Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem | The Jerusalem Intercultural Center

Lessons in Tolerance from the Holocaust

“It was very interesting, very emotional, very special. In my circle there was a very interesting discussion about the memory of the Holocaust for the different sectors, about questions that arise around the memory, and what motivated the participants to take part in this very special meeting.”

Diverse Yom Hashoah

This is how one participant described her experience at the event, “The Holocaust – Does it Divide Us or Unite Us?” which was organized by the Rehavia Tolerance Team in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day that took place on Thursday, May 5. The event was held together with Plugta, an organization that seeks to delve into deeply divisive issues through learning, study and discussion. Here’s the post about the meeting on Facebook:

The evening began with an open discussion with Rabbi Moshe Grileck, editor of the Haredi newspaper, Hamishpacha, and continued with discussion circles between Haredi and secular residents.

In small groups as well

The question that was central to the evening was – In light of the fact that we stood in the same line for the gas chambers because we were Jewish, is there a common line that we’re all waiting in now? In other words, what are the common denominators that we as a diverse society can act upon?

Thought-provoking questions, not just for Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Rehavia Tolerance Team is part of a citywide network of Tolerance Teams that aim to promote pluralism and acceptance of the ‘other’ throughout Jerusalem, supported by the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation.

Naomi Roff2016-05-21T08:35:02+00:00May 10th, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, New Immigrants, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Baka’a – a Neighborhood of Many Colors

We knew that Baka’a was a neighborhood rich in diverse groups, hailing from all over the world. Now, it is indeed, a neighborhood of many colors.

Neighborhood of Many Colors

On Wednesday, April 27, parents and children, religious and not, speaking multiple languages, decorated a local park on Lipschitz St. with beautiful signs of tolerance. Let’s let the pictures tell the story:

Starting with a blank canvas

There were many kinds of participants, of many ages:

Many kinds of participants

To each one, tolerance meant something different. It could mean this:

One view of tolerance

Or this:

A different view

Or this:

All you need is love

But in the end, all these different expressions of tolerance shared the same space:

Tolerance throughout the park

The Baka’a Tolerance Team is part of a citywide network of Tolerance Teams that aim to promote pluralism and acceptance of the ‘other’ throughout Jerusalem, supported by the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation.

Naomi Roff2016-05-21T08:34:12+00:00April 30th, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

The Arabic Sounds of Passover from Katamonim Tolerance Team

Passover songs in Hebrew, Passover songs in Aramaic, Passover songs in English. Passover songs in Arabic? Why not?

Throughout the ages Jews from all over the world wrote and sang songs and prayers in the language of their land. On Sunday, April 17, in preparation for Passover, the Katamonim Tolerance Team presented “Passover according to the Syrian Tradition,” baking soft matzot and singing Passover songs in Arabic.

The Arabic sounds of Passover

The evening was led by musician Shmuel Nelson. In addition to the music, the evening featured soft matzot baked in the Syrian tradition. Yum! (can we say that about matzot?)

Soft Syrian matzot

And here’s a taste of the musical tradition:

The Katamonim Tolerance Team, part of our citywide Tolerance Team Network supported by the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation.

Naomi Roff2016-05-21T08:27:53+00:00April 22nd, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, New Immigrants, Palestinians/Arabs, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

Creating a Different Jerusalem Day – “a Different Day in Jerusalem”

As our name states, we’re all about Jerusalem. Especially about Jerusalem and all its cultures, ethnicities, religions, nationalities. On this upcoming Jerusalem Day, we, together with a number of prominent Jerusalem-based partners seek to show this love for Jerusalem, in a way that is different than what has developed in recent years. We were recently featured in an article in the local Kol Ha’ir newspaper. Click on the picture for the PDF version:

The Hebrew article, from Friday, April 15

The Hebrew article, Friday, April 15

In the article, Michal Shilor, our coordinator for the Grassroots Campaign to Promote Tolerance in Jerusalem, said,

“Over the last few years we are witnessing more and more incidents of hate and violence on Jerusalem Day. Many of the events that take place in the city do not leave room for most of the city’s residents to mark that day in a tolerant manner, and I, like many residents of the city, hide away at home or leave the city on that day in order to get away from the blatant racism that is expressed in the streets on that day. This year, I’m excited to be a part of making this city more tolerant in general, and on this tension-filled day in particular. Most of us are looking for a different way to mark Jerusalem Day, one that respects and celebrates Jerusalem’s political, social and cultural diversity – and now we have a chance.”

This initiative, called, “a Different Day in Jerusalem“, is a collaboration between the Jerusalem Intercultural Center, This is Jerusalem, the Young Adults Center and the Jerusalem Foundation. It is supported by the UJA-Federation of New York .

There’s already a long list of projects and programs taking part in the day’s events. On Sunday, May 15 we’ll be holding an additional Open Space Technology meeting to garner even more.

Here’s the link to the Facebook event (Hebrew).

And this is the link to the internet site that features all the events of “a Different Day in Jerusalem“.

Mark your calendars for June 5. It’s going to be something special!

Naomi Roff2016-05-21T08:15:04+00:00April 19th, 2016|Asylum Seekers, Blog, Christians, Effective Activism, Ethiopian Jews, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, New Immigrants, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

New Neighborhood Tolerance Team in Talpiot!

How do you celebrate Shabbat? Tell us your Shabbat story…

Telling different Shabbat stories

This is what the newly-formed Talpiot Tolerance Team did in their opening event, which took place on Friday afternoon, April 1.

Event with Jerusalem’s diversity

Shabbat means different things to different people. For a short time on that Friday afternoon, Ultra-Orthodox (Chabad), Ethiopian, secular and traditional Jews all experienced together their own Kabbalat Shabbat, enjoying the traditions as well as their own interpretations.

Traditional taking of Challah before baking Challot

Advertisements to this event were prepared in Amharic as well as Hebrew, and there was a true Jerusalem mix of people at the event.

Amharic poster

The Talpiot Tolerance team is one of a growing network of Neighborhood Tolerance Teams that are being formed throughout Jerusalem. Each team is acting independently, and advancing tolerance in ways that the team members feel are most appropriate for them. There are currently teams in French Hill, Abu Tor / Al-Thuri, Katamonim, Katamon-German Colony, Baka’a, Rehavia, Nahlaot, and more are being formed each week.

Everyone’s hands knead the Challah

Many thanks to the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation for their support in promoting tolerance in Jerusalem.

Many forms of Challah

Here are some more pictures from the Facebook post on the event from the Hebrew-language Jerusalem Tolerance Facebook group:

Naomi Roff2016-04-15T11:16:48+00:00April 10th, 2016|Blog, Ethiopian Jews, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, New Immigrants, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Ha’aretz Coverage of Zion Square-Tolerance Square Planning Meeting

Speaking in the Square has made the national news again! On March 22, the Zion Square – Tolerance Square planning meeting, which we wrote about here, was covered by the Ha’aretz national newspaper in English. Click here to access the entire article.

Here are some excerpts from the article, written by Eetta Prince-Gibson:

“Imagine Zion Square in the future,” the facilitator asks the group. “What is happening in your ideal square?”
Seated at tables stocked with play dough, building blocks and Lego pieces, they shout out their answers.
“It’s filled with light and there are lots of children,” says a woman who appears to be in her 20s, in jeans and high boots.

“I hear a mishmash of languages. Yiddish, too,” says a young man in tight skinny striped pants.
“Fruit trees!” “Light and shade!” “Lots of different things happening all at once!” people call out.
“It’s a Hyde Park!” says a middle-aged-looking man in the black velvet kippah, white shirt and black pants garb of the ultra-Orthodox.

In early March, a group of 50 or so Jerusalemites of different ages, political affiliations and religious persuasions met to articulate their vision for Zion Square, the central square in downtown West Jerusalem. Uniting them is their deep commitment to the vision of Jerusalem as a thriving city that derives from its history, sanctity and modern creativity.

These activists, representing a large, loose coalition of organizations, ad hoc movements and individuals, have been meeting for informal dialogue every Thursday night in Zion Square for over a year and a half, since extremist right-wing violence began to spread through downtown Jerusalem during the days of the Israel-Gaza conflict in the summer of 2014.

In response to their activism, the Jerusalem municipality has determined that, as a major component of its call for a competition for a planned redesign of the square, Zion Square will be turned into “a place that promotes connections, tolerance and mutual respect.”

She goes on to describe the history of Zion Square, especially since the summer of 2014:

But by July 2014, during the heat of the Gaza war known as Operation Protective Edge, the square had been largely claimed by a right-wing extremist group, Lahava, which bills itself as the “organization for the prevention of assimilation in the Holy Land.” Dressed in black and yellow shirts, they would march repeatedly through the square, waving large flags, handing out stickers “don’t even think about a Jewish girl” in Hebrew and Arabic, and accosting anyone they perceived to be Arab, members of the LGBT community, or “leftists.”

“We realized we had to try to take back the square,” recalls Michal Shilor, 23, an activist in what was to become “Talking in the Square,” [translation of the group’s Hebrew name, Medabrim Bakikar, what we call Speaking in the Square] a group of volunteers operating with the support of the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation. “But we also realized that many of the kids in Lahava were alienated kids who were looking for something to belong to. So we decided to engage them.”

Facilitated by the Jerusalem Intercultural Center, “Talking in the Square” [Speaking in the Square] developed a routine, coming into the square on Thursday nights, a favorite night for Lahava activities, offering to engage Lahava activists – and anyone else who happened upon the square – in thoughtful dialogue. Gradually, over the year, and very much under the radar of the media, they became recognized as a permanent, and calming, feature.

Activity in the Square

But then came the murder of Shira Banki, a 16-year-old high school student at the Gay Pride Parade in late July 2015.

“We felt we were choking,” recalled Shira Katz-Vinkler, CEO of the Yerushalmim Movement. “Something so horrific was happening in Jerusalem and in all of Israeli society, and we knew we could not continue with ‘business as usual.’”

And somehow, Katz-Vinkler continues, “we all knew that the activity had to concentrate in Zion Square. Maybe it’s a way of expressing that ‘from Zion shall go forth Torah,’” she adds, citing a phrase from the books of Isaiah and Micha.

On August 1, thousands of Jerusalemites turned out in Zion Square to a vigil, headed by President Reuven Rivlin and with the participation of prominent rabbis from all the different religious streams, including the ultra-Orthodox, representatives of the LGBT support organization Jerusalem Open House, and others.

Recalls Weil, who had been at the Pride Parade, “I came to that vigil sad, broken. Yet, strangely, I came away feeling a sense of hope, based on the recognition that we can only heal if we all come together.”

After Banki died, the Yerushalmim Movement, together with Talking in the Square, spontaneously decided to observe the traditional seven-day mourning period in the square. They have continued to be there, every Thursday night, ever since, in an effort to rebrand the square as tolerant turf.

Fast forward to February 2016. The Jerusalem Municipality issued a competition to re-design Zion Square. The Mayor was persuaded to dedicate the square to dialogue and tolerance, and any design must include elements that promote these concepts. The article continues:

“The design of the square will be a real challenge,” says Roi Lavee, an architect employed by the municipality as a planner for the city center. “On the one hand, we want the square to be comfortable for everyone – Arabs, Jews, religious, secular, young, old. It is also a commercial space, and we want it to be a space that gives expression to the arts and creativity. It’s a huge project – but I believe that Jerusalem is up for it.”

Stay tuned for more developments on the planning and design of Zion Square. Here’s the post to the article via Facebook:

Naomi Roff2016-04-01T15:01:13+00:00March 25th, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

Katamonim Tolerance Team – A Neighborhood Meets Itself

The burned bridge between the word ‘Salaam’ and the word ‘Shalom’

Between the word ‘Kalib’ and the word ‘Lev’ (heart)

Between the word ‘Hoob’ and the word ‘Ahava’ (love)

Between the word ‘Urshalem’ and ‘Yerushalayim’

Between the word ‘Mai’ and the word ‘Mayim’ (water)

Between the word ‘Ivri’ (Hebrew) and the word ‘Aravi’ (Arabic)

Between the word ‘Wachad’ and the word ‘Echad’ (one)

Between the word ‘Allah’ and the word ‘Elohim’

This is part of a poem by Yosef Ozer, which was composed by the Ecout ensemble, which played at the first meeting of the Katamonim-Rasco Tolerance Team – A Neighborhood Meets Itself which took place on March 10. The Katamonim-Rasco team joins a growing network of Neighborhood Tolerance Teams, part of an overall effort to promote tolerance in Jerusalem, that we’ve been leading since the summer of 2014, thanks to the support of the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation.

Katamonim-Rasco meets itself

This first meeting was entitled “Katamonim Songs, ” and featured the poet Almog Behar and the Ecout ensemble. The ensemble performed songs from its “Katamonim Songs” E.P. that tells the history, the experience and the life stories in the Katamonim neighborhood in Jerusalem. Later on they spoke with Almog Behar and Inbal Jumpshid on the album’s songs and the neighborhood, identity and political connections.

Listening to Ecout

Michal Shilor, our JICC coordinator, summed up the meeting:

We listened, we experienced, we laughed and were excited by the close-knit music, song and discussion with neighborhood residents on accepting the ‘other’ in the neighborhood, on nostalgia, on recognizing the humanity of people regardless of their association with a particular group. Step by step, we’re making cracks in the walls and bringing the hearts of Jerusalemites together.

Here’s the link to a video taken at the meeting:

Naomi Roff2016-07-22T11:54:39+00:00March 14th, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, New Immigrants, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

Happy First Birthday 0202 – A View from East Jerusalem!

“I can’t believe it’s been a year. One year ago this week, after hard work on a ‘pilot’ 0202 Facebook page, Eran and I pressed ‘publish.’ Almost simultaneously, we began to receive ‘likes.’ We quickly passed the 100, 200, even 500 marks, until we crossed the 1,000 “like” in 24 hours! And then 0202 became an astronomical wind storm.”

Thus describes Michal Shilor, founder and volunteer director of “0202 – A View from East Jerusalem.” She goes on to describe how the page came about:

It all started in November 2014 when I found myself asking on Facebook if there’s a place that can give me a real peek into East Jerusalem – without Jewish left or right-wing commentary, without the filter of someone who is not a local resident. What does the East Jerusalemite see when she wakes up in the morning? What really happens at the checkpoints, in education, during arrests, at cultural centers? What do East Jerusalemites talk about in general, the regular people – not only political activists and not those who are better known than others? At the time I could only get the answers from Facebook pages in Arabic, or Jewish pages that either a) only gave part of the story, according to a certain political agenda, or b) always, always, always presented their understanding of the situation (also according to their political agenda). I then began a journey of meeting everyone who deals with East Jerusalem, I ran from meeting to meeting, from page to page. I very quickly found very good people to be on our advisory committee, and found a small staff from East and West Jerusalem who’d volunteer to take part of this journey. Throughout the year I’ve been amazed at the willingness, the professionalism, the patience and the dedication of each and every one. Today we are 22 Israelis and Palestinians, and I appreciate and thank each and every one.

Here’s her original post in Hebrew

The post was a promo for the first birthday party event that was held on Wednesday, March 9, at the Tmol Shilshom cafe in Jerusalem.

A full house at Tmol Shilshom

The room was filled to capacity – some stood outside, others were turned away. What a wonderful way to spend a birthday.

Michal and the 0202 page

The evening included guided readings of different posts that have appeared on the 0202 page – not just what the words mean, but also explanations behind them and related stories. Some of the 20 Israeli and Palestinian translators and editors, as well as those on 0202’s advisory board, led the audience through the posts.

Lior explaining a post

We also had experts in the field, such as Ami Metav, was was responsible for the Temple Mount and the Old City for the Israel Ministry of Defense, and is today a project manager and coordinator in East Jerusalem for the Municipality.

Ami Metav

We also welcomed Hatem Khweiss, Chief Editor of the Palestinian news web site HON.

Hatem Khweis

The evening was recorded by the Microphones for Peace Internet radio show, as well as on video.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, this is how the page looks in Hebrew. Today it has more than 15,000 likes, including senior municipal officials, journalists from major news outles and researchers, and is constantly growing.

0202 Hebrew

A few months ago, thanks to a grant from the Leichtag Foundation, we were also able to open an English site.

0202 – A View from East Jerusalem

We, Michal and the rest of the 0202 team wish to express our deep gratitude to everyone who came. As we wrote in our Facebook post:

Thanks to everyone came to speak and to listen, to congratulate and to celebrate with us 0202’s first birthday! We were especially excited about the open, innovative, and sensitive discussion that took place throughout the evening between East and West Jerusalem, between eastern and western Jerusalemites, between the men and women who came to hear, to listen and to expand horizons. We had no idea we could create such a face-to-face discussion at this time, and we’d thought we’d be able to do so on the Internet. We’re astounded that this type of discussion could happen now, face-to-face, only one year after launch. Thank you.
We were happy and amazed by the amount of people who came, and by the number of people who were forced to wait outside or to leave because the event was full. We promise to have a similar event soon.

And here’s the post to the event album:

And a video of the entire event (in Hebrew):

Naomi Roff2017-05-02T07:44:42+00:00March 11th, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

Painting Zion Square the Colors of Tolerance – Permanently

Zion Square as a Tolerance Square in Jerusalem? A few years ago this might have seemed like a ridiculous notion to many, since this square has its history of violence, hatred and racism. Today, thanks to the Speaking in the Square initiative, other groups and supportive municipal officials, it is becoming a reality.

In mid-February the Municipality announced an architectural competition to redesign and re-brand Zion Square as a Square for Tolerance and Dialogue. The new design must include elements that advance tolerance and mutual respect. At the request of the competition organizers, Speaking in the Square, the Yerushalmim Movement, and other Zion Square activists met on Sunday, March 6 to brainstorm design ideas for the new Zion Square.

Recognize Zion Square?

This was a very important meeting, attended by some 30 activists from a range of initiatives. Deputy Mayor Tamir Nir, as well as city council member Aaron Leibowitz also took an active part in the meeting.

Discussion including Deputy Mayor Tamir Nir

The ideas suggested ran the gamut – from ensuring comfortable seating and lighting to make it comfortable and welcoming at night, as well as shaded areas to make it comfortable during the day. It should be handicapped accessible. It should be open to allow large numbers of people to congregate – for performances, shows, exhibits and more – but also enabling more intimate gatherings to emphasize its pluralist nature. It should be dynamic, and enable different stories and narratives to be told, both at different times and simultaneously. It should welcome everyone and push away no one.

Building Tolerance Square together

The meeting including brainstorming visual concepts to match the design theories – the most colorful part of the evening.

Giving design concepts a structure

We’ll keep you posted as the design process moves forward.

Hard at work

Leading up to the brainstorming meeting, Ossnat Sharon, among the leaders of Speaking in the Square, was interviewed on the Hebrew blog site Ashpaton:

“I’ve been going to demonstrations since I was about 12 years old,” tells Ossnat Sharon, But being in Zion Square, participating in dialogue “was a moment of revelation for me. Something happened there that I’d never seen happen. I mean, I saw something happening in the public space that was effective. In [regular] demonstrations, on both the right and the left, people are shouting at each other, each in his own camp. In the end the police go in some direction, and that gives everyone an excuse to go home, since you can’t stand and shout all night…On that night [the first night I participated in Speaking in the Square] we did something that changed the atmosphere in the Square. We began talking.”

Many thanks to the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation for their support of our efforts to promote tolerance in the public sphere in Jerusalem.

Naomi Roff2017-03-21T10:56:17+00:00March 8th, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish Religious Denominations, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem, Ultra-Orthodox Jews|

0202 – Toward First Birthday Celebrations

Happy Birthday!!!! 0202 – A View from East Jerusalem is getting ready to celebrate its first birthday! Here’s the link to the Hebrew Facebook event, which will take place on March 9.

Over the past year, 0202 has garnered more than 15,000 likes and reaches tens of thousands of viewers each week, including prominent and influential local and national officials and journalists. A few months ago 0202 established an English Facebook page, which itself has over 1,200 likes in just over 2 months. There is also an internet site for those who prefer to read 0202 without Facebook!

Shira, one of the page’s initiators as well as translators and editors, was recently interviewed on the Shalem College’s web site:

“I’d like it if the page piques people’s curiosity and causes them to research and to want to get to know the other culture, because today neither side is deeply acquainted with the other. We need more glasses to see reality through,” says Shira. The 0202 volunteers make sure not to take a stand [on what they translate], but translate the articles as close as possible to the original. “Last year I translated articles about the stabbing at the Gay Pride Parade. I took articles from four sources, including a news site that is identified with the Hamas and a Facebook page of young students. There were those who called the event the “Pride Parade” and those who called it “Pervert Parade.” If I soften what they write and adapt it to what I’d like to see written, I wouldn’t be doing my job. We want to bring the authentic Arabic-speaking voices to Hebrew speakers, and we spend a lot of time and discussions among the staff how to translate controversial phrases.”

Shira, 0202 translator and editor

Here’s the link to the full article, in Hebrew.

Want to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work at 0202? Come to the event next Wednesday!

Many thanks to the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jerusalem Foundation for their general support of 0202, and to the Leichtag Foundation, which enabled the launching of the 0202 – A View from East Jerusalem in English.

Naomi Roff2016-03-11T18:51:45+00:00March 2nd, 2016|Blog, Effective Activism, Identity Groups and Conflicts, Jewish-Palestinian/Arab, Palestinians/Arabs, Promoting Tolerance in Jerusalem|

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