The UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies hosted its 4th annual Israel in 3D conference on Sunday, May 31, featuring panels on a wide range of issues facing the residents of Jerusalem. Dan Meridor delivered the keynote address, "Jerusalem...Until there is an Agreement".

By Catherine Schuknecht and Maura Resnick

UCLA International Institute, June 17, 2015 — A diverse group of panelists from Jewish and non-Jewish communities gathered at the fourth annual “Israel in 3D” conference of the Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies to present a multifaceted view of Jerusalem. No ordinary city, Jerusalem is at once ancient and holy, a political symbol and source of contention and conflict, and a modern metropolis dealing with contemporary urban issues.

The all-day conference covered topics ranging from the challenges of coexistence to issues of sustainability and livability. The event was presented in partnership with the Jerusalem Foundation and the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. Cosponsors included the Jewish Community Foundation Los Angeles, the Israel Institute, and the U.S.-Israel Center on Innovation and Economic Sustainability (part of the UCSD Rady School of Management). Additional support was provided by the Jewish Journal, Sinai Temple, the UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies, Valley Beth Shalom and the Westwood Village Synagogue.

See below for videos of keynote speaker, Dan Meridor, former Ambassador Michael Oren (remarks from Jerusalem), and "One Wish Jerusalem" a documentary of east and west Jerusalem residents voicing their wish for the city; plus power point presentations from conference speakers.  

The dream and the city

“In a way, Jerusalem is a dream, a vision, a longing, an inspiration . . . there is a heavenly Jerusalem, but there is [also] the real one that we are building [and] we are living in together,” said keynote speaker Dan Meridor, former Israeli deputy prime minister. Meridor has also served as minister of justice, finance, intelligence and atomic energy, respectively, in successive Israeli governments. He is currently chairman of the board of both Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and the Jerusalem Press Club, as well as head of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations.

Meridor’s comments went to the heart of the conference's main goal: to go beyond the Zionist dream of Jerusalem to address the metropolitan realities of the city as a diverse urban center. The city is inhabited by secular, Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arabs, each with their own set of religious, cultural and institutional practices. 

Meridor agreed with the conference’s many speakers that on-the-ground efforts to bridge gaps between communities are key to making Jerusalem a peaceful, prosperous and livable city for all of its inhabitants. “It’s my national capital and I want it. . . to represent a new Israel,” he explained. “I want people in Israel, both Arabs and Jews, . . . to be able to identify with the city.” 

The former deputy prime minister argued that, as the majority population, Israeli Jews held most of the responsibility for improving conditions. “[For] we who have been minorities during the diaspora years . . . our historic and moral test is when we have the majority. . . do we treat the Arabs in Jerusalem as we wanted to be treated when we were in the minority?” he asked. ”We are the majority and we are the government and we are the power; it's very much in our hands.”

He also stressed that the Israeli government could not wait for a peace settlement with the Palestinians before it addresses the challenges confronting Jerusalem.

Meridor’s presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session with Director General of the Jerusalem Press Club Uri Dromi and closing remarks by Michael Oren, member of the Israeli Knesset and former Israeli ambassador to the United States, who spoke via videoconference from Jerusalem.

No ordinary city

The day's program began with “The Jerusalem Mosaic: A Delicate Balance,” a presentation by Meir Kraus, Director General of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, describing the city's demographic mix and the cultural and structural challenges that accompany it.

The panel session "Whose Jerusalem? The Challenge of Coexistence", moderated by Avner Haramati, founder and chairman of the Jerusalem Intercultural Center, examined the barriers between the diverse communities and how to improve conditions within and between them, 

Panelist Tehila Nachalon, founder and board member of“Yeru-Shalem”, described the activities of this grassroots coalition which promotes pluralism and tolerance within the Jewish community and for all faith communities in the city. One of their key efforts has been the fight against the exclusion of women from the public sphere, as well as advocating for greater public transportation options on the Sabbath.

Yael Elimelech, professional manager and training coordinator at Bais Yaakov's Afik High School in Jerusalem, spoke of gradual changes within the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) world. "The wall of isolation and separation between the societies is no longer hermetically sealed," Elimelech explained, because of growing internet use by Haredim, and also poverty, which has pushed people toward higher education in universities and colleges. Women, especially, are finding their voice, developing a professional career, and holding more prominent positions in society. "These processes happened to our society.  We didn't choose them. They are just bigger and too strong to resist. We cannot control the reality," said Elimelech..

 Rebecca Bardach and Mohamad Marzouk, both department directors and parents of children at Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel, spoke of the challenges faced by their schools, which educate Israeli Jewish and Arab children together, especially during the recent conflict with Hamas in Gaza.

Closing this portion of the day, documentary film maker Joseph Shamash presented his award-winning short film "One Wish Jerusalem", in which residents from all walks of life are asked to give their one wish for the city. The film was the first in Shamash's broader educational program, The One Wish Project, which "seeks to create a more unified world by giving voice to the marginalized individuals we have come to think of as 'the other'."  

Sustainable Jerusalem

“The Jerusalem you see on the news is a Jerusalem where there is a religious tug-of-war,” explained Naomi Tsur,“but it fact, the city has close to 900,000 people who get up in the morning and send their children to school, perhaps go to the hospital, perhaps go to the zoo, perhaps go to the park, perhaps go shopping [and] perhaps use the public transport system." Tsur is founder and current chair of the Jerusalem Green Fund, founder and head of Green Pilgrim Jerusalem, chair of the Jerusalem Bio-region Center and former deputy mayor of Jerusalem.

Tsur spoke on the second panel, which explored on-the-ground initiatives to ensure that Jerusalem is a livable and sustainable city for all of its residents. The panel's other speakers included Nadav Meroz, CEO of Jerusalem Transportation Master Plan, Forsan Hussein, co-founder of Zaitoun Ventures, and Glenn Yago, senior director of the Milken Innovation Center at the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies.

"One of the. . .greatest challenges that I see, as a Palestinian Israeli,” remarked Hussein, “is that we literally have hijacked the present and future of the city.” The speaker argued that the most urgent issue facing Jerusalem is the wealth gap between East Jerusalem, which is home to close to 250,000 Palestinians, and West Jerusalem, which has a majority Jewish population.

According to the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, 77 percent of the East Jerusalem population lived under the Israeli poverty line in 2013, compared to 25 percent in West Jerusalem.

Hussein runs an investment company called Zaitoun Ventures, which seeks to build successful businesses on the Israeli, Arab and international levels in order to bridge this wealth gap and to encourage investment in East Jerusalem.

Meroz’s work with the Jerusalem Transportation Ministry has also sought to bridge the distance between diverse neighborhoods through transportation. He discussed several initiatives, including the light rail system that opened in 2011 and is accessible to many communities, including Arabs, Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews and the disabled.

The day’s events concluded with a reception outside on the terrace, featuring a performance of Israeli and Middle Eastern music and a tasting of kosher and non-kosher wines from Pelter Winery, one of Israel's top wineries.

Meir Kraus "The Jerusalem Mosaic: A Delicate Balance (Powerpoint Presentation)

To view the full program and speaker  information, Click Here.  

Photos by Oliver Chien and Catherine Schuknecht