An E-bulletin on Jewish-Arab Coexistence in Israel and the Activities of The Abraham Fund June 18, 2002 IN THIS ISSUE: ATTORNEY GENERAL CALLS FOR ISRAELI ARAB EQUALITY TAF AWARDS $1 MILLION IN GRANTS BREAKFAST FOCUSES ON NEW INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE "SHARED CITIZENSHIP" ATTORNEY GENERAL CALLS FOR ISRAELI ARAB EQUALITY Speaking at a recent meeting of The Abraham Fund's Israel Public Council advisory group, Israel's Attorney General Elyakim Rubenstein said that "Israeli Arabs are entitled to full rights as citizens. Those who want to maintain Israel as a Jewish and democratic state must guarantee civic equality for Israel's Arabs." The Public Council also adopted a resolution calling on the government to take a more active role in promoting Jewish-Arab coexistence. As reported in leading Israeli newspapers, the Public Council urged the government to assign a cabinet minister with the responsibility for promoting coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israel. The Council also urged the government to disburse the sums allocated in this year's budget from the four-year NIS 4 billion that both the Sharon and Barak governments assigned to improving conditions in the Arab sector. (The resolution can be viewed on The Abraham Fund Web site by clicking here.) In his remarks, Attorney General Rubenstein also discussed the efforts his office is making to fight inequality and racism, particularly by providing assistance to Arab Israelis facing discrimination in such areas as housing, education, health care and employment. TAF AWARDS $1 MILLION IN GRANTS The Abraham Fund awarded $1 million in grants to 62 organizations and projects advancing Jewish-Arab coexistence in Israel at a festive ceremony at Kfar Hamaccabia, Israel on May 27. Abraham Fund Chairman Alan B. Slifka told the audience that The Abraham Fund was "accelerating its advocacy efforts this year to increase Arabic studies in Israel's school system, lobby the government to do more and to have an impact on public opinion." The Grants Awards Ceremony celebrated projects that have been operating in the current 2001-2002 grant-year. For the first time two regional projects initiated by The Abraham Fund received major grants totaling $176,000: · "The Jaffa Kindergarten Program", a joint program of The Abraham Fund and the Arab-Jewish Center in Jaffa is now operating in 12 kindergartens -- four pairs of Jewish and Arab kindergartens and four integrated kindergartens. · "The Carmiel/Bet Hakerem Valley Umbrella for Coexistence Educational Initiatives" advances community programs for coexistence between the Jewish city of Carmiel and the Arab towns, Baane, Deir Al Asad, Majd Al-Krum and Nahef. BREAKFAST FOCUSES ON NEW INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE "SHARED CITIZENSHIP" A new Abraham Fund initiative called the "Shared Citizenship and Public Policy Project" was the topic of the June 13 Conversations on Coexistence breakfast in New York. The breakfast featured Mike Prashker, founder and executive director of Merchavim, an organization that promotes the concept of shared citizenship and which is partnering with TAF on the program. The project will bring together a culturally diverse group of professionals and academics in six key policy areas -- education, public health, employment, housing, welfare and transportation -- with the goal of developing consensual public policy recommendations. These recommendations will then form the basis for a national advocacy campaign. Merchavim will be responsible for building the consensual public policy platform while TAF will drive the effort forward through a broad-based awareness campaign. "Fairness is an under-exploited concept," according to Prashker, who says the initiative is aimed at the "legitimization of equality." The Abraham Fund is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting coexistence between the Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. Through advocacy and awareness campaigns, and by sponsoring coexistence projects, The Abraham Fund fosters increased dialogue, tolerance and understanding between Arabs and Jews. A pioneer in this work, The Abraham Fund serves as a central resource for coexistence professionals worldwide. The Abraham Fund is registered as a not-for-profit organization IRS 501(c)3 and as a public charity IRS 509(a)2 in the United States and in New York State. Please contact us: 477 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10022 Tel: 212-303-9421 or 800-301-FUND Fax: 212-935-1834 E-mail: info@abrahamfund.org Website: www.abrahamfund.org