in the Bible are called by names like a foreigner, stranger.

Feminine Otherness - The biblical tradition, written by heterosexual men and intended for them, dualizes female ‘otherness’: the woman is presented as different and vital at the same time (Walsh, 2014). In this way, the patriarchal social structure is perpetuated. As a result, over the generations a basic division of women has developed in the Bible: (1) foreign, 'other' women, usually foreigners who act against the authority of the man who controls their destiny, (2) normative women, usually Israelis who internalize the fact that they are subordinate to the man who gives them Sponsorship and support (Ashman, 2008).

Physical Otherness - Related to Body - The priest serves as a model: a man, with a body without blemish, can enter the Holy of Holies. Like him, members of his community who do not have a physical defect can attend religious worship ceremonies. In contrast, the 'others' with physical disabilities of any kind cannot take part in the life of the religious community. For example, lepers cannot participate in community life and worship (Walsh 2014; Raphael 2014).

However, the multiplicity of opinions reflected in the Bible can at any time also express attitudes of tolerance and inclusion towards different types of ‘other’ (Walsh, 2014; Geyser-Posha and Puri, 2017).

The study is based on depth interviews with 13 Bible teachers with 5-25 years of teaching experience in upper elementary classes in state education.

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions and actions of Bible teachers to cultivate an awareness of the 'other' in Bible lessons and outside of the classroom and school boundaries.

The research is qualitative-interpretive and focuses on the description and explanation of the teachers' perceptions of the Bible on the issue of the 'other' and the interpretation of the actions that the teachers take in accordance with their perceptions. The study reveals the teachers' personal voices and the reasons for choosing the actions they took while presenting their interpretation and explanation (Zur & Eisikovits, 2015). The research tool is in-depth interviews, conducted with 13 Bible teachers, and lasting about 45 minutes each. Sample questions asked in interviews: Is it important that Bible lessons be part of an array that fosters social awareness of 'others'? Which texts will you choose to discuss in the lesson on the subject of the 'other' ?; What were the considerations in choosing to engage with ‘others’ in the texts you chose ?; How did you choose to mediate the topic for the students? How did you deal with diverse, unacceptable opinions during the discussion? The interview's contents were analyzed through content analysis that focused on what the teachers were saying rather than the way things were being said. Content analysis according to Shakedi (2003) is a kind of window that allows a look into the inner experience and it focuses on words and descriptions as reflecting the perceptions and actions in the classroom and in the school space. Moreover, according to Krippendorff (2004), content analysis enables a description of the data and the drawing of valid conclusions for their broad context. At the analysis stage, each of the researchers read the data segments separately to determine to which category the segment belongs according to the research objectives. In the second stage, the sections were matched to categories, and the reliability among the judges was 86%. We then re-read the texts of each category and raised prominent themes in that category. The study carefully maintained the ethical rules: maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of the respondents and the data, avoiding abusive wishes, and giving the respondents a choice whether to respond or not. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the academic institution.

The findings indicate two main conceptions: (1) a conception that goes beyond the boundaries of the academic discourse and fosters a value-based social discourse of tolerance, openness, and awareness of the 'other'. (2)a conception focuses only on the scholarly discourse and refraining from engaging in issues of ‘otherness’ during biblical lessons. Teachers who hold the first concept acted to promote educational-value dialogue in encounters with transparent ‘others. According to them, dialogue facilitates contact between diverse worldviews, requires respect and listening to the opinions of others. According to Aloni (2018) and Leviathan (2016), it is important to cultivate the students' personality in a general and multifaceted way, while maintaining openness and human dignity, so that they as individuals can realize their potential and be involved in society. As for the second conception, we found that teachers acted from a dichotomous conception, and they distinguish between engaging in ‘otherness’ and teaching the discipline. As a result, discussions on social issues and moral dilemmas took place mainly in education classes, and the teacher made no connection between the biblical text and the social issue. It is possible that this reality is a product of teacher training that emphasizes the teaching of disciplinary knowledge. Theoretically, the study adds a new tier of knowledge about teachers' perceptions about integrating discipline teaching into humanistic education. In practical terms, the study offers new tools and courses of action for the application of these perceptions. In all these fields of knowledge, there is the possibility of discussing value-moral dilemmas and creating direct encounters with the other culture in their environment. Research shows that such interactions may bridge tensions and gaps between groups not from a place of superiority and control, but from an understanding of the differences and from social consciousness.

Abu Asaba, H. (2015). Arab education and multiculturalism. In: H. Arar and E. Keinan (Eds.). Identity, Narrative, and Multiculturalism in Arab Education in Israel (pp. 117–137). Or Yehuda: The Center for Academic Studies. Aloni, N. (2018). A humanistic and dialogical approach at a starting point for individual teaching. In N. Aloni, K. Gutterman & Ch Sorek (Eds.). The versatility is the new standard (pp. 17–24). Tel Aviv: The United Kibbutz and the Mofet Institute. Ashman, A. (2008). Eve History: Girls' Mothers and Foreign Women in the Bible. Tel Aviv: Mishkel Yedioth Books. Ben-Yosef, A. (2009). Circles of connection: on cultivating the culture of discourse in a humanistic educational institution. Tel Aviv: Mofet Institute. Gallos, J. V., Ramsey, V. J., & Associates. (1997). Teaching diversity, listening to the soul, speaking from the heart. Jossey-Bass. Krippendorff, K. (2004). Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Kumi-Yeboah, A., & Smith, P. (2017). Cross-Cultural Educational Experiences and Academic Achievement of Ghanaian Immigrant Youth in Urban Public Schools. Education and Urban Society, 49(4), 434–455. Lev-Ari, L. and Hassisi, R. (2020). "Finally meeting them": the contribution of postgraduate studies in the education professions to the development of intercultural competence. Pages, 72, 27–54. Raphael, R. (2014). Disability, Identity, and Otherness in Persian-period Israelite thought. In: E. Ben Zvi & D. V. Edelman (eds.), Imagining the Other and Constructing Israelite Identity in the Early Second Temple Period (pp. 277-296). London: Bloomsbury, T&T Clark. Shakedi, A. (2003). Words that try to touch: Qualitative research - theory and application. Raanana: Levels. Walsh, C., (2014). Women on the edge. In: E. Ben Zvi & D. V. Edelman (Eds.), Imagining the Other and Constructing Israelite Identity in the Early Second Temple Period (pp. 122-143). London: Bloomsbury, T&T Clark. Zur, A., & Eisikovits, R. (2015). Between the Actual and the Desirable, a Methodology for the Examination of Students’ Lifeworld as It Relates to Their School Environment. Journal of Thought, 49 (1-2), 27–51.