NIF’s Frankel Fellow in the Negev – first update from Israel - Dec 2010

In the last fifteen years, the number of Bedouin women university graduates has exponentially increased, writes Keren Simons. Much of this phenomenon can be attributed to the work of a small organisation in Beer Sheva,NIF’s grantee Alnuhud, a group of dedicated Bedouin women who aim to promote higher education among Bedouin women in the Negev. Through my New Israel Fund William Frankel Social Justice Fellowship, I chose to spend 10 months interning with them in order to learn about their amazing community activism, as well as gain professional experience in this sector and use my own skills to work towards an important cause.

Interning full-time at an Israeli NGO is a more rewarding experience than I ever could have imagined. They hold empowerment programs for young girls in Bedouin schools, supplementary classes for girls about to take their matriculation, as well as scholarships and admissions advice to prospective university students. They are also involved in community awareness, working to change the attitude of the Bedouin communities towards female education and its importance to their society.

I am researching an impact report on their services, especially focusing on the unintended consequences of education – years ago, when this initiative started, for example, people did not foresee that educated women might be in a worse position to find husbands. Tension exists between the growing acceptance of educated women and the expectation that traditional life and culture be upheld. This experience has underlined my realisation that improving the status of women should be done hand-in-hand with an improvement in the status of their community, and all the people in it.

My Bedouin and Jewish colleagues are incredibly warm and welcoming. I was invited to join them during the olive harvest and the first day of Eid-al-Adha, and I am learning a great deal, not only about Bedouin culture, but about its place within the Israeli cultural and political environments. I’ve also become more aware of what it really means to be an activist, and of using one’s skills to support other people in achieving their goals.

In addition to my work with Alnuhud, I go on monthly enrichment tours with NIF’s American fellows (who are each working in an Israeli NGO) to learn about the different aspects of Israeli social justice issues that NIF focuses on, as well as site tours with some of the many organisations that they fund. So far, our tour of south Tel Aviv to see the results of sex-trafficking, and tour of Hebron with Breaking the Silence have been eye-opening, even while encountering the terrible reality that exists. We’ve also had study sessions on religious pluralism and tolerance as well as on NGO organisational structure, and how to enact social change through the power of storytelling, amongst other things. Not many Jewish-led opportunities exist in the UK for young Jewish people who are supportive of Israel but uncomfortable with the status quo. I am ecstatic to have this incredible opportunity.

Keren Simons is the first NIF UK/William Frankel Fellow. We are currently accepting applications from young graduates for the 2011-2012 Fellowship. For further details please go to: www.newisraelfund.org.uk