The Jerusalem Covenant – All Mayors for All People in Jerusalem

We believe that the gospel will come from Jerusalem – how to operate a complex city, with diverse populations living side by side, even if not always together, but in peace with and with compassion for my neighbors from other groups and identities.

On Sunday, October 28, a day and a half before the mayoral elections, we held a special meeting for future City Council members and residents from the entire spectrum of Jerusalem to discuss practical implications of the Jerusalem Covenant, and its future influence on our city and our everyday lives. Over 70 people gathered at the Inbal Hotel, and we talked, political opponents and people from all sectors of society. We discussed a range of issues in respectful manner. We reached a number of practical understandings that we believe will guide the future City Council in their work for Jerusalem – and for all Jerusalemites – on an everyday level.

What is the Jerusalem Covenant?

In this local election year, we felt that it is especially pertinent to put tolerance on the public agenda. Not only for all candidates to work to better all parts of Jerusalem, but also for them to see, hear and attempt to understand the needs of all Jerusalemites, no matter their political platform. For this purpose, we have created the Jerusalem Covenant. We brought the Covenant to all four mayoral candidates, who signed wholeheartedly.

The Jerusalem Covenant has four parts:

As I begin my term as Mayor of Jerusalem, I promise to adopt the following four principles, which will help me as Mayor to see all Jerusalem residents, and to integrate these principles into all everyday activities of the Municipality:

1. See everyone. People from different groups need different services. Thus, Jerusalem will be adapted to the needs of all residents and welcoming to all people.

2. Listen to everyone. In Jerusalem, residents are involved and are an important source of varied initiatives. Thus the Municipality will encourage the partnership of residents. It will be transparent in its actions and will encourage respectful public discourse.

3. Leader of everyone. Jerusalem has national and international importance, and there are many social complexities among its residents. Thus, Jerusalem will be run in the utmost professional manner, for the benefit of its residents, not by political or identity-driven agendas.

4. Mayor of everyone. Jerusalem will blossom under a leadership that is respected by everyone. Thus, the city leaders will show integrity and fairness.

We’ve been running a local ad campaign (see above), which also included a video (see further down this post). Since all candidates signed the Covenant, after the elections we aim to have it included on the front page of the coalition agreements, and to continually follow up with city council members to encourage them to operate according to the Covenant.

The October 28 event, with all the major mayoral and city council candidates and active residents from around the city, was a peak event. “It was pretty amazing that [many of the mayoral and city council candidates] sat together with residents and wrote our future together,” noted our own Michal Sherez Shilor, one of the event’s organizers. “It was an exciting demonstration of democracy that I’ve never seen before, and the best – and most natural – part, is that it took place davka in Jerusalem. Davka the place that everyone thinks is torn and divided, violent, angry; where each sector builds walls. It was amazing how each and every one – both residents as well as candidates – really focused on how he or she could make others’ lives better. To break out of his or her own personal box and think of others.”

Shaike El-Ami, Director of the Ginot Ha’Ir Community Council and one of the initiators of the evening, said, “That so many candidates came out – and just one and a half days before the elections – it was a miracle. It didn’t happen for no reason – it happened because people understand that something special is happening here.”

Journalist Peggy Cidor commented on Facebook, “These are really amazingly positive things….And flowers to you, the organizers…That is how you love Jerusalem.” She even opened her Jerusalem Post column, “This Week in Jerusalem” with a summary of the Covenant’s four principles (see here for the link):

A coveted covenant

A group representing several organizations in the city drew up a declaration of principles to guide mayoral candidates this year. Michal Shilor and Hagai Agmon-Snir of the Intercultural Center on Mount Zion played a leading role in the drafting of the document, whose four key principles are:

1) The mayor should take into consideration and provide for the needs of all residents in terms of municipal services. No resident or sector should be excluded.

2) The municipality should be attentive to initiatives promoted by activists, should encourage activists and include them in its projects.

3) The leadership should avoid being rooted in narrow political interests.

4) The mayor should seek to work with a large team that includes as many parties active in the city as possible.

Only candidates who accepted the covenant would get the support these associations; all four final candidates endorsed and signed it.

Fay Sukenik, one of the facilitators, noted, “To come together around joint needs – because in the end that’s what Jerusalem residents want. It was a fascinating evening. I was happy to take part!”

And here’s the Hebrew Facebook post summarizing the meeting:

 

As promised, here’s the video with a short but poignant message for the next mayor: “See us!”

 

Thank you everyone for your support and participation, and to the Leichtag Foundation, Charles and Lynn Shusterman Family Foundation,  the Natan Fund and the Jerusalem Foundation for their support for our efforts to increase tolerance in Jerusalem.