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Background
and Goals
The Walter Lebach Institute for Jewish-Arab Coexistence through
Education was established to contribute to the improvement of Jewish –Arab
relations. It pursues three academic missions:
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Examination of the
culture of coexistence that will enable Arabs and Jews to live in peace side
by side, while taking into consideration that there are different approaches
and understandings regarding this culture.
-
Development and promotion of various educational methods to encourage the
development of a culture of Jewish-Arab coexistence.
-
Investigation of the inhibiting and facilitating factors in achieving a
culture of Jewish-Arab coexistence.
The concept of coexistence refers to a
system of positive relations between peoples that encompasses fairness,
equality, trust, mutual respect, acceptance and sensitivity to each side’s
needs. Building such a culture
of coexistence involves a long process of altering conceptions, beliefs,
attitudes and behaviors. This constitutes an inseparable part of any peace
process, in which Jews and Arabs are to learn to live side by side in peace.
Learning of this type
involves not only political processes, but also societal education
mediated through educational, cultural social, and political institutions
and channels of communication.
The activity of the Walter
Lebach Institute concerns two levels of Jewish -Arab relations: the regional
and the state levels.
The Regional
Level
At the regional level, the
institute will focus on Jewish-Arab coexistence in the region, and
specifically on Jewish-Palestinian relations, which are presently
characterized by violent confrontation. The Institute's challenge is
to study and promote the conditions that facilitate peaceful
resolution of the conflict and evolvement of reconciliation.
The State
Level
At another level, the
institute will centre on the relations between Jews and Arabs within
Israel. The Arab minority constitutes about twenty percent of the
Israeli population, and the relations between this minority and the
Jewish majority constitute one of the focal problems of Israeli
society. The
Jewish majority has
discriminated against
the Arab minority since the
establishment of the State of Israel. This not only harms the texture of
societal relations, but it also constitutes a flaw in Israeli democracy.
Thus, examining and promoting the culture of Jewish-Arab coexistence is an
important challenge for the institute’s future activities.
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