A teddy bear carrying an Israeli passport and a travel journal emerged as an unlikely guest at an international conference in Prague over the weekend, where more than 400 representatives of Jewish communities from around the world gathered to discuss strengthening communal ties and addressing challenges facing Jewish communities since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.
Known as Dubi, or the "Jewish Paddington," the traveling teddy bear is at the center of an educational initiative launched by UnitEd, an organization working in partnership with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism to strengthen Jewish schools worldwide.
The initiative aims to connect Jewish students across Europe by sending Dubi from one school to another, allowing children in different countries to share their experiences, learn about one another and strengthen their sense of belonging to the wider Jewish community.
At each stop, Dubi joins students in classrooms, participates in school activities and takes part in Kabbalat Shabbat, the traditional Friday evening ceremony welcoming the Jewish Sabbath.
Students record their encounters in his travel journal, writing letters, sharing ...