August, 2019 | The Jerusalem Intercultural Center

Atta’a – Helping Residents Claim their Rights

What’s in a number? Sometimes little, sometimes a great deal. Especially if it’s an Israeli ID number (Teudat Zehut), that is given to all residents of East Jerusalem, which enables them to receive social, municipal, and welfare services.

Helping residents receive Israeli ID numbers

The Atta’a Assistance Center for the Rights of East Jerusalem Residents helps Palestinians from East Jerusalem on an ongoing basis. A few weeks ago we began helping a woman receive her Israeli ID number. This is crucially important, as it would entitle her to receive social and public services, and in general, be a registered entity.

We were introduced to this woman through a social worker who works at a shelter that helps disadvantaged women. There was a 25-year-old Arab woman from East Jerusalem who had no Teudat Zehut (Israeli identity card) number. Her parents do not recognize her as theirs and she isn’t registered as a citizen or resident anywhere. She’s lived at the shelter for the past 3 years. She met someone and wants to marry him, but legally she can’t do so because she doesn’ have an Israeli ID number. They tried to find ways around the legal issues, but we suggested she meet with a lawyer, a volunteer with Atta’a. The lawyer explained all sides to the issue and possible directions, as well as their legal, social and personal implications. The woman is working with a second lawyer, also an Atta’a volunteer, to apply to a special committee of the Ministry of the Interior that deals with humanitarian issues, so that she can receive an Israeli ID number, which is granted to all residents of East Jerusalem.

By the way, a lawyer who volunteers with Atta’a, and who also works privately on cases with the Ministry of Interior, told us that through Atta’a, 90% of the cases are approved. And through his private office, only 50% are approved. Great work, Atta’a!

We’ll keep you posted as this case unfolds.

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

Naomi Roff2019-11-20T07:07:17+00:00August 30th, 2019|Attaa, Blog|

New Interactive Online Tour of Mt. Zion

We’re happy to announce a new online tour of Mt. Zion, brought to you by Window to Mount Zion.

Online tour of Mount Zion

After many months of work, Mount Zion’s one and only comprehensive guide is now online: https://www.mountzion.org.il/

As you’ll see, this is not your standard tour guide. In recent months we’ve asked people who live and work on Mount Zion to tell us about their point of view, from their perspective. You can get to know the Chamber of the Holocaust from Rabbi Yitzchak Goldstein.

Or about the Muslim history of David’s tomb with Abdullah Dajani.

Or take a look at the Gobat school with Paul Wright,

and more …We collected all the stories and put them on an interactive map (videos above), where you will also find historical and useful information about the various sites on Mount Zion. They enable visitors to get to know Mount Zion through the eyes of the people who live and work there. You can look on mobile, but we really recommend entering the site through a computer or tablet.

Many many thanks to all who took part in making the map such a valuable resource!

Naomi Roff2019-09-15T15:26:21+00:00August 22nd, 2019|Blog, Mount Zion|

Little Prince on Erev Tisha B’Av – Working to Mend Rifts through Garbage

In our day and age, rifts and chasms between people and population groups are deepening. Tisha B’Av, the day when Jews commemorate the destruction of not only one, but two, ancient Temples, is considered a day of tragedy. There are those that claim that it was the rifts and chasms between groups of Jews that caused the tragedies on this day.

Reading Book of Lamentations on Tisha B’Av

The Little Prince – Cleaning up Jerusalem Together seeks to bring people together to clean up the city, and is a prime example of what can be done to change the situation. Thus, the Little Prince was invited to speak and lead a round table at an evening commemorating Tisha B’Av at Denya Square in Beit Hakerem. In addition to the Little Prince, Dr. Lia Ettinger, one of the leaders of the Extinction Rebellion in Israel, spoke about that initiative, and what can be done on a local level. The evening was held in cooperation with the Beit Hakerem Community Center, the Masorti (Conservative) Congregation in Beit Hakerem, and Achva Bakerem, the local Reform community.

Activist speaking at the event

Opening the evening was Roi Offenbacher, an activist in the Little Prince. He spoke about the history of trash in Jerusalem, from the times of the Ancient Temple until today. His talk was based on “Trash Tours” that he gives on the same subject.

Roi Offenbacher, about the history of trash in Jerusalem

After Ro’i, our own Tal Kligman spoke, giving a survey of the vast activity of the Little Prince and how it brings people together.

Tal Kligman, about the Little Prince bringing people together

Dr. Lia Ettinger then spoke about the dire urgent threats to the world’s environment, and about the Extinction Rebellion as a means to combat these trends.

Dr. Lia Ettinger, on the Extinction Rebellion

Many thanks to the Rayne Foundation and the Jerusalem Foundation for their support of this project.

Naomi Roff2019-09-15T15:24:47+00:00August 20th, 2019|Blog, Effective Activism, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, The Little Prince - Cleaning Jerusalem Together|

Where Does Our Trash Go?

On Tuesday, July 30, activists from the Little Prince-Cleaning Up Jerusalem Together initiative, from all corners of the city, took part in a fascinating tour of the Green-Net recycling and garbage sorting plant in the Atarot Industrial Park, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The factory has one of the world’s most sophisticated facilities for sorting and handling household garbage.

Concerned residents and professionals, from all Jerusalem sectors, touring the new waste treatment / recycling plant in Atarot

The tour was initiated by an activist from the Little Prince, who was curious to know where the garbage we put in our garbage cans was going. He also wanted to see if the plant could handle the recycling for Jerusalem’s garbage, which the Municipality claimed it could, and is in the process of removing the recycling bins throughout the city.

Touring all areas of the plant

The tour included 25 ultra-Orthodox, religious and secular residents and municipal employees from various departments (municipal spokesperson, corporate division, and operations manager).

We learned so much!! We learned that all household garbage (not including construction waste or tree clippings) of Jerusalem – 1700 tons per day!!!- , reaches the factory, which operates 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

Over the past year, the amount of garbage coming to the plant has risen by 8%! This is considered a huge increase for one year. Apparently the city’s objective to clean up Jerusalem is really changing things on-the-ground ….

Processing and sorting tons of trash

Between 8% and 10% of our household trash is diapers. We are the city with the largest amount of diapers among all the cities in the world!
The plant sorts valuable materials, which account for 40% of all our household waste and sends them overseas (mainly to Turkey).
At the factory, they open the trash bags, and do an initial sorting according to size, marking the garbage using an infrared beam for organic matter, metals, plastics, paper and cardboard boxes. The plastic is further sorted into 4 types, with 95% accuracy. We hope to discuss the information we have acquired with experts from the Little Prince and others to better understand whether there is really no need for recycling receptacles in Jerusalem and whether we, as a civil society, should demand that the Municipality returns the receptacles.

Processing 1,700 tons a day!

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation and the Rayne Foundation for their support of the Little Prince.

Here’s a Facebook post (in Hebrew) of the tour:

Naomi Roff2019-09-15T15:35:32+00:00August 4th, 2019|Blog, The Little Prince - Cleaning Jerusalem Together|

Window to Mount Zion Easing Inter-religious Relations in the Old City

Inter-religious relations in the Old City of Jerusalem are often considered “complex,” not only between Jews and Muslims, but also between Jews and the many different Christian denominations.

On Saturday, June 8, 2019, there was an altercation between Jews and Armenians, in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City. The end result – heightened tensions all-around.

Window to Mount Zion was created to decrease inter-religious tensions on Mount Zion, and since its founding in 2015 has expanded its reach to include the Old City as well. Thanks to the relations it has woven with the different religious institutions and leaders, Board member, Rabbi David Rosen, our director Dr. Hagai Agmon-Snir and Window to Mount Zion Coordinator Merav Stein, together with representatives of the Israel Police and Yitzhak Pindrus, current Member of Knesseth and former Jerusalem City Council member, met with Armenian religious leaders after the incident to smooth things over.

During the meeting, they discussed the centuries-old Armenian presence in Jerusalem, and the ongoing harassment that the monks and students endure. Most of those responsible are young Jews who come from outside the city and are unfamiliar with Jerusalem’s unique fabric of life and the delicate neighborly relations between Jews and Christians. Together, we decided to put an end to the humiliating and ugly phenomenon by publicly calling on leaders to avoid harming clergy, as well as by holding education and enforcement activities.

Window to Mount Zion with Armenian Leadership

The meeting was covered in two Armenian web sites, one from the Public Radio of Armenia, and the other from the OCP Media Network. Here’s the article in its entirety:

On Tuesday, July 16, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan Manougian received a group of people after the incident when three Jews and their dog attacked the Dean and students of the Armenian Theological Seminary.

The group consisted of Mr. Yitzhak Ze’ev Pindrus, Member of Knesset for the United Torah Judaism Party and resident of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Rabbi David Rosen, International Director of Inter-religious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and of the Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding, as well as Board Member of the Jerusalem Intercultural Center, of which Center also the Director Dr. Hagai Agmon Snir, and Mrs. Merav Horovitz-Stein, the coordinator of the Window to Mt. Zion, a cross cultural community engagement project, as well as three high ranking-officers representing the Israeli Police District of Jerusalem.

The members of the delegation expressed their concerns about this particular incident as well as other instances of uncivilized behaviour by Jews towards Armenian clergy members.

They stressed the importance of good relations between the various groups in Jerusalem.

The delegation addresses leaders to condemn, end and prevent humiliating and disgracing acts towards Armenian clergy. The group also calls upon the leaders to educate and enforce civilized behavior from the population.

Here’s the Facebook post in Hebrew, from Window to Mount Zion:

Naomi Roff2019-09-15T15:28:06+00:00August 1st, 2019|Blog, Mount Zion|