Bridging the Divide: Abu Tor/ el-T'hori Good Neighbors

The neighborhood of Abu Tor/el-Turi straddles the “seam” between East and West Jerusalem. During the past two years, a group of Jewish and Arab volunteer residents initiated joint action to better the neighborhood.

This is a model project with the potential to prove that Israelis and Palestinians can live together in an undivided Jerusalem.

We seek your support to increase our Hebrew/Arabic Language Study: 
Language instruction by 12 Jewish and Palestinian resident teachers to double our weekly classes to 120 students and continue our successful pilot of the "Language Café" -  for language practice/socializing.

We seek your support for our Jewish/Arab Boys Soccer Team:
Coached by two Palestinian residents, funds would enable us to open a second team for the 14-16 year olds, a tough age at which if they are not kicking the ball to a teammate on the field, they might well be kicking each other off the field. In addition, we wish to add a second day for a combination short practice and guided joint social/educational activity, including some with parental involvement to foster communication off the field.


We seek your support to plant and harvest in our joint Community Organic Garden:
The garden was planned jointly and would enable the involvement of various age groups (children and families, seniors, special needs, and others) in the growing process.

We seek your support for our Grass Roots Economic Development/ Community Services Project:
This will enable us to develop the social media mechanisms to foster local commercial transactions which will provide needed income, services and the development of additional interpersonal relations.

We seek your support to enable us to run the Women's Empowerment Forum with special events for women on women's issues and for our Early Childhood Initiative and Family Community theater /monthly events.

We seek your support to establish a multi-lingual website and Facebook page, and to complete editing hours of video footage and interviews into short videos for sharing our vision and model with other neighborhoods and cities, as well as for fundraising purposes.

Like us on Facebook and see the faces of our community based on common needs.

UK contributions can be made to:

UK Friends of the Jerusalem Foundation
Administered by Prism the Gift Fund
20 Gloucester Place
W1U 8HA
London UK
Tel: 44-020-7009-9649.

Please make sure that you designate your gift for the Baka Community Council's Abu Tor Good Neighbors Project.