Naomi Roff | The Jerusalem Intercultural Center

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Building a MiniActive Community

As we noted previously here and here on the blog, the MiniActive project is not only about improving immediate surroundings, it’s about improving everyday life for Palestinian residents – especially women – in East Jerusalem. As part of that mandate there have been a number of initiatives that were organized either by them, by us, or by others, that enable participants to improve their quality of life.

One example are the exercise classes. There are currently 3 groups – a total of 70 women – who exercise twice a week. Two groups are in the city center (meeting at the East Jerusalem YMCA), and the third group meets in Kufr Aqeb to the north.

A second activity is the series of tours around the Old City, given by our own Dr. Anwar Ben-Badis. There were tours throughout the month of May.

Old City tour

We’ve also taken some of the women on trips outside of Jerusalem. In February we took 55 women to the Tiberias hot springs, and on a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. At the end of May, and again last week, we took another 50 women on a kayaking trip on the Jordan River in the north of the country.

Kayaking

MiniActive women are also participating in a photography course, organized by the Naggar school of Photography, Media, New Music, Visual Communication and Phototherapy in Musrara. Last year some 80 MiniActive women participated in the pilot program; we’re glad that eight more (out of a total of 20 participants) can take part this year in the highly professional program.

Photography course

These are only a few examples of the activities for these effective women activists who transform East Jerusalem into a better and hopeful place. More examples will be reported in future posts!

Naomi Roff2014-06-20T18:36:00+00:00June 23rd, 2014|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, MiniActive, Palestinians/Arabs|

Taking MiniActive Leadership Forward – Professional Development

In such an important and vast project as East Jerusalem MiniActive, it is important for us to have continuing professional development for our volunteer leaders. That’s why we have monthly workshops and seminars for the 15 coordinators in the field of the area clusters. These are volunteer positions, and they report to Intisar, Intisar (yes, we have two, it’s not a typo) and Ikram in the JICC office. For example, in April the workshop included advanced instructions on how to register a complaint via the municipal hotline. It would seem simple, but in the reality of Jerusalem, nothing is simple. First, the women must schedule their calls for when there are workers who speak Arabic. Although the situation is much better than it was when we started (we helped bring about the hiring of an additional 5 telephone workers, bringing the total to 7 as opposed to the two who there were previously), the women still need to wait a long time until their calls are answered. When they finally speak to the hotline, they are tempted to register a number of complaints at once. The problem is that each complaint (i.e., call) receives a tracking number, which they can use afterward to check how the complaint is being taken care of. And if they don’t make one call for each complaint it is much more difficult to track the complaints.

April 2014 meeting of MiniActive Leaders

On May 25 we held another meeting, this time on how to strengthen the groups. Their next meeting will be held after Ramadan, which begins next week.

We are also helping all 15 of our field coordinators and active volunteers with their Hebrew. While we have found solutions to enable our Arabic-speaking volunteers to advance projects, many times Hebrew is required to facilitate communication with the Israeli service providers, and get things done. The course has been running weekly since the fall, and will continue until the end of June. Next year we might add more advanced levels. We’ll see in the fall what the different needs are.

Hebrew Course for the MiniActive Leaders

Naomi Roff2014-06-20T17:49:46+00:00June 20th, 2014|Blog, Effective Activism, Featured, Identity Groups and Conflicts, MiniActive, Palestinians/Arabs|

New in Healthcare Cultural Competency Services – Consultation on Issues Pertaining to Jewish Law

Most doctors in Israel are Jews, but even to them, Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) patients are an anomaly. There are so many different Jewish laws that the Haredi populations abide by (who are often more stringent than other Jewish groups), and so many different Jewish laws followed differently by so many different groups, it is difficult to know where to begin in addressing cross-cultural issues that arise in health care.

Helping health care professionals adapt their approach to Haredi populations’ needs, which in turn makes their health care more effective, has been an integral part of our efforts in the Cultural Competency in Health Care program. (See here, here and here for previous examples on the blog.) However, until now, our assistance has been per HMO (Clalit), per holiday, per project (calendar, videos, national network). Now we, together with Rabbi Zvi Porat of the ALYN Hospital, will be able to help everyone, across the board.

In May we opened up a consultation service for health care professionals on issues pertaining to Jewish law, in full cooperation with Rabbi Porat, who is himself Ultra-Orthodox and who works with the ALYN Rehabilitative Hospital in this type of capacity. As part of his work there, Rabbi Porat is in continuous contact with Haredi Rabbis of different communities in order to clarify and resolve issues and questions. Professionals who have questions can send them to a dedicated e-mail, and we, in conjunction with Rabbi Porat, will be in touch with them to help to resolve issues. This service is currently free of charge.

Until now, ALYN has been the only health care institution – or any type of institution in the fields of welfare, education, or health – in all of Israel to offer this type of service. We’re proud to be trailblazing yet another aspect of cultural competency, which we hope will further understanding between different communities not only in the health care context, but in other areas of life as well.

Naomi Roff2014-06-30T16:16:03+00:00June 17th, 2014|Blog, Cultural Competence, Cultural Competence in Health Services, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Beit Shemesh Round Table Goes Public

A few days ago, we received a notification of the following cry to public action: http://shemeshnet.co.il/articles/1769 (Hebrew article). The link relates to a round table in Beit Shemesh, which we helped to establish and operate a few years ago. Incidents in Beit Shemesh included the harassment of religious girls on their way to school, which quickly broadened to larger outcries throughout Israel against Haredi discrimination against women in the public sphere. After two years of dialogue amongst leaders from the different communities of Beit Shemesh – from the Eidah Haredit, Hasidei Gur, Shas, other Haredi communities, rabbis and central activists from the modern orthodox and secular communities in the city, the round table has finally come to a point where it could come out with a public cry for working toward common goals peacefully.

To the untrained eye, and to those who are not from the city, this declaration might seem a bit wishy-washy. What’s so exciting about a public cry for unity and public participation of all groups? But one first needs to remember that this is a very brave declaration in the face of the current situation: on the one hand, a mayor who refused to include non-Haredi city council members into his coalition, and who has not yet understood that it is his role to try and unify the city. On the other hand, a city council opposition that is so disappointed by the mayor that it began a campaign to divide the city. So, this is the context of the so-called pale declaration for unity and joint efforts. But it is very significant. Despite what made the headlines, everyday life in Beit Shemesh is quite nice, and the negative image that it gets in the headlines have the potential of wiping out any hope that had been there, more than any internal rifts. Our involvement was rather limited, since Beit Shemesh is still not (yet) Jerusalem. But, when the crises arose, it was clear that our experience and knowledge of all sides would be of significant assistance to them. In addition to the article, the group has also opened a Facebook page, and we’re helping to promote that as well.

Naomi Roff2014-06-20T18:07:36+00:00June 15th, 2014|Blog, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Outside Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

MiniActive in East Jerusalem – Learning to Improve the Environment

In addition to improving their immediate surroundings, our MiniActive women are learning to take care of broader environmental issues. Since the beginning of the year they’ve taken part in a number of initiatives, including courses (one in February – March and another, for different women in April – May) on compost, household environmental issues, and more. They distributed some 20 compost bins that they received from the sanitation department of the Jerusalem Municipality. In light of the demand for compost bins, a group of women requested an additional 10-15 bins for distribution.

Another 8 MiniActive volunteers (out of a total of 25 participants) are participating in a special gardening course at the David Yellin Academic College of Education.

On June 8 there was a tour of community gardens in west Jerusalem, which showed examples of what can be done in the community. This included a stop at the community garden at the Nature Museum, and an in-depth explanation of composting.

Compost tour, Nature Museum

Naomi Roff2014-06-20T17:42:26+00:00June 10th, 2014|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, MiniActive, Palestinians/Arabs|

Tour of Tel Aviv Institutions for Refugees and Asylum Seekers – Continuing the Learning

On the first of April we were among the organizers of a first conference that dealt with African refugees and asylum seekers in Jerusalem. Last week, on May 27, we continued the learning, with a tour of organizations and institutions in Tel Aviv which are dedicated to helping these populations. There were 26 participants, who covered a wide range of professions – welfare office, well-baby clinics, public health, education, community workers, volunteers, NGO’s, and interested residents who wish to volunteer in the field. The tour included a visit to Mesila, a help and information center for the foreign population, operated by the Tel Aviv Municipality. There, participants heard a survey of the situation of the foreign population in Israel – data, problems, how they live, education of the children, and more. The group split up into tracks, and some took a tour of the central bus station and Neve Sha’anan, areas with large concentrations of refugees and asylum seekers. Here, life has been adapted to its inhabitants, with many stores and restaurants boasting signs in many languages besides Hebrew and English.

Participants were also able to choose to go to a number of different places – Unitaf, grassroots organization that operates a network of day care frameworks for both younger and older children; ‘Babysitter’ a private kindergarten for the refugee population; The Garden Library for the Migrant Communities and Neighborhoods of South Tel Aviv, which is located in the Lewinsky Park – a community center for the refugee population that includes classes for adults, activities for children and cultural activities; children at risk – a meeting with the team head of the children at risk section of Mesila – ways to treat and prevent the phenomenon, and parents classes.

The Garden Library at the Lewinsky Park in South Tel-Aviv

Participants also met with an asylum seeker who lives in Jerusalem, who told of the differences between the community in Jerusalem and the community in Tel Aviv. This includes – fewer in numbers, fewer services available, less crime. At the same time, his description in many ways mirrored the stereotypical description of the Jerusalem population – more serious, they care for and organize child care solutions amongst themselves, and more.

We continued to provide more education for both professionals who care for asylum seekers in Jerusalem and asylum seekers themselves. On June 1, Michal, the coordinator of the refugee and asylum seeker hotline, is giving a talk, with translation into Tigrit, to mothers at the well-baby clinic in the Mahane Yehuda market. The lecture will include explanations on immunizations, healthy snack and diet, and more. There were lots of women at the event (in the families, many of the mothers stay home to take care of the children), and they asked for more of these types of lectures and workshops. We’ll keep you posted.

Naomi Roff2018-06-04T04:39:30+00:00June 3rd, 2014|Asylum Seekers, Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts|

‘The Railway Park Is in Our Hands’ – Continued

We reported before about the exciting developments that we’re leading, thanks to the support of the UJA-Federation of New York, together with the Community Councils of Greater Baka’a, Gonenim and Ginot Ha’Ir. Now, almost three months later, we held a follow-up meeting, to see what progress has been made on the various projects that were discussed.

21 May 2014 Railway Park Meeting

This time there were about 20 participants, all those and more who committed to advance different projects on the Railway Park that runs from the First Station near Liberty Bell Park to Teddy Stadium. Participants discussed projects such as:

The Social Platform, which is being advanced by the Max Rayne Hand in Hand School for Bilingual Education, together with the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
Plants in the Park
Friends of the Park, who will be concerned with sanitation and other needs, and who will be the Park’s first line of defense in communicating with the Municipality.
Guided tours of the Park

Other ideas that were raised include:

A cooperative Cafe, similar to the Bar-Kayma in Tel Aviv
Establishing an Internet site for the Park
Live music
Communal painting drives

“What was noticeable was the creativity that rose out of a group of very different people, who all love the park,” said our own Na’ama Afek-Barzilay. “There were people there who had not been able to come to the first meeting. There were people there who told that they had moved into the area because of the park. The important take-away from this is that the future of these initiatives in the park really are in the hands of residents. The community professionals will lend their assistance, but their success is based on the residents.”

Naomi Roff2016-12-14T19:19:12+00:00May 25th, 2014|Blog, Deliberative Democracy, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Larger Baka Community Council, Railway Park|

Deliberative Democracy in Gilo – Continuing the Process

We’ve described before (here and here) our efforts of bringing deliberative and participatory democracy methods to solve everyday problems in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood, thanks to the assistance of the UJA-Federation of New York. Recently, we’ve been helping to lead a new process of community initiatives, concentrating on two streets – Tirosh and Odem. This is done, of course, through our partner in Gilo, Gilo Community Council.

What? Only two streets? Bear in mind that Gilo is a huge neighborhood, both geographically and demographically (some 30,000 residents). Thus, Tirosh and Odem streets comprise more than 2,000 residents, according to the Jerusalem Institute of Israel Studies.

We held our first meeting on January 29, 2014, with about 30 residents, which raised initial concerns and issues that the residents sought to solve. Two weeks after that a number of residents toured the neighborhood together with the city planner assigned to southern Jerusalem, to go over the complaints and issues that were raised in the meeting.

Discussing issues for improvement

On March 9 a second meeting was held, encouraging residents to take the lead in solving problems that are important to them. Seven initiatives were born at this meeting; a follow-up meeting to see how they are progressing is scheduled for next week, May 19. The initiatives included:

Creating a recycling / composting center on the street;
Safety of pupils going to school;
Improving the public garden on Tirosh St.
Sanitation on the street;
Deal with issues of traffic and road safety;
Cultivating greenery and plants in the neighborhood;
Improving signage on Odem and Tirosh Streets.

Going into detail, formulating a plan

Stay tuned for more updates!

Naomi Roff2014-05-31T16:53:33+00:00May 12th, 2014|Blog, Deliberative Democracy, Gilo Community Dialogue|

MiniActive Peer Learning with Women from Kfar Qassem

In the everyday operation of the MiniActive project in East Jerusalem, the focus is on that which is in the immediate vicinity – one’s house, one’s street, one’s neighborhood. Occasionally, though, we have an opportunity to facilitate activities that enable our fantastic cadre of women to meet and learn from Palestinian women from other parts of the country. Over the past four months, a group of 25 MiniActive women has been meeting with a women’s leadership group from the city of Kfar Qassem, about an hour’s drive north-east of Jerusalem, just north – west of Rosh Ha’ayin and Petach Tikvah. This group focuses on healthy eating and natural beauty care products and how they relate to the environment. This exchange was made possible through the Kidron-Wadi-El-Nar Program.

January 29 workshop – Kfar Qassem

Beginning in January, both groups participated in a series of exchanges, alternating between Kfar Qassem and Jerusalem. The first meeting, in Kfar Qassem, introduced both groups to each other. The theme of the meeting was healthy eating, and the teacher was a well-known chef from the northern town of Umm elFahem. The February meeting was held in Jerusalem, where the the guests heard and saw more about what MiniActive does. Both groups also went on a tour in southern Jerusalem to: the outlook point in Abu Tor, which overlooks the entire Abu Tor / Silwan area.

February 26 – Abu Tor

The promenade in Armon Hanatziv, with its breathtaking view of the Old City.

February 26 – Armon Hanatziv

Then the group arrived at the Afak school in Sur Baher, which is a school for special needs children that works with its children in an on-site greenhouse, and saves water by using rainwater collecting system to help to water the plants and flush toilets.

February 26 – Afak school

In March the MiniActive women traveled again to Kfar Qassem, and learned about a school’s garden there, about compost, healthy eating. Part of their project includes producing natural plant-based creams and other products and nutritional supplements.

March 26 – natural creams

Yesterday (May 7) we held the final meeting, also in Kfar Qassem. This included a tour of the area and a summary of the encounter series.

Naomi Roff2014-06-04T15:46:41+00:00May 8th, 2014|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, MiniActive, Palestinians/Arabs|

Who are You Gonna Call? MiniActive!

An integral part of the MiniActive program includes training in effective methods and processes in improving physical infrastructure. As noted elsewhere in the blog, these methods include calling the hotlines of municipal and other services, meetings and site tours with service providers, writing letters, network-building with the MiniActive Facebook page, and more.

MiniActive Magnet

Today, MiniActive added something new to its arsenal – catchy new magnets. The magnets feature detailed explanations about how to register a complaint with the various service providers, including the municipal hotline (106) and the Hagihon water company. It also includes the phone number of the MiniActive project in East Jerusalem.

Naomi Roff2014-05-31T17:12:06+00:00April 24th, 2014|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, MiniActive, Palestinians/Arabs|

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