Identity Groups and Conflicts

Let’s Celebrate! 20 Years of the Jersualem Intercultural Center

“20 years is a lifetime of activity, of creating, together with our dear partners…I’d like to thank the Jerusalem Foundation, which has worked with us from the beginning, and to all our donors. I’d like to thank our partners in the NGOs, municipality and government, and to of course resident activists…What do we want at the JICC? We want each resident throughout the city can influence what goes on in his city, in his way. But in harmony with all the needs of the city, and, please God, that in the next 20 years we’ll be able to continue our activities, and that Jerusalem will be a prime example of how different populations can live together.”

That’s how Avner Haramati, Chair of the Jerusalem Intercultural Center, summed up 20 years, at the JICC’s 20th anniversary celebration at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens on Monday, September 23. The event enabled both staff, supporters and board members to say thank you and reflect upon the past 20 years.

Avner Haramati, Chair of JICC, opening the evening

Avner Haramati, Chair of JICC, opening the evening

“Mazal Tov on 20 years,” said Anat Tzur, CEO of our long-time strategic partner, the Jerusalem Foundation. “Is it a lot or a little? You’ve done so much in those 20 years, yet there’s so much more to be done in Jerusalem.” She continued, explaining why the Foundation often brings donors to visit the JICC:

You are able to show [our donors] the real Jerusalem, the Jerusalem of hope, and what can be done to bring about that hope. It’s always amazing to see how [you] work to advance the most important issues in Jerusalem… Away from the spotlight, the JICC proves again and again that a different Jerusalem [not the Jerusalem of conflict that is often portrayed in the media] is indeed possible. May you continue to be the pillar of cloud, a guiding light, that leads the camp, and shows us the way.

Anat Tzur, CEO of The Jerusalem Foundation

Anat Tzur, CEO of The Jerusalem Foundation

Mrs. Adina Bar-Shalom, founder of the Haredi College in Jerusalem and member of the JICC board, emphasized, “You are everywhere, and your passion for Jerusalem is felt.”

Rabbanit Adina Bar Shalom, JICC Board Member

Rabbanit Adina Bar Shalom, JICC Board Member

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, a long-time member of the JICC board, reflected upon his own journey:

Fifteen years ago, I didn’t know a thing about the JICC. Hagai and Avner came to me and invited me to do something to bring peace. And you know that people have initiatives all the time to bring peace, and at first I thought this was just one of those initiatives.

They persisted, and said ‘we have Jews, we have Muslims but we don’t have a Christian.’ And the joke isn’t complete if you don’t have a Christian. I joined, but honestly, I wasn’t enthusiastic about itץ But I said, if you need to add a name, add my name.  Truthfully, I don’t participate in borad meetings that much, but I am always present at important points, and I also notice that the JICC is also always present at important points in the life of Jerusalem….[I have seen that if you start with politics, we won’t meet. If you start with religion, we won’t meet. But if you start with humans, no matter who they are, you can meet. People come from the field and you can appreciate each other and see that it works. It might be that our institutions are a little paralyzed, but within the different institutions there is goodwill and power to do something. The JICC is small but it is equipped to do something. And maybe, when all residents have a good quality of life, maybe it will unite us all – out of a love of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem – the Holy City. It’s a tough city, but you can’t live without it.

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, giving remarks

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, ofm, giving remarks

Sheikh Mahmud Abu Khdeir, Imam of the Beit Hanina / Shuafat Mosque and member of the JICC board, also noted:

The JICC contributes to a lot of good in Jerusalem society. They are a brave group of people, who go to great lengths to help people work together. I’m proud to be a member of the JICC board. Even when there are tensions in general society, at the JICC everyone is treated with equal respect and friendship.

Sheikh Mahmoud Abu Khdeir speaking

Sheikh Mahmoud Abu Khdeir speaking

Our director Dr. Hagai Agmon-Snir, reflected from his point of view.

In the beginning, Michael Gal, who was chairman then, began to run a “dialogue of acts” which characterizes the JICC to this day. The name “The Intercultural Center” makes a lot of people think we are a place of dialogue. We like dialogue a lot, but we are much more a place of action… Over the years, we have become more and more sophisticated, and today we’ve refined our vision to say that we want to see a culturally competent Jerusalem that is adapted to everyone in it, and that all residents will have the ability to influence the city… We couldn’t anticipate all the issues we would be involved with, and that we’d grow at the rate of one employee per year, yet remain a close-knit staff. We continue to be a startup even after 20 years…Today the JICC’s only statement is that there is room for everyone in Jerusalem to receive and to give all that a city needs to give its residents. The center continues to operate with a low profile. Most residents are unaware that it exists, but almost every stakeholder in the city is a relevant partner.

Dr. Hagai Agmon-Snir JICC Director

Dr. Hagai Agmon-Snir, JICC Director

The evening also featured musical interludes by the KolTour a cappella group, which leads tours of Jerusalem, including Mount Zion, about the cultural and multicultural history of the sites through music. They performed songs from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions, in Arabic, Hebrew and other languages.

KolTour providing musical interludes

KolTour providing musical interludes

And on par for a JICC event, there was also time to work and to dream. After the greetings and reflections guests split up into small groups, and they themselves reflected on the most significant events in the past 20 years, and where we want to see the JICC in the future.

Working together to formulate the future

Working together to formulate the future

It was exciting to see Jews and Arabs, Haredim, religious and secular Jews, all passionate for Jerusalem, discussing passionately the future of the JICC.

From the spectrum of Jerusalem society, discussing the future of the JICC

From the spectrum of Jerusalem society, discussing the future of the JICC

The input was written down and hung up for all to see.

Gathering from the past, toward the future

Gathering from the past, toward the future

The evening ended with a circle – of past and present staff, board and partners – all looking into the future.

JICC past, present, and into the future

JICC past, present, and into the future

And finally, we have made a tile to honor the event as a small present of thank you:

JICC 20 years anniversary tile

We wouldn’t be here today without our strategic partners and supporters throughout the years. From the Jerusalem Foundation, and especially Dr. Jan-Philipp Reemstma, Germany, and the Hamburger Stiftung zur Förderung von Wissenschaft und Kultur have provided substantial support for the JICC through the Jerusalem Foundation. And of course those who were also there at the beginning: Israel Association of Community Councils and Centers, JDC-Israel, B’Sod Siach, and more. And those who’ve supported us throughout the years: Mrs. Celia Atkin, UK; Bader Philanthropies, Inc., USA; Daimler, Germany; The Hadassah Foundation, USA; Hekdesh, Israel & USA; The Kennedy Leigh Charitable Trust, UK; The Leichtag Foundation, USA; The M.K. Rose Charitable Trust, UK; Natan, USA; New North London Synagogue (NNLS), UK; La fondation PharmadomFrance; The Rashi Foundation, Israel; The Rayne Foundation, UK; The Russell Berrie Foundation, USA; The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, USA; The Sobell Foundation, UK; The UJA-Federation of New York , USA.

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Atta’a – Facebook Video on New Location of East Jerusalem Branch of National Insurance Institute Goes Nearly Viral

Atta’a is here to give Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem the information they need to help them in their everyday lives.  One of the simplest, but most useful – and most popular – ways to do this is through short videos.

This video, for example, showed how to go to the Municipality.

And the newest video, below, shows how to get to the National Insurance Institute’s new offices in East Jerusalem. The National Insurance Institute is an important national welfare agency, and many residents are eligible for benefits and payments.

Daud at the National Insurance Institute East Jerusalem branch

Daud at the National Insurance Institute East Jerusalem branch

Here’s the video from the Facebook page. Thus far, we know that some 30,000 people have seen the video, and it’s been ‘shared’ 90 times!!!

 

Many thanks to the Leichtag Foundation and the Jerusalem Foundation for their continued support of Atta’a.

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2019-04-06T05:55:52+00:00March 31st, 2019|Attaa, Blog, Palestinians/Arabs|

Atta’a – Success with a Little Help from Our Friends

The Atta’a Assistance Center for the Rights of East Jerusalem Residents has a variety of activities that aim to advance rights realization – from one-on-one assistance, awareness-raising lectures, help online. One of its main channels in recent years has been making the wealth of information accessible to East Jerusalem residents – especially online – via the Internet and social media.

Sometimes it just takes one Facebook post to reach the huge impact you were looking for.

From the Atta'a Facebook page

From the Atta’a Facebook page

We were asked by the National Insurance Institute (NII) to write a post about the new location of the East Jerusalem branch of the NII. On the one hand, it was a simple post, basically “The National Insurance Institute has announced that the public will be received at its new branch. The new building is located on the 16 bus line (Highway 1), next to the Sheikh Jarrah medical center. You can reach it via the light rail.”

On the other hand, this information is so important to the 350,000 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem who need to contact the NII. They posted it on their Facebook page, and over 13,000 (!) people viewed that post on their Facebook page alone! They also posted to other popular East Jerusalem Facebook pages, where even more residents saw it.

Here’s the original post in Arabic:

It’s always great to see when Atta’a’s activities have an impact. You can read more about that impact here.

Many thanks to the Leichtag and Jerusalem Foundations for their support of Atta’a.

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2019-03-22T20:07:21+00:00March 3rd, 2019|Attaa, Blog, Palestinians/Arabs|

Window to Mount Zion – Ceremony for Praying for Church Unity

On Thursday, January 24, Window to Mount Zion volunteers again helped local Christian clergy, followers and tourists celebrate the ceremony of Praying for Church Unity.

Praying for church unity in the Cenacle - Room of the Last Supper

Praying for church unity in the Cenacle – Room of the Last Supper

In the past, people who’ve gathered outside actually disturbed the ceremony inside.

Protesting outside

Protesting outside

Fortunately, since the Window to Mount Zion project began, the ceremony has been held without major incident. You can read about it here and here. You can watch a few moments of the ceremony here:

There were still protesters, but it didn’t bother the ceremony.

Unique processes on Mount Zion

Unique processes on Mount Zion

This year, in addition to thanks from the monks themselves, the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations (JCRC) wrote a great post, thanking the project for the change it has instilled. It was written in response to the following signs that were displayed by two protesters:

Protesting at David's Tomb

Protesting at David’s Tomb

The English sign says, “According to law in Israel you are not allowed to perform any Christian rituals in King David’s tomb.”  In Hebrew it says, “Here is King David’s tomb, which is holy to us, not a Christian church.”

Here’s a translation of post:

Kind David’s tomb has not been a church since 1521, when the Muslims converted it into a mosque. But it was built as a church during the Crusader period on the foundations of the Byzantine Hagia Zion church.

Despite the English sign, there is no law in Israel forbidding a Christian ceremony at David’s Tomb, but since 1948 David’s Tomb has been run by the Religious Affairs Ministry (the National Authority for the Holy Places). It is usually used as a place of Jewish worship, and allows members of different religions to visit. Once a year, the State of Israel allows the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to visit David’s Tomb as part of the Shavuot procession on the second day of the festival.

So what caused the two people to stand with these signs last Thursday near the entrance to the Tomb of David?

The second floor!

On the second floor of the building, which was built as a Crusader church on Byzantine foundations, became a mosque in the 16th century and was expropriated by the State of Israel after 1948,  is the Room of the Last Supper and the Holy Spirit. It is a very important site for Christians of all denominations.
Since the site is managed by the State of Israel (the Ministry of Religious Affairs and today the Ministry of the Interior), the State of Israel has continued the status quo and enabled Christians to visit the site, a short and quiet prayer (as explained at the entrance) and several times a year they can hold short prayers on relevant days.

The State of Israel also allowed the Christians to hold a joint prayer for the unity of the churches that has existed for decades.

But in recent years, in the light of the Franciscans’ appeal to allow them to pray under certain circumstances in the Room of the Last Supper, a request that, by the way, had not yet been answered, rumors circulated about the requests of various churches regarding the Last Supper Room. Some of the rumors have also spread to the first floor and people can still be heard about how the Vatican sought to buy David’s Tomb or whether the pope made his 2014 visit conditional on receiving the keys to the tomb. But there was nothing to those rumors.

The Franciscans had already tried to return the site to their control under the British Mandate – since they had bought outright in 1333 – and failed. At the moment there is no change in the status quo regarding the prayers on the spot.

The tension generated by the project led to the creation of the Window to Mount Zion project (https://www.mountzion.org.il), which aims to create a dialogue among residents on the mount, promote an atmosphere of mutual respect between the citrus and the visitors, and deepen our knowledge and understanding of the complex.

Every year, volunteers from the window to Mount Zion arrive on these sensitive days, where Christians are permitted to hold a short prayer in the Room of the Last Supper, and help the policemen maintain a calm and dignified atmosphere. They talk to those who come to protest, explain to the surprised tourists why the site is closed for visits during the prayer, and talk to the local Christians who are happy to see that Israeli Jews care about them, the Jewish worshipers and Jerusalem.

And here’s the original Facebook post in Hebrew:

Thanks to the many volunteers who make this project possible!

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2019-03-02T12:37:42+00:00February 10th, 2019|Blog, Christians, Mount Zion|

JICC and Jerusalem Foundation in Der Welt Newspaper

We are proud of our accomplishments throughout the city, and especially proud of our accomplishments over the past few years here at our home on Mount Zion (You can read more here). An article was recently published in Der Welt, a nationally published German newspaper, about this. Here’s the original article in German, and here’s a translation:

The article in Der Welt

The article in Der Welt

Today, We No Longer Fight about Parking

By Gil Yaron

Mount Zion in Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims – for centuries they have been neglected as neighbors. A group of activists could now resolve this dispute, and thus become a role model for all of Jerusalem.

As the dean of the ecumenical year of study of German churches on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, Professor Ulrich Winkler usually speaks mostly of charity. But when he looks at the sacred hill right outside the window of his workplace, it reminds him of the opposite of the Christian message: “If at some point the third world war broke out, it would be because of a dispute over parking here on Mount Zion,” says the former Salzburg resident.

He used to be forced to run out in pajamas in the middle of the night, when there had once again been bickering between Christians, Jews and Muslims outside the gates of the school .

And that was not the only type of dispute that was part of everyday life here: “Garbage was thrown into the garden, our doorknobs were smeared with feces,” says Winkler. Other times car tires were punctured, priests and students harassed. But now much of these tensions have become a thing of the past, thanks to the energetic efforts of a small group of Israelis who have set themselves the task of mediating between the people in the Holy City. It has been surprisingly successful.

“When we moved here in 2006, we ourselves were very scared of this mountain,” says Dr. Hagai Agmon-Snir, director and founder of the Jerusalem Intercultural Center on Mount Zion. “All the neighbors here were neglected for centuries. Anyone who interfered threatened to become the target of hostility. ”

Hardly a hill of Jerusalem – with the exception of the Temple Mount – is more controversial than Mount Zion. As early as the 4th century, the Mount housed a Byzantine church or synagogue, which after the conquest of the Holy Land in the 7th century was transformed into a mosque by Muslims. The Crusaders again made it a church and declared the feudal room on the first floor to be the place where Jesus is said to have taken his last supper – the Cenacle.

At the same time, they located the tomb of the legendary biblical King David on the ground floor, transforming it into a sanctuary of the three monotheistic religions.

The Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent expelled the monks in 1524 from the building, which from then on served as a mosque. It was administered by the mighty Dajani family, long-established Jerusalem Arabs who can trace their family tree back to the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

When the State of Israel was proclaimed in 1948 , the mosque became a synagogue. The supposed grave of King David became the holiest place in the Jewish state, which was cut off from the Temple Mount and Wailing Wall until 1967.

Today, four different churches and monasteries, a huge Yeshiva, a Holocaust museum and a Muslim cemetery are struggling to help shape the narrative of this mountain.

The tensions reached a climax a few years ago: graves were abused, graffiti attacks became an almost weekly incident. This ultimately spurred Agmon-Snir and his crew to take action. They organized a gathering of all inhabitants of Mount Zion: “There had never been anything like that before,” says Snir.

Islamists and settlers together

In fact, it was in the garden of the Jerusalem Intercultural Center where all the parties came together. It was actually an advantage that Greek Orthodox monks, German priests, Armenians, Arabs and Torah students do not speak a common language: “If everything has to be translated endlessly, that reduces the communication to the necessary minimum. So there was barely any dispute and it was very efficient, “smiles Snir.

Why could he succeed where others failed so far? “We only deal with everyday problems that all stakeholders are interested in solving,” says Agmon-Snir. As a non-governmental organization funded by the Jerusalem Foundation and donations, Snir represents a credible apolitical agenda: “We can work with all city dwellers,” says the former neurobiologist.

The radical Islamic Hamas and militant Israeli nationalists have different, mutually exclusive visions about the future of Jerusalem. “But when it comes to clearing the garbage, fighting noise, or repairing roads, we sometimes bring Islamists and settlers together, and they cooperate,” says Snir.

The dialogue operated by the Center is now beginning to see clear benefits: “There has been no incident on Mount Zion for a long time,” confirms Brother Matthias of the Dormition Abbey. For the last three years, the Yeshiva students helped clean  and repair Muslim and Christian cemeteries. All the organizations and neighbors on the mountain jointly condemned violent attacks when they occurred.

Once, special ceremonies used to cause real problems. On Easter, a special staircase is opened for the Greek Orthodox Patriarch, so that he can descend from the Cenacle to David’s Tomb. At the same time, Orthodox Jews used to protest loudly, calling it an attempt to desecrate their sanctuary or even take it away. In the past two years, however, it remained calm, and there were no incidents: “If you know each other personally, the provocation sometimes loses its legitimacy,” explains Snir.

It does not mean that everything is rosy: “Many still spit on the floor when they see a procession with a cross on the way to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,” says Matthias.

Someone filed a complaint against his monastery after a rumor circulated that the monks secretly dug tunnels to David’s Tomb. The police, the city council, the antiquities authority and the park authority were then all forced to search the abbey to investigate the complaint. “But we have nothing to hide,” says Brother Matthias.

And yet Winkler says, “The Jerusalem Intercultural Center has proved to be the most beneficial organization here.” Thanks to the dialogue, he and the director of the Yeshiva finally greet each other in the street, instead of ignoring each other with suspicion. And recently, no more parking spaces are quarreled over in front of his office at night. In fact, the Center, together with all Mount Zion neighbors, has made it possible for a barrier to be installed that provides access only to residents – a simple, jointly conceived practical solution to a decade-old problem.

The successful de-escalation on the mountain has led Agmon-Snir to help groups in other parts of Jerusalem reduce tensions. Ironically, the embattled Mount Zion is a model for the whole Jerusalem conflict.

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation for its continued strategic partnership over the years.

 

 

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2019-01-28T10:42:03+00:00January 25th, 2019|Blog, Christians, Mount Zion|

Santé Israël – Helping French-Speakers on a Personal Level

We’ve spoken before about Santé Israël, which seeks to assist Francophone residents navigate the Israeli health system.

Frequently, Santé Israël Project Manager Marie Avigad receives individual questions and requests. She tries to help out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

 

Just as an example, a few weeks ago, someone, part of a group of Christian pilgrims, used to “contact form” of the website about their need to borrow a wheelchair for their aunt. Marie quickly answered that Santé Israël was unable to provide equipment, but she referred them to the Yad Sarah organization, which does lend wheelchairs and other medical equipment, to residents as well as tourists. She also referred them to the page on the Santé Israël website about Yad Sarah to receive some background information, as well as contact information for them. Eventually she made sure that they used the info in an effective way.

Many thanks to the Pharmadom Foundation for their continued support of Santé Israël over the years.

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Santé Israël – At Macabbi Health Services in Rishon Lezion

Last week, our Marie Avigad, Director of the Santé Israël project that helps to make Israel’s health care system accessible to French speakers, was in Rishon Lezion.

Marie Avigad at Maccabi Health Services in Rishon Lezion

Marie Avigad at Maccabi Health Services in Rishon Lezion

She participated in an event that was organized by Maccabi Health Services and the coordinator for Olim services in Rishon Lezion. The goal was to provide information about the Israeli health care system in general, and about Maccabi Health Services in particular.

Maccabi in French

Maccabi in French

Marie presented the Santé Israël web site, as well as described the Bikur Olim project that she is leading together with the Qualita organization. She also answered questions from the audience and showed the 25 participants how to find information on the Santé Israël web site.

About the Shfela region

About the Shfela region

The audience was very interested in the subject of health care and asked a lot of questions. One question was from a young pregnant woman, about the recent changes to health care coverage for pregnant women. She received answers, which Marie also published a new page on the Santé Israël web site and linked to a post on the Santé Israël Facebook page. That post received 4,500 views!

Many thanks to the Pharmadom Foundation for their continued support of Santé Israël.

Here’s the Facebook post from Maccabi Health Services in French:

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Celebrating a Decade of Cultural Competency and Looking to the Future

Over the past year we, together with the Alyn Rehabilitative Hospital, the Jerusalem Foundation, and numerous partners in the field, have been celebrating a decade of cultural competency. (You can read about this here, herehere and here.)

On Monday, December 17, 2018 we held the final event – a panel entitled, “Where do we go from here?”

"Where now?" with leaders in the field

“Where now?” with leaders in the field

Panelists included: Nawal Aliyan – Nubader, from the Novader organization, Shaher Shabane, Chair of the Parents Forum for Children with Special Needs in East Jerusalem, Ariel Kandel, from the Qualita Organization for French-speaking Olim, Ella Mano, Director of Public Health Services and Early Childhood from the Jerusalem Municipality, and Dr. Maurit Be’eri, who began the journey with us a decade ago, and who today is the Director of ALYN.

“It was both exciting and sad to hear the personal stories from East Jerusalem,” noted our own Dr. Michal Schuster in her Facebook post afterward. “Parents who are not aware of their children’s rights, who, because of the stigma [against people with disabilities] are not integrated into society and are closed in at home.”

Ariel Kandel, spoke about the French-speaking population’s difficulties here. While they might not be as severe as those from East Jerusalem, there are difficulties nonetheless – language difficulties, economic difficulties as new immigrants, shock from Israeli bureaucracy, and more. Ariel told of someone who went to the emergency room with a headache, and the doctor told him that there’s nothing to worry about and that he take a pill. The man understood that he had a tumor…..

Relating issues and complexities of cultural competency

Relating issues and complexities of cultural competency

It is difficult for service providers as well. Ella Mano told about the issues and conflicts nurses in Well-Baby Clinics are facing now, as they try to prevent the spread of measles, even though the very nature of the Well-Baby Clinics must be culturally competent, in order for the clinics to gain the trust of the parents.

Dr. Be’eri described the frustration that jump started the process in 2008 at ALYN, when they stopped and started to ask why patients weren’t advancing from checkup to checkup, and were even getting worse. And they decided to see what they were doing wrong.

Sharing with other cultural competency professionals

Sharing with other cultural competency professionals

What a change the hospital has gone through.

“Lots of circles were closed today, and I hope it’s the start of Cultural Competency, the 3rd Generation,” summed up Michal.

And of course, many thanks to our partners in the journey – the ALYN Rehabilitative Hospital, the Jerusalem Foundation, and our many partners in action.

 

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MiniActive – Growing by Word of Mouth

Our MiniActive project has grown and developed immensely over the past 5 years, but there is so much more to do. We seek to do more, to develop more, to grow more, to help the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem. So, on Tuesday, December 18, we asked our MiniActive female volunteers to bring families members, neighbors, friends (all women, of course), to hear about the project, and the good it can do for neighborhoods throughout East Jerusalem.

Huge event with lots invested

Huge event with lots invested

In all, we had 400 women at the MiniActive offices in Wadi Joz, in a day that was organized entirely by the women. There were speakers and performers of all sorts.

There were speakers of all sorts

There were speakers of all sorts

One woman spoke about overcoming obstacles in participating in MiniActive. This is definitely a delicate issue, since issues of being in touch with the ‘establishment’ are especially complex in East Jerusalem. However, the results speak for themselves: When streets are cleaner and more complaints are taken care of (now 50% of all requests from the 106 municipal hotline in Arabic are filled, as opposed to 30% only two years ago), and when the women themselves work in groups to advance topics, these obstacles are overcome.

Speaking about experiences in MiniActive

Speaking about experiences in MiniActive

A second woman spoke about her experiences in MiniActive and how it changed her life. She is about 60 years old and had stopped working as a social worker about 10 years ago. Her children had married and were out of the house. She was lonely and depressed. She found MiniActive, and it brought her back to life. She feels that she can now contribute to society. She took part in MiniActive’s training for our Living Safer, Living Longer program that seeks to improve preventive health and home safety, and as a result, has been hired to encourage mothers of young children to immunize their children and to improve home safety.

There were also performances – on the oud

Performing with the oud

Performing with the oud

Debka dancing

Traditional debka dance

Traditional debka dance

Displays and sales of women’s handicrafts

Women selling traditional handicrafts

Women selling traditional handicrafts

From knitting, to ceramics to jewelry.

Lots of different kinds of handicrafts

Lots of different kinds of handicrafts

And after that, everyone was so inspired that 100 new women joined MiniActive.

Here’s to more effective, women-based activism in East Jerusalem! Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation and Natan for their support of MiniActive.

Here’s the post (in Arabic) from the MiniActive Facebook page:

 

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2019-01-19T15:49:07+00:00December 25th, 2018|Blog, Effective Activism, MiniActive, Palestinians/Arabs|

Getting to Know your Rights with Atta’a

It’s time, and in fact, overdue, that we brag a minute about the Atta’a Center for the Rights of East Jerusalem Palestinians.

Daud lecturing in Shuafat Refugee Camp

Daud lecturing in Shuafat Refugee Camp

Over the past year, Atta’a has built on its past success, and grown even past its former capacity. Examples of accomplishments this year include:

  • 1,089 one-on-one consultations, 1,004 e-mail, Facebook and telephone consultations. This is a 30% increase in individual consultations over last year.
  • At least 4,000 entrances to our web site per month. The Atta’a web site is so popular that an Arabic-language Google search for ‘Israel Ministry of Interior’ lists Atta’a second, only behind the official government site.
  • Our Facebook community has seen a 40% increase, from 14,000 ‘likes’ at the end of 2017 to 20,000 today, a 40% increase. Even more important than the number of likes is the high rate of engagement. Atta’a’s Facebook regularly reach 2-4,000 people, including 50 – 100 likes each (active engagement) and numerous ‘shares’. Atta’a generally has at least 2 original posts each week.

In addition to the regular one-on-one consultations, Atta’a provides lectures in the community. On Tuesday, November 27, Atta’a Director Daud Aliyan spoke in the Shuafat Refugee camp, on rights available from the National Insurance Institute, as well as on how to make an appointment in the Ministry of Interior’s (Hebrew-only) appointment system. Atta’a deals with these issues on a regular basis, both on a micro level – empowering individuals to wade through the ‘system’ by themselves – and on a macro level – advocating on behalf of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem when it comes to issues of status, welfare and health care rights, and more.

As a result of Atta’a’s assistance, residents received over NIS 25 million, through payments from the National Insurance Institute, the Welfare Department, the Ministry of Interior and more; from discounts on property taxes and other municipal fees; from being able to legally work in Jerusalem, and more.

Daud tells of one case, which is representative of Atta’a’s assistance:

A woman recently came to Atta’a because her son, who has CP and is in a wheelchair, was receiving a monthly disability stipend of NIS 1,000. We were shocked that a child with such a severe disability was receiving so little. While she was there we asked her about a number of other rights and subsidies she and her family are eligible for – discount on property taxes (worth several thousand shekels), increased disability payments (given the son’s severe disability), a one-time subsidy of NIS-3-4,000, different health care benefits, and much more. In total, she and her family were able to receive tens of thousands of shekels.

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation and the Leichtag Foundation for their support of Atta’a.

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2018-12-29T10:40:20+00:00December 16th, 2018|Attaa, Blog, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Palestinians/Arabs|
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