To Increase Tolerance among ALL Israelis

To build a “living bridge” in Partnership 2000 regions

Funding Request for:

Israeli and Diaspora communities to unite through Tolerance Training

PROPOSAL SUMMARY: Educator & Communal Activist (Intern) Tolerance Training Curriculum & Practicum to implement in all Israeli public/private schools, Religious & Secular Jewish & Israeli Arab Muslim and/or Christian with their respective Diasporas

q       Orthodox & non –Orthodox Jews,                 Western & Eastern Jews,

q       Israeli Jews & Israeli Arabs,                  Native Born & New Immigrants,

q       Arab Muslems, Christians, & Druze,             Have & Have Nots,

q       Urban & Rural,                                 Israel & Diaspora

Endorsements:

·        This Educator Training Curriculum is fully accredited by 3 Departments of the Israeli Ministry of Education: The Office of Orthodox Jewish Education, The Office of Public Safety, and the Division of Values Education.

·        IFP has the only co-existence and tolerance curriculum in Israel today that has been officially endorsed by the Orthodox Jewish Rabbinate in Israel.

·        The curriculum is culturally respectful and resonates to each group according to their cultural terms of reference. Orthodox Jews and fundamentalist Muslims utilize traditional religious texts to teach tolerance, human rights and democracy.

Contact People and Titles

PROPOSAL SUMMARY:

Educator & Communal Activist (Intern) Training Curriculum & Practicum to implement IFP Rabbi Albert Manilla Lewis Saving Life in all Israeli public/private schools, Religious & Secular Jewish & Israeli Arab Muslim and/or Christian with their respective Diaspora communities

Curriculum & Practicum are initiated and implemented by, for and of the street:

The Value Added of team teaching of Interns and Educators, from same ethnic and religious group, is that there is communal empowerment. The educators and (Interns) design/adapt lesson plans to resonate to their youth by using the language of their traditional religious texts/ cultural values to teach tolerance, human rights, non-violent advocacy and democracy.    

Interns are college students or graduates, from the 3 streams, non/Orthodox Jews and Israeli Arabs. The young adult Interns and pupils are from the same social-economic level. Being close in age, the Interns serve as models of self- help and self- fulfillment and mentors who transformed past fears and hatreds to tolerance and cooperation.

I.                    LONG TERM GOAL:

To enhance the quantity and quality of educational programs on human rights, civil society, tolerance, coexistence, non- violent communal advocacy, inter communal cooperation and democracy for Israel’s 1.4 million pupils-Orthodox & non-Orthodox Jews and Israeli Arabs to build a culture of peace in all Israeli streets.

II.                SHORT TERM GOAL:

Implement an educator and Intern training program on civil society and tolerance, comprised of 48 educational hours, for 24 teachers and 3 Interns representing the three primary sectors of Israel: Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews and Israeli Arabs. The participating teachers and Interns are trained as coexistence activists to implement educational programs on tolerance, human rights, democracy and social action to advance society for an estimated 1,000 pupils, with 3 major components:

q       Emotional Intelligence in same ethnic/religious group- Youth feel positive about themselves and tolerate differences within their own homogenous group. 

q       Ethno-empathy with Affinity Group-Youth discuss differences, challenges and anger with the “other” within the safety of one’s own group and with an Intern peer from their social group a mentors of transforming fear/hate to tolerance

q       Social Action- unite youth to engage their communities to advance civil society, non-violent advocacy for ecology or equal services for peace on Israeli roads

The Need:

Need in Israel: In Israel, the Gaza disengagement demonstrated that democracy has taken root over the past 57 years of Israeli Statehood. Yet, xenophobic forces, which resulted in the political assassination of Yitzhak Rabin are still rooted among major segments of Israeli youth. Social cohesion needs to be strengthened among Orthodox Jews, non Orthodox Jews and Israeli Arabs, so that they can reach out in partnership to each other and their respective Diasporas.

The past five years of violence and terror have taken a deep toll on Israeli civil society.   

Many Israeli Arab youth are alienated from the State. Israeli Arab communities report increased youth violence. Israeli Jewish communities report increased alcoholism and drug abuse. All Israeli Arab, Israeli Jewish (non and orthodox) report an increase of child and wife abuse, intra community violence, lawlessness and crime.

IFP Israel Training & IFP Palestinian Training resonates in both national societies:

Although this proposal does not deal directly with Palestinian Gaza and West Bank society, IFP Training Group has two parallel training branches: IFP Palestine and IFP Israel which can independently address the breakdown of civil society in both Israeli and Palestinian societies.

• Since 1993, IFP trained 30 Palestinian Interns, to empower 40,000.  

• IFP graduates prime movers in changing human rights in public policy in Mid East

Need in Palestinian society:

Over 80% of all Palestinian youth advocate terror or violence to achieve their full national rights. Without major tolerance training and peace education, Gaza disengagement will just be a prelude for more terror, violence and a ruptured civil society. A Palestinian generation bred on hatred cannot enter the promised land of freedom and democracy. Economic and political empowerment alone will not make a democratic Palestinian society.   

The IFP-Measured results from the tolerance and civil society project.

Before & After 1 Year of tolerance training:

Before over 60% Israeli Jews negate the citizenship rights of their fellow Israeli Arab citizens.

After Israeli Jewish pupils move from 60% reject to 70% accept Israeli Arabs as equals.

After Israeli Arab pupils move from 70% accept inequality to 80% non- violently seek equality

Palestinian youth move from 80% for to 90% against violence to achieve human rights.

Purpose of Grant:                             

The break down of civil society in Israel is repaired by this project, which promotes civil society, respect for human rights, and builds a “living bridge” in all PARTNERSHIP 2000 regions in Israel, especially Isarel’s urban areas. 

q       The curriculum trains 24 educators to teach civil society, emotional management and tolerance among their pupils, who confront fears of imminent violence by random terrorist attacks as well as a widening social gap between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. 

q       This curriculum helps teachers and pupils positively confront their fears of terrorism while maintaining their support for the values of tolerance and pluralism. 

q       The curriculum assists Israeli Arab pupils in dealing with:

Ø      The growing divide between Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens,

Ø      Peaceful ways to advocate their equal rights, and

Ø      Establishing parent-teacher committees to improve the Israeli Arab education. 

q       The curriculum addresses the need to foster tolerance among co-religionists of all streams. The IFP curriculum for traditional Moslems, Christians, Druze and Jews is devised by religiously observant trainers from each group, who utilize the traditional texts of their religion so as to resonate to the most observant of each religious group.

q       Following their completion of the training program the participating educators will involve over 1,000 pupils in the Lewis Saving Life Coexistence Training Project.

q       Graduates of this teacher training will go on to educate thousands of pupils throughout their careers on civil society, tolerance and emotional management. 

.1 The various options for a named gift are:

*The matching funds will come from the following:

ü      Israeli Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports

ü      Israeli Local School & Local Parents Committee Funds with Keren Kerev Educational Project

ü      Israeli Road Safety Authority

ü      Histadrut of Teachers

**All calculations based on budget of $50,000-with $25,000 gift & matching funds of $25,000.

2.5 Some Sources of Financial Support of IFP Teacher Training (partial listing):

ü      Greta & Eric Lobshen Fund for Rabbi Lewis Saving Life Teacher Training

ü      Hillard & Irene Ruth Kreimer Endowment Funds

ü      Doreen Boasson, Judge Emil L. Cohen & Jean White Endowments

ü      Rabbi Albert Manilla Lewis Saving Life Funds, Cleveland Jewish Foundation

ü      Koor /Tadiran Business Philanthropic Fund of Tel Aviv

ü      United Jewish Endowment Fund UJA-Jewish Federation of Washington, DC

ü      Andreas and Charles Bronfman Foundation of Montreal-Public relations grant

ü      Robert Russell Memorial Foundation of Miami

ü      New York Jewish Communal Fund

ü      Marilyn & Thomas Karsten Family Fund

ü      Densen Family Foundation

ü      Ramon Posel

ü      Stanley Weithorn

ü      Leo Nevas

NARRATIVE                   A. Background

1. THE MISSION, GOALS AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF IFP

 The IFP SIX GOALS from IFP Founding Mission Statement of 1976:

• Establish cooperative community development training projects to empower people
• Train professionals to promote civil society & tolerance throughout Middle East
• Initiate Community Development for civil society, human rights & democratic society
• Dncourage Civil Society & Tolerance among all clans & ethnic groups in a society
• Educate Jews and Arabs everywhere about cooperative peace and Civil Society
• Develop training models for ethnic peace workers from other post-conflict societies

q       IFP OVERVIEW: Founded in 1976, the mission of INTERNS FOR PEACE (IFP) is to train ethnic conflict-resolution community development workers worldwide.

q       Only IFP has two independent Middle East branches, IFP ISRAEL, chartered in Israel, & IFP PALESTINIAN, chartered by the Palestinian National Authority.

q       All IFP Branches are independent with separate bank accounts and projects.

q       IFP guarantees accountability of tax-deductible gifts designated for IFP branches.

q       In light of the September 11 terror, IFP is exploring with the World Bank, State Department, European Union and United Nations the scaling up of the IFP training of community peace workers in refugee camps and the “street” of Gaza to the West Bank, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Africa and South East Europe. In North America, IFP seeks to unite ALL Americans in the campaign to root out terror with tolerance training.

q       IFP ISRAEL promotes mutual respect through cooperation by professionally training community development workers (Interns) to organize mutually beneficial community work and civil society projects in six areas:  Women/Human Rights, Sports, Economic Empowerment, Culture, Community Development and Education for Civil Society. 

Impact:

• Since 1976, IFP ISRAEL trained 250 Interns from Israel and the Diaspora

.

• IFP trained these Interns to empower and unite 250,000 Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs in business, athletic, cultural, education, women and community development projects.  

Sustainability: The long term impact of IFP ISRAEL training is evidenced by:

• IFP Graduate Interns staffed or founded vast majority of Jewish-Arab coexistence groups.

(Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development, IPCRI, Givat Haviva Children Teaching Children, Seeds of Peace, Youth Singing a Different Song, )

• The IFP community work approach is widely accepted by all sectors of Israeli society. 

• Jewish and Arab cities put on their annual calendar IFP initiated cooperative projects.

• Despite violence in 2000-1, all IFP graduate Interns and participants remain committed.

 Uniqueness: ONLY IFP

• Trains professional peace workers to humanize people by community work principles.

• Is culturally respectful and the IFP Lewis Saving Life Project is the ONLY coexistence project endorsed by Israel's Ministry of Education, Orthodox Jewish Department.

• Gives Diaspora Jews 2 year opportunity to bolster tolerance and democracy in Israel

• Mentors graduates of Birthright Israel to return to Israel to join IFP Israel as Interns.    
• Scaling Up IFP ISRAEL:

• In light of the violence and traumatizing terror of the past four years, IFP seeks matching funds to the $200,000 from the US State Department to expand teacher and Intern training in Israel’s major urban areas, which have suffered the most from violence and terror- the regions of Jerusalem, including Beit Shemesh-Adulam, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Herzelia, and Haifa regions.

• For IFP, the most ideal field placement for Israeli and Diaspora Interns to learn to fortify relations in a holistic way is with PARTNERSHIP 2000 of the United Jewish Communities, which seeks to build a “living bridge” in 28 regions of Israel.