Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues - Day Two - May 3, 2010.

It has been a busy day.

Here's where we went - first a tour description then I'll give my thoughts at the end.

Akko (or Akka, as the Arabs say it); we talked with Sami Ilawari, local activist encouraging cultural and social engagement in Akka. He toured with us around the old city, showing us the battlements, the old fort structures and buildings, most of which have been or are being purchased by developers.

We went to the Ort Helmi Shafie School; a high school with over 90% of the students who are Arab, supported by Ort. We listened to Ghadir Shafie, a teacher, explain a program that involved another Ort school - a Jewish High School called Ort Danski. They partnered with Canton, Ohio Jewish Federation and Ort to develop this joint program; traveling to the US with a group of students. The students explained the program to us as well.

Zvi Peleg, Director General of Ort, came by to passionately describe the Ort vision of supporting 'minority' schools, explaining the goal to increase these types of programs.

Over lunch, we heard from Zoheir Bahalul, an Israeli sports commentator (Israelis all know him) who lives in Akka, is an Arab, and he talked of the need to increase opportunities for Arab and Jewish citizens to interact. We also heard from the Ohad Segev, the Akka City Manager, who talked of the need to re-interpret the policies that hurt the local residents.

We traveled to Nazareth and met with Mr. Ramez Jeraysi, the Mayor of Nazareth in his spacious office. His talk was brief but to the point; Israel has policies that are based on discriminatory practices, and change will occur when the leaders change their attitudes.

Our group split into groups to visit various organizations in Nazareth; my group went to visit a start up college; the Nazareth Academic Institute. We heard from the four main organizers of this college. All were highly credentialed professors and PhDs (2 were Jewish, 2 were Arab). They expressed a vision of a school that will offer higher education (BA, and maybe MA in the future) to a primarily Arab, and primarily female, student base. Their passion was evident, working on this project for ten years. They expressed exasperation with the political hoops they needed to jump through; looking for funding, they expressed optimism that if they can get it started, the Israeli bureaucracy will support the project.

It was time for dinner, and we went to a really nice hotel in Nazareth for a really sumptuous dinner and heard three very interesting speakers.

Ghaida Zoabi is the Director of INJAZ, a center that researches and reports on local Arab governance.

Dr. Aziz Shoufani, Head of Plastic Surgery at Ha'Emeq Hospital.

Abbas Abbas, a lawyer and a blind person, who created Al Manar, an disabilities rights organization.

All these fine people talked of a vision where person to person respect can be a powerful tool to help lead the leaders toward a more just, equal society.

Now it's time for my thoughts;

I listened to the stories told by many of the speakers. I listened to the words they used. I tried to listen to their beliefs, their values, their hopes and their dreams.

I heard that there is a distinct difference in how Arabs feel treated in their country.

I heard one request that we call her a Palestinian, although she was born in an Israel city after 1948.

I heard two 18 year olds talk about their future, the Arab is going to university and the Jew is going to the army (I really wish i had more time to talk with these two youngsters).

I heard the mayor of a major city in Israel complain that discrimination at the highest levels negatively affect the Arab population. I also heard him say very forcefully that he is an Israeli, and intends on remaining an Israeli, regardless of the outcome of the larger national issues.

I heard a story about attempts by Nazareth to approach Nazaret Ilit to collaborate and consolidate services and were rebuffed in all their efforts.

An Arab researcher said that she goes to the basketball court with her children and sees youth gangs (with knives) and she blames the mayor for not dealing with it.

I heard trust issues; Jews don't trust that the Arabs trying to set up a college will not create a center of terrorism, Arabs don't trust that the Jewish hierarchy will come through on promises; indeed they break the promises made by prior administrations.

I also heard hope; hope that person to person, kid to kid, teacher to student, neighbor to neighbor (especially in what is referred to as the 'mixed cities'), Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs will move the leaders in small but meaningful ways toward a more just democracy, a more equalized society. I fear though, that it will take a lot of time; time that is preciously slipping away in favor of a more fragmented society. Our support in the diaspora can help, may make a difference. We have supported Israel for so many years, and our support has been for Jewish causes. Now, those same Jewish causes are increasingly wrapped up and intertwined with Arab causes. Maybe the time has come to re-invent the diaspora Jewry support for all of Israel, all her citizens, for helping all her citizens, including the Arab ones, will help Israel be that light unto the nations.

Neal Elyakin, Israel

May 3, 2010