AlManarah, which means ‘Lighthouse’, was initiated in May 2005 and led by a group of Arab blind and visually impaired individuals. AlManarah is the first Arab organization of its kind that seeks to advance the status of Arab persons who have a visual disability in Israel.

AlManarah fosters social awareness and works towards changing perceptions beyond the inherited stereotypes and stigmas common among Arab society towards people who are blind and visually-impaired. AlManarah’s work includes extensive workshops and seminars and the distribution of relevant materials in order to open the Arab society to their world. By creating empowerment groups of Arab blind and visually impaired people and their parents from different regions, AlManarah also develops leaders who are active in working towards changing attitudes and misconceptions associated with blindness in the Arab society.

Furthermore, AlManarah advocates on behalf of Arab individuals who are blind and visually-impaired to ensure accessibility for all and to protect the inalienable rights given equally to all citizens, including filing appeals and lawsuits in Israeli courts.

Each year more than 2,500 school children and adults from the Arab-Israeli community are exposed to information regarding blindness and blindness related services through AlManarah’s activities. Hundreds of Arab Israeli individuals who are blind or visually impaired receive services from AlManarah each year.

AlManarah paves a new road toward a social change, which will firmly post people who are blind and visually impaired Arabs at the center of society’s life and present them as persons with unique abilities.

The idea for the conference came after many complaints were made to AlManarah by people with disabilities who have experienced discrimination and negative attitudes from stakeholders such as the National Insurance Institute and the Welfare & Social Affairs Ministry who are supposed to be supporting them and meeting their needs. The conference, held in AlManarah’s Multi-Services Centre, brought stakeholders to the ‘home ground’ of the Blind and persons with disabilities, allowing those attending the conference to feel “at home” during the sessions.

One of the sessions of the conference included a panel of persons with disabilities, facilitated by Adv. Abbass, and hosted by Mr. Nidal Essawi and Ms. Fatima Zoabi, both discussing the relationship between the stakeholders and persons with disabilities. They talked about the gap in expectations from both sides and they blamed both sides: on the one hand, the stakeholders should learn more about the needs and the importance of human dignity; and on the other, persons with disabilities should understand the limitations and the work pressures that these stakeholders are under while trying to meet their needs.

A number of sessions were presented by staff members of various institutions and highlighted the difficulties of both clients and stakeholders. At the conclusion of the conference a list of conclusion and recommendations were presented. Participants shared their impressions and opinions. Mr. Ronnie Shechter, Chairman of the Israeli Human Rights Organization of People with Disabilities, thanked AlManarah for organizing this special conference and he sent a clear message to persons with disabilities to cooperate together as Arabs and Jews working together in Israel in order to achieve their rights. He criticized stakeholders, claiming that there is a need to invest greater efforts and be more committed towards facilitating the needs of persons with disabilities. Abbass recommended that a steering committee be established that will include stakeholders and persons with disabilities in order to develop the constructive ideas presented within the conference into an action plan to be implemented.

The conference ended on an optimistic note: all the participants thanked Al-Manarah for addressing some very important issues. Adv. Abbass Abbass said that the success of the conference and Al-Manarah’s great achievements of 2009, illustrates AlManarah as a leading organization not only in the Arab society, but in Israel as a whole.

Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated by a Jew  14 years ago. Could it happen again?

Despite the passage of 14 years since the Rabin assassination, Yesodot’s work continues to be vital. A recent YNET Survey found that 40% of the Israeli public does not commemorate Rabin Memorial Day and of the religious Zionist population 33% commemorates the death of the Matriarch Rachel on Rabin Memorial Day!

51% of the religious Zionist population believes that their sector — not the peace camp and not all of society– but they alone, were hurt the most by the political assassination since they are the ones continually accused of encouraging violence for political gain. Shoshi Becker, Yesodot’s Educational Director, points out that these results make one question whether the religious Zionist population is attuned to the pain of the other segments of society.

When asked how to improve matters, most of those questioned said that we must educate non-stop for tolerance and against violence toward the different sectors of Israeli society. This is the exact message that Yesodot continues to spread through its in-service training programs for religious teachers on Judaism and democracy and through its innovative curricula in Talmud, Jewish Thought and social studies for religious elementary and high school students.

With the help of skilled facilitators, religious elementary and high schools throughout Israel made Yom Rabin Memorial Day a day to focus on the importance of democracy and the rule of law. The central message of the day was “Yes To Protest, No To Violence,” even when the government makes decisions that conflict with your deeply held beliefs.

To watch the video about Yesodot’s programming click here!

Israel as both a Jewish and Democratic state presents enormous challenges.
Indictments against elected officials, the disengagement from Gaza, and the second Lebanon war, have led to increased questioning among both the religious and secular populations as to the legitimacy of governmental decisions and, according to recent surveys, an increase in the number of youth refusing to serve in the Israeli Army.
The religious Zionist community’s relationship to democracy is further complicated by the belief that Torah values are often in conflict with democratic values and that religious authority is to be followed, even at the expense of democratic principles.
For the past twelve years, Yesodot-Center for Torah and Democracy, founded by members of the Orthodox community, has created and implemented educational programs for the Israeli religious school system to confront this erroneous belief. Yesodot exposes religious teachers and students to classical Jewish sources as well as Western ethical texts that show that democratic values are well-rooted within the Jewish tradition and that a committed Orthodox Jewish life is not only compatible with democratic values, but religious life is enhanced by these values.
This year alone, Yesodot is working in 76 religious schools throughout Israel, training
600 teachers who are using Yesodot’s innovative curricula with 5,000 students.
Yesodot is the only democracy education program working intensively within the
Orthodox educational system helping to develop a future generation who feels
committed to democracy and who views democratic values as part of their
religious Zionist identity.

Through our efforts we are making Israel a tolerant, open and democratic society where religious and secular, Jew and non-Jew, can live together in mutual respect and where religion and democracy can exist in harmony.