Greater New York donors, Knesset
Speaker Avraham Burg called tensions
in the Israeli Arab community a "civic
volcano within Israeli society."
"The unity of the Israeli people is
no less important than the unity of
the Jewish people," said Burg, a past
chairman of the executive board of
the Jewish Agency.
Burg's sentiment was echoed in
recent meetings between federation
officials and Knesset members,
according to John Ruskay, executive
vice president of the New York federa-
tion.
"From right to left," Israeli leaders
"all indicated how serious they consid-
er this issue for the future of Israel,"
Ruskay said.
Some suggest that helping Israeli
Arabs is a cause that might resonate
with American Jews.
"It's clearly not a fringe issue if the
Israeli government is putting it on the
table," said Gary Tobin, president of
the San Francisco-based Institute for
Jewish and Community Research,
which has studied Jewish philanthrop-
ic trends.
"There are primary values of
democracy and equality among citi-
zens," he said, issues that "are precious
to American Jews as Americans." It
"would not be much of a leap for
them to help support the same issues
in the State of Israel," Tobin said.
American Jews are likely to draw
parallels between the situation of
Israeli Arabs with that of disadvan-
taged minorities in the United States,
like blacks, Sarna said.
But others say the analogy is inexact,
particularly when many Jews fear the
Arab community is a "fifth column"
that could collaborate with the
Palestinians to destroy the Jewish state.

Federations' Role?

Stephen Hoffman, executive vice pres-
ident of the Jewish Community
Federation of Cleveland, said it might
be more appropriate for private foun-
dations and the Israeli government,
rather than federations, to invest in
Israeli Arabs.
"I'm less focused on the controversy
than I am on what's our mission: the
general development of Israel or the
Jewish development of Israel?"
Hoffman said.
Steven Nasatir, president of the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Chicago, said he does not envision
federations investing large amounts
in Arab projects. "There may be
areas where Jewish communities

abroad could be helpful, that's a pos-
sibility, but I think the major respon-
sibility, is" the Israeli government's, he
said.
However, Stephen Solender, presi-
dent and CEO of the UJC, said the
federations should not let the poten-
tial controversy stand in the way of
getting involved.
Although he is concerned that sup-
porting the Arab sector could alienate
donors, "sometimes you have to lead
and try to bring those people along
with you."
Rather than investing in projects
specifically for Arabs, some federation
leaders seem more comfortable with
the idea of joint Jewish-Arab projects
that strengthen ties between the two
communities.
Sallai Meridor, chairman of the
executive of the Jewish Agency, said
Arab infrastructure is "mainly the
responsibility of the State of Israel,"
but "there's clearly a need" for more
coexistence projects.
Robert Aronson, executive vice presi-
dent of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit, said his commu-
nity already supports various Jewish-
Arab efforts — including a hospice for
Jews and Arabs — in the central
Galilee, its sister region through the
Partnership 2000 program.
Several Israeli Arab riots occurred in
the region, which includes Nazareth,
when the Palestinian violence began
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Aronson said his federation is inter-
ested in funding additional Jewish-
Arab projects, but not ones that are
simply about dialogue. Instead, he
would like to see "result-oriented"
projects that bring Jews and Arabs
together to address shared needs like
health care.
If the mainstream Jewish commu-
nity also helped sponsor Israeli Arab
and Arab-Jewish projects, it would
be "revolutionary," said Danny
Weiler, director of European devel-
opment for Givat Haviva, an Israeli
educational institution that pro-
motes democracy and civil rights in
the Jewish state.
"In a democracy, you must give
money to all parts — to the majority
and to the minority," he said.
"If American Jews are concerned
about the security of Israel, giving
money to the Israeli Arabs means as
much to Israel as having a strong
defense," Weiler said.
"Security doesn't only mean tanks
and guns, but a strong democracy
with equal rights where the majority
and minority can live together."

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