Windows Winter 2006 - Jerusalem Foundation

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In Jerusalem Coexistence Coexistence in Jerusalem Four Keys to a Better Future Ammanjah de Vries, JF Publications Coordinator According to statistics published by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS) for Jerusalem Day 2005, 66% (some 469,300 individuals) of Jerusalem’s 706,400 residents are Jewish and 33% (237,100 persons) are Arabs. Their paths, however, rarely cross, and few opportunities exist for the kind of genuine contact and dialogue needed to foster all-important understanding and tolerance. Similarly, the playing fields in the two sectors need to be further leveled if true coexistence is to flourish. The Jerusalem Foundation has been working toward these goals for nearly 40 years and recently initiated a new, comprehensive Coexistence Forum to help facilitate Jewish- Arab coexistence in Jerusalem. In the words of Jerusalem Foundation President Ruth Cheshin: “The future of Jerusalem - of the city so loved and revered by people co-ex-ist co-ex-ist-ed, co-ex-ist-ing, co-ex-ists 1. To exist together, at the same time, or in the same place. 2. To live in peace with another or others despite differences, especially as a matter of policy. and nations the world over - depends on our ability to live here side by side, together.” Jerusalem in general is a very heterogeneous city, with different religious, socioeconomic and ethnic groups tending to live in separate neighborhoods. This is especially true for Arabs and Jews. In fact, Jews and Arabs usually have very little contact with one another on a day to day basis. A recent study done at the University of Haifa hinted at this problem, showing that 71.8% of Israeli Jews avoid entering Arab villages and neighborhoods at all. In Jerusalem this separation is felt not only geographically. The Jewish and Arab areas of the city have their own, separate school systems and community services, and most Jews and Arabs hardly speak one another’s languages. (Nationwide, only 25% of Israeli Jews report knowing enough Arabic to actively participate in a normal conversation.) In fact, Arab schools in Jerusalem do not follow the same curriculum as their Jewish counterparts, instead following a curriculum based on the Jordanian system, including a Jordanian equivalent to the Israeli matriculation exam. As a result, the “other” in Jerusalem is strange and unfamiliar and few opportunities 4 Windows on Jerusalem Winter 2006
exist for genuine and real contact. The solution, most experts and coexistence activist agree, is innovative, proactive programming which helps bring Jews and Arabs together on equal terms. As Jerusalem Foundation Projects Department Director Nadim Sheiban puts it: “We need to give Jews and Arabs the chance to have at least a glimpse into one another’s worlds; a chance to get to know one another and make the unfamiliar familiar. Otherwise, they will continue to be scared of each other.” This is especially important in Jerusalem, which will most likely be at the center of any future peace settlements in the Middle East. History has shown time and time again that broader political agreements made without first resolving how residents get along on a day to day basis will not be longstanding. And this is where NGOs come in. While the political leaders broker complex peace agreements, the NGOs are the ones that help sway public opinions and foster an atmosphere in which that peace can be accepted and promoted. It is the NGOs that transform the peace from a “peace between leaders to a peace between peoples,” as Nimrod Goren writes in In Going Against the Wind: The Role of NGOs in Jerusalem under an Ongoing Conflict, published by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (2004). Northern Ireland is a prime example. Although NGOs there were not directly involved in drafting the peace agreements, their work was “vital in devising mechanisms of discourse and training methods, and building public support for the political solution.” After the peace agreement was made, their work was a “central component in the efforts to implement the agreement and to finally bring peace to…Northern Ireland” (Goren). In short, civil society and NGOs help to bring about peace from the ground up, fostering a culture of acceptance in which the agreements hammered out by political leaders can be carried out successfully. The same is true in Jerusalem. As one coexistence program director notes, “Only with the help of NGOs like the Jerusalem “We need to give Jews and Arabs the chance to have a glimpse into one another’s worlds; a chance to get to know one another and make the unfamiliar familiar. Otherwise, they will continue to be scared of each other.” Foundation and its many partners can Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem begin to view and treat each other differently. Only then will the ground be ripe for Jews and Arabs to prosper and to create a real, dayto-day peace between equals.” Of course, even NGOs do not operate in a void free from political and national issues and events. The Al-Aqsa Intifada of recent years presented difficult challenges for coexistence programming in Jerusalem. Many programs were forced to suspend operation; many others that did continue to operate were too often eclipsed by media coverage of military operations and political statements. Despite the political atmosphere however, and indeed also because of it, the Foundation forged ahead with its programs. For, in the words of Jerusalem Foundation International Chairman Dan Meridor: “Tolerance and mutual understanding are the key to Jerusalem’s future.” Indeed, from its inception in 1967 the Jerusalem Foundation worked to fulfill its founder, then-mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek’s vision of a city that serves all its residents. In efforts to improve conditions in the Arab sector, the Jerusalem Foundation built community centers, health centers and schools and initiated numerous programs to improve the lives of residents. In order to encourage dialogue between Arabs and Jews in the city, the Foundation encouraged a wide range of informal programs for all ages that helped bring the two peoples together to break down stereotypes and allow residents to get to know one another as individuals and not as representatives of a group. Throughout its nearly 40 years of work in the city the Jerusalem Foundation continually kept a close watch on the vibrant pulse of Jerusalem and adapted its work to the city’s ever changing needs. In this spirit the Foundation recently identified the need for a new and comprehensive strategy for coexistence and initiated a Coexistence Forum. Made up of academics, professionals and workers in the field, the Forum developed a new approach to foster lasting change over time. The Forum began by recognizing that: ● Regardless of politics, Jews and Arabs will always share this region. ● Both Jews and Arabs feel a deep-seated connection to Jerusalem. ● Working together to build a strong city will benefit all its inhabitants. ● Peace is made between equals. The Coexistence Forum then developed a four-pronged strategy, each addressing a separate challenge to coexistence. Programs in each of the four key areas identified - Leadership, Education for Tolerance, Fostering Understanding and Mutual Respect, and ‘Leveling the Playing Field’ - together aim to help pave the way for cohabitation in Jerusalem and the possibility of and end to generations of strife and animosity. 1. Leadership The Coexistence Forum found a need to better train and equip leaders and professionals in the field of coexistence, and also to provide a framework of support and Windows on Jerusalem Winter 2006 5
Page 1 and 2: on Jerusalem The Jerusalem Foundati
Page 3: From the President Founder Teddy Ko
Page 7 and 8: Managing Coexistence Training New L
Page 9 and 10: Leveling the Playing Field Fosterin
Page 11 and 12: Photo: Tal Glick A Taste of the Med
Page 13 and 14: The 2003 & 2004 Marthe Prize Honori
Page 15 and 16: Award 2005 Contribution to the City
Page 17 and 18: 1 2 3 View from the lookout point a
Page 19 and 20: Free in June opened at the Tower of
Page 21 and 22: The Jerusalem Foundation of Canada
Page 23 and 24: Al'adin Maherali to visit coexisten
Page 25 and 26: museum, which was attended by Vienn
Page 27 and 28: visit of four Swiss members of parl
Page 29 and 30: From Australia Desk Directors: Stev
Page 31 and 32: In Memoriam: Honoring Friends of Je

Windows Winter 2006 - Jerusalem Foundation

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