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Arab Teen’s Shooting Turns Spotlight On Israel’s Ethnic Diversity

A

fter an Israeli Arab teenager
working along Israel’s border
fence with Egypt was shot dead
by a patrolling Egyptian soldier, Israeli
President Reuven Rivlin visited the griev-
ing family to extend condolences on
behalf of the state.
It’s what the presi-
dent said that echoed
not only with the slain
teen’s family, but also
in the Jewish world. He
made it crystal clear
Israel is a multicultural
nation to be celebrated.
Robert Sklar
“We are all citizens
Contributing Editor
of the same country,”
Rivlin said while com-
miserating with the family of Nimer Abu Israel‘s President Rivlin
Amar in the largely Bedouin village of
Lakiya, about 60 miles south of Jerusalem.
Reform Judaism “idol worship,” Rivlin, as
“We have come to share in your profound
president, has become an ambassador for
grief.”
coexistence among Jews of all streams as
Nimer was shot and killed on Oct. 25
well as between Israeli Jews and Arabs. His
while working for a Ministry of Defense
civilian subcontractor hired to maintain the leadership role in the Knesset gave him
a close-up understanding of the conflict
border fence.
between the Netanyahu administration and
Rivlin, president since 2014, met with
Israeli Arab lawmakers.
the family two days after the shooting. The
Much like his predecessor, Shimon Peres,
former speaker of the Knesset is a member
Rivlin discovered the presidency truly is the
of the right-leaning Likud party.
great unifier.
A NEW PATH
“We are all equal in this country and
Once a poster politician for deriding non-
there is no difference between a child from
Orthodox streams of Judaism and branding Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Haifa. The Ministry

of Defense treats a child from Lakiya in
exactly the same way it would any other
child,” Rivlin said after giving Nimer’s
father, Bassem, a hug.
The two men shared a reflective moment
about the meaning, and resonance, of
fatherhood.
Rivlin, the first senior Israeli official to
visit the mourning tent, assured Bassem he
would “keep track of the care and respon-
siveness the family receives.”
“I’m sure all the relevant agencies of the

President Rivlin made it crystal clear Israel
is a multicultural nation to be celebrated.

State of Israel will find a way to help,” Rivlin
added.
The family was confident that justice
would prevail even though the Ministry of
Defense was not represented at the teen’s
funeral, according to news reports.

THE LEADUP
Nimer was pouring coffee for other workers
of the civilian subcontractor along the border
when he was shot and killed by an Egyptian
solder who may have mistaken him for a
smuggler or an insurgent trying to cross into
Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The lawless penin-
sula is a hotbed for Islamist jihadists linked
to the Islamic State, the Sunni Muslim ter-

guest column continued from page 6

letters continued from page 5

and administer the program.
Last winter, as my release date from the
IDF was nearing, it was clear to me that I
would move to Jerusalem and begin my life
there as an Israeli civilian. I always felt that
Jerusalem was full of character and a very
personal place to live. I had spent a semester
living in the dorms at the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem a few years prior and knew that
I would return to live in the Holy City once
again. I always felt that there was no place
quite like Jerusalem; the sounds, the smells,
the atmosphere.
As people often say, there is something
in the air when you arrive in Jerusalem. I
love doing my grocery shopping in the shuk,
walking down the streets made of Jerusalem
stone and seeing with my very eyes the
contrast of ancient history with modern
technology.
As I reflect on the current situation in
Jerusalem, I cannot help but notice parallels
to Detroit. In recent years, Detroit has strug-
gled to retain as well as attract young Jews,
primarily due to lack of jobs and an under-

for blacks and gays without lending our
good name to organizations that slan-
der us in their charters like Black Lives
Matter.
Palestinians can have peace any
time they want to give up on their
one-Islamic-state solution, but they
are encouraged by fools who think it’s
about land rather than Muhammad’s
edict to subjugate all other religions.
A person who rejects the Torah and
the promise of the prophets of a return
to Israel may be a Jew by race, but he is
not a Jew by religion.
As a social Jew who identifies as an
atheist, I think I show more respect
for the Torah and commitment by
acknowledging its history and wis-
dom beyond its time, Divine or not,
compared to what I find in their essay
demanding we reinterpret it in their
image.
The concept of equal justice for all
was first recorded in the Torah, and I
think this heritage is worth learning,

8 November 10 • 2016

whelming social scene, especially compared
to other cities.
Several Jewish social initiatives have been
launched to combat this issue, allowing for
networking opportunities as well as com-
munity building. In addition, an upturn in
job availability has sparked an increase in
the younger population considering a life in
Detroit.
For Jerusalem to reverse the out-migra-
tion of millennials and restore its population
diversity, it needs to identify and connect
this new generation of go-getters who have
their own pioneering spirit. Coupled with
the encouragement of the Jewish commu-
nity and its philanthropic visionaries, a step
forward in this vital mission can be
secured.

*

For more information on Jerusalem Village,
visit www.jerusalemvillage.org.

Originally from West Bloomfield, Stephanie Horwitz,
25, is the community manager at Jerusalem Village.
She previously served in the IDF.

rorist organization better known as ISIS (the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria).
According to the Israeli newspaper Times
of Israel, Nimer’s uncle, Fares Abu Amar,
told Rivlin the family had served in Israel’s
security services “over the generations.” His
nephew’s death, Fares said, “changed noth-
ing when it came to the importance the
family attaches to national service.”
“We will continue to serve the country
and work along the borders,” Fares said.
Such allegiance cannot be discounted

given the festering tension between the
Israeli Arab community and the Israeli gov-
ernment. The Israeli Arab community also
includes Israel’s Bedouin and Druze.
Fares Abu Amar went on to underscore
how his nephew gave his life in service to
the nation the family so appreciates.
“We are confident the Ministry of
Defense will investigate and draw the nec-
essary conclusions,” Fares told Rivlin. “Our
child is yours as well as ours — there is no
question about that.”
What a powerful perspective to build on
in a culturally diverse nation where a fifth
of the residents are Arab of one stripe or
another.

*

respecting and honoring. If this group
wants a religion without the Torah,
they should pick a new name. We are
better off if they don’t participate rather
than allow the nations to think they
represent Judaism. Say kaddish for this
philosophy instead.

Dennis L. Green
Farmington Hills

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