CCAR Release on Tel Aviv Day

ONE-ON-ONE INTERCHANGE WITH ISRAELI RABBINIC COUNTERPARTS, MOVING THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE AND A STREET-LEVEL LOOK AT SOCIAL ISSUES IN TEL AVIV AMONG FEATURES OF CONVENTION'S SECOND FULL DAY
Arab/Jewish Unity Walk Brings to Life Dual Emotional Narratives of Jaffa's History

JERUSALEM - (February 27, 2008) - On the second full day of the Convention, CCAR members broke into groups to connect directly with rabbis, students, academics activists and lay congregation members in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Then, in addition to a lunchtime welcome by Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, who has done much to facilitate the Reform Movement's growth in Tel Aviv, and a moving theatrical performance by the Nalaga'at Deaf-Blind Theatre Company, members hit the streets for new, on-the-ground perspectives of Tel Aviv.

One of eight walking tours was an Arab/Jewish Unity Walk through Jaffa, where Tel Aviv began. Native Jewish and Arab guides collaborated on a heartfelt presentation of beautiful Jaffa's complicated history since the last years of the Ottoman Empire. The collegial dialogue between the guides reinforced the importance of remembering that there are (at least) two divergent emotional narratives of Jaffa's history since Jews arrived in Jaffa in the late 19th Century: One narrative is that of one of the world's great, hard-won triumphs, and the other is of a terrible catastrophe.

The tour ended on a hopeful - perhaps tentatively hopeful - note. The guides pointed out that while Arab-Jewish relations appear to be freezing on a political and institutional level, the grassroots dimension is improving: Feelings are being shared, and collaborative projects are on the rise.

Here are some highlights of the conversation, particularly from the often less-heard Arab perspective:

• When Jews first came to Jaffa in the late 19th Century, there were good relations. The Jews were from North Africa, so culture and customs were similar. (One CCAR member pointed out that there's potentially a third narrative in Jaffa, that of Jews from Arab countries.)
• In the early 1920s, during the initial periods of violence between Jews and Arabs, there was still cooperation - in business and in unions. Then, sadly, fear among the Arabs grew strong.
• Between 1920 and 1940, the Jaffa population went from 15,000 to 165,000, and Jews became the majority. During this period, Arab fear mounted.
• In 1948, all but 3,500 of the 60,000 Arab residents left Jaffa. They thought they'd be able to come back; they simply locked their houses.
• Even though the houses and property were taken, the notion and hope that they could return to and reclaim their homes remained, and still does today, to some extent, among older people whose families fled.
• The mindset progression of the Arabs in Jaffa, went from "traumatized" before 1948 to "fearful and angry" once they became Israeli citizens overseen by a "military regime."
• Right now, our Arab guide told us, the main psychological issue and challenge among Arabs is "self-definition: It's related to how the State feels about you. You can't feel totally Israeli. You're on a lower list."

Both of our guides expressed the hope that a growing comfort with talking will lead to Arabs' not just accepting, but also feeling comfortable with, their Israeli identity.