Shared Society

JICC promotes meaningful interactions between Haredi and non-Haredi Jews, enabling them to share public resources and build consensus around common urban problems, in Jerusalem and across the country.

Impact

200+

Students participate in dialogue groups on university campuses

Educators learn how to use Jerusalem as a teaching tool

Neighborhoods actively engaging in mediation to solve problems

Context

Ideological differences cause tensions between Haredim and non-Haredim, especially in “mixed neighborhoods” where both communities must live and thrive together.

Jerusalem has the largest population of Haredi Jews in Israel, accounting for 25% of the city’s residents and 44% of its Jewish population. The Haredi community strictly observes Jewish law, including gender segregation in public spaces and a separate education system tailored to their religious preferences. Additionally, there is low workforce participation, high population growth, and resistance to some aspects of modernity, contributing to challenges in interactions between the Haredi community and non-Haredi individuals and institutions.

Strategies

Neighborhood Mediation

Establishing dialogue groups in mixed neighborhoods in Jerusalem. These groups are platforms for residents, elected and municipal officials to discuss shared concerns and collaborate on solutions for shared spaces such as community centers, parks and meeting spaces.

Building Future Leadership

Convening groups of Haredi and non-Haredi college students, in partnership with Hebrew University, to discuss Israeli-Jewish identity, shared spaces in the public domain, other social issues and then brainstorm creative solutions.

Discussion Groups

Facilitating neighbourhood-based discussion groups to mend tears in the fabric of Israeli society and help Jerusalemites express fears, concerns, and pains, irrespective of their ideological stances. Against the backdrop of the civil unrest and heightened social tensions brought about by the judicial overhaul (set in motion in January 2023), this was particularly welcome.

Relevant Staff

Eli Shnapp

Director of Shared Society

Email::

jicc@jicc.org.il