As Jerusalem settles in to a new routine with its new mayor and new city council, our Michal Shilor had a few words of advice for the new administration, based on the Jerusalem Covenant. It was published on the local web site MyNet, which is associated with the Ynet news giant.
Here’s the link to the Hebrew article.
And here’s the English translation.
They all gathered in one room. 90 activists from Jerusalem. Those who voted for Moshe Leon, those who voted for Ofer Berkowitz. Haredim, religious, secular, Arabs, leftists and rightists. They all came with one goal: to think about how we will work together during the next five years. All the residents of the city – for a better city, where both its administration and its residents see everyone. They split up into working groups to promote issues of joint interest such as cleanliness, public transportation, mixed neighborhoods, economic development, urban planning and more.
Activism is a central part of the second principle of the Jerusalem Covenant, which states that those who work for the improvement of the city are a critical resource, and the establishment must see them as such, and even assist them, even when they report hazards or problems. Jerusalem needs to be a city that is attentive to everyone. It needs to be a city that sees its activists as a resource, as those who care about seeing a city that is good for them and their neighbors, as those who understand what should be advanced, because the municipality’s decisions will affect their daily lives. And we – the residents, activists in some cases – know what is better for us than anyone else.
The meeting of activists from the entire spectrum of the population is the real Jerusalem. In fact, each of us can be an activist and promote what is important in Jerusalem. Because our city should be led by women and men like those who came together [in late November] to think together how to take Jerusalem forward, who are active and initiating and changing our reality every day, every minute, in the public sphere. We must demand that the city’s leadership work together with us – together with all of us – to advance the city in a way that will benefit everyone.
Now is the time to remind the new city council that it must work with us, the residents, the activists. That we are an essential resource for leading the city and making decisions that will affect all of our daily lives. Close cooperation between the Jerusalem activists and the Municipality will turn our city into one where everyone feels they can influence and change. A city where everyone feels like they belong, so they smile a little more, walk with confidence, and take interest in their neighbors. A city that engages its residents, because it understands that we know best what is good for us, and our neighbors, together.
Many thanks to the Schusterman and Leichtag Foundations for their support of the Jerusalem Covenant activities, and to Natan and the Jerusalem Foundation for their continued support of our efforts to advance tolerance in Jerusalem!
