The Abraham Initiatives is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

based in Lod (Israel),

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Named after the common ancestor of both

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

. According to its website, it "strives to fulfill the promise of full and equal citizenship and complete equality of social and political rights for Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens".

History

Founded in 1989 by the late

Alan B. Slifka Alan Bruce Slifka (October 13, 1929 – February 4, 2011) was an American investor and philanthropist, a co-founder of the Abraham Fund, and founding chairman of the Big Apple Circus. He was a native of Manhattan, New York City. Educa ...

and Eugene Weiner, the Abraham Initiatives was one of the first nonprofit organizations dedicated to furthering coexistence between Israel's Arab and Jewish citizens.

Special campaigns

The Abraham Initiatives has implemented a number of stand-alone campaigns aimed at fostering greater tolerance in Israeli society between the Arab and Jewish populations and responding to key issues as they arise. Examples of these include the Yom Kippur-Eid al-Adha Tolerance Campaign. In 2014 and 2015, the major Jewish and Islamic Holy Days of

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur ( ; , ) is the holiest day of the year in Judaism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, corresponding to a date in late September or early October. For traditional Jewish people, it is primarily centered on atonement and ...

and

Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the ...

coincided. This concurrence rarely occurs, approximately every 33 years, and in Israel has the potential to spark unrest as a result of the very different traditions associated with these religious days. Yom Kippur is a somber day of fasting and introspection, and Eid al-Adha is a joyous celebration. Furthermore, in Israel, even though the Jewish population is aware of the timing and basic customs of Ramadan, it is generally unaware of Eid el-Adha and could misinterpret the celebrations as provocations. The Abraham Initiatives worked to raise awareness to this concurrence. This was done through various actions. In 2014 – a large conference which hosted both

Chief Rabbis Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boat ...

of Israel and major Muslim leaders and a series of newspaper adverts in the Hebrew and Arabic media. In 2015, joining forces with the Israeli collage artist Hanoch Piven, The Abraham Initiatives created a short animated clip which was screened on Israeli TV channels and on social media. The animation was narrated in both Arabic and Hebrew by well-known Israeli celebrities

Mira Awad Mira Anwar Awad (; ; born June 11, 1975) is a Palestinian-Israeli singer-songwriter, actress, television host, and political activist of Arab Palestinian and Bulgarian descent. She represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 alon ...

(who also sits on the Board of Directors of the Abraham Initiatives) and Alon Neuman.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham Initiatives, The Political organizations established in 1989 Non-profit organizations based in New York City Arab citizens of Israel Organizations based in Jerusalem 1989 establishments in Israel Organisations based in London