BERNHARD
For the foundations,
money spent on Israeli Arab-
Jewish coexistence is
crucial. The intifada, or
Arab uprising, in the West
Bank and Gaza has
polarized both communities.
Plus, the Persian Gulf War
reiterated for many Israeli
Arabs their split loyalties —
while they shared Israel's
fear of an Iraqi chemical at-
tack, in a poll, about two-
thirds of them supported
Iraq days after it invaded
Kuwait.
"The attitudes of Israeli
Arabs toward the Jewish
identity of their state has
been, at best, highly am-
bivalent, and at worst, en-
tirely negative," said
Alouph Hareven, now the
head of Sikkuy — The
Center for Equal Opportuni-
ty, in a June 1991 speech.
Mr. Hareven concluded
that not only will Israel be
damaged by the continuing
animosity of one-seventh of
its citizens toward the state,
the character of the state
itself would be questioned.
"If Jews, in establishing
their sovereign state, reim-
pose a discriminatory rela-
tionship toward minorities,
only reversing the roles,
then we have imported with
us the very relationship
from which we sought to lib-
erate ourselves (in Europe),"
he said.
In a May 1991 study of
Israeli Jewish high
schoolers, 40 percent ex-
pressed "very strong and
stereotypical hatred" toward
Arabs. What's more, said
researchers Ofra Mayseless
and Reuven. Gal, this
animosity was likely to in-
crease with Israeli frustra-
tion over the intifada.
Owing to the controversial
nature of their work, the
foundations and projects
have sought to avoid taking
any clear stand on the future
settlement of the Arab-
Israeli conflict. Still, it is not
difficult to detect some kind
of bias. They fund a program
that encourages army offi-
cers to speak publicly about
some shared autonomy in
the West Bank. Some critics
have charged that New
Israel Fund follows a radical
left agenda.
"The New Israel Fund is
not new. Nor does it assist
Israel. It reflects the same
dissatisfaction with the Jew-
ish state that has been ar-
ticulated by radical left-wing
Jews for many years now,"
wrote Herbert Zweibon in a
Miami Jewish Tribune opi-
nion piece. Mr. Zweibon is
the chairman of Americans
For A Safe Israel.
Hence the explanation
why the Abraham Fund,
named after the patriarch to
whom both Jews and Arabs
trace their roots, has steered
clear of the political quick-
sand of the administered
territories, West Bank and
Gaza.
This, said director Eugene
Weiner, is on purpose.
"Everyone's sort of hyp-
notized by the occupied ter-
ritories," he said. "There are
issues where you need a
model to work out problems.
Places like Neve Shalom
constitute a place where you
can learn a lot."
Many of the projects the
Abraham Fund supports are
low-key. Some are not even
political.
One organization, Jaffa by
the Sea Alliance, is an effort
by JeWish and Arab
residents to save the historic
city's coastline from
municipal landfill plans.
Another, Arabesk
Publishing House, seeks to
publish Arab writers and
scientists, translate Hebrew
works into Arabic and pro-
mote Israeli Arab literature.
In these projects, sup-
porters say, peace is practic-
ed on a level unimaginable
to many politicians.
"This issue, which once
seemed less important, now
is truly significant," said
Mr. Arnow of NIF.
"American Jews have begun
to understand this." 0
NEWS 1'1'
Agency Plans
Bombay Office
Jerusalem (JTA) — The
Jewish Agency for Israel
will open a permanent office
in Bombay following the es-
tablishment of full diplo-
matic ties between Israel
and India.
Meeting with represent-
atives of the Indian Immi-
grants Association, Mr. Gor-
don said that over the years,
the Jewish Agency has been
operating an ad hoc office in
Bombay. Aliyah emissaries
had also occasionally been
sent for periods of between
one and three months to In-
dia to encourage immigra-
tion to Israel.
India's Jewish population
is now estimated at 6,000.
Some 4,500 alone live in
Bombay, with the remainder
scattered in various towns
nearby.
The Indian government
has placed no restrictions on
Jewish emigration. But
many Jews are prosperous
and have little interest in
leaving, despite recent un-
rest in India.
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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