The Social Venture Fund for Jewish Arab-Equality and Shared Society, a JFN funder collaborative, issued the following statement:

We are deeply shaken, filled with sorrow, and profoundly troubled by the violence and acts of hatred that are tearing apart the fragile social fabric of Israel.

*Scroll down for details on a May 19 briefing co-sponsored by SVF*

The Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society is committed to Israel as envisioned in the Declaration of Establishment of the State. Our collective vision is an Israel that: guarantees social and political equality for all; equitably shares access to the opportunities and benefits of education, economic development, and public resources; and provides the conditions for every citizen to feel part of an inclusive society with a positive future.

Those conditions are being sorely challenged today; but we will not be deterred from our work to create the conditions that enable all of Israel’s citizens, Arabs and Jews alike, to live safely and peacefully in a shared and equal society.

We stand in full support of our partners in Israel who work tirelessly on the frontlines, building brick by brick, the essential foundations of a shared and equal society for Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. As a funding collaborative the SVF has invested in this foundation going on 13 years now, and we’re in it for the long haul. This moment makes it crystal clear why the leadership provided by our grantee partners is a critical bulwark against rising extremism, violence and civil unrest. Investing in Jewish - Arab equality and shared society is the path forward.

JOSH ARNOW AND ALAN DIVACK, CO-CHAIRS

SVF is co-sponsoring the following event this week with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israel-Arab Issues:

May 2021 Escalations: Jewish-Arab Clashes in Mixed Cities

Wednesday, May 19 at 1 pm Eastern (8 pm Israel, 10 am PT)
Zoom Webinar
REGISTER HERE

The past week has seen an unprecedented wave of violence and clashes across mixed cities in Israel. Sparked by events in East Jerusalem, the spillover ignited a perfect storm of factors brewing within Arab society and in Jewish-Arab relations. Beyond loss of life, injuries, and property, damage to Israel’s social fabric is incalculable. Why now? What happened?

Join us on Wednesday, May 19 at 1pm Eastern for a conversation with Ola Najami, Director of Safe Communities at The Abraham Initiatives, Ruth Lewin Chen, Director of the Shared Cities Initiative at The Abraham Initiatives, and Naim Obeid, CEO of the Akko Center for Arts and Technology (A-CAT), for a discussion of their experiences on the ground and outlook for the work ahead.