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Voices of Peace
Vol. V
The Abraham Fund
from a WBUR Boston Interview
Two girls hold candles in front of Rome's ancient Colosseum, March 20, 2002, during
a
candlelight vigil. Some fifty thousand people took to the streets of Rome to demonstrate
against the escalation of violence between Palestinians and Israelis.
REUTERS/Alessia
Pierdomenico
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How many of you heard the following on Here and Now? "Here
and Now" is a production of WBUR Boston, with assistance from New Hampshire
Public Radio, and WRNI Rhode Island. Copyright 2002. Trustees of Boston University.
All rights reserved. http://www.here-now.org/topics/_news/nws_020404b.asp
Thursday, April 04, 2002
Friendship in a Time of War
Interview with Michael Bavly and Forsan Hussein
They met in college nearly six years ago and have been best friends ever since.
Through thick and thin, good times and bad, their friendship has survived and thrived.
No big deal, really. It's what friends do. But their relationship is a minor miracle,
because Forsan Hussein is a Palestinian Israeli and Michael Bavly is a Jewish Israeli.
In college they both majored in "peacebuilding" and started a weekly radio
show called "Just Like You", where they considered Middle East news, shared
thoughts, and recipes.
Now, Forsan Hussein is Communications Associate for the Abraham Fund in New York City, a non-profit
organization dedicated to promoting peaceful coexistence between Israel's Jewish
and Arab citizens.
Michael Bavly is a second year student at Suffolk Law School in Boston.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Abraham Fund
Q: What is The Abraham Fund?
A: 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.
Q: What do we do?
A: The Abraham Fund focuses its activities in three different arenas:
Implementing advocacy and awareness campaigns to increase knowledge and encourage
dialogue on the issue of coexistence. In addition to reaching out to the general
public in Israel, we are seeking to educate leaders and decision-makers who can increase
resources for programming in this area and create coexistence policies. In the U.S.,
our educational and cultural outreach programs teach people about the challenges
and successes of Arab-Jewish coexistence. Funding and supporting grassroots coexistence
projects. Since 1993, The Abraham Fund has granted more than $7.3 million to over
500 different programs. We support projects in three key areas of funding: advancing
the professionalization of educators and leaders, coexistence education in the formal
school system, and education for coexistence in the community. Within these basic
areas are innovative projects in arts and culture, social services, economic development,
and teacher training. Developing, managing and sponsoring large-scale regional and
national coexistence projects. The Abraham Fund is now expanding its efforts regionally
and nationally by creating large-scale projects that will involve more people in
coexistence work. The long-term goal of this strategy is to build a "coexistence
infrastructure" in Israeli communities to encourage citizens to work together
in achieving shared goals.
Q: Where is The Abraham Fund located?
A: We are headquartered in New York and Jerusalem. Staff members in both offices
have widely recognized expertise in areas such as coexistence programming, school
pairing, informal education, and facilitator training, and are involved in setting
policy for the organization and in its day-to-day operations. Our New York office
has a special focus on fundraising and educational outreach in North America. Our
Israel office formulates programs, works directly with grantees and assists them
in the field, and undertakes advocacy and public awareness campaigns throughout Israel.
Q: How does The Abraham Fund define coexistence?
A: Coexistence is the ability of people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds
to live together with mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation. Coexistence
is not assimilation. Rather, it enables individuals and communities to live alongside
one another while retaining and strengthening their individuality.
Q: How does coexistence enhance the stability of the State of Israel?
A: Coexistence strengthens Israel by balancing unity with diversity and fostering
a civil society where all citizens have a stake in the well-being of the nation.
By focusing our support within Israel's pre-1967 borders, we maximize our effectiveness
and maintain our non-partisan position.
Q: Are Arabs active in The Abraham Fund?
A: The Abraham Fund has many Arab supporters in the U.S. and Israel. Our advisory
group in Israel, The Israel Public Council, includes many prominent Arab Israelis,
including Deputy Chairman Dr. Faisal Azaiza and Judge Abd-El Rahman Zu'bi, Israel's
first Arab Supreme Court justice. In addition, Arab Israelis and Arab Americans serve
on our board of directors and are among our donors and staff.
Q: Can people learn to coexist?
A: Yes! Learning to coexist begins with opportunities to meet and get to know people
who are different. That's why all of our projects include opportunities for Jews
and Arabs to spend time together, either in educational settings such as classrooms,
pursuing activities such as theater, music, or community improvement, or in discussion
groups that allow individuals to air their views in a comfortable and safe setting.
Through these varied activities, Arabs and Jews learn to dispel stereotypes and build
trust and understanding.
In addition, all of our projects include an educational component. Many projects
take place in Israeli schools, or help train teachers to convey lessons of coexistence
in their classrooms. Together, Jews and Arabs in Abraham Fund-supported projects
are creating and utilizing educational materials, training models, school curricula,
and pairing programs with the goal of teaching people to understand each other, communicate,
and deal with conflict.
Q: How many people have been affected by projects supported by The Abraham Fund?
A: Since our grant making program began in 1993, we have:
helped bring coexistence education to more than 40,000 students of all ages,
brought more than 18,000 Arab and Jewish adults together through community-based
projects,
assisted more than 7,000 women through health, advocacy,
and social service programs,
trained more than 3,000 teachers.
In addition, for every individual involved in a coexistence project, there is a "ripple"
effect: teachers educate students about coexistence, students tell their families
about what they have learned, families become involved and often involve their neighborhoods.
Q: How does The Abraham Fund ensure that projects will achieve and maintain standards
of excellence?
A: We begin by asking organizations to undergo a stringent grant application process.
To assess the merit of each coexistence project, every application is reviewed by
Abraham Fund staff members, lay people, and by working groups comprised of specialists
in a variety of fields in both the U.S. and Israel. Only after careful evaluation
can a project receive a grant from The Abraham Fund. During the grant year, projects
are visited by Abraham Fund staff to ensure that they continue to maintain the highest
standards. The Abraham Fund also measures a project's impact through written reports
by the organization, financial evaluation, and self-assessment through written and
oral response to the project by leaders and participants. For large-scale and regional
projects now underway, the same strict guidelines will apply. Additionally, local
leaders will provide evaluations to measure the impact of coexistence efforts in
their communities.
In 1999-2000, The Abraham Fund conducted an in-depth research study analyzing 47
coexistence programs, one of the first systematic, scientific studies of its kind.
The goal of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a sample group of projects,
to determine criteria for evaluating projects and to define "best practices"
for professionals in the field. The result was the development of a series of comprehensive
principles for developing and implementing successful coexistence programs.
Q: Is The Abraham Fund affiliated with any political party?
A: The Abraham Fund is a non-partisan, apolitical organization. Our supporters have
included government leaders from all the major parties in Israel. Similarly, our
donors come from across the political spectrum.
Q: How have recent political events affected the work of The Abraham Fund?
A: In light of rising tensions between Jewish and Arab Israelis, we have broadened
our efforts in Israel and the U.S. In Israel, our staff has convened meetings with
coexistence project directors to assist them in leading their programs during this
difficult time. Despite the challenges, the vast majority of Abraham Fund-supported
projects have moved forward successfully this year, with even greater commitment
on the part of leaders and participants to the goals of democracy, tolerance and
civility. Through increased outreach in the U.S. and Israel, more people than ever
before now recognize the vital importance of coexistence to Israel's future.
Related Links:
The Abraham Fund http://www.abrahamfund.org/
"Just Like You" http://www.shalam.org/defaultjly.htm
About Us:
Message From Chairman, Mission Statement
History Facts & Figures
Public Council Board Members TAF Staff Offices Testimonials
Activities Advocacy & Awareness Regional/Large-Scale Projects Community Based
Projects Research Coexistence Dinner Grants Awards Ceremony Coexistence Updates Young
Professionals Events Phone Briefings Breakfast Briefings Speaking Engagements Calendar
of Events Project Descriptions
Coexistence Chat-room for Coexistence Professionals Regional Meetings Research on
Coexistence Project Descriptions
Publications Books Research and Reports Newsletter
News Events Press Room Archive Search Site Map Links Video Library
New Coalition of Coexistence Organizations Launched in Israel
News
New Coalition of Coexistence Organizations Launched in Israel Release Date:
3/21/2002 The Abraham Fund and Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior Announce
Major Effort to Increase Cooperation Between Jewish and Arab Israelis.
Briefing Provides Update on Jewish-Arab Relations Release Date:
3/21/2002 Israeli Arabs and Jews continue to work together on cooperative ventures,
despite heightened tensions between the two communities. Some of these efforts were
highlighted during The Abraham Fund's monthly "Behind the Headlines" telephone
briefing on March 19 with Executive Vice President Dan Pattir and Dr. Elie Rekhess
of Tel Aviv University.
Survey Shows Need for More Coexistence Programming Release Date:
3/20/2002 Results of a recent survey of 1,264 Jewish adults conducted by the Jaffa
Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University point to the need for much greater
efforts to encourage positive Jewish-Arab coexistence in Israel.
March 5th Event for Young Professionals Touches on the Future of Coexistence Release
Date:
3/7/2002 "You can bring people from a point of fearing and hating each other
to the point of being friends. We know this works." Alan B. Slifka
A lively gathering of approximately 40 young professionals eager to learn more about
The Abraham Fund and its activities took place on March 5 in New York City. The social
and educational evening, featured a discussion by Chairman Alan B. Slifka, who spoke
about the origins of TAF, its mission, philosophy and goals. ..... Speaking Engagements
Abraham Fund Communications Associate Forsan Hussein has embarked on a series of
speaking engagements to discuss his extensive experience participating in coexistence
work.
3/29/2002
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