Human Rights/Advocacy
"My community is not outraged against the Israeli government because of human rights violations perpetrated against the Palestinian and the Bedouin populations. I live in a community that is in some ways very satiated; those things are done to make me feel more comfortable when I get on the bus, when I go to university, so that when I'm with my partner at a café I feel safer. There is an element of justification in every conversation with my community, and it's very, very present."
Devorah Brous founded Bustan, an environmental justice organization working primarily in Israel's Negev region with Jewish and Bedouin communities, and was its executive director for nine years. The word "bustan" (fruit orchard in Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian) reflects traditional and diverse indigenous planting patterns of the region. Bustan plants and builds with low cost, sustainable technologies and advocates sustainable development that serves both Jewish and Arab populations, and promotes fair allocation of clean natural resources and community self-reliance.
"People want to live, even while they wait for the issue of Jerusalem to be resolved. Health and quality of life are linked with a solution."
Ismaeel Hamoud works with Bimkom, an organization which seeks to make community participation and human rights a central part of urban planning. Bimkom provides legal advocacy, planning consultancy and educational materials to communities and political leaders to promote planning rights. Ismaeel works primarily in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya, where he is the liaison between the community and Bimkom.
Enough of the Jerusalem mantra, By Daniel Seidemann, Common Ground News Service, September 18, 2008.
Letting Israel Self-Destruct, By Daniel Seidemann, The Washington Post, August 26, 2004.
Corking the Volcano: Terror and Counter-terror in Jerusalem, By Daniel Seidemann, Opinio Juris, September 8, 2008.
Flirting with the apocalypse, By Daniel Seidemann and Lara Friedman, Ha'aretz.
"Things were not nearly as good as they appeared to be in the summer of 2000, but they're not nearly as bad as they appear to be today. There's a viable city here [in Jerusalem]. It's not a utopian city; it's politically achievable, but it's not going to happen tomorrow morning. We are years away from a genuine political process in Jerusalem I believe, but I also believe that we're not decades away."
In January 2010, Daniel Seidemann founded Terrestrial Jerusalem, an Israeli non-profit organization that works to identify and track developments in Jerusalem. Prior to founding Terrestrial Jerusalem, Daniel conducted legal work with Ir Amim, where he took on cases defending individuals, families and communities who were negatively impacted by the wall and the expansion of Jewish settlements in and around Jerusalem.
"We know so much more about what is going on in America than in any given place on earth, and we don't know anything about those who really live next door. So for me that is really the number one task of what we are trying to accomplish."
When she was nine years old, Orly Noy immigrated to Israel from Iran during Iran's Islamic revolution. Now the spokesperson of Ir Amim, she was the Hebrew language host and producer at All For Peace radio, a station with a staff of Israelis and Palestinians. Before joining All for Peace radio, Orly worked providing care for mentally disabled people and the elderly. She and her husband have two children, and their oldest daughter attends the bi-lingual school, where Israeli and Palestinian children are taught in Arabic and Hebrew.
“As a citizen, it is my responsibility to censure what I believe is wrong and to try to correct the situation . . . My whole family will suffer badly from a boycott, but if I have to weigh and measure the continued killing against suffering economic distress, I know where my fealty lies and what my job is.”
When the events of October 2000 caused Dorothy Naor to begin questioning her beliefs, she joined New Profile, a feminist Israeli organization that aims to “civil-ize” Israeli society and objects to its militarization. Today, Dorothy seeks to inform Israeli and international communities about the price Israelis pay as a result of the occupation.
"This conflict of oppositions is constantly true at checkpoints, too. We protest, yet we assist the Occupation’s existence. We stand by the soldiers and seek to modify their aggression, yet the soldiers perceive us as enemies, not as assistance. But, among us are mothers and grandmothers, whose sons serve in the army. So we encounter a conflict: I’m not against the soldiers, I oppose the policy.”
As the daughter of Eliyahu Golomb, one of the founders of the Haganah and a leader in the Zionist movement, Dalia Golomb’s adolescence was heavily influenced by the presence of the Haganah, the Labor Party and Mapai. For the past eight years, Dalia has worked with Machsom Watch, an organization of Israeli women who oppose the Occupation and advocate for the right of Palestinians to move freely.
"You have to have a shield of sorts. And if the shield is nonexistent or too thin, you are not going to make it, you are going to go to pieces. And if it is too thick you will lose your passion."
Rabbi Arik Ascherman is the Executive Director of Rabbis for Human Rights Israel. Rabbis for Human Rights advocates for human rights and social justice based on a humanistic interpretation of Judaism. The organization struggles against Israeli expropriation of Palestinian-owned lands, house demolitions, and settler takeovers of land, as well as advocates for social welfare rights for participants in Israel's Wisconsin Plan and others of its kind.
“It didn’t come down with Moses from Mount Sinai and it isn’t something that Mohammad brought – it is in the hands of human beings. I would like each side to recognize the legitimacy of the other side to live on at least part of its national dream and accept a compromise. There is no other choice."
Nava Hefetz is the Director of Education at Rabbis for Human Rights. In her role, she works with Israeli communities to expose them to the reality of the Occupation, examining its repercussions from a Jewish-universal standpoint. Nava also coordinates an Israeli-Palestinian womens group that meets in Jerusalem.
Safe Passage - a short animated film
"I’ve learned the power of my counterparts on this path, seeing myself as part of a very large and extensive struggle, and I have no idea when and if it will end. There is something realistic in the realization I’m a part of something much larger."
Trained as a lawyer, Sari Bashi and Professor Kenneth Mann founded Gisha, an organization that utilizes direct legal assistance and public advocacy measures to protect the freedom of movement of Palestinians. As Gisha's current Executive Director, Sari works to promote awareness of and sensitivity to human rights, challenging Israeli audiences, policy makers and thought leaders to recognize the great importance of ensuring those rights even during times of conflict.
"Bereaved father transports ailing Palestinians to Israeli hospital" by Anne Usher, October 10 2010, ynetnews.com
"Governments sign treaties, people make peace [...] I deal with humanitarian issues, working in ways I think Israel should, and I think wants to manage its affairs."
Assisting Palestinians in need of healthcare in Israel and supporting their families, organizing soccer tournaments and day trips for Israeli and Palestinian children, helping Palestinian farmers harvest their olives, collecting food for the hungry in Israel – these a few examples of Buma Inbar’s work. Buma chooses to work independently, occasionally cooperating with other organizations in order to promote a civil agenda for peace, that will affect the lives of Israelis and Palestinians.
