Windows Winter 2006 - Jerusalem Foundation

coordination for those individuals and
organizations working for coexistence. As
one participant in a recent Managing
Coexistence course for project leaders (see
pg. 7) noted, “We must make sure that
there are people properly equipped to run
coexistence programs. Otherwise those
programs will fail. And we must make sure
that the next generation of such leaders is
ready to take over and continue where we
leave off. This is too important of an
endeavor to leave the leadership aspects
to chance.”
2. Education
In order for two people to live peaceably
side by side they not only need to know
one another better, but it is also first
imperative that they understand and accept
one another’s basic right to be respected
and freedom to exist. Without proper
education for these and other democratic
values, true coexistence is hard to attain.
Especially in Jerusalem, where Jews and
Arabs are often not on equal footing, values
of democracy and respect for the other
cannot be taken for granted. Educating
toward respect, dialogue, understanding,
democracy and acceptance of the “other”
opens the door to more successful and
fruitful interactions and meetings between
individuals. In disadvantaged areas, including
many of the Arab neighborhoods, educating
about democracy can also empower residents
and help them feel like equals.
The Museum on the Seam is one such
project which helps teach democracy,
tolerance and respect (see pg. 10). Other
programs in this area include the Adam
Institute for Democracy and Peace, the
“Gan Hashalom” Peace Kindergarten for
Jewish and Arab children at the YMCA,
the Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab
Education in Jerusalem (bilingual school)
and the Spoken Arabic for elementary
schools program.
3. Understanding and
Mutual Respect
Bridging the gap that exists between Jews
and Arabs in Jerusalem is a long process,
and direct discussion is not always the
most effective approach with so much
history and mistrust standing between the
groups. The Jerusalem Foundation has
found that the best way to build trust and
understanding between people is through
activities of common interest and benefit.
As Ghalib Yassin, Principal of the A-Tur
high school says, “We need to get people
together for something other than politics,
like soccer! Even if we don’t agree who
is the best coach or player of all times…at
least we can enjoy playing together and
talking about it like friends.”
By focusing on what unites us, personal
contacts are formed and fear and distrust
are overcome. With statistics showing
that anywhere between a third and half
of all Jews and Arabs hold negative
perceptions of one another, including that
the “other” cannot be trusted, is prone to
violence and that (s)he is ignorant and
lazy, this is no minor achievement! When
people come together to play, create, learn
and perform, differences are forgotten.
The joint Jewish-Arab summer camps at
the Djanogly Visual Arts Center are an
excellent case-in-point (see pg. 8). Other
examples of programs in this are include
the I Am / You Are Video Workshop, the
Jewish-Arab Youth Orchestra at Beit
Alpert, the Oud Festival, the Beit Safafa
Soccer School and more.
4. Leveling the
Playing Field
True coexistence can only really exist
between equals. In order to foster true
and lasting coexistence between Arabs
and Jews much work needs to be done to
equalize conditions in Arab and Jewish
Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Foundation has been
working in this much need area for a many
years now, helping to level the playing
field for Jerusalem’s Arab residents in
education, community and health. One
of the latest endeavors is the A-Tur Science
School (see pg. 9). Other successful
programs include the Handcart Children
Program at the Lev Ha’ir Community
Center, “The City as a School” Junior
High School Program, the Paley Center
for the Arts, the Beit David Community
Center, the Municipal Center for Arab
Deaf and Hearing Impaired Children in
Abu Tor, the Issawiyah Neighborhood
Program and many more.
Teddy Kollek, former Mayor of Jerusalem,
was often quoted as saying that it will
take several generations to achieve true
coexistence in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem
Foundation is committed to the values of
coexistence and will continue to work
toward a vision of Jerusalem that preserves
its historic legacy of meaning for so many
around the world while preparing for the
future of peace between two peoples,
sharing a city and coexisting side by side.
As Yusef Abd Elgafer, Project manager
at the Beit Nechemia Coexistence Center
says, “We have to continue to work to
bring the people of Jerusalem together.
No one else will do it. It is up to us to lay
the groundwork and make it happen.”
More information about the programs
in this article and others can be found
on the Jerusalem Foundation website:
www.jerusalemfoundation.org
The Jerusalem Foundation thanks all
those who have helped make coexistence
programming in Jerusalem possible.
6 Windows on Jerusalem Winter 2006