American Committee for
Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem
honoring
Florine Mark
Israeli Arabs
Deserve Equality
New YorkIJTA
A
quiet change is taking place
in northern Israel among
Jews and Arabs.
Jewish and Arab municipal officials,
who only a few years ago resisted
being in the
same room
together, now
are working
on collabora-
tive solutions
to transporta-
tion problems,
environmental
cleanup, tour-
ism develop-
ment and job
creation.
In cities and
regions through-
out Israel,
thousands of
young Jews
are studying
conversational
Arabic language
and culture,
getting to know
their Arab
neighbors and
finding common
ground.
In 1948, the founders of the state
declared that Israel will "foster the
development of the country for the
benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be
based on freedom, justice and peace; it
will ensure complete equality of social
and political rights to all its inhabit-
ants irrespective of religion, race or
sex:'
But 60 years after these words were
proclaimed in Israel's Declaration of
Independence, the promise of full
social and political equality is still
elusive for Israel's 1.4-million Arab
citizens.
One in five Israelis is an Arab. Arab
citizens of Israel face dramatically
higher unemployment and poverty
rates than their Jewish counterparts.
They are underrepresented in the civil
service and receive a grossly unequal
share of government allocations and
services.
While comprising 20 percent of
Israel's population, Arabs are only 5
owrim Attalla
Proceeds to benefit the new Wilf Children's Hospital
t Shaare Zedek Iviedical Center in Jerusalem
UMW
Monday, June 16th, 2008
e Townsend Hotel
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Cocktails 5:30pm - Dinner 6:30pm
percent of Israeli college graduates,
and many find themselves under-
employed and shut out of jobs in the
knowledge economy for which they
were trained.
Despite Israel's economic boom,
these gaps are growing.
Equally disturbing is the rise of
intolerance and mistrust on both sides
of the ethnic divide.
According to polling data provided
by the Association for Civil Rights in
Israel, 75 percent of Israeli Jews oppose
sharing a residential building with
Arabs and feel uncomfortable hear-
ing Arabic spoken; 56 percent support
Arab-Jews separation in places of
entertainment; 42 percent are prepared
to limit Arab voting rights; and only 22
percent support including Arab parties
in governing coalitions.
On the Arab side, the picture is no
less concerning. Only 33 percent of
Arab citizens believe Israel is a democ-
racy; 62 percent believe Israel cannot
be both Jewish and democratic; and 94
percent view Zionism as a racist move-
ment, according to the Arab Center
for Applied Social Research, Mada-al-
Carmel.
Such trends of polarization and
demonization of the "other" are detri-
mental to the creation of a democratic
and egalitarian State of Israel.
The American Jewish community,
which for decades has been engaged
in building a national home for the
Jewish people, has failed to take into
account that both ideology and phi-
lanthropy have left Israel's indigenous
Arab minority far behind.
Until recently, few diaspora Jews
— single-mindedly focused on the
building and survival of the Jewish
state — recognized the importance of
strengthening Jewish-Arab coopera-
tion, narrowing the socioeconomic
chasm between the two communities
and developing a sustainable frame-
work for majority-minority relations
in Israel.
But just as developing the Negev and
the Galilee, constructing hospitals and
universities, and absorbing waves of
Jewish immigrants were top priorities
for Israel during its first 60 years, so,
too, must the creation of a just and
Equality on page A28
Michael TraIson
Featuring Ethan Bortnick
Ethan Bortnick is a sevens and piano prodigy
who began playing the piano at age four and
performs over 200 songs from memory.
He has appeared on The Tonight Show with
Jay Len °. and played a duet vvith Diane Sawyer on
Good Morning America.
To make a reservation or for mat information,
please contact Shaare Zedek's Midwest Regional Office at
csiorg
7.4100340 or it us at midwestr
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