Israel
Hebrew U prof disputes image of Jerusalem as polarized city
By MYRON LOVE
Noam Shoval is definitely not in favour of redividing Jerusalem.
Despite some groups’ plans for such a division in the name of peace, the Hebrew University Geography Professor and lifelong Jerusalemite argues that dividing the ancient city will not bring about peace.
“Division will only make things worse,” he said. “Cities are divided as a result of war, not in an effort to make peace. Stakeholders need to understand that Jerusalem is a living city like any other living city. In terms of housing, there are certainly segregated areas but, in all other respects, that is not the case.”
Speaking to a large gathering at the Campus on Monday, May 4 (a program co-sponsored by the Winnipeg chapter of the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and the Centre fort Israel and Jewish Affairs), Shoval backed up his assertions with a report on a study that he was involved in that tracked 16,000 Jerusalem residents over 24 hours with GPS devices and then interviewed them.
“The study showed that there is a lot of shared space in the city centre,” he reported. “We found that 45%-50% of Arabs spend some time in (largely) Jewish West Jerusalem and other Jewish areas while 85% of Jews pass through Arab neighbourhoods during the course of a day.”
He added that Arab women who participated in the survey said that they enjoyed shopping in Jewish neighbourhoods because they felt freer in those areas away from the harassment that they might receive while out and about in Arab areas.
Shoval began his presentation by noting that not only is he a lifelong Jerusalemite, but also that he is a third generation graduate and employee of the Hebrew University.
He noted that while Jerusalem is a place of pilgrimage for three religions and a spiritual symbol, the real earthly city is quite small and is one of the poorest cities in Israel. “The most important industry is tourism,” he noted.
He pointed out that the 3,800-year-old walled Old City is quite small – the distance from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to the Temple Mount is only about the size of three to four hockey rinks.
He also pointed out that, contrary to those Westerners who view Israel as a European colonial implant, Jerusalem has had an overall Jewish majority since 1870, well before the advent of Zionism.
Although the city’s population of about 800,000 has a Jewish majority, he noted, the Arab minority is growing. “Part of the problem,” he said, “has been the difficulty of building new housing in Jerusalem.”
Part of the problem (re building), he attributes to international pressure. Then there is the environmental factor. There was a comprehensive plan to expand Jerusalem to the west of the city. That plan was stymied by strong lobbying from Israel’s Green movement, which was concerned about protecting the Jerusalem Forest west of Jerusalem.
The result of the housing shortage has meant that housing prices are extremely expensive. That has forced many younger people, including many younger Haredim, to look elsewhere for housing, such as the newer Jewish neighbourhoods and settlement blocs to the north, south and east of the city.
(The Palestinians don’t leave, he noted, because those who do lose their valued Israeli residency permits.)
There are now over 550,000 people – 10% of Israel’s population – living over the Green Line (the 1948 armistice lines that have never been officially recognized internationally as a border), Shoval noted.
While only one country – Micronesia – and some American evangelical Christians accept the settlement blocs beyond the Green Line as part of Jewish Israel, he reported, all Israelis do. And, he added, that in any peace agreement with the Palestinians, these areas will remain part of Israel. The Palestinians would be compensated with areas of land now in Israel proper that border the Palestinian Authority’s domains.
In response to a question as to whether the PA would ever accept a peace agreement without east Jerusalem as their capital, Shoval pointed out that the PA have already built their legislature in Abu Dis, a place just outside the city to the southeast and an area that is adjacent to the Old City walls.
As to the image in the outside world of Jerusalem being a dangerous and violent city, Shoval again used statistics to refute that belief. Comparing Jerusalem’s crime rates to Pittsburgh (where he spent a sabbatical), he pointed out that in 2012, Jerusalem reported one murder per 100,000 people as compared to 41 murders per 100,000 in Pittsburgh (which was only the 18th worst result among American cities). In the same year, there were just 13 robberies per 100,000 people in Jerusalem compared to 360 per 100,000 in Pittsburgh.
“Toronto has twice the rate of robberies and Vancouver three times the rate of Jerusalem,” he said. “And Winnipeg has two times the rate of robberies as Vancouver.”
Terror? There were nine terror-related deaths in Jerusalem last year, he said – and that was the highest number in several years.
As for Palestinian views of the future, Shoval reported the results of a 2010-2011 survey that found that 40% of Palestinians living in Jerusalem want to remain under Israeli governance, 30% say they would prefer living in a Palestinian state and the others weren’t sure.
In introducing Professor Shoval, Margaret Shuckett, president of the Winnipeg chapter of CFHU, noted that the Hebrew University – which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, is the top-rated university in the Middle East and is ranked 57th among the world’s universities.
She also encouraged those in attendance to consider signing up for the Hebrew University’s annual Live and Learn Trip, which this year includes a stop in Greece as well as Israel.
For further information, readers can call the CFHU office here at 204 942-3085.
Israel
Join the Masa Canadian Professionals Volunteers Program!
You are invited on a 4-week volunteer program in Israel from October 14th to November 10th. Help rebuild Israeli society post-October 7th over Canadian Thanksgiving, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Spend three weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
Features
New website for Israelis interested in moving to Canada
By BERNIE BELLAN (May 21, 2024) A new website, titled “Orvrim to Canada” (https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/ovrim-en) has been receiving hundreds of thousands of visits, according to Michal Harel, operator of the website.
In an email sent to jewishpostandnews.ca Michal explained the reasons for her having started the website:
“In response to the October 7th events, a group of friends and I, all Israeli-Canadian immigrants, came together to launch a new website supporting Israelis relocating to Canada. “Our website, https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/, offers a comprehensive platform featuring:
- Step-by-step guides for starting the immigration process
- Settlement support and guidance
- Community connections and networking opportunities
- Business relocation assistance and expert advice
- Personal blog sharing immigrants’ experiences and insights
“With over 200,000 visitors and media coverage from prominent Israeli TV channels and newspapers, our website has already made a significant impact in many lives.”
A quick look at the website shows that it contains a wealth of information, almost all in Hebrew, but with an English version that gives an overview of what the website is all about.
The English version also contains a link to a Jerusalem Post story, published this past February, titled “Tired of war? Canada grants multi-year visas to Israelis” (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-787914#google_vignette) That story not only explains the requirements involved for anyone interested in moving to Canada from Israel, it gives a detailed breakdown of the costs one should expect to encounter.
(Updated May 28)
We contacted Ms. Harel to ask whether she’s aware whether there has been an increase in the number of Israelis deciding to emigrate from Israel since October 7. (We want to make clear that we’re not advocating for Israelis to emigrate; we’re simply wanting to learn more about emigration figures – and whether there has been a change in the number of Israelis wanting to leave the country.)
Ms. Harel referred us to a website titled “Globes”: https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001471862
The website is in Hebrew, but we were able to translate it into English. There is a graph on the website showing both numbers of immigrants to Israel and emigrants.
The graph shows a fairly steady rate of emigration from 2015-2022, hovering in the 40,000 range, then in 2023 there’s a sudden increase in the number of emigrants to 60,000.
According to the website, the increase in emigrants is due more to a change in the methodology that Israel has been using to count immigrants and emigrants than it is to any sudden upsurge in emigration. (Apparently individuals who had formerly been living in Israel but who may have returned to Israel just once a year were being counted as having immigrated back to Israel. Now that they are no longer being counted as immigrants and instead are being treated as emigrants, the numbers have shifted radically.)
Yet, the website adds this warning: “The figures do not take into account the effects of the war, since it is still not possible to identify those who chose to emigrate following it. It is also difficult to estimate what Yalad Yom will produce – on the one hand, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews and Israelis around the world reminds everyone where the Jewish home is. On the other hand, the bitter truth we discovered in October is that it was precisely in Israel, the safe fortress of the Jewish people, that a massacre took place reminding us of the horrors of the Holocaust. And if that’s not enough, the explosive social atmosphere and the difference in the state budget deficit, which will inevitably lead to a heavy burden of taxes and a reduction in public services, may convince Zionist Israelis that they don’t belong here.”
Thus, as much as many of us would be disappointed to learn that there is now an upsurge in Israelis wanting to move out of the country, once reliable figures begin to be produced for 2024, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that is the case – which helps to explain the tremendous popularity of Ms. Harel’s website.
Features
Message from a Palestinian in Gaza to protesters: “You’re hurting the Palestinian cause”
A very brave Palestinian who was willing to put his name to paper and write an article for Newsweek Magazine has exposed the utter hypocrisy of all those students – and others, who have been setting up encampments across the U.S. – and now Canada, too.
You can read the article at https://www.newsweek.com/message-gazan-campus-protesters-youre-hurting-palestinian-cause-opinion-1894313
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