Behind the Headlines the Possible Dream

Bruce Cohen is a young Reform rabbi with a mission — and a dream. He wants to find a way to build Jewish-Arab cooperation in Israel. At the age of 31, after three years as assistant rabbi at Temple Mishkan Israel in Hamden, Conn., Cohen is going to Israel to live among Arabs in what he sees as the first step in the development of a “Jewish peace corps.” He calls his idea “Project 5737,” which stands for the next year in the Jewish calendar.

A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and a former neighborhood organizer among Black and Hispanic groups in Newark, N.J. and in East Harlem, N.Y., Cohen says he believes that he could offer “an added dimension to help understand and seek solutions to Israel’s most complex problem: how to create social conditions that allow both Israel’s Jewish citizens, coming primarily from the Third World, and its Arab citizens to develop along parallel — but not necessarily mutually exclusive — lines of economic, social and cultural development.”

Cohen, who has issued a feasibility study of “possible American Jewish involvement in Arab-Jewish projects of cooperation and in Israeli programs to uplift Edot ha Mizrach — Afro-Asian Jewish refugees in Israel” says this “becomes more apparent daily.”

As evidence for this he cites the continuing “discontent within Edot ha Mizrach” which foments riots and disaffection. “As an index of this complex social malaise, we should note that more people emigrated than immigrated (to Israel) during this past year.” In addition, Cohen also notes that in this past year, Arab riots in the occupied territories became more frequent and violent.

“More importantly,” he states, “within Israel’s established and internationally recognized borders of 1948, Arabs, who heretofore had displayed acceptance and often tacit support of existing governmental policies, demonstrated their displeasure in the streets and in the polling booth.”

QUESTION TO BE ASKED

The question which must be asked, Cohen states in his feasibility study, is: “Are we witnessing a dramatic turning point in Israel’s ability to survive?” Furthermore, “How long can a nation of three million citizens remain mobilized, absorb recurrent social discontent from over half of its populace, experience an increase in emigration as well as a considerable decrease in immigration, confront spiraling inflation and unmet social needs amidst an international economic turndown?”

Cohan, who affirms that he is a Zionist, says it is “understandable” that at a time when Israel is being attacked on all sides and the image of Zionism is falsified wholesale, the Israeli government must devote its prime attention to the more pressing fronts — the political, economic and military spheres. “But who does seek to confront the fact that the ethical and moral dream of the early Zionists is rapidly eroding?” he asks.

Cohen believes that in order to tackle these myriad problems, which he sees as interconnected, “the intellectual and professional expertise of the diaspora remains the major untapped resource of an already overburdened and overtaxed Israeli society.” The parallel development of Edot ha Mizrach and the Arabs in Israel “must become a primary goal of the American Jewish community’s agenda,” he says.

FEELS CERTAIN OF RECEPTIVITY

The rabbi says he sees no problem in evoking American Jewish interest in his project nor in recruiting the manpower necessary for his Jewish peace corps. “The generation that sat in at the Woolworth lunch counters for social integration, occupied Sproul Plaza for free speech, marched on the Pentagon for peace and gathered at Woodstock, for human harmony, retains its passion for social justice. But it lacks the modus operandi for achieving this goal.”

Cohen feels certain that there is receptivity to a solidly worked out program to do something, in Israel to deal with these problems. Instead of wallowing in what he sees as feelings of depression, impotency and worthlessness which now permeate the American Jewish community because it lacks “any viable means to effectuate our ideals,” ways should be explored by the American Jewish community leadership to involve professional social workers, teacher doctors and scientists “who can assist the Edot ha Mizrach and the Arab community in Israel, thereby strengthening the Zionist ideal of a just and righteous society,” Cohen states.

AN OPPORTUNITY AT HAND

In addition, he notes, “the disenchanted of our generation” can be offered the opportunity “to also act upon their ideals by committing themselves to at least two years of service towards achieving social cohesion among Israel’s diverse cultures.” The real potential for active involvement in the unmet social needs of Israel on the part of the college generation of the sixties may be evidenced by the fact “that some of the brightest and most , dedicated of my colleagues at Hebrew Union College-Jewish institute of Religion (Cincinnati campus) are presently in Israel working in social welfare activities,” Cohen points out, citing Rabbis Myron Kinberg, James Ponet, Mayer Perelmuter and David Forman.

There are also, he observes, several skilled and dedicated American Jews in Israel endeavoring to bridge the gap between Jews and Arabs. Among them, he says, are Jack Cohen of Hillel, Bernard Resnikoff of the American Jewish Committee and Richard Hirsch of the World Union of Progressive Judaism.

ENCOURAGEMENT FROM DIVERSE ELEMENTS

Cohen, who is now preparing research for Project 5737 in New York City and New Haven, reports he is receiving encouragement from major American Zionist and Jewish organizations for his venture. The New Haven Jewish Federation, he says, is the fiscal agent for his project which will cost an estimated $15,000 for the first year. He also has received assurances of help for his study of Arab-Jewish relation in Israel from such diverse elements as Givat Haviva, the Israeli Mapam-Kibbutz Ha-Artzi Educational institution involved in furthering Arab-Jewish cooperation and understand-

Cohen also expects to raise funds for his program within the next two weeks before leaving for Israel by holding “coffee hours” in various communities, including Buffalo, Montreal and Toronto. He says be has also been assured of receiving IL 1500 a month and office space in Israel as well as plane fare from the Abbie Nathan Shalom Peace Foundation.

FROM BLUEPRINT TO REALITY

On arriving in Israel he will commence studies of the Arab community and learn Arabic as well as perfect speaking Hebrew at Givat Haviva, interview Israeli officials working with the Arab sector and Arab and Edot ha Mizrach community leaders, meet with representatives of American Jewish organizations, find an Arab colleage for the knottier communications problems and live in Arab and Edot ha Mizrach communities. Cohen has worked out a complete timetable for activities through March, 1977.

But, he was asked, will what is now basically a blueprint be capable of being transformed into a viable reality. Cohen responded by noting that his blueprint is based on earlier efforts in Palestine that met some success in the late 1920s and early 1930s, such as Brith Shalom and Ichud which were led by such giants of Zionism as Martin Buber, Arthur Ruppin, Hugo Bergmann, Dr. Judah Magnes and Henrietta Szold.

In addition, he smiled. “I am a Zionist. Reform Judaism evolved as a response to use of ceremony and observance for its own sake. It was a new affirmation of the prophetic, ethical and moral elements in Judaism. This accords with the principles of early Zionism — that Israel should be ‘a light unto the nation.’ Project 5737, I hope, will help Israel to be the kind of example of social justice and internal harmony which will inspire all nations in the way the founders of Zionism intended it should.”