Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues Study Trip
Some thoughts

This past Saturday night, I was sitting in Ben Gurion airport waiting for my flight to return home. I was thrilled and excited to be going home, I missed my wife, my son and daughter. Okay, I missed the dog as well (a little).

As I sat in the terminal sipping a coffee, I began to look around. I noticed on the board flights arriving and departing from Spain, Estonia, Moscow, Beijing, London, South Africa, Mexico, and the US. This was just during the hour or so of my flight's departure. I heard a mixture of languages as travelers walked past me; I also saw people of every color and ethnicity speaking Hebrew as well. Now, my Hebrew is not that good, but the snippets I heard were conversations about their trip, the flight, using the last of the their Israeli money to buy some trinkets, making calls to let the family know they are leaving, etc. Ordinary conversations, made by ordinary people in an extra-ordinary place.

Over the course of my week long visit to Israel, I heard disturbing facts and stories about how this remarkable country, my country, behaves towards 20% of its population. I heard Jewish Israelis speak both about their fears of the minority (Israelis talk of Arabs, they don't use the word minority) and their mistrust of their own government's policies. Arab Israelis, and Druze Israelis also mistrust the government; again and again I heard stories of how the system says one thing but does not follow up or completely ignores issues before it.

Israel has just been accepted as a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; the 31st country to be accepted into this global group. More info on this can be found at www.oecd.org - the bad news is that, as the newest member, Israel ranks 31st of all these countries (including the US, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Japan, England, Spain...) in its poverty rates. The good news is that Israel has made an intentional choice not only to participate in OECD but to abide by the rules and work toward improving benchmarks that include employment rates of minorities, education reform, women's rights, housing, public services and more.

Indeed, I was disheartened listening to and meeting very passionate Israeli Arabs who want desperately to participate fully in Israeli live but are hampered by various forms of formal and informal discriminatory practices. I saw the slums of Akko and Jaffa, talked with advocates of change who, despite the burdens, continue to believe that Israel is their home, their nation, and that they have something to contribute.

I am delighted to know that Israelis and non-Israelis care so deeply about Israel as a nation for all her citizens that work is happening now to change those practices, to improve the lives of that 20% of the population. We can help here as well in the Diaspora. Learn about the issues. Become involved in Federation work. Care about and support the pluralism intiatives that Federations fund, and most important, go to Israel. Talk with Israelis, all kinds of Israelis. Israelis are not shy; they will tell you exactly what they think.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" is a quote attributed to Ghandi.

Be that change. Help Israel continue to be that light unto nations; for all her citizens.

Shabbat Shalom


Neal Elyakin, Ann Arbor, MI
May 14 ,2010