I arrived in Israel just over 5 hours ago; tried (unsuccessfully) to fix a phone problem (used skype instead), and grabbed a cab to Herzliya.
The Task Force has been around for a few years already, under the leadership of the Joint Distribution Committee - charged with educating North American (and apparently, British and Canadian) Jews as to the issues of Arab Israelis. There are about 30 of us, from all corners of the US, from Canada and from the U.K. Our hosts have crafted a rich web of experiences for us.
We have a very ambitious agenda; visiting with and listening to various Knesset Members (both Jewish and Arab), Ministers, community leaders (mayors) and community activists. We will be traveling north to Nazareth and Akko, to Jaffa, to Arab High Schools and Universities/Colleges, to Beduoin villages, and Negev Arab communities; we'll listen to local experts on many issues from housing, women's rights, education, business, high tech, and politics.
I will be writing about my experiences and my personal thoughts about what I see and hear.
Professor Avishai Braverman, the Minister of Minority Affairs in the current government, welcomed us at a dinner event this evening. He spoke for about an hour during dinner - this was a non-threatening audience - about the issues facing Arab Israelis.
He said that Israel is one of the most unequal societies in the world with over 78% of Arab Israelis living in poverty yet Israel is the number 2 country on earth for high tech start ups (just behind the US).
He told us that according to polls (don't know which one), 99% of Arab Israelis "are eager to participate in Israeli society" but that because Israel is not doing its fair share to bring them in, they are left marginalized. (Is that hard for you to believe too?)
He shared a statistic; over 67% of all Jewish Israeli women "participate in the economy" (I think that means they have jobs) but less than 20% of Arab Israeli women do.
Transportation is a challenge that he is trying to fix. Public transportation that includes a vibrant system in the Arab sectors is called for; he is proposing in Knesset a strategic ten year plan to develop and modernize public transportation that will reach all sectors, including the Arab ones.
Minister Braverman used examples of the growth of Ben Gurion University in Beersheva; under his leadership for the last 16 years, this once sleepy university has been built into a powerhouse of diversity and academic achievement.
He sounded the alarm that Israelis should all be taken care of and supplied with the best of what Israel has to offer, not to just the elite or the Jewish.
I don't know, I began to believe him. His passion was evident.
I remain concerned about the differing narratives occurring in the various communities.
The Arabs are perceived as the 'fifth column' advancing subtle and devious plans to eliminate the Jewish state of Israel in favor of the 'one state solution' - the government of Israel is perceived as trying to continue the policies of elitism, leaving behind 20% of the population, not caring about or for the non-Jewish citizens.
New narratives must be initiated; there must be deliberate and thoughtful educational reform; elimination of the separate (but certainly not equal) school system. Communities must be renewed diversely, we must begin to stop referring to 'Arab' and 'Jewish' communities/neighborhoods.
I am very interested to hear from the rest of our speakers in the following days.
I'll keep you posted.
Neal Elyakin, Israel
May 2, 2010
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