The Abraham Initiatives is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in Lod (Israel),

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Named after the common ancestor of both

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

and

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant (biblical), special ...

. 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 a New York 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. Educat ...

and the late Dr. 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 (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...

and

Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second and the larger of the two main holidays celebrated in Islam (the other being Eid al-Fitr). It honours the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael) as an act of obedience to Allah's co ...

coincided. This concurrence rarely happens, 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 Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

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 Mīrā Anwar ‘Awaḍ ( ar, ميرا عوض, he, מירה עווד; born June 11, 1975) is an Arab-Israeli singer-songwriter, actress, television host, and political activist of Palestinian Arab and Bulgarian descent. In 2009, she represen ...

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

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham Initiatives, The 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