Jewish-Palestinian/Arab | The Jerusalem Intercultural Center

Social Entrepreneurship on the Jerusalem Railway Park: Deliberative Democracy at its Best

How do you want to see your neighborhood, your city? And what can you do to get there? Often, in our everyday routines, especially after watching / reading / listening to the news, it is difficult to see how we can have an influence. The JICC’s Deliberative Democracy program seeks to change that.

Over the past few years, with assistance from the UJA-Federation of New York, we’ve been working intensively with a number of community councils to help residents influence and improve – and take responsibility for and ownership of – their neighborhoods, and their city.

As a result of our successful work in individual communities, we were asked to lead a larger process led by three community councils in the southern part of the city – Ginot Ha’ir, Baka’a, and Gonenim. The mission – enabling residents in neighborhoods that include the new Jerusalem Railway Park to fully enjoy and take ownership of this new pearl on the Jerusalem landscape. Here’s the flyer that was posted all over the Internet and social media:

The story of the Railway Park itself is one of social activism (more about it here and here). The park runs along the section of the old Ottoman-era Jaffa-Jerusalem rail line, and includes the neighborhoods of German Colony, Baka’a, the Talpiot Industrial Zone, Katamonim and Beit Safafa, ending at Malcha’s Teddy Stadium and the new train station that is in use today. After being cancelled in 1998 the tracks fell into disrepair, and had become an eyesore and garbage dump. Several years ago a group of environmentally-conscious residents, community activists and architects, successfully lobbied to turn this area into a massive urban park instead. After intense lobbying, this plan was accepted by local and national planning authorities. After several years of construction and support by the Jerusalem Municipality, the entire length of the park is just being completed.

With such deep roots in the community, it is only natural that the next step, injecting community activities and responsibility, along the course of the park, would involve the community as well. On March 5, we held a town meeting for residents from all communities that border the Jerusalem Railway Park. In all there were some 50 people, coming from the northern to the southern tips of the Park. All came to discuss events, initiatives and characteristics that they wish to see in the Park.

We used Open Space Technology for this event, which enables participants to raise and choose the issues they are passionate about, and work to advance them. Residents broke up into a number of groups. They ranged from a music festival, to a Purim parade, to growing edible plants along the Park, to Jewish-Arab relations to security and cleanliness. All groups are now forming plans of action of the different initiatives in order to bring them to fruition. The evening was so successful that we got this thank you from the different Community Councils:

Naomi Roff2016-03-19T11:42:12+00:00March 10th, 2014|Blog, Deliberative Democracy, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Larger Baka Community Council, Palestinians/Arabs, Railway Park|

Making a Mental ‘Switch’: Cultural Sensitivity Professional Development Workshop for Staff at the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health, Kiryat Hayovel Clinic

What is the essence of cultural competency? More than the manuals, more than the training sessions – cultural sensitivity is the switch in approach to the patient-caregiver relationship, from ‘let me make you better’ (on my terms, using my rules) to ‘let’s work together to enable you to heal’ (mutual communication, bridging communication gaps of language and culture, realization that one’s background and culture dictates one’s actions and reactions).

The intention of the workshop held on October 21, 2013 for members of the Kiryat Hayovel public mental health clinic, part of the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health, was to help the 25 participants make that switch in their approach. The all-day workshop included a discussion of the present situation, and staff members raised a number of examples of social and political tensions in the clinic. As in other Cultural Competency Workshops, we also covered a theoretical section, in which we went over basic aspects of cultural competency – interpersonal communication, core issues, cultural dimensions, medical interpretation, social and political tension and more. In the afternoon the medical actress joined us and we practiced 2 real-life situations.

The director of the Kiryat Hayovel Clinic was very cooperative, both during and after the workshop. He told us that he received positive feedback from his staff, and that everyone recognizes the need for changing their approach, with an emphasis on everyday work. He noted that many of the staff were aware of the concept of cultural competency, but this all-day workshop allowed them to concentrate solely on how cultural competency / or cultural sensitivity influences their work as mental health caregivers.

The workshop also made the director as well as the staff more aware of the need for medical interpreters (translators) when working with patients whose mother tongue is not Hebrew. The workshop therefore increased his motivation for including his staff members in the upcoming medical interpreter’s course at the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health in Givat Shaul.

Naomi Roff2014-04-11T18:41:23+00:00October 23rd, 2013|Asylum Seekers, Blog, Christians, Cultural Competence, Cultural Competence in Health Services, Ethiopian Jews, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, New Immigrants, Palestinians/Arabs, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Publication of First-Ever Manual for Israeli Cultural Competency Coordinators

Two weeks ago, in mid-July, we celebrated the publication of our Cultural Competency Manual in Hebrew. It’s been almost 2 years in the making, and a labor of love for a long list of people, from lecturers and researchers from throughout Israel, to cultural competency coordinators in major health care institutions, to officials in the Ministry of Health. It is the first manual of its kind in Israel, and one of the only significant ‘how-to’ guides in the world.

This is a major accomplishment, but we have no intention of resting on our laurels. This manual is only a part our full-service cultural competency support system (see here for more information), from soup to nuts. We start with introductory workshops for cultural competency coordinators and staff – what is cultural competency? How can we be sensitive to others’ cultures and traditions, without being experts? Our services also include training courses for medical interpreters in a number of languages – Arabic, Russian, Yiddish, Amharic, and more. Medical interpreters and not medical translators? Yes, because they are doing more than translating word for word, they are interpreting the needs of the patients and their families to facilitate full communication with the treatment staff. We just finished a course at Sha’are Zedek Hospital, and not only was the feedback was very positive, participants noted that the issue of translation / interpretation was one of the most important sections in the course. The courses mean little without the day to day mentoring and follow-up with the cultural competency coordinators in the different clinics and institutions – how to increase translations of the different signage and forms to the different languages, helping to assimilate concepts of cultural competency into the different institutions, even with staff who had not yet taken part in a training seminar. Our work does not stop there.

In April, in preparation for publishing the manual, we held a seminar in which one of the original goals was to get feedback for the manual. But a second goal, not less important, was the formation of a peer network of professionals and academicians who work in cultural competency throughout Israel, which is leading to sub-networks according to specific disciplines (mental health, primary clinics, hospitals, etc.), all which have their similarities and whose implementations in the field are slightly different. In addition, we provide supplemental materials to help those involved in cultural competency have a better understanding of major holidays, traditions, and other issues. See the attached explanations on the Jewish commemoration of Tisha b’Av and on the Muslim celebration of Ramadan. Together with the Department of Translation and Interpreting Studies at Bar-Ilan University, we are also working on short films, which will further enhance the training process.

We’d like to thank the Jerusalem Foundation for its partnership in this project since the beginning in 2008, and for the assistance from the New Israel Fund, which has enabled us to expand the project throughout Israel.

Naomi Roff2014-04-11T18:35:02+00:00August 5th, 2013|Blog, Cultural Competence, Cultural Competence in Health Services, Ethiopian Jews, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Turning the Tables on the Project Management Training for Multicultural Project Leaders: Participants Lead a Tour of the Multicultural Nature of Jerusalem

Yesterday we turned the tables on the Project Management Training for Multicultural Project Leaders, which is supported generously by the Rosenzweig-Coopersmith Foundation. This training is intended for Change Agents and Project Leaders in Jerusalem that are doing Inter-cultural work. It is an 18-week course that covers the principles of project management, effective activism, challenges of multi-cultural groups, and the special case of Jerusalem for all its residents.

On February 19, we took the entire course out on a tour of Jerusalem. But instead of us teaching participants, they themselves taught us. They were the tour guides, they were the experts. We, and everyone else in the course, sat back and learned.

This was part of the section of the course that dealt with Jerusalem. Other meetings on Jerusalem featured 3 different panels from Jerusalem’s 3 major population groups – one on the Ultra-Orthodox population, one on the Palestinian population and one on the non-Haredi Jewish population.

We went to all different areas in the city. We went to A-Tur, Beit Safafa, Jebel el-Mukaber and Silwan in East Jerusalem. Participants were shocked at the state of infrastructures there – the lack of sidewalks, the garbage, roads and signs in disrepair – all of the lacking infrastructure that they must deal with on a daily basis. In A-Tur we learned about special education in East Jerusalem. In Beit Safafa / Pat we learned about the Max Rayne Hand in Hand School for Bilingual Education, and its unique activities, bringing together Jewish and Arab children to study in the same classroom, in Hebrew and Arabic.

A participant from the Katamonim neighborhood told us about her community, a Jewish and economically disadvantaged neighborhood that is undergoing some urban renewal processes. She also spoke about the Ethiopian community there, of which she is a part. We also went to the German and Greek colonies, where we heard about those neighborhoods from a local artist, another participant. She showed us a street exhibition of several artists that her works were displayed in.

The Haredi (Ultra-orthodox Jewish) neighborhoods also left a strong impression. For many of the non-Haredi participants, Arab and Jewish alike, this was the first time they had ever ventured into these areas and taken a close look. We went to Sanhedria, to Romema, and other adjacent neighborhoods. We went past the Belz ‘castle’; we learned what a ‘Talmud Torah’ is, what a gmach is, what a mikveh is. Even the Jewish non-Haredi participants, who had heard of the terms, learned their meaning through the eyes of their fellow Haredi participants in the course.

Naomi Roff2014-04-04T12:57:51+00:00February 20th, 2013|Blog, Courses, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Inter-Cultural Community Dialogue, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Cultural Competence and Mental Health – Beginning to work with the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health

We are on the verge of yet another transformative process in the field of cultural competency. On March 14 – 15, the JICC was invited to present its introductory cultural competency workshops to 70 senior managers from the Jerusalem Mental Health Center, at its annual management conference at the Dead Sea. This Mental Health Center includes hundreds of staff who are responsible for 300 hospital beds (active and extended stay departments) over 2 campuses (Kfar Shaul and Eitanim), Mental Health Centers in west and south Jerusalem, in Ma’ale Adumim, Mevasseret Zion and in Beit Shemesh. The Center also serves the Arabic-speaking population from East Jerusalem. The focus on cultural competency at the annual conference is a kickoff to the process of making the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health culturally competent. The Jerusalem Center was the first mental health center in Israel to commit, through the JICC help, to assimilate principles of cultural competency throughout its system of care.

Mental health services are a special challenge for cultural competency, since most care is based on verbal communication. At the same time, it is important to note that public mental health services are required comply with the Ministry of Health directive (February 2011) on cultural competency, as other health care organizations. In this conference the issue was introduced to the senior management, including department directors, as well as those in key roles, before cultural competence is being assimilated in all departments. The spotlight given at the conference is the result of many meetings between the JICC and the Jerusalem Center administration, as well as with the Jerusalem Foundation, to explain its importance in psychological care.

Practicing Dialogue

Throughout the first day the participants told stories about intercultural challenges and events they had encountered. In addition, Dr. Hagai Agmon-Snir, JICC Director, presented a workshop on intercultural communication and cultural dimensions and how awareness of this subject influences mental healthcare.

During the second day the participants were exposed to the importance of professional interpreting in therapy sessions, and shared examples, from Israel and around the world, of therapy being compromised because of language barriers. Senior staff understood the need and seemed willing to change the existing situation (which today uses non-professional and unskilled interpreters) to make the services more accessible. The day included a fascinating discussion about the boundaries of multiculturalism (“How much should I give up my professional and personal values in order to adapt the therapy session to the patient that comes from a culture that is entirely different than mine?”).

Workshop of the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health March 15, 2012

It was obvious that the 2 days of the conference were a first taste, and that this will be a long process that will require close cooperation between the JICC and the Jerusalem Center for Mental Health. The process will include training the medical and administrative staff in CC skills, and training bilingual staff in a medical interpretation, as has been done in other Jerusalem hospitals (Bikur Holim, Alyn, Hadassah) and HMOs. We believe that the products of this lengthy process can be a prototype for similar accessibility processes in other mental health centers around Israel.

jicc2014-07-11T09:25:08+00:00March 15th, 2012|Blog, Courses, Cross-Cultural Communication Trainings, Cultural Competence in Health Services, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab|

8th Annual Speaking Art 2011

Each year, our Speaking Art Conference for Jewish and Arab professionals in the performing arts gets better and better. This year, the 8th annual conference opened on November 16, which was also International Tolerance Day, and was held for two days at the Jerusalem International YMCA, the Beit Masia Theater and the Vertigo Studios at the Blaustein Civic Center. About 70 Jewish and Arab artists came together from all over Israel. This year, for the first time, 70% of the participants came from the Jerusalem area, the highest it’s ever been.

We’d like to thank the Dear Foundation and the Jerusalem Foundation for their ongoing support of the conference. The conference started with a workshop led by social activist Elad Vazana and renowned American choreographer Donald Byrd, followed by a guest workshop with famous singer Achinoam Nini (aka Noa) and guitarist Gili Dor. As part of the workshop, the participants engaged in a discussion with Nini and Dor about using music as a tool for dialogue between the Arabs and Jews.

After the opening, the conference participants engaged in either music, theater or dance workshops led by professional artists in their respective fields. In the workshops, the participants not only had the opportunity to take part in professional enrichment, but were also able to unite with their Jewish and Arab colleagues to learn from them and to create dialogue through art and creativity.

The Jerusalem YMCA hosted the music workshop led by composer, musician and singer Sameer Makhoul. The group played a variety of songs together and explored other cultures through the songs.

The theater workshop was held at Beit Masia in conjunction with Jerusalem’s Psik Theater. Led by Hisham Suleiman, a director, actor, playwright and founder of the Nazareth Fringe Theater, and Shmuel Hadjes, actor and founder of Psik, the participants developed short pieces based on personal stories of conflict, discussing everyday encounters between Jews and Arabs.

The movement and dance workshop was hosted by the Vertigo dance group at the Gerard Behar Blaustein Civic Center, and was led by Ilanit Tadmor, a professional dancer and teacher of improvisation and composition. Donald Byrd, Tony Award nominee and Bessie Award winner, participated in the conference as part of his research project at the Foundation for Jewish Culture, in which he is studying the role of the performing arts in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

As part of the Conference, two concerts were open to the public. The first took place at Beit Masia and featured the Jewish performers Achinoam Nini and Gili Dor together with Arab dancer Mona Mashi’l. The conference closed with a performance by well-known Arab singer Amal Murkus to an audience of 500 a new record for closing concert attendance.

Here is a link to a short film taken at the rehearsal for the concert.

We are especially proud of the ongoing activities that have sprouted as a result of Speaking Art. The first is the Jewish – Arab theater group that meets at the Jerusalem International YMCA, Freeze, which was started by Speaking Art ‘graduates’ in 2009. Also of special mention is a core of some 6 musicians who continued to meet in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem after the 2010 conference. Instances of additional cooperative work that have resulted from this past Speaking Art conference include:

Achinoam Nini and Mona Mashi’l are exploring possibilities of working together further.
The director of the Jewish – Arab Center in Jaffa is seeking to work with the music group that formed at Speaking Art.
The Jewish-Arab music ensemble, Na’am, is seeking to add musicians from the music group to its ranks.
The Jewish and Arab facilitators of the theater group, Shmulik Hadjes and Hisham Suleiman, have met to discuss further work together as well.

Some of our participants’ feedbacks:

“It was the best Speaking Art conference yet”

“Thank you for creating this conference, which provides an excellent platform for acquaintance and mutual activity! May we continue having dialogue and making art in the coming years!!!”

“Many thanks to you at the Jerusalem Intercultural Center and your partners: Dear Foundation, the Jerusalem Foundation and the Jerusalem International YMCA for holding this conference. For Jews and Arabs who wish to listen and cooperate it was a blissful event”.

“This time the event was so much emotional for me that I found myself crying while watching some of the acts. The workshop with Samir was fantastic and the live performances were phenomenal! The standard of the conference this year was highest than ever. Bless you!”

“I want to express my appreciation to the center’s staff. The big effort put into the conference is very evident. Well done!”

jicc2014-07-11T09:13:24+00:00November 20th, 2011|Arts, Blog, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Speaking Arts Conference|

Speaking Art Conference: Triggering Activity year-round – Follow-up Meeting on June 2011

By Naomi Roff Kohn, The Jerusalem Foundation:

Published at the Jerusalem Foundation site.

Understanding Each Other Through Music
June 2011

The Speaking Art Conference, held every December for the past seven years, is an opportunity for Jewish and Arab artists in the field of music, theater and dance to work together, thus getting to know other performing arts projects from different cultures and groups throughout Israel.

In order to strengthen the impact of the conference and to increase continuity from year to year, the Jerusalem Foundation and the Jerusalem Intercultural Center (JICC), have begun to hold mid-year meetings, bringing the artists together for shared activities, to strengthen their bonds and friendships, and to discuss suggestions for the next festival.

On June 16, 2011 some 20 Jewish and Arab artists participated in the mid-year meeting with a jam-packed day. It started with a workshop by Shmuel Hadjes, founder and director of the Jerusalem-based Psik Theater, and Hisham Suleiman, founder and director of the Nazereth Fringe Theater, entitled “The Internal Conflict.”

Speaking Arts workshop at the JICC house – June 2011

Musicians continued their work on a text they prepared during the last conference while other participants discussed how their religious and national identity influenced their work as artists.

After lunch the group visited the Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in the Christian Quarter of the Old City, to broaden participants’ familiarity with the art scene in east Jerusalem. Since many of the participants were not from Jerusalem, the group also toured the Christian and Jewish Quarters of the Old City and visited holy sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Discussions were held on how the November annual event can be improved, expanded, and strengthened.

The day ended with an one-hour concert of the Jewish-Arab band Na’am in the JICC’s garden. The participants gathered around the band, listened to the music and it was a wonderful end to an enriching day.

Evening Concert at the JICC garden – June 2011

A clip of the afternoon concert at the JICC beautiful garden (thanks to the Jerusalem Foundation):

Original at: http://youtu.be/wdt3eUPn9xY

jicc2017-05-02T07:57:43+00:00June 16th, 2011|Arts, Blog, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs, Speaking Arts Conference|

Silwan Well-Baby Clinic (Mother and Baby Centre) – March 2011 – Success!!

Be aware, this is a proud blog entry! The persistent efforts we made since the beginning of 2009 to re-open the Silwan Well-Baby clinic was for us a symbol for our unique work approach in Jerusalem. And now, that these efforts were successful, we feel that it helps us make the case for our approach. During this period of time, we have seen more successful examples for our way, but still, the success with this clinic is for us a milestone.

And now – to the details.

When we began our first steps with the community leadership of Silwan in the beginning of 2009, the issue of the Well-Baby Clinic was central. This critical service had been closed at the end of 2008 and some 100,000 people (including 15,000 babies and toddlers aged 0 – 5) were left without any way to receive in their neighborhood immunizations, track the children’s growth or development, check up on parents’ functioning, etc. Israel is very proud of its well-baby clinic system, in which 97% of all babies in Israel aged 0 – 5 are served. In east Jerusalem, only one-third of all children get to the few Israeli government operated Well-Baby Clinics. Another third receives vaccinations at alternative institutions such as the Red Crescent, UNWRA, etc., and no one knows what happens to the remaining third. After the Well-Baby Clinic was closed in 2008, due to budgetary cutbacks and after a problematic implementation, the densely-populated area of Silwan was left without any type of preventative health service for young children – not public, not alternative – a difficult setback for the health and development of small children in the area. Some of the parents were taking the infants to clinics outside the neighborhood, but many did not…

Following this development, it was only natural that we come into the picture. We described our work model in east Jerusalem in a short article. It is based on the principle of finding paths to dialogue based on enabling both residents of east Jerusalem and the bodies responsible for the relevant services to achieve tangible results. The JICC is not an advocate of the residents, nor are we are a PR company for the institutions. Our assumption is that, in many cases, more than are usually obvious, all sides are interested in finding solutions, and different obstacles (cultural gaps, political/social tensions, etc.) prevent both sides from finding a solution. Our job is to bridge these gaps and overcome these obstacles.

At the beginning of 2009, we turned to the professionals in the Municipality, who are responsible for Well-Baby Clinics in the city, and they agreed immediately in principle that the Well-Baby Clinic should be re-introduced. At the same time they also pointed out a long list of difficulties: from funding, which is supposed to come from the Israel Ministry of Health; finding a suitable place in Silwan, one that is both the right size and in the right location, that does not infringe on any building codes, and whose owners are willing to rent to the Jerusalem Municipality (no small challenge); successful marketing the service, since poor marketing in which many of the residents were put off from using the service was one of the main reasons the old clinic had been closed. On the other hand, the Silwan Valley Leadership Committee, which we helped to establish and mentor, expressed much interest in helping the process move forward.

We were on the cusp of success in late 2009 as the Well-Baby Clinic was placed in the 2010 municipal budget, thanks to a process that included all the relevant professionals as well as politicians in the Municipality, and community professionals and institutions. Unfortunately, in the last few days of 2009, right before the 2010 budget was approved, it was taken out, to our grave disappointment. We described our disappointment here in this blog. This reaction rippled into an article in Ha’aretz newspaper, which is quoted in the blog entry from 2009.

Yet, as we noted even then, we continued to work toward the goal that was common to all partners. Throughout an entire year, we made sure that the process was progressing – the Municipality turned to the Ministry of Health, the residents strengthened the request with a letter of their own, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) reminded the Municipality and the Ministry of Health of their legal obligations. As a result, budgets were retained from the Ministry of Health, and the residents and the Municipality set out to find a suitable location in the neighborhood. Such a place was found, all the legal and technical aspects were worked out, and last Thursday, on 10 March 2011 a lease was signed between the building owners and the Municipality, and today the process of adapting it to the needs of the Well-Baby Clinic has begun.

We are celebrating with our many partners on the lease signing. In addition to the leaders from East Jerusalemand the professionals at the municipality and the relevant NGOs, this success could not be achieved without the help of the Goldman Fund and the Jerusalem Foundation. Our work requires precise application of efforts made by our staff to facilitate these unique processes in the city of Jerusalem – and thanks to these funding organizations, we can do it well.

But we are of course not resting. We need to make sure that it won’t take a long time to ready the building for use, to hire professional staff, that the service starts on the right foot with successful marketing efforts augmented by the residents, and more. In parallel, we need to begin the process of opening an additional Well-Baby Clinic in northeast Jerusalem, which is also in desperate need. Fortunately, we are more familiar with the process and with our partners, who will be happy to help us in this endeavor.

And of course, the Silwan Valley Leadership Committee, that can celebrate its success on this issue, continues to work on many different and varied issues in which municipal and national services need to be improved – garbage removal, road improvement, planning and construction, and more. Despite the political question as to the future of Jerusalem, east Jerusalem residents must have adequate municipal services. The alternative is unthinkable

jicc2014-04-09T17:50:38+00:00March 13th, 2011|Blog, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Inter-Cultural Community Dialogue, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs, Silwan Community Dialogue|

Promoting Healthcare Cooperation through Cross-Cultural Dialogue of Jewish and Arab doctors in Jerusalem

On Thursday, January 13, after long and intensive preparation, we had the first of 10 meetings of the cross-cultural dialogue group of health professionals in Jerusalem. Thirty participants, 19 Jews and 11 Arabs, met for the first time at Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital. The participants included doctors from Jerusalem hospitals (Hadassah Mount Scopus, Hadassah Ein Kerem, Shaare Tsedek, Bikur Holim, Al-Mukassed and more), HMOs (Clalit and Maccabi) and also from the Red Crescent.

Doctors East and West Jerusalem Seminar – meeting 1

The group heard an introduction to medicine in East Jerusalem from Dr. Nafiz Nubani, Deputy Director of the Jerusalem District of the Ministry of Health. We then had a presentation by Dr. Maurit Be’eri, Deputy CEO of Alyn Pediatric Hospital, on the process of increasing cultural competency that the institution has been undergoing with the assistance of the JICC. Thanks to the simultaneous translation, we could have the talks in Arabic and Hebrew, respecting the mother tongues and identities of all the participants. The next meetings will deal with the treatment process from the primary clinic in east Jerusalem to the hospital and back, cultural competency in the context of Islam and East Jerusalem, becoming acquainted with healthcare models that were used in other places, and more. One of the meetings will be dedicated to touring clinics in East Jerusalem.

Dr. Morit Beeri, Deputy CEO of Alyn Pediatric Hospital, speaking to the Doctors Group

Dr. Maurit Beeri, Deputy CEO of Alyn Pediatric Hospital, speaking to the Doctors Group

We put intensive effort into creating this group; indeed, it was a challenge we wanted to invest in. At the beginning of the process, we intended to hold a group for a variety of medical professionals – doctors, nurses, administrators, pharmacists, etc. People with whom we consulted had two assumptions. One was that doctors would not be interested in a group like this and would not register for it because they are too busy. The second was that doctors would not come to a group that includes people from other professions… We took the risk – we decided to limit the group to doctors and to try anyway – we knew that if we succeed, these doctors will be the best agents of change in the health system. The 30 doctors who came to the meeting, most of whom senior physicians in the health system in East and West Jerusalem, showed us that we were correct in our strategy.

Intensive staff efforts were required for this group to materialize and then to crystallize. Hadassah agreed to notify its entire doctors’ mailing list about it. HARI (Israeli Doctors Histadrut/Union) distributed notices about the group to all the doctors in Israel (16,000 doctors). The surprising result was that there were many who called and asked for details. Tal Kligman, the project manager, worked with the entire project team to create engaging content for the meetings, including cultural competence issues and strategies, best practices for interaction between diverse staff members, and more. Much work was invested in creating contents and structure that would be effective and relevant for all participants, Arabs and Jews, and be appealing to them. Tal spoke with each of the participants a few times. An evaluator was selected for the process and began his work.

At this point, after one meeting, our feeling about the implementation is that it is very successful. It is very important to note that without the funding of the Beracha Foundation, this group could not take place. The investment of staff time and effort, the intense facilitation, the simultaneous translation etc. – all these made the recruitment of the doctors possible and optimized the impact of the process. As a result, senior doctors on both sides (including the director of Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital, heads of departments, heads of HMO teams, deputy general of the Ministry of Health Jerusalem District and others) have enrolled. We believe that this high-profile group will create a network of Arab and Jewish doctors in Jerusalem that will be helpful (together with the JICC’s efforts in the field) to improve equality in medicine in Jerusalem. The JICC has a mission to make Jerusalem a culturally competent city, and this group of doctors will definitely help us in this mission, thanks to the process they will get through in these meetings.

jicc2014-04-09T17:29:21+00:00January 13th, 2011|Blog, Courses, Cultural Competence, Cultural Competence in Health Services, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs|

The Jerusalem Foundation’s quarterly publication (December 2010) focuses on the JICC

We at the Jerusalem Intercultural Center have had a very close and fruitful relationship with the Jerusalem Foundation since day 1. Indeed, they were among our founding partners and continue to be one of our important strategic partners today. In 2003, in recognition of our expertise and experience, we and the Jerusalem Foundation formulated a strategy that responds to the diversity challenges in the city. A critical element includes leading new initiatives that seek to train strong leaders and agents of change, who will be able to lead widening circles of children, youth and adults – each in their own context – toward a livable future in Jerusalem, regardless of future political realities. This has included training grassroots and project leaders, providing language and communication skills and acting as a resource for all. This past summer the Jerusalem Foundation also renovated our historic building on Mt. Zion, enabling participants in our programs to enjoy our special facility with modern comforts and safety.

Jerusalem Foundation Windows December 2010 – Cover

This December’s edition of the Jerusalem Foundation’s quarterly publication, Windows, featured its leading coexistence projects, nearly all of them under the leadership of the Jerusalem Intercultural Center. The articles focus on our community work in East Jerusalem, our Cultural Competence in Health Program and our annual Speaking Arts Conference. These are, of course, are just a few examples of the work of the JICC in Jerusalem. On the cover, there is a picture of our building, newly-renovated by the Jerusalem Foundation through the generous support of Professor Dr. Jan-Philipp Reemtsma, the Hamburg Foundation for the Promotion of Science and Culture.

We appreciate this partnership with the Jerusalem Partnership and are excited to see it grow.

Link to the Windows publication (Acrobat – PDF) – click here.

For Acrobat 5 compatible version of the publication (in case the above does not open properly) – click here.