October, 2019 | The Jerusalem Intercultural Center

MiniActive – Kickoff Event

On October 24 we held an opening event for 150 MiniActive women. The evening was filled with cultural performances, from debka dancing to poetry to playback theater.

MiniActive in balloons

The evening sought to thank the women for their hard work over the years, and served to launch the new activity year.

Held at the YWCA in East Jerusalem, home of the MiniActive offices

There was good dancing.

Women’s dance group

The women enjoyed playback theater, where an improv group performed humorous sketches with audience participation. The program also included poetry readings.

MiniActive women enjoy playbacck theater

We showed a year-end video, with highlights from last year. Here’s the video / presentation:

Here’s the post from the MiniActive Facebook page:

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation and Natan for their support of MiniActive!

Naomi Roff2020-08-19T13:10:15+00:00October 31st, 2019|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, MiniActive, Palestinians/Arabs|

Window to Mount Zion Reaches US Commission on International Religious Freedom

We’ve often said that Mount Zion, and what we’ve been doing of the past few years with Window to Mount Zion – can truly be an example for the rest of the world.

Thanks to our board member, Sharon Rosen, it’s becoming just that. Sharon is Global Director of Religious Engagement for the international NGO Search for Common Ground, and she recently testified to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom in late October, about the protection of holy places.

Sharon Rosen testifying at US Commission

Here’s a video of the whole hearing, Sharon’s testimony begins at 1:15. She starts talking about Mount Zion at 1:36 (one hour and 36 minutes in).

She also submitted a written testimony, where Window to Mount Zion and its accomplishments was described in more detail. Here’s that part of her written testimony:

Mount Zion, Jerusalem: In the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict and frequent violence around holy sites, Search’s Jerusalem program, together with the Jerusalem Intercultural Center based on Mount Zion and with the endorsement of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, worked to reduce interreligious tensions, build cooperation, protect places of worship, and turn Mount Zion into a center that celebrates the heritages of all three religions attached to it – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Just outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls, Mount Zion is the location of a highly sensitive shared holy site for the Abrahamic Faiths – the Tomb of King David/Nabi Daud, the Room of the Last Supper and a Minaret, all in one building. Centuries-long conflict over ownership and religious rights, fueled by rivalry and intolerance, had resulted in an atmosphere of suspicion and violence. This initiative aimed at changing this atmosphere by building trust and cooperation on issues of common interest. Activities included: engaging religious actors with representatives from government ministries, the municipality, and law enforcement agencies to identify shared concerns and find collaborative solutions; establishing a body of volunteers to help maintain a harmonious atmosphere and assist with religious services; and organizing workshops and site visits for Jerusalem Old City’s law enforcement authorities and youth to increase interreligious sensitivity.

The results have been quite spectacular given the initial mistrust and intermittent violent behavior. For the first time ever, a 2016 desecration of the Dormition Abbey, located on Mount Zion, elicited a joint public condemnation by religious leaders living on the Mount;4 local authorities were enlisted to repair safety hazards; law enforcement improved; and there was a reduction in violence. Over one thousand Jewish youth and hundreds of Palestinian youth have taken part in tours to expand understanding of the attachments of different religions to their sacred spaces. In one specific example of the project’s influence, an interfaith group of volunteers cleaned up years of garbage and restored tombstones in the famous Muslim Dajani-Daoudi Cemetery on Mount Zion while supplied with refreshments from the local Ultra-Orthodox, politically right-wing Jewish seminary overlooking the cemetery. These types of acts may seem like small steps, but they build trust across hardened divides, foster critical discussions about protecting spaces for all faiths, and promote mutual acceptance that undermines acts of hate in the long run.

Many thanks Sharon, for your words here. Many thanks, too, for your partnership in helping us launch and continue this wonderful project!

Naomi Roff2019-11-22T13:06:35+00:00October 25th, 2019|Blog, Mount Zion|

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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Pharmadom, France; 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.

Naomi Roff2019-11-25T07:37:28+00:00October 24th, 2019|Blog, Identity Groups and Conflicts, On Jerusalem, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

Trash Parade in Gonenim

For the first time, we’re taking trash to the streets – and it’s a good thing!

Our Little Prince – Cleaning up Jerusalem initiative has engaged resident activists from all Jerusalem sectors to work together to clean up Jerusalem. The result – almost unheard-of cooperation between the Jerusalem Municipality across numerous departments and units, local community centers and organizations, and residents and individual initiatives, to plan, organize and carry out a range of activities that advance a Clean Jerusalem.

An exciting example of this broad-based cooperation was the Trash Parade, held on September 24, an initiative led by residents, together with the municipal sanitation department. The Cleaning Up Gonenim group, an active Whatsapp group of residents and local municipal staff and officials, led the initiative. The group has been in operation for about a year, and has forged important joint work between residents and the Municipality in helping to clean up the Gonenim neighborhood.

Garbage trucks leading the Trash Parade

This is the first such parade to be held in Israel! And the first such parade that had such a broad base of support and cooperation. Everyone participated – representatives of the Municipality, of the sanitation department, residents and their families. The residents prepared songs and dances, organized signs and a circus performance, and more. The garbage truck drivers were at the center, and alongside them, the residents.

“Have a Happy and Clean New Year!” says the sign

“We’re always trying to look for solutions, together with other residents, acting to advance a Clean Jerusalem and education for a Clean City in Jerusalem. Our goal is that both young and old will come to these activities and want to do more, not only those who are already environmental activists,” said Efrat Givaty, a local activist, in this Hebrew article about the Parade. She continued: “We are constantly thinking about what else we can do to promote activities to Clean Up Jerusalem, how we bring people to different events and that they feel it is important to them as well. These can be lectures, orienteering activities, or parades. Our goal is to target not only this neighborhood [of the German Colony] but all of Jerusalem, encourage education for a clean environment, and provide information on the issue. ”

And the Gonenim Community Center even made a movie about the Trash Parade:

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

Naomi Roff2020-06-16T05:01:15+00:00October 2nd, 2019|Blog, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, The Little Prince - Cleaning Jerusalem Together|

Monthly Archives: October 2019

MiniActive – Kickoff Event

Window to Mount Zion Reaches US Commission on International Religious Freedom

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

Trash Parade in Gonenim