הפוסט Shanti House הופיע לראשונה ב-.

JICC is an independent non-profit organization with a vision for an inclusive, tolerant, and vibrant Jerusalem for all. It advances communal strength and future leadership by empowering city residents (Christian and Muslim Arabs, ultra-Orthodox, modern Orthodox and secular Jews) to be active and effective in shaping their shared future. Programs include the Mini-Active Organization – a grassroots empowerment network for Arab women; the Aa’ata Center & hotline for understanding and accessing legal rights related to national insurance and employment; and cultural competency workshops aimed at promoting tolerant discourse and relations between Jews and Arabs in shared workspaces, services, and education centers.

We caught up with Daniel to learn about his on-the-ground experience since his return to Jerusalem.

What was your impression of North American supporters following your April visit?

It was heartening being with so many concerned friends and supporters and knowing that North American communities are deeply invested in helping bring about the “day after.” It was and remains evident that so many people around the world are seeking what I work towards every day, a vibrant, more resilient Jerusalem.

How has the work of JICC been affected since October 7?

Someone living near the Gaza envelope recently said to me, “Despair doesn’t lead us to action,” and it struck a chord. These words have been guiding JICC since October 7th as we both continue our everyday work of building urban resilience in Jerusalem and reduce friction related to the war’s aftermath.

Our work has focused in three spheres – supporting women volunteers, providing cultural competency training and communicating a real-time understanding of the war’s impact in East Jerusalem.

In the first weeks of the war JICC identified Palestinian women and ultra-Orthodox women, who were volunteering in myriad ways, as key agents of change. JICC found ways to support their emotional wellbeing and morale through mental health workshops.

Cultural competency has always been a core part of JICC’s mission – can you tell us more about what that is exactly?

The State of Israel prides itself on the diversity of its workforce but when a stressor comes along there is a great need to reduce tension in the workplace. JICC held workshops and trainings in hospitals, hi-tech companies and municipal offices addressing the diversity in the workplace. The trainings were all designed to acknowledge tensions while at the same time find ways to reduce discord.

The JICC has a track record of reducing social tensions in previous heightened times like during the COVID-19 pandemic, the violence in May 2021, and the Judicial Overhaul. How is the JICC’s model of non-political approach to impart practical skills helping the Jerusalem community today?

JICC believes if people can carry out their lives as independently and as uninterrupted as possible then the chances for friction can be reduced.

JICC increased its cooperation with the municipality and the IDF Home Command in order to share in real time the needs of residents who were struggling. By ensuring East Jerusalemite residents were able to conduct their lives as independently and peacefully as possible, and that key municipal services will continue, this communication is essential.

Mini-Active, JICC’s women’s empowerment network, tracked the need for food, medication, shelter and communicated it to the necessary army and government officials. They also consulted with the army about the position of roadblocks ensuring that women and children were able to pass safely to school and home.

To learn more about the Jerusalem Foundation supported JICC, go here: https://jicc.org.il/

Read more about Director Daniel Hasson and the team at JICC: https://jicc.org.il/jicc-staff/

הפוסט JICC Works To Ease Tensions In Tense Times הופיע לראשונה ב-.

הפוסט Heinz Nittel Road Safety Training Center הופיע לראשונה ב-.

Each neighborhood offers its own menu of services including:

• A meeting place where survivors can enjoy a social and cultural experience.
• A resource center where trained professionals assist survivors in accessing and maximizing the rights and services to which the elderly sector, and the survivor population in particular, are entitled.
• Special activities for veterans, intergeneration activities, lectures, concerts, trips, Yom HaShoah memorials, etc.
• A mobile service of home visits by a social worker, therapist, or trained multi-lingual volunteer for homebound survivors to enhance emotional, social, physical and cognitive well-being.

Over 650 men and women participate in Café Europa activities each year in the program’s branches across the city.

• The South branch serves the southern part of the city (Rehavia, Katamon, Baka, Gonenim) and includes French, English and Hebrew-speaking groups.
• The North branch, also known as “Café Moscow,” caters mostly to Russian-immigrant populations (Pisgat Ze’ev and Neve Ya’akov).
• The Western branch café services Beit Hakerem, Kiryat HaYovel and the surrounding areas.
• The branches in the Geulah and Sanhedriya host separate groups for men and women in the Haredi survivor community.

הפוסט Café Europa הופיע לראשונה ב-.

Although Hebrew and Arabic are both official languages, neither Jews nor Arabs in Jerusalem regularly speak the other’s language, which perpetuates misconceptions and intolerance. To strengthen the community and the social fabric of the city, the Jerusalem Foundation seeks to facilitate understanding between Jews and Arabs by teaching the ‘other’s’ language. The goal is to transform attitudes and behaviors, help Arab Israelis feel at home in Israel and facilitate dialogue between the two cultures and communities. Positive communication and mutual respect build communal strength and help shape the Jerusalem of the future in line with the Jerusalem Foundation’s vision for 2030.

Language as a Cultural Bridge is a 2-year Arabic instruction course for grades 5-6 to enable Jewish children to communicate in Arabic. The Jerusalem Foundation has operated the program in Jerusalem since 2005 in collaboration with the Abraham Fund Initiative, with 18 to 20 schools participating each year. The initiative breaks down barriers by teaching Arabic and Arab culture in Jewish schools and by placing Jewish school-children in regular contact with Arab teachers as role models. The program includes encounters between Jewish and Arab students and opportunities for Jewish and Arab students to practice Hebrew and Arabic together.

Hebrew and Arabic for children and adults: The Jerusalem Foundation also coordinates other programs to advance Hebrew and Arabic language skills for both children and adults.

• Hebrew instruction in Arab schools: places native Hebrew speakers as teachers in Arab schools, with special Hebrew language rooms to enhance learning.
• Talking Coexistence: Arabic language instruction for adults, operated by the Jerusalem Intercultural Center, has offered instruction at all levels for the past 15 years.
• Women Speaking Hebrew: teaches Hebrew conversational skills to Arab women in an affordable and comfortable environment and has operated since 2013.

21^st Century Language Skills for Technology

This groundbreaking program in partnership with the Azrieli College of Engineering is geared to non-native Hebrew speakers from underprivileged neighborhoods. The program enhances their ability to begin and complete degrees in the technological professions (chemical engineering, software engineering, electrical engineering, etc.) and successfully integrate into the modern workforce in Jerusalem.  The biggest gap for these students is usually language skills in both Hebrew and English, both essential for success during their studies and as members of a modern workforce.  The program provides tuition scholarships for individual students from disadvantaged backgrounds and courses and mentoring to strengthen their Hebrew and English language skills, allowing them to make the most of their education.  The program emphasizes written and spoken, academic and conversational Hebrew and English before and during the degree program and toward graduation with special workshops for applying for, interviewing and integrating into new employment.

This program is a model for other academic institutions to prepare non-native Hebrew speakers to integrate into the modern workforce in Jerusalem and in Israel, contributing to Israel’s startup economy and opening opportunities for economic advancement for themselves and their families.

הפוסט 21st Century Language Skills הופיע לראשונה ב-.

Response: The Learning Together program improves educational programming in Jewish and Arab schools, and by bringing Jewish and Arab principals and educators together to do so, it advances understanding and partnership. The program is a joint project of the Jerusalem Foundation and the Municipality and takes place during regular school hours. It is based on a highly successful model developed in Northern Ireland, in which Catholic and Protestant educational staffs worked together to improve specific academic subjects in their respective schools, working together along the way. In light of the program’s success and expansion, the Jerusalem Foundation, together with the Jerusalem Education authority, seeks to continue to develop the program, which includes:

1. Training courses for principals and senior officers of the Jerusalem Education Authority – in-depth 4-hour workshops in east and west Jerusalem, study tours, dialogue and planning. Earlier cohorts of participating principals continue to meet and reflect together on the implementation of learning initiatives. These activities foster mutual understanding and build educational partnerships according to affinities and common needs and interests.

2. Training courses for school teachers to initiate in-depth dialogue and creative thinking about joint curricular initiatives – 8 4-hour workshops (co-facilitated dynamic encounters and lectures), an east Jerusalem study tour, and an overnight seminar. Earlier cohorts of teachers continue to meet and reflect together on the implementation of their learning initiatives thus far. Eight monthly meetings are planned each year. On-site planning and monitoring with program staff, teachers and principals take place monthly between the partner teachers.

3. Jerusalem Foundation Ambassadors program cultivates teachers who advance the program more actively in their schools and organize community events and special programs.

4. Student encounters– currently 40 schools are involved, with the aim to involve 150 schools over the next years. Topics include tennis, music, drama, shared learning of English, visits to Science Museum and Museum of Islam and other activities according to the partners’ interests.

5. An optional study tour to Northern Ireland in partnership with Queens’ University in Belfast.

Population Served: 100 Jewish and Arab schools, including principals, teachers and 3,000 students. The Municipality’s vision is to make this a regular part of the curriculum.

Partners: Jerusalem Education Authority; Ministry of Education, Center for Educational Technology

הפוסט Learning Together in Jerusalem הופיע לראשונה ב-.

Response: The Café Europa network offers social and cultural opportunities for the city’s Holocaust survivors. Each neighborhood offers its own menu of services including:

• A meeting place where survivors can enjoy a social and cultural experience.
• A resource center where trained professionals assist survivors in accessing and maximizing the rights and services to which the elderly sector, and the survivor population in particular, are entitled.
• Special activities for veterans, intergeneration activities, lectures, concerts, trips, Yom HaShoah memorials, etc.
• A mobile service of home visits by a social worker, therapist, or trained multi-lingual volunteer for homebound survivors to enhance emotional, social, physical and cognitive well-being.

Population Served: Over 650 men and women participate in Café Europa activities each year in the program’s five branches dispersed among the city’s areas to enable easy accessibility. During Corona, the program identified new needs, and the project added additional volunteers and services.

• The South branch serves the southern part of the city (Rehavia, Katamon, Baka, Gonenim) and includes French, English and Hebrew-speaking groups.
• The North branch, also known as “Café Moscow,” caters mostly to Russian-immigrant populations (Pisgat Ze’ev and Neve Ya’akov).
• The Western branch café services Beit Hakerem, Kiryat HaYovel and the surrounding areas.
• The branches in the Geulah and Sanhedriya host separate groups for men and women in the Haredi survivor community.

Impact: “Café Europa is where I can socialize, hear a concert, or just read and relax, in the one place where I feel surrounded by those who truly understand me” (a participant).

Partners: Israeli Ministry for Welfare and Social Services; Jerusalem Municipality Elderly Welfare Department; local community centers; Misgav Lakashish, JDC.

הפוסט Café Europa הופיע לראשונה ב-.

In an exciting new initiative, the Jerusalem Foundation plans to establish a Jerusalem Shanti House to serve as the first port of call for at-risk youth of any religion, gender or culture aged 14-21. Open 24/7, the Jerusalem Shanti House will provide a safe space to escape dangers such as physical violence, prostitution, and sexual abuse and steadily recover to regain a normal life. Those requiring long-term support will transition to one of the existing Shanti Houses to benefit from additional assistance in a sheltered environment. Preventive programs will help identify at-risk youth early and avoid them ending up on the street. The process is fast, as no official referral is required and there is no waiting time.

A suitable building was been identified in the Ein Karem neighborhood, where the city meets nature, and warm energy fosters a sense of new beginnings. Thanks to generous support from dear friends of the Jerusalem Foundation in Italy, the Jerusalem Foundation purchased the house and will begin extensive renovations in January 2021. To create a positive and supportive environment, the large property will feature a balcony, a family-style kitchen for children, as well as a large industrial kitchen, a spacious living room and TV area and separate girls’ and boys’ rooms.

Population Served: Open to all youth at-risk ages 14-21 in the Jerusalem area, the Shanti House will be a 24/7 resource for young people from any background, serving as short-term stepping stone towards regaining a normal life. The Tel Aviv and Negev Shanti Houses together already help 2,500 young people every year and the Jerusalem House will extend their reach, preventing more youth from falling between the cracks and giving them tools for a brighter future.

Impact: From its establishment to this day, Shanti House has helped more than 60,000 young people. The unique therapeutic model developed over the course of 36 years by Mariuma Ben Yosef, the founder of Shanti House, has won extensive recognition in Israel and around the world.

הפוסט Shanti House for Youth at Risk הופיע לראשונה ב-.

The sculpture was designed by Jerusalem-based and internationally-renowned artist Israel Hadany, winner of a design competition held to choose an artist from Jerusalem. The sculpture is inspired by a Canadian Inukshuk that symbolizes brotherhood, solidarity and mankind’s responsibility toward one another.

The Inukshuk – meaning “to act in the capacity of a human” – is an Inuit (native Canadian) structure made of stones that represents friendship, family, and hospitality. The Inukshuk represents all people, regardless of religion or race, while also representing Canada’s cultural diversity and the rich Inuit heritage. As such, the Inukshuk is uniquely suited to inspire the city of Jerusalem, which, like Canada, believes in a thriving future, full of opportunities for all of its residents, regardless of their backgrounds.

הפוסט Inukshuk sculpture at Canada House הופיע לראשונה ב-.

The youth center is the first purpose-built youth club in Wadi Joz and is home to the only youth movement active in the Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem. The 400 sq. m. building includes a multipurpose hall, activity rooms, staff offices and an outdoor activity area. During after-school hours, the youth also use the area of the adjacent school.

The activities in the center include volunteering in the local community and activities which emphasize the responsibilities and rights of citizens and encourage becoming active, involved adults.

The Wadi Joz Youth Center is a central venue for sports, music, social, cultural and volunteering activity for residents of Wadi Joz, Sheikh Jarrah and other nearby neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.

הפוסט Wadi Joz Youth Center הופיע לראשונה ב-.