Help Me do my 67th Birthday Mitzvah

Dear Friends,

For my 67th Birthday, in lieu of gifts, I am asking that you consider making a contribution to the Abu Tor - Al-Tori Good Neighbor's project that Alisa and I have been working on intensively over the past two years. I'm posting the project description below for you to read about Hebrew and Arabic language classes, Arab-Jewish youth soccer, joint community organic garden, an economic development project, and more.

Here are the details for contributions: 

Contributions entitling 35% tax credit can be made in Israel by making checks out to Minhal Kehilati Baka Rabati and given to Alisa Maeir Epstein at 11 Asael St. in Abu Tor, Jerusalem, 93225-31 Israel (alisa@maeir.com) with a note designating the contribution for the Abu Tor project. For bank transfer information, credit cards or tax deductible contributions from the U.S., Canada or the UK, message us for directions.

Photo of Abu Tor by Gilabrand 
at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, 

Thanks for your consideration of doing this Mitzvah,

Dave

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Greater Baka Community Council

A Nonprofit Organization Registered in Israel 

Against the Tide:  A Bridge over Troubled Waters in Jewish/Arab Abu Tor

Creating Community Focused on Issues of Common Concern 

Woroud, volunteer Arabic teacher

The neighborhood of Abu Tor in Jerusalem is actually divided into two neighborhoods – Jewish and Palestinian. The residents of the two neighborhoods have minimal contact due to the political conflict and differences in culture and language. The objective of the "Good Neighbors Abu Tor/el-Turi" Project is to create positive neighborly relations between Jews and Arabs in Abu Tor as a counterbalance to the acts of violence and counter-violence which have erupted in Jerusalem. Following two years of activity, this grassroots project constitutes a unique phenomenon in the co-existence scene in Jerusalem and has been cited as a groundbreaking model to be developed and reproduced in other neighborhoods in the city.



The project is a joint initiative of Jewish and Palestinian residents with the aid of the Community Councils of Greater Baka (West Jerusalem) and el-Turi (East Jerusalem) and with the cooperation of the Residents’ Committee of Arab Abu Tor. The Community Councils are representative agencies to which the municipality turns to determine the needs of the residents within the neighborhood concerning physical, social and culture issues. The role of the Community Council is to identify the needs of the population it serves on the levels of the individual, the family, and the community and to address these needs. Moreover, the Council plans and designs community policy while determining priorities. The Council is also responsible for fundraising and the utilization of these funds for the good of the residents. Side-by-side with the elected resident representatives sit professional staff of the municipality and the Council director. The Baka Council also benefits from student interns studying Community Organization at the Baerwald School of Social Work of The Hebrew University.

The Community Council of Greater Baka serves residents living in six neighborhoods:  Western Abu Tor, Baka, Talpiot Housing Projects, Talpiot-Arnona, North Talpiot and Mekor Hayim. The Community Council of el-Turi serves residents living in Eastern Abu Tur, Silwan, and Ras el-Amud. The total population of Jewish and Arab Abu Tor comprises about 18,000 people. The target population of this project is the 5000 Arabs and Jews who live in the streets along the seam between the two neighborhoods.  The 2015 budget of the Council was $2.67 million.

Young families meet in the park 

Against the background of the increase in extremist and violent elements in Jerusalem, we believe that this project constitutes a necessary alternative in the public arena. During the past two years, a group of Jewish and Arab residents from both neighborhoods has met with the aim of acting jointly to advance the neighborhood while promoting good neighborly relationships. We have received expert consulting from the Intercultural Center, Jerusalem, as regards cross-cultural community development. The first steps involved improvements in infrastructure executed with the aid of the Baka Community Council – speed bumps, garbage pails and renovating 2 parks and the sports field. The residents' steering committee then consolidated a number of avenues for action which were developed over the past year and a half and for their expansion and advancement we seek funding:


1. Common Neighborhood/Common Language Program: Language Study as a Bridge

Between March– August 2015, 16 Arab women living on the seam between the two neighborhoods successfully completed a Hebrew language pilot course taught by three volunteers from Jewish Abu Tor. As a result, the program was expanded and during October 2015 – July 2016, the following classes taught by 9 Jewish and 4 Palestinian volunteer residents took place:

Language program teachers

• Hebrew – continuing class for 16 women
• Hebrew – beginners’ class for 20 women
• Hebrew – beginners’ class for 3 women

• Arabic – beginners’ class for 18 men and women
• Arabic – advanced spoken language practice for 5 men and women

Friday's Arabic course

Language Cafe - women meet for
language practice and socializing

Volunteer Hebrew teacher

In March 2016, we organized our first “Language Café” bringing together 22 Jewish and Arab women for language practice, brunch and socializing. At the end of this activity, all reported satisfaction and agreed that they wanted to continue this type of meeting. In June 2016, our Hebrew University student intern created a survey based on questionnaires to assess students’ experiences throughout the year and specifically of the Language Café. We plan to take advantage of this information in our planning process.

In October 2016, we plan to continue with this year’s courses and adding the following according to local demand: A men’s Hebrew course emphasizing reading, writing, and grammar, a young girls’ Hebrew course taught with games and activities, and an additional beginners’ Hebrew course for women.

All together we anticipate about 120 students. Each study group will receive instruction from a team based on one main teacher and two resident volunteers. The girls’ class will be led by 2 Palestinian resident volunteers and by a Sh’nat Sherut volunteer (youth movement graduate) from the Movement of Masorati Judaism in Israel. The Hebrew teaching teams will be accompanied by Medabrot Ivrit (Hebrew Speakers) a Jerusalem-based voluntary group which has experience teaching Hebrew to Arab women. The Arabic teaching teams will be accompanied by The Inter-Cultural Center Jerusalem which is noted for its excellent Arabic instruction.

We will conduct about 10 bi-cultural events during the year, as well as graduation celebrations/outings. Due to the success and volume of the program, we have hired a part-time coordinator who will also help with curriculum development. The Funding is needed to rent an appropriate space for the 8 groups, to hire 7 main teachers and the coordinator, for teaching materials, games, art supplies, and refreshments, translating services and special events.

2. Sports and Enrichment for Boys:

Shimon, Taha and Muhamed - dedicated
organizers and coaches of the boys' soccer team

There is an absence of after-school enrichment and educational programs for Arab children living in the streets on the seam between the two neighborhoods. Tension has risen on occasion amongst Jewish and Arab children and youth in the public spaces. Moreover, in the past, Arab youth utilized the mentioned above renovated sports field for informal soccer practice. Based on these facts, a team of Jewish and Palestinian volunteer residents organized a soccer club for 22 boys ages 9-12, half of them Arab, half Jewish.

The weekly practice which has been running since February 2016, is led by two excellent young coaches from Arab Abu Tor who have now begun to receive compensation for their time.  A local resident donated uniforms, sports bags, and equipment. We now observe that the boys even meet outside the formal practice hours.

Soccer practice at the Abu Tor
 soccer club for boys 9-12 years old

This year the club plans to compete in the citywide tournaments. In addition, we plan to add a Sh’nat Sherut volunteer (youth movement graduate) from the Movement of Masorati Judaism in Israel who will provide educational/social enrichment employing ODT techniques (Outdoor Training). During inclement weather conditions, the boys will meet indoors and study field plays/watch recorded games. We require funding for the coaches, training equipment, winter rental, transportation and supplies

3. Neighborhood Co-existence Street Festival (Spring 2017) Art Event (September 2016)
A steering committee is now planning a Co-existence Street Festival for Spring 2017 in cooperation with the Greater Baka Community Council, The Arab-Jewish YTheater Group and the Residents’ Committee of Arab Abu Tor. The five-hour fair will bring together Palestinian and Jewish families with a stage for performances of local musicians, tables of handcrafts for sale, food, logo T-shirts and community theater. Several public spaces have been identified as locations for the joint creation of community art.

An additional community event is planned for September 20, 2016, in conjunction with the Jerusalem Festival for Contemporary Art. The Festival is preparing an art happening around the theme of “Abu Tor Stories” which will take place in the homes of five Jewish residents and five Palestinian residents, created by five Jewish artists and five Arab artists (see: http://manofim.org). Residents of the neighborhood will contribute in various ways to the event: music, theater, open homes and a peak into the co-existence activities presently taking place in the neighborhood. We request funding for these two events for the stage, sound system, tables, staff (Coordinator, Community Art Artist, Theater Artist), publicity, mandatory security, and materials).

4. Neighborhood Organic Garden 

Following a process which facilitated the participation of Jewish and Arab residents in the decision-making regarding the development of the playground below Ein Rogel Street known as the "Park for the Blind", it was decided to allocate land for a joint community organic garden open to residents. The garden will be run by the Baka Community Council and with the residents in cooperation with environmental NGO's such as Mahapach Yarok and the city's Department of Community Gardens. Residents have begun to decide how to manage the garden and distribute the produce and are receiving consultation regarding development, composting and farming methods. We are planning a weekly gardening club for children for Autumn 2016. Several public events will be held during the year for the Jewish and Arab residents of the area.  Funding is needed for the development of the space, equipment, seedlings, a watering system, fencing materials for the children’s club and a part-time coordinator.

5. Grass Roots Economic Development/Community Services Pool
We seek funds to create a data base of Jewish and Arab residents of the neighborhood who have skills and small businesses which are marketable to local residents of the neighborhood and beyond. We know of many electricians, carpenters, mechanics, gardeners, taxi drivers, therapists in a wide range of alternative healing approaches, seamstresses, lawyers, tax advisors, caterers, crafts-persons, musicians, child-carers, translators, tutors of a variety of subjects, small businesses such as convenience stores, pharmacy, etc. A steering committee composed of Jewish and Arab residents, and representatives of NGO's with expertise in the area will determine the methodology of matching consumers and providers of these services whether by simply providing channels for matching providers of service with consumers, by assisting in marketing and communication or in the format of bartering such as a "Time Bank".

6. Media and Virtual Tools
A prize winning Israeli documentary film producer/director has offered to create a 6 minute video film about the project at cost without profit. This will enable us to share our vision with other neighborhoods in the city, striving to broaden the moderate consensus in Jerusalem and contributing to it becoming a more tolerant environment.  As well, it will be helpful for PR and fundraising. In addition, we plan to develop a tri-lingual Facebook page and eventually a website to publicize our activities, keep in touch with residents and showcase the project. We require funding to cover the costs of the video production, to translate Facebook posts and to hire a young resident to build the website.

David teaches "Old McDonald"
 in Hebrew and Arabic

7. Additional Programs

Other programs which have been developed include:

• "Coffee with the Neighbors,"- once-a-month alternating between Jewish and Palestinian Families.

• Young Families Initiative – The team began with a picnic in June and plans a bi-lingual play (a donation), art activities, a clown performance, sports and a happening in cooperation with the citywide non-profit HaT’nua HaYerushalmit dedicated to creating pluralism in the city. We require funding for equipment and materials, refreshments, publicity and translations.

• Joint Yoga – once a week with a resident volunteer teacher. We require funding for rent and equipment.

• Abu Tor Women’s Forum – A steering committee is now planning how to bring together Jewish and Palestinian women to become active jointly in a project to benefit themselves and/or the neighborhood. We will also have 3 events throughout the year for the participants according to their choices, based on common interests.

Contacts:
Fax: 02-6718291 Tel: 02-6734237, 3 Issaschar St. Jerusalem 93629 baka@matnasim.org.il •
Contact - David Maeir-Epstein, volunteer Board Member dave@israelgrants.com (+972)54-487-226

Expenses

Income