On Dec. 4, the Yallah Club hosted its second meeting during lunch to bring Arab and Jewish students together and share their cultures. Participants talked about their favorite Middle Eastern traditions and their personal experiences as Arab or Jewish students while enjoying baklava, a Middle Eastern pastry. 

Juniors Naomi Bortnick and Allison Khani founded the club under the phrase “yallah” due to its shared Arabic and Hebrew translation to “let’s go,” they said. 

“We want to create a sense of unity between Arab students and Jewish students at Whitman,” Khani said. “Here, we will be sharing our foods, music, customs and cultures with each other.” 

The club plans to meet twice a month on Mondays during lunch. The meetings will include presentations where participants can share their experiences as Jewish or Arab students. Bortnick and Khani plan for club members to enjoy many Middle Eastern foods and partake in group discussions, music and dance in the future. The next club meeting two weeks from now will be a language day where members can learn about Arabic and Hebrew letters, words and phrases. 

With the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East and the resulting acts of hate across the nation, Bortnick and Khani want the Yallah club to serve as a safe space for Whitman students. 

“We want to stay completely away from politics, or at least for our first few meetings,” Bortnick said.

Club sponsor and English teacher Matthew Bruneel believes that it is more important to build a strong community in times of turmoil than to focus on politics.

“In light of intense conflicts in the Middle East, I find it crucial to recognize everyone’s common humanity,” Bruneel said. “I also hope that eventually, groups outside of Arab and Jewish students will feel excited to explore more in our club.”