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

Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues - Day four - May 5, 2010

Jaffa, Israel is part of the Tel Aviv city area. Just south of Tel Aviv along the beautiful sandy beached coastline, Jaffa hooks a bit into the sea such that from its beaches, you can get a perfect line of sight view of the Tel Aviv city view and north. The beach is beautiful, and the ancient port of Jaffa, with its fortress, battlements, and old city walls extending along the edge of the city. The old buildings are quite picturesque, well, most of it is, at least the part you are allowed to see.

You see, the rest of the ancient walls of the fort and seaport buildings, dating back to biblical times, have been sold to developers and have been roped off to tourists.

So has about 30% of the rest of the city's old buildings.

Jaffa has about 55,000 residents and about 20,000 of them are Arab. Jaffa is one of Israel's identified 'mixed cities' - Haifa is another one up north; a mixed city is one that has a certain percentage - I guess it's somewhere over 25% - of Arab residents.

Jaffa is slowly being sold off to developers who are renovating houses, buildings, apartments, and evidently, the entire ancient seaport, to 'gentrify' the city.

Landlords are raising rents as the demand for housing along the coast increases, and many of the current residents, primarily Arabs (although Jews have been caught in this as well), can no longer afford the rent.

Okay, okay, you say, that's the market economy. Supply and demand. Yeah, yeah.

But after what I've been exposed to the last few days, and hearing from not so crazy people about some pretty uncomfortable discriminatory practices against Israel's minority populations, I'm not so sure that this is simply a free market enterprise in housing.

Jaffa is a very poor city. My good friend Mitch Chupak works for the Jaffa Institute, and part of his work is supplying food to hundreds (if not more) of Jaffa's residents. In 2007, I and my family went delivering some of their food packages to some residents. Their conditions were not very good to say the least.

Today we went to a really nice Arab-Jewish Community Center and met with the Director. the funding for this community center was granted through US dollars and the Tel Aviv Foundation. In other words, government money did not buy this center. He keeps it going on donations primarily. Nice fellow, very committed. Ibrahim Abu-Shindi works with the Arab and the Jewish communities to keep the center viable and productive in the lives of all Jaffa's residents. It certainly seems to be while we were there.

He took us on a short walk around Jaffa; showing us an old demolished inner city market that has just been bought by Jewish settlers from Gaza (?), very religious folk moving into a neighborhood that is about 90% Arab and very poor. You gotta wonder what the motivation might be for such a move; well, after seeing the place, and listening to folks talk, I certainly do.

We were about 20 people standing along the street with Mr. Abu-Shindi by this once thriving city market. A truck drove by and slowed. The driver called out to Mr. Abu-Shindi and asked him (it was translated for us by one of our hosts) if we were there to buy more of the land of the old market. The old driver looked suspiciously at us all. No, no, he said, they are here to learn about Jaffa's troubles. Well, that ended well, the old driver waved and drove slowly away. I'm sure he was still unsure and I'll bet he paid a call on Mr. Abu-Shindi later to verify that he wasn't be forced to lie to him.

But, there is also good news. We heard later in the day that Israel has allocated about 800 shekels toward a modest project improving several areas in the Arab sector; primarily, housing, economic development, transportation and security.

Something I learned today; there is no public transportation in Arab cities. The funding is targeting 13 (I think) Arab cities with elected officials (some have appointed leaders, those cities and villages are not on the initial list). Many of these cities/villages have smaller villages next door and the expectation is that any changes will include those outlying areas.

Poverty - Arabs make up 20% of the Israeli population, yet account for 44% of the poor in Israel.

More to come, my friends. I'm tired.

Neal Elyakin, Israel

May 5, 2010

Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues - Day Three - May 4, 2010

There is a discrimination problem in Israel.

Although there are certainly ways to point to certain government policies (education; the "Jewish" schools get much more government funding than the "Arab" schools) sometimes it is the subtle ways that create an environment rich in discriminatory feelings.

According to a recent examination of a year's worth of newspapers in Israel, it was found that of all the articles, only 1.5% of them had to do with Israeli Arab issues, and of that, over half of them were about violence of some sort.

I heard Dov Lautman, a major and very respected Israeli Philanthropist, say that Israel discriminates against its minority population. He also said, "if you really care about Israel and the Jewish majority, then you had better care about the minority." Dov and his family fund has been supporting Israeli initiatives for the better part of 30 years. He sees some growth, but the society needs to change perceptions.

Economic development and education; these are the two major components of change discussed.

I've said for years that commerce is the way to create peace. I will add that education, especially through an integrative educational system, will nurture the seeds of more co-existence.

I heard another statistic today; of the 20% of the minority only 8% of them contribute to Israel's GNP. More from the minority need to contribute to the workforce. there are barriers; cultural, religious, educational, and fear.

Did you know that many religious Arab women will not travel far from their homes to work. Work opportunities must be created close to (or in) Arab neighborhoods.

As I said before, only 20% of minority women work in Israel; compared to over 78% of Jewish women.

In education, Arab women only represent about 25% of those who go on to post K-12 education. This is good news actually; in 1990 that number was only 8%. But the other bad news if that over 28% of Arab girls end their education before they reach high school.

Dov Lautman talked of two parallel paths, bettering the education system and developing a shared society. He talked of closing the gaps in both areas through funding joint Arab-Jewish projects that, at least to my ears, sounded like proving to the Israeli government and the nay-sayers and those fearful of an Arab takeover of Israel that these things will improve Israel for all her citizens.

Should we be fearful of that notorious story that the Arabs are just looking for ways to continue to build themselves within Israel so that, sometime soon, the Arab population will increase toward parity and then, with a majority, Israel will cease to exist?

Do we live in the past? Should we continue the myths of the past? Are we so afraid of our own citizens that we discriminate against them, which in turn makes them angrier, and brings bad press to Israel?

Don't you think it would be in Israel's best interest to show the world that all her citizens enjoy all the fruits of democracy, all the educational opportunities available to all, work opportunities and social engagement that includes all?

Israel is not for the Jews. Israel is for her citizens. When I support Israel, I don't distinguish between the Jew or Arab. Neither should you.

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

Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues Study Trip; May 2-6, 2010.

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