Interns for Peace

WHEREAS the Central Conference of American Rabbis has supported Interns for Peace

(IFP) since its inception in 1976;

WHEREAS IFP continues to be recognized for its action-oriented, community-based, non-political

approach to building relationships and resolving conflicts between Israel’s Jews

and Arabs;

WHEREAS local Israeli Jewish and Israeli Arab leadership is now taking responsibility

for assuring the continuity of joint activities initiated by IFP in Education for

Democracy, Sports, Women United, the Arts, Industry, and Community Development;

WHEREAS many of the more than 100 IFP graduate interns are now professional Jewish-Arab

relations workers, thus forming a growing reservoir of talent for Israel in a vital

area;

WHEREAS IFP stimulated by increasing tensions has expanded its programming and placement

of interns, 80 percent of whom are Israeli, equally represented by Israeli Jews and

Israeli Arabs, into Israel’s major urban areas, Tel Aviv, Herzelia, Afula, and Nazareth, and

WHEREAS IFP still remains unknown to a vast majority of North American Jewry,

RESOLVED that the CCAR salutes IFP as it celebrates its Bar Mitzvah

— 13th birthday;

RESOLVED that the CCAR call upon its members, their congregations, and organizations

to support IFP by

1. publicizing IFP within the community;

2. informing college graduates about IFP opportunities as community workers for two

years in Israel;

3. including reference to IFP within sermons and classes about contemporary Israel,

utilizing video presentations of IFP;

4. encouraging congregational, interfaith and Jewish Community Relations and Federation

tours visiting Israel to meet with IFP workers in the field;

5. forming coalitions among local Jewish Federations, churches, rabbinic bodies, and

interfaith groups.