Heart at East Letter to Lavie

Circulation Journal, 2012

This paper explores an emerging area, where a change is taking place in American Jewish philanthropic support of Israel, signaling a notable shift in the traditional support of Jews in the Jewish State. Over the last 30 years, a very small minority of Jewish funders became interested in Arabs in the Jewish State. In this first decade of the 21st century, that interest, while still a very small percentage of philanthropic activity , has grown into a significant trend. A brief overview of American Jewish support of the state of Israel that sets the stage for a profile of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues. The Task Force, established in 2006, has created a coalition of 80 leading North American funders and Jewish organizations have subscribed as members in support of the organization’s mission to: …to generate awareness among the North American Jewish and Israeli public to advance civic equality in Israel, where Israeli Jews and Arabs can contribute, participate and benefit as full citizens…” Using the framework established by Hammack and Heydeman (2009), we explore several key questions about the nature of this American Jewish philanthropic activity’s focus on Israeli Arab, and the degree to which it can be characterized as projecting institutional logics abroad.

The Gerontologist, 2011

The State of Israel provides significant opportunities to study social processes that can enhance our understanding of the aging experience. It has high life expectancy and rapid growth of its older population. With an older cohort that is composed largely of former immigrants and includes a minority Arab population, Israel provides much diversity for gerontological study. Among the unique issues facing older Israelis are the aging of Holocaust survivors, modernization in the Arab sector, and privatization in the kibbutzim. New legislation related to pensions and universal health care is expected to affect aging processes. The development of "supportive communities" offers a new service model. The article notes 2 longitudinal studies of importance-the Israeli component of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe and the Jerusalem Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Religions

The socialization of the Ethiopian Jewish community, known as Beta Israel in Israeli society, is marked by performing cultural customs and rituals to establish its unique tradition and collective ethnic narrative. The Sigd is a holiday that is celebrated on the 29th of the Hebrew month of Heshvan, when the community marks its devotion to Zion by renewing the covenant between the Jewish people, God, and the Torah. This narrative of return to the homeland is also expressed and framed in a tragic context by observing a Memorial Day for the members of the Ethiopian Jewish community who perished during their journey to Israel from Sudan. These two commemorative dates support the narrative of Beta Israel and advance its public recognition. This ethnographic study examines why and how these practices were mentioned and performed in an Israeli Reform Jewish congregation, a community that does not include Ethiopians members, and has a religious and cultural character that is different from t...

2003

Jewish Life Network is dedicated to strengthening and transforming American Jewry to ensure a flourishing, sustainable community in a fully integrated free society. We seek to revitalize Jewish identity through educational, religious and cultural initiatives that are designed to reach out to all Jews, with an emphasis on those who are on the margins of Jewish life.