September Newsletter
This year, because Tisha B'Av fell at a crucial moment in the country's history (day before disengagement), New Israel Fund wanted to hold a unique event in Jerusalem that would enable Israelis from across the social and religious spectrum to reach out to each other and express their deepest feelings. The event was exceptionally well attended and it was clear that despite the divisions in Israeli society stirred up by disengagement, the desire for dialogue and "sharing a platform" in twenty-first century Israel outweighs baseless hatred.
Participants take part in mincha afternoon prayers.
“For These Things I Weep: New Israel Fund’s Tisha B’Av Dialogue Event on the Eve of Disengagement
About a thousand people came to Jerusalem's Liberty Bell Park on Sunday in the final hours of Tisha B'Av to attend a special event entitled "For These Things I Weep" (Lamentations 1:16). On the eve of disengagement, speakers from across the social and religious spectrum expressed their pain, anger and deepest hopes and fears about the impending withdrawal from Gaza and Northern Samaria, and the future direction of Israeli society.
"For These Things I Weep," was initiated and organized by New Israel Fund in partnership with many pluralism organisations from the New Israel Fund family, including BINA, Day of Reckoning, Elul Center, Kollech, Panim and Kol Yehudi. The Jerusalem Municipality and Kol Ha’Ir, the city’s largest local newspaper, sponsored the event. Audience and speakers alike were diverse, representing a cross-section of Israeli society. The 20 speakers described what makes them "weep" this Tisha B'Av, and what gives them hope for the future. The cooler air of the early evening in the Jerusalem Park relieved the heat of the day but did not temper the powerful emotions of those on the stage.
Speakers waited their turn to take to the stage
New Israel Fund Israel Executive Director Eliezer Ya'ari opened the dialogue, saying, "This event is organized within the framework of New Israel Fund's ongoing activities to encourage active citizenship, defend democracy and strengthen dialogue between all sections of Israeli society, which is especially important in these difficult days before disengagement."
Prof. Avi Ravitzky of the Hebrew University's Dept. of Jewish Thought and a founder of the dovish Meimad (Orthodox) Party, laid out the situation confronting Israeli society. "One side will win at the expense of the other," he said, "and it is not yet clear which side. We can only ensure that the scar borne by the losing side is as small as possible."
From their homes in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, several settlers addressed the gathering by phone as they awaited the arrival of the army to evict them, or had others read their speeches on stage.
Shela Roznak Shorshan, whose husband was killed by Palestinians and whose daughter died of illness, spoke of her pain. "I weep because the murder of my loved one, the father of my children, was in vain, and because I did not succeed in saving my daughter when she was alive, and now I am not succeeding in defending her grave," she said. "They will dig up her bones and she will cry out, ‘When will I be allowed to rest in peace?'"
Rabbi Dr. Benny Lau, a member of the Religious Kibbutz Movement and the grandson of former Chief Rabbi Israel Lau, said that he respected the view of Israel's majority. "Last week I was with the anti-disengagement protestors at a major demonstration in the south," he recounted. "I felt the warmth of my people and I felt relaxed and at home with the demonstrators. And then we had a minute's silence. And in that silence I suddenly realized that most of the people of Israel did not share our vision – that they had many years ago disengaged from the dream of religious Zionism.
Rabbi Dr. Benny Lau
"I weep because so many Israeli leftist activists protest when a Palestinian's olive tree is uprooted but have no feelings when a Jewish settler is taken away from his greenhouses," said Haim Zisovich, an Israel Radio commentator. "But I also weep because so many rabbis give justifications for uprooting the Palestinian's olive tree."
Other speakers included Israel Harel, former Chairman of the Council of Settlers in Judea, Samaria and Gaza; Prof. Alice Shalvi, a member of New Israel Fund's International Council and leading educator; Rabbi Shagar, head of the Siach Yitzhak Yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Efrat; Tzali Reshef, a founder of Peace Now and former Labor Party MK; Dudi Zilbershlag, the ultra-Orthodox founder of Meir Panim and the Power of Giving, organisations that help the needy; and Rabbi Gilad Kariv, coordinator of Public Policy for New Israel Fund grantee Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) for Progressive Judaism in Israel (Reform), as well as veteran Israeli talk show host Meni Peer. Leading rap singer and composer Shanan Street wrote a song especially for the occasion.
Since Tisha B'Av, New Israel Fund has received positive responses from many people at the event. Ayelet Chen wrote to New Israel Fund's website, "I was at the gathering and the diverse voices we heard were especially powerful. Such an event was vital for Israeli society, which is so divided at this time. New Israel Fund carries the torch of hope, peace and a more just society. Thank you very much.
New Israel Fund Grantees Provide Assistance for Evacuees
When the evacuation was over, dozens of families from Jewish settlements in Gush Katif reached temporary accommodation needing to confront the less dramatic realities of daily life. New Israel Fund grantees Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) for Progressive Judaism in Israel (Reform), Ne'emanei Torah Ve'Avodah and Realistic Religious Zionism all are giving assistance to the evacuees.
IRAC found the most pressing need for the evacuees was the provision of activities for their children. Consequently, IRAC supported activities for children and youth at Nitzan, north of Ashkelon, where 400 families have been taken in.
"Many parents told us that they would have gone crazy without the activities we provided," recounted Sharona Yakutial, Coordinator of IRAC's activities for the evacuated families. "Don't forget many of these parents have large families and the children were in the middle of their summer vacations.
New Israel Fund Offers Training Sessions to El Al Officers to Improve Security Checks
Last month, the Israeli press reported that El Al security staff refused to allow Baker Awdi, Executive Director of New Israel Fund grantee Center Against Racism, to board his flight to Tel Aviv in Vienna and eventually he was compelled to return home on Austrian Airlines instead. In the wake of many such stories of humiliating discrimination, New Israel Fund Israel Executive Director Eliezer Ya'ari wrote an open letter protesting El Al's attitude toward passengers who are Arab citizens of Israel. In his letter, which was sent to El Al's Chairman and CEO as well as the Transport Minister, Knesset Speaker and the media, Ya'ari offered to draw from New Israel Fund's multi-cultural know-how to organize a training session for the airline's security staff. He also recounted humiliations suffered by many Arab Israeli New Israel Fund staff and consultants, who have had items in their baggage broken, film in their cameras exposed and who were compelled to submit to extended interrogations and intrusive body checks. "With all due respect and understanding for the need for security on flights," wrote Ya'ari. "We do not feel that they justify such treatment.
New Law Requires Women to be appointed to Peace Talks and Policy Committees
After a year long campaign, the Knesset passed a new law in August requiring the government to include women in appointments to peace negotiations teams and determine foreign affairs and security policy committees.
"Israel is the first country to pass such a law within the framework of last year's UN resolution 1325," New Israel Fund Law Fellow Dana Myrtenbaum told New Israel Fund News, "which calls for the inclusion of women from diverse backgrounds as full and equal partners in peace processes. The experience in both South Africa and Northern Ireland in the 1990's showed that women have much to contribute to peace talks. This is a victory for feminism and will add a new dimension to any future peace negotiations with the Palestinians."
The new law requires that whenever a negotiating team or policy committee is appointed, its composition be reported to the Authority for the Advancement of the Status of Women at the Prime Minister's Office. If the Authority feels that women are not properly represented, it can demand that this be rectified.
The law, which was proposed by MKs Yulie Tamir (Labor) and Eti Livni (Shinui), was initiated by Isha L'Isha: Haifa Feminist organisation with the assistance of a coalition of Jewish and Arab women's groups that are also members of the New Israel Fund family of organisations, including Bat Shalom and New Israel Fund grantee Itach: Women Lawyers for Social Justice. New Israel Fund Law Fellows Sawsan Zaher and Myrtenbaum both testified before the Ministerial Committee for New Legislation on the need for the law.
Message from Alan Bolchover, New Israel Fund UK Chief Executive
Last year I sat in a cold Jerusalem office discussing our plans for the next twelve months with my Israeli colleagues. It was at that meeting that the subject of Disengagement came up. Looking back I am now incredibly impressed by the predictions of our team in Israel – that Israel faced division and crisis and we had to do something.
Our huge efforts during the past six months– encouraging civil dialogue among all sectors of society; transforming a potentially destructive conflict into a constructive conflict; and promoting respect for the rule of law and adherence to democratic norms has been a great success. We received enormous press coverage in Israel and gratitude for our efforts. Our partners were slightly different than usual - the IDF, the Police and the Settlers themselves. It was an experience I suspect none of us will forget.
But our work has only just begun. There can be no doubt that the departure, willingly or not, of Israeli settlers from Gaza and the Northern West Bank will be a watershed event, but the stark internal divisions that the process has revealed will have long-term consequences for Israeli society.
As we approach Rosh Hashana our thoughts turn to the year just past and the year ahead. It has been an historical year, one that has laid many challenges in our path for the year to come. But as the adage says – “Every challenge is an opportunity.” And this Rosh Hashana offers us another opportunity to refresh our enthusiasm for our mission and attain our goal of a more just and peaceful society in Israel.
Thank you for your continued support.
