Dear Friend,

This week marked the end of the month of Ramadan – on Shabbat Eid al Fitr was celebrated – a holiday of community, joy and peace. On Sunday we marked the first day of the month of Nissan – which incorporates the Hebrew word for miracle in it – ness - and in less than two weeks we will celebrate Passover – a holiday of freedom. At this tumultuous, emotionally exhausting time, we yearn for freedom for all – first and foremost the hostages - and we are in desperate need of joy and peace. However, we are not sitting and waiting for miracles to happen. Every day, we are working for a better society.

One of the most pressing issues is our fight against racism. Especially in times of crisis and emergency, we must maintain our humanity and demand equality for all – Palestinians and Jews alike. This is also true in the face of egregious acts of violence committed in the name of Judaism, against Palestinians inside of Israel or in the West Bank, which is why IRAC and IMPJ put out a statement expressing our outrage over a recent Pogrom committed by settlers in the village of Jinba, Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills. Read the statement here: "You must not remain indifferent" (Deuteronomy 22:3).

Ten days ago marked the annual International Day for the Elimination of Racism, a single day that serves as an important reminder that this fight is a year-round mission.  For us at IRAC, this day is always an occasion to take stock of all the work we've done over the past 12 months to confront racism.

In 2017, we established our Racism Crisis Center (RCC) to hold racists accountable when they discriminate against people based on their ethnic or religious identity, violate their basic human and civil rights, and incite against them. Unfortunately, times of security tension bring about an increase in racism and racist incidents. In 2024 alone, the RCC received 418 inquiries. Many led to us filing dozens of complaints. Some have advanced to lawsuits. Here are just a few of the cases we’ve dealt with this year:

Last April, a Palestinian woman called a rental agency to book a car. They had plenty available, but when she gave her Arabic name, suddenly the representative informed her there were no cars left. Fortunately, her sister had attended an RCC anti-racism workshop and recognized what was happening. They called the company again and this time recorded the call. The company explicitly told her that they only rent cars to Jews. She turned to us with the evidence ready and we sued the rental car agency. As a result, the company was forced to apologize, change its policy, and pay 20,000 shekels in compensation to our client.

Healthcare is one of the most integrated sectors in Israeli society, where Palestinians and Jews work side by side on all levels. So, we were shocked when we received a complaint about a Palestinian father from East Jerusalem who rushed his five-year-old daughter to Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital in need of urgent care. But instead of receiving treatment, he was met with suspicion. The staff refused to help his daughter until he provided unnecessary documents to prove he was her father. Yet he didn't back down and insisted on medical care for his suffering daughter. A hospital employee responded by accusing him of being aggressive, telling him to "go back to Gaza," and called the police. We filed a complaint and a few months later were notified that they had fired the employee and apologized for his behavior.

In another case, when an Arab customer returned to the shop where he had purchased an iPad that needed repair, he was refused service even though it was still under warranty. To add grievous insult to unjust injury, a store employee accused him of being "a terrorist". But the man has seen an RCC social media campaign on the importance of documenting racism and recorded the entire incident. With this evidence, we are pursuing legal action against the store for discrimination and slander.

These are just three cases we have worked on since October 7. Even though RCC has received more complaints this year than in any of the past seven years, we know that many more instances of racism are going unreported.

But we are not just fighting individual cases. Over the past year, we participated in numerous Knesset discussions, demanding stronger protections against racial discrimination. We also know that we won't defeat racism only by addressing injustices that have already been committed. Rather, we must change the ethos in which these injustices occur by proactively working to create a new social reality. The only way to do this is to build a shared society for Jews and Arabs in solidarity.

Together with the IMPJ, we sponsor and encourage coexistence events throughout the year like conferences and dialogue groups for our congregations and their Palestinian neighbors.  Two weeks ago, we joined dozens of community members for a visit in the village of Furaydis for a Ramadan Iftar meal, where Sheikha Ibtisam Mahameed and Rabbi Mira Regev recited the moving "Prayer of the Mothers" for peace and against hate both in Arabic and Hebrew.

Our Ruler who treasures life and binds up the wounds of the broken-hearted,
hear the prayer of the mothers.
For you did not create us so that we would kill one another
and so that we would live in fear, anger, and hatred in Your world.
Rather, so that we would know to permit one another to preserve
Your Name – the name of life, the name of peace – in the world...
Please my Lord, have mercy upon us.
Hear our voice, Adonai our God, in these days of evil,
that we will not despair
but will see life in one another
and show mercy to one another
and feel one another's sorrow
and hope for one another, that we may
inscribe our lives in the Book of Life
for Your sake, God of life.
May we choose life,
for You are peace
and Your house is peace
and all that is Yours is peace.
May it be Your will, and let us say, amen.
 
When I was there, I learned that the name of the village - Furaydis - is derived from the word paradise. The vision of a shared society, of equality and dignity for all, must be at the forefront all year long, especially at this troubling time. We will continue to fight racism and spread hope for a future where all of us can live in peace and dignity.

Thank you for standing with us in building a fairer Israeli Society.

Orly Erez-Likhovski
 
PS. If you believe in building an Israel that reflects your values of democracy, equality, justice, and religious freedom, there’s something you can do, right now! Vote in the World Zionist Congress elections! The WZC controls billions of dollars, funds that can either support liberal Jewish life in Israel or fuel an extremist and fundamentalist agenda. Your vote determines where those resources go. Voting Reform means investing in pluralism and against extremism. This opportunity arises once every five years and voting ends on May 4. Vote Reform today at zionistelections.org  before the polls close, and help shape the future of Judaism and democracy in Israel.
Vote Reform! Vote Now! Spread the word!
https://www.vote4reform.org/
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