Naomi Roff | The Jerusalem Intercultural Center

About Naomi Roff

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Naomi Roff has created 501 blog entries.

Cultural Competency Lectures at Hadassah, despite and because of COVID-19

Over the past few months, especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, workshops to improve cultural competency, especially in the healthcare field, have been more important then ever. You can read about our activities here, here and here.

Coming to Hadassah for cultural competency workshops

Many of these activities have been remote meetings, via Zoom.

But at Hadassah Hospitals (both Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus), the need was for in-person meetings, especially since professionals came off shifts from the Hospitals’ different departments, including the COVID-19 wards. Our lectures focused on issues of intercultural encounters with patients and their families in cultural competency workshops for coordinators in charge of improving patient experience.

Meetings according to Ministry of Health guidelines

The lectures were of course held in accordance with Ministry of Health regulations. We were able to give them tools and knowledge that would help them get through their shifts more easily.

There is no need talk about the medical staff’s commitment and dedication. For a variety of reasons, they do not always receive cooperation from patients and their families, and / or they do not always fully understand the complexities of the different Israeli identities and their approach to medical care.

Cultural competency an important part of healthcare, In the midst of hospital shifts

We were happy to come, and honored to be part of the effort to make Israeli healthcare more culturally competent, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

Here’s a Facebook post that lecturer Dr. Rachely Ashwel wrote after the workshops:

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation for their continued support of cultural competency in Jerusalem since its inception in 2008.

Naomi Roff2020-11-20T14:07:15+00:00November 15th, 2020|Blog, Cultural Competence, Cultural Competence in Health Services|

MiniActive Women and Children Boosting Morale of Coronavirus Patients

Over the past several months MiniActive has helped in the efforts fight the coronavirus. You can read about it here, here, here and here. This past week, we were fortunate to be a part of a new initiative.

Raising spirits of Arab COVID-19 patients at Hadassah

We received a call from the coronavirus unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem for help. Many of their older coronavirus patients are Arab. And as a coronavirus unit, all are in quarantine, away from their friends and family. There have been numerous drives to decorate the walls and public areas of the coronavirus unit to make in more home-like, but all of the drawings are by Jewish children. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not theirs, they don’t reflect their cultural mores, they have Jewish themes. It doesn’t ‘speak’ to them, and that misses the point of having the drawings.

So MiniActive women came to help. Children of the MiniActive women, together with their mothers, had a special – Zoom-based, of course – activity, drawing and preparing art to be put up in the coronavirus unit.

Reminding patients of home

It means so much for the patients; it meant even more for the families.

Here’s the Facebook post from the MiniActive Facebook page:

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

Naomi Roff2020-11-18T09:24:13+00:00November 13th, 2020|Blog, Effective Activism, MiniActive|

Mount Zion – Improving Municipal Partnership

Window to Mount Zion has been working since 2015 to improve Mount Zion in a number of ways, forming partnerships between the different institutions and organizations and improving communication with the municipality, even on ‘everyday issues’ such as cleaning sidewalks and improving safety.

When we began, the situation was no less that catastrophic. Today, the situation has been transformed for the better. You can read more about what’s been going on on Mount Zion here.

Most recently, we wrote about Mayor Moshe Lion’s recent visit to Mount Zion here. During that visit, we spoke about how COVID-19 has affected Mount Zion, an area normally teeming with pilgrims and tourists. We also spoke about improvements that can and should be made – cleaning the sidewalks, pruning trees, etc.

As a result of that meeting, last week the municipality kept its promise. It cleaned the sidewalks

Cleaning the central plaza at the David’s Tomb complex

pruned trees and bushes

The Dajani Cemetery is now clean

made sure walkways were not slippery, in preparation for winter.

Making sure pedestrians don’t slip

Here’s the post from the Window to Mount Zion Facebook page:

Thank you, Jerusalem Municipality, for your partnership! And many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation for its ongoing support of the JICC on Mount Zion, and for the Window to Mount Zion project in particular.

Naomi Roff2020-12-02T14:02:17+00:00November 9th, 2020|Blog, Mount Zion|

Gearing Up for Tolerance Week 2020

The year 2020 has of course been like no other. But the business of advancing tolerance in Jerusalem never stops, even for COVID-19.

So, like the past several years that have featured dozens of events surrounding International Tolerance Day (November 16), this year, together with the Tolerance Coalition, we are again bringing to you and the world, events that advance tolerance in Jerusalem.

Like our events for Jerusalemite Day of Diversity, also held in the shadow of COVID-19, many / most of the events will be held online. On some level it will be less personal, but it will also allow many more people to take advantage of the events, from the comfort of their home, not only in Jerusalem but from all over the world.

Getting ready for Tolerance Week

Here is a list of the events to be taking place:

Events throughout the week
Sorry about the Question – Tolerance in Jerusalem| The Tolerance Coalition Who do you think is the most Jerusalemite? Where does your tolerance end? What project do you dream of doing? Come hear the members of the Tolerance Coalition! The video will be uploaded to the website and Facebook during Jerusalem Tolerance Week

(Virtual) Tour of the Shelter Gallery|Shelter Gallery

The Shelter Gallery promotes artists from the social periphery of Jerusalem and gives them a stage, a voice and visibility for rare and unique exhibitions. Come on a virtual tour of the gallery of the international recycling artist Sigal Maor called ‘Windbags’ Curator Noa Leah Cohen. The link will be posted on Jerusalem Tolerance Week on the website and Facebook!

Home (from Home) | The Jerusalem Youth Chorus
The Jerusalem Youth Chorus, an Israeli-Palestinian music and dialogue project, brought together all-star musicians and singers from around the world to join them in a song of solidarity and welcome in an isolating time – each from their own home.

Thirty for Peace | Thirty for Peace and Good Neighbors Abu Tor / a-Thuri
Many of us neighbors pass each other without having the ability to exchange a word, to say hello. Thirty to Peace is a way to break the ice: an initiative aimed at teaching thirty common expressions in the Arabic language.
The members of the initiative, in collaboration with the “Good Neighbor – Abu Tor / a-Thuri” project, will distribute kits with flash cards, in addition to the recording and video attached. Join us – we can do it !!
To improve the pronunciation and learn about the project, please contact us at shloshim.lshalom@gmail.com and on the Facebook page of Neighborhood Good Abu Tur / a-Thuri

Thursday 12.11

Interfaith Meeting Day | Interfaith Encounter Association
The Interfaith Encounter Association invites you to mark the day of the interfaith meeting in a special event with the participation of group members, supporters and friends. Thursday, November 12, 2020- 19:00
Registration link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAtduyvrj8rGNeu2D2XyllX65ybH7881Qmi
Link to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/376531436882421/

Saturday 14.11
Anniversary of the Death of May Peleg, Chairman of the Open House | The Open House
for Pride and Tolerance. An event dedicated to discussion circles in memory of May Peleg in
the Jerusalem community. A closed event for the open house community

Love is a Lot of Work | The Voice of the Signal Gallery
Reading and writing workshop with the poet Shlomit Naim Naor
The is part of Rashut HaRabim’s “Jerusalem Shabbat” initiative
Saturday Night | 14.11 | 20:30 | Zoom

Sunday 15.11
“Embrace Tolerance” | Lily Halperin
The “what are the options” method for promoting discourse, tolerance and love. Lecturer: Lily Halperin, Chair of the Truth Tolerance Center
Lily Halperin will present practical tools on how to promote effective discourse by cutting back on talking on the one hand and asking the right questions on the other. (Via early registration and zoom)

Sunday | 15.11 | 19:00 | Zoom

Tolerance: interfaith, inter-gender, inter-ethnic and everything in Jerusalem, the most
religious city in the world | The Old Yishuv Court Museum

A zoom session led by the poet Avichai Kimchi
Sunday | 15.11 | 20:30 | Zoom

Chalk Painting Festival on the Train Track Park | The homeschooling families group
For the eighth year running, a group of homeschooling families meet to make chalk drawings along the Train Track Park. You are welcome to join us!
Everyone draws at their own level. We are all artists for one day.
Come whenever you want for as long as you want. No charge, and no registration required.
We will have chalk. You can bring from home and you can buy chalks on the spot.
Draw at a healthy distance from one another.
Sunday | 15.11 | 10: 00-17: 00 | Train Track Park, corner of Masaryk Street

Monday 16.11

The Value of Tolerance and the Right to Protest – Adv. Gabi Laski | The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace is holding a series of meetings in which we examine the tension between the value of tolerance and the right to protest. We will meet with the lawyer, Adv. Gabi Lasky – a feminist human rights activist. The interview will be uploaded to YouTube and will be available to watch throughout the week.
Monday | 16.11 | 20:00

Tuesday 17.11
Annual Conference of the Tolerance Coalition
Tuesday | 17.11 | 10:00 – 13:00 | Zoom

Language Exchange | Meeting to speak Arabic and Hebrew in Jerusalem
We will meet via Zoom to exchange Hebrew and Arabic languages. The meeting is free, and will last about an hour and a half. If you wanted to improve your speech, come! We’d love to see you there!
Tuesday | 17.11 | 18:00
Link to zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85116726613?pwd=Q0s3aDZ4bWdlRDQrek84dzQ2cGdBUT09
Password: 200936

TALKS Just start talking | TALKS
Come have short conversations with strangers about things you never thought of. We promise it’ll be surprisingly, instructive, and of course, fun!
Tuesday | 17.11 | 19:00 | Zoom

The Value of Tolerance and the Right to Protest – Dr. Shula Mola | The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace is holding a series of meetings in which we examine the tension between the value of tolerance and the right to protest. We will meet with Dr. Shula Mola – an educator and social activist. The interview will be uploaded to YouTube and will be available to watch throughout the week.
Tuesday | 17.11 | 20:00

Preparation for a Conversation | Mosaica
Workshop for Activists from the Greater Baka’a Community Council
Event closed to the public
Tuesday | 17.11 | 20:00 | Zoom

Wednesday 18.11
Meir Ariel In Liberty Bell Park |Ofer Golani
The bell of freedom brings together the different residents of Jerusalem, in the spirit of a meeting of members of the kibbutz with the principles of freedom of choice, of our kibbutz secretary – Rabbi Meir The author of the text is Meir Ariel
Ofer Golani – Jerusalem celebrity in retirement, Guitars, vocals and performance art, and Shachar Sorek – musical refugee and wonder boy on the flute, clarinet, and in harmonies
Wednesday | 18.11 | 16:00 | Liberty Bell Park

Mask Soul Event | In Real Time
Wednesday | 18.11 | 19:00 | Zoom and Facebook Live
Between plurality of opinions and plurality of truths: In what contexts is Judaism
pluralistic, if at all? | B’Libah Homah
The terms “tolerance” and “pluralism” have a variety of meanings and interpretations that can be discussed and debated, but in the days of the sages these concepts were not known at all. Which of these concepts existed in the culture of the ancient Jewish discourse? And what does that say about us? In an evening of online study, we will read sources and have a discussion about tolerance, pluralism, Judaism, modernity and us.
Wednesday | 18.11 | 19: 00-20: 30

Ephri is Here: Art Meetings with Artists Seeking Asylum in Israel | JACC – Jerusalem African Community Center
The African Community Center (JACC) invites you to get to know the community of asylum seekers through three meetings with artists from Eritrea and Sudan, in the field of theater, poetry and music.
Wednesday | 18.11 | 19:30 | Zoom
Registration: https://forms.gle/iav9xDmwAitD8RNv8

The Value of Tolerance and the Right to Protest – Dr. Thabet Abu Ras | The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace is holding a series of meetings in which we examine the tension between the value of tolerance and the right to protest. We will meet with Dr. Thabet Abu Ras – Co-CEO, Abraham Fund Initiatives. The interview will be uploaded to YouTube and will be available to watch throughout the week.
Wednesday | 18.11 | 20:00

Tools to Prevent and Deal with Conflict| Mosaica
A workshop for Gilo Community Center activists. Closed event for the general public.
Wednesday | 18.11 | 20:30 | Zoom

Thursday 19.11

The Old City during Corona – Coffee and Conversation with Eran Tzidkiyahu and Riyadh Al-Halak (Abu Musa) | A Window to Mount Zion
Meet at the Abu Musa Cafe at the foot of the Al-Aqsa Mosque – Temple Mount to hear about the state of the Old City during COVID-19? Up until 6 months ago, the city streets were crowded with tourists and some even created human traffic jams. What’s it like there now? How do the residents make a living? What still exists? And how do you see the future?
Conversation with Eran Tzidkiyahu. Admission 50 NIS in cash. Includes excellent coffee.
Thursday | 19.11 | 10:00 ; 10:45
* In accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines. Please wear a mask
Link to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/805800623540529/
Link to register: https://forms.gle/eX4EKm8Y7dAEMZZJ9

The Value of Tolerance and the Right to Protest – Ms. Ruhama Gebel Redman | The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace is holding a series of meetings in which we examine the tension between the value of tolerance and the right to protest. We will meet with Ms. Ruhama Gebel-Redman – CEO of Yesodot. The interview will be uploaded to YouTube and will be available to watch throughout the week.
Thursday | 19.11 | 20:00

Jish: Ehud Banai, George Samaan, Salem Darwish, Gil Samtana, Eran Porat and Nitzan Chen Razel, host Luna Abu Nassar – Opening Performance of the 2020 International Oud Festival | Confederation House
These soulmates have been meeting for 30 years, and this time they will host Luna Abu Nassar for a show that connects cultures, peoples, languages and people. The bilingual show, in Arabic and Hebrew, stems from the strong bond of love and respect between men, and between land and people. This is an evening where the two banks of the river connect, which these days seem to stand against each other, and create one stream – the stream of music.
Thursday | 19.11 | 21:00, on Facebook and on the Confederation House’s YouTube channel
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/conhouseisrael/

Trans Memorial Day |The Open House for Pride and Tolerance
A ceremony and exhibition marking the Trans-Memorial Day, November 20.
Thursday | 19.11 | Zoom and Facebook Live

Meeting Point | Shira Banky’s Way
Thursday | 19.11 | 20:30 | Zoom

Friday 20.11
“Make me delicacies and eat” | The Voice of the Signal Gallery
A food workshop following the flavors and spices of the Bible, with Chef Moshe Besson
The event is part of Rashut HaRabim’s “Jerusalem Shabbat” initiative
Friday | 20.11 | 10:00 | Zoom

A Social Hackathon between East and West Jerusalemites |بعض مع – Together & Beyond
The Social Hackathon between east and west Jerusalemites integrates social, entrepreneurial, and business models will encourage East and West young adult residents of Jerusalem to work together, empowering them to become leaders within their home communities personally, professionally, and socially.
Friday | 20/11 | 10:00-15:00

Saturday 21.11
Heroes on / of the Palmach – a special tour with Itamar Farhi | Shabati
Today, at a time when the murder of women is becoming a matter of routine, when proposed laws against economic violence against women fall through and Knesset members focus on the clip of the singer Adi Beatty and view it as the source of rape culture, you are invited to a slightly different tour (sometimes sad, sometimes funny) in honor of Tolerance Week, which begins on Palmach St. and ends on Palmach St.. Only about women, and only about heroism and their connection to the most feminist street in Jerusalem. You don’t need to go to the movies to find superheroes, you can find them next door, on Palmach Street. Larger than life women who gave their lives to fulfill impossible dreams. We’ll meet at the beginning of Palmach St. (exact location will be sent to registrants in advance according to Ministry of Health guidelines) and go up the lanes and gardens together with those inspiring women who give us hope for a better world.
Saturday | 21.11 | 15:00

Panel of Newly Religious Artists | Shelter Gallery
The Shelter Gallery was established by some of the early artists to become religious, Rabbi Uri Zohar, Mordechai Arnon (Popik) and Ika Israeli. The gallery is located on the seam between worlds in central Jerusalem, in the Makor Baruch neighborhood, at 7 Yehuda HaMaccabi St. You are welcome to join us for a discussion on art by newly religious which was broadcast at Beit Mazia, The Jerusalemite Theater, moderated by Noa Leah Cohen – The Shelter Gallery. Guest artists: Sarah Morley, Sigal Edelman and Sharon Rotter. The discussion will be broadcast on Facebook Live.
Saturday | 21.11 | 21:00 | Facebook Live

Between Kodesh and Chol – Jerusalem Havdalah | With Kehillat Kol Haneshama and
Nigunim ensemble
Musical Havdalah event – an experiential encounter with singing and learning together The event takes place as part of the “Jerusalem Saturday Shabbat” initiative of the Public Authority.
Saturday 21.11 | 20:00 | Kehillat Kol Haneshama, 3 Asher St. and on Facebook Live

Secular Judaism Celebrates Shabbat – Havdalah | Tmura organization
Havdalah ceremony in the spirit of secular Judaism, including blessings, singing, a sermon for a new week. The event is part of Rashut HaRabim’s “Jerusalem Shabbat” initiative.
Saturday 21.11 | 20:00 | Zoom and Facebook Live

Poets’ Campfire | Tarbus, Pangolin, The Torah Lab and Line 400
In the program: Reading poetry, Discussion about ultra-Orthodox and secular poetry and public sing – along by firelight
details coming soon

Sunday 22.11

The Value of Tolerance and the Right to Protest – Dr. Ze’ev Degani | The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace is holding a series of meetings in which we examine the tension between the value of tolerance and the right to protest. We will meet with Dr. Ze’ev Degani, principal of the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium High School. The interview will be uploaded to YouTube and will be available to watch throughout the week.
Sunday | 22.11 | 20:00

Monday 23.11

The Value of Tolerance and the Right to Protest – Closing Event | The Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
In concluding the series, we invite you to an online discussion of all the series episodes with the Adam Institute facilitators
Monday | 23.11 | 19:45 – 21:30
Registration here: https://forms.gle/JGfc4n1E7ZMySnBV7

Tuesday 24.11

Will the coronavirus divide Jerusalem? A View from the different groups in Jerusalem | 0202 – Points of View from Jerusalem
Where in the city have more fines been given for not wearing masks? Which neighborhood decided to quarantine itself? And with whom did the Jerusalem District Police go to reconcile? The coronavirus crisis arrived in Jerusalem and shook everything that in its path for Jerusalemites… a summer of demonstrations, Ramadan without guests and Yeshivot empty of learners. In Jerusalem, as in Jerusalem, fuses are short and the old tensions between parts of the city rise quickly to the surface. At the same time, dialogue sprouts in the corners of social media, as does an understanding that we can get through this period only through joint work. Join us for a panel of the administrators of the different 0202 Facebook pages: from East, West and Haredi Jerusalem, where we will hear how the different groups see each other in the mirror of the crisis.
Tuesday | 24.11 | 20:00 Zoom or Facebook Live.

Here is a link to the Jerusalem Tolerance Web Site: https://www.jerusalemtolerance.org/jlmtoleranceweek/

Here is a link to the event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerusalemtolerance/posts/3321693997944034

And, of course, many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation, the Natan Fund and the U.S. Embassy Jerusalem, Tel Aviv Branch Office and U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem for helping us to advance tolerance and cross-cultural activism in Jerusalem.

Naomi Roff2020-11-18T09:11:13+00:00November 8th, 2020|Blog, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

MiniActive – Online Classes During COVID-19

A large part of MiniActive’s activities are to build community – often through language classes (Hebrew, English) or various other types of enrichment. This has proven especially important during the COVID-19 crisis. When it isn’t possible to meet in person, MiniActive has been excellent at moving its enrichment activities online.

Building online community

Members of the 1,000 strong MiniActive network for Palestinian women in East Jerusalem have been learning Hebrew for the past several years. This year, many of the lessons – at least for now – have moved online. Here’s a post from their Facebook page (in Arabic) about that:

They’ve been learning how to cook and bake:

and

And how to make planters and wall-hangings as well:

Thank you, MiniActive, for maintaining and building community safely, even in these difficult times. And many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation and to Natan for their ongoing support of MiniActive!

Naomi Roff2020-11-06T06:56:43+00:00November 6th, 2020|Blog, MiniActive|

Window to Mount Zion Hosts Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion

We’ve written here and here about the Window to Mount Zion project, which has, since its establishment in 2015, transformed the inter-religious relations between the Jewish, Muslim and Christian organizations on Mount Zion.

Mayor Lion tours all parts of Mount Zion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Window to Mount Zion has continued to develop, expanding into projects to help residents in the Jewish, Muslim and Christian Quarters in the Old City, as well as bringing the organizations on Mount Zion together on ways to try and advance tourism, especially during the especially challenging time of COVID-19. You can read more about these efforts here.

Expressing solidarity with residents and organizations on Mount Zion

As part of these efforts, Window to Mount Zion hosted Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion on Tuesday, October 27. He came for a tour with the coalition of organizations and residents of Mount Zion. There, we learned that we all believe that Mount Zion is a wonderful place that at once is diverse and unites. We are hopeful that, together with the Jerusalem Municipality we’ll be able to develop Mount Zion has a key way to be introduced to Jerusalem.

Advancing joint work for Jewish, Muslim and Christian organizations and residents

Here’s the Facebook post in Hebrew:

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation for its ongoing support of the JICC on Mount Zion, and for the Window to Mount Zion project in particular.

Naomi Roff2020-12-02T13:59:56+00:00November 4th, 2020|Blog, Mount Zion|

Ha’aretz Article Highlights the Behind-the-Scenes Work in East Jerusalem

On October 25, Ha’aretz journalist published an article about the IDF’s Home Front Command’s system-wide efforts in East Jerusalem to fight COVID-19. It describes the different avenues and connections that have been made, that have enabled a relative containment of COVID-19 in East Jerusalem in the second wave, after the infection rate spiked in the summer months.

East Jerusalem

We’re not mentioned in the article, but much of what has been possible has been the result of the tireless work of the JICC. As soon as COVID-19 hit Israel, the JICC established and continues to coordinate a 160-member WhatsApp group of civil society leaders in East Jerusalem. This is much more than a channel of communication; it has enabled numerous initiatives to take place that help to help East Jerusalem Palestinians fight the spread of COVID-19. As a result of our deep and extensive network of Palestinian civil society actors, the JICC was asked to join the Municipality’s Control Center, the first NGO to ever be asked to join the emergency control center. JICC Director spoke a bit about this at a Jerusalem Foundation Switzerland online event entitled, “Diversity and Inclusion in Times of Crisis.” You can read more about that here. In May of this year we were quoted in the Jerusalem Post as well. You can read about that here.

These efforts are complementary and in addition to the specific efforts of the Atta’a Assistance Center for the Rights of East Jerusalem Residents and the MiniActive Network of Palestinian women. You can read about their activities here and here, respectively.

Here are relevant parts of that article:

Today, in his role as head of the coronavirus control center for Jerusalem, [Brig. Gen. (res.). Ben-Zvi Eliassi] has had to build a completely new kind of relationship with the city’s residents.

Evacuating and isolating confirmed COVID-19 patients is an important part of the center’s activities. As a result, the Home Front Command runs hotels in East Jerusalem that are designated for that purpose. An assistance network has also been set up for the families of patients and for those required to go into quarantine to encourage them to follow the guidelines and to provide them with food and medicine.

“Patients feel that there is someone looking after them, so they don’t leave home,” Eliassi said. “In addition, there is enforcement at the individual level to make sure people follow the rules. Patients know they’re being monitored, and they don’t break the isolation rules.”

Some of the personnel at the coronavirus control network are paid by the Defense Ministry and the municipality, while others are volunteers who look after the needs of patients and those in quarantine. The control center works through Jerusalem’s community administrations (local neighborhood councils with fairly broad powers, which operate in both the eastern and the western parts of the city). It pays the salaries of the person in the neighborhood who is responsible for coronavirus operations, along with the coordinator of volunteers and the coronavirus “trustee,” who monitors compliance with rules and is involved in contact tracing.

…

The Home Front Command center has relied on a network of paid personnel and volunteers, as well as young women from East Jerusalem doing alternative national service. The cooperative effort required the center to surmount political and social obstacles. While army uniforms are considered less problematic in East Jerusalem neighborhoods than those of the Border Police, Palestinian encounters with uniformed Israeli personnel can still be tense.

East Jerusalem activists have agreed with the Home Front Command that the coronavirus is a common enemy, which has helped reduce tensions. But other residents of East Jerusalem have said that the activists who have been working with the soldiers are not from the mainstream of Jerusalem Palestinian society.

Instead, they say, they are Palestinians who have tended in any event to be more cooperative with Israel. Contrary to expectations, however, since the beginning of the second wave, there has been almost no opposition to such cooperation in the field or on social media.

An expert on East Jerusalem who has been following the control center’s activities said there are three types of Palestinian activists and organizations in Jerusalem. “There are activists who always cooperate with the municipality, and they were the first to jump on the bandwagon,” he said.

“The question is how accepted they are and how representative of the population. Alongside them are the community administrations that have received generous funding and have proven that they have a high capacity to carry things out. And then there are the folks who can’t even utter the word “city hall” – but even there, the beginnings of cooperation can be seen. It’s done through quiet dialogue – things that we haven’t seen in the past. The subsiding of the Palestinian issue is also manifesting itself in Jerusalem.”

You can read the original article here.

As noted above, much of the activity in East Jerusalem is thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of the JICC. We are honored to help fight the spread of COVID-19 in East Jerusalem.

Naomi Roff2020-11-18T09:25:39+00:00October 31st, 2020|Blog, Palestinians/Arabs|

Atta’a’s Muhammad Akeel in Interview at Beit Hanina Community Center

Atta’a has been working around the clock to help Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem weather the coronavirus crisis. You can read about it here.

Muhammad being interviewed

Atta’a’s long-time rights coordinator, Muhammad Akeel, was interviewed by Beit Hanina Community Council. He spoke about the current economic situation in East Jerusalem, especially in light of the coronavirus. He also spoke about unemployment benefits, welfare payments from the National Insurance Institute, and more. Thus far the video has had over 6,000 views.

Here’s the interview in Arabic:

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation, the Rayne Foundation, the Bader Philanthropies, and the Jerusalem Model for its support of Atta’a

Naomi Roff2020-11-06T06:54:52+00:00October 27th, 2020|Attaa, Blog|

Little Prince – Continuing to Forge Public-Private Partnerships in Jerusalem

We’ve written here, here, here and here, about how the Little Prince initiative, through the JICC’s mentoring of activists from all parts of the city – Arabs, religious, secular and Haredi Jews – are helping to make Jerusalem a clean city, even during corona times. Over the past 3 years, by helping grassroots leaders to forge intercultural connections with each other and with Municipal professionals and officials on numerous levels we have empowered them to create change on the ground, starting with one of the most basic services – garbage and clean streets. Part of this work is facilitating partnerships with the Jerusalem Municipality and its professional leadership as a way to make work more effective. On October 14, we took one more step to strengthen this partnership.

This was the quarterly meeting with the Director of the Operations Department. The meeting included a number of division directors: Eitan Levy, Director of the Beautification Department; Ilan Sasson, Director of the Municipal Supervision and Policing Division, and Gili Gorni, Director of the Sanitation Division; ), a number of quarter supervisors and unit directors, together with the residents and activists. In the meeting, all participants were treated with respect and all claims and arguments were taken seriously. This meeting was another example of the importance of working together, where each of the partners brings their own piece to the puzzle, creating a beautiful, varied picture.

Much of what we do is putting the puzzle pieces together – together

This feeling was strengthened when Itzik Nidam gave his presentation, which showed the significant progress that was done as part of the Jerusalem Municipality’s cleaning reform:

Street sweeping reform: 600 new cleaning personnel were hired.
Sanitation Division responds to residents’ queries until 22:00 at night!
50 new and sophisticated street cleaning vehicles have been introduced, enabling a high degree of street cleaning.
Regular collection days for old cars and scrap metal, as well as pruned branches and leaves in each neighborhood.
Cleaning of 1,250 acres of open private spaces. These spaces are technically the residents’ responsibility to clean, but de facto are public eyesores. Over the past year the Municipality took responsibility for many of them (You can read more about that here.), and as a result, thus far 10 tons of garbage (!) were added to the regular garbage collection in the city.
Placement of 3 huge compactors in the downtown area for the use of business owners and residents.
Replacing garbage bins with underground bins, and upgrading existing underground bins to new models that have bigger openings and a larger capacity.
Investing in educational and social activities in schools, kindergartens and community centers to advance clean city principles, when possible in light of COVID-19 restrictions.
Reinforcement of cleaning in gardens and playgrounds.
Establishment of residents’ forums in the neighborhoods that work together with the neighborhood professionals.
And much more….

After the presentation we had a long discussion in which residents responded to the issues presented, brought up additional needs and issues that require continued focus and effort. We thought together about ways to deal with vandalism, supervising residents and more and came up with ideas for implementation.

And yes, all this cooperation took via Zoom.

We have been introduced to many desirable changes that affect how the city looks and our quality of life, which brings us closer to our original goal – to make Jerusalem a clean city. What fun it is to work with our partners from Operations Division, who invest so much in turning Jerusalem into the cleanest city in Israel.

Here’s the link from the original Facebook post in Hebrew:

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation and the US Embassy in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for its continued support of the Little Prince!

Naomi Roff2020-11-18T15:07:57+00:00October 24th, 2020|Blog, The Little Prince - Cleaning Jerusalem Together|

Atta’a Interview on Al-Quds Digital

We’ve written here, here, here and here about the different ways the Atta’a Assistance Center for the Rights of East Jerusalem residents has been helping East Jerusalem Palestinian residents realize their rights. They’ve been operating since 2004, and Atta’a has been even more important since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.

Daud being interviewed by Al-Quds Digital

As part of its efforts to help East Jerusalem residents, Atta’a has been reaching out in various ways – through individual assistance, updates to its website, Facebook posts, and videos.

On October 13, 2020, Atta’a Director Daud Aliyan was interviewed by Al-Quds Digital, a social media-based station, about different unemployment benefits and the National Insurance Institute, and directions on how to submit the necessary forms. You can watch the video in Arabic here:

Many thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation, the Leichtag Foundation and the Rayne Foundation for its ongoing support of Atta’a, and to the Jerusalem Model , the Russel-Berry Foundation and the Bader Philanthropies for their support of our emergency activities in East Jerusalem in response to COVID-19.

Naomi Roff2020-12-25T14:47:58+00:00October 22nd, 2020|Attaa, Blog|

Previous 345 Next

naomi

About Naomi Roff