Project Renewal, in which Jewish communities join with Israel to develop distressed neighborhoods, has produced “local patriotism,” according to Minister of Labor and Welfare Moshe Katzav. The Minister was speaking at the International Conference on Urban Revitalization which has just ended in Jerusalem.
A delegate from the World Bank volunteered his organization’s services to help share Israel’s experience in urban rehabilitation with countries around the world.
Some 150 urban experts from 30 countries joined their Israeli colleagues for four days of discussions to compare data on Israel’s Project Renewal and similar projects elsewhere.
Prof. Daniel Elazar, president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs which organized the conference, said that the Israeli experts were “greatly encouraged” by the praise they received from the foreign participants.
The project, started in 1977 by then-Premier Menachem Begin, involves diaspora communities donating funds and know-how to improve education, social services and living conditions in rundown areas. The Israeli government matches the diaspora funds dollar for dollar.
The project has affected more than half a million people in 84 neighborhoods, according to Yosef Korazim of the Jewish Agency’s planning department for Project Renewal.
PROJECT IS AT A CRITICAL POINT
Although Dr. Arza Chuchman of Haifa’s Technion noted that the project has lasted much longer than anti-poverty efforts in other countries, where similar programs ended because they failed to produce immediate results, the project is now at a critical point.
Korazim noted that fundraising has decreased due to other concerns such as Ethiopian immigration and the war in Lebanon. Israel’s economic situation has also called for a cut-back in government welfare spending. Yet much of the work started is still uncompleted.
Dr. Naomi Carmon of the department of architecture and planning at the Technion, reporting on a comprehensive study of Project Renewal, said that the project’s main aims of improving social and living conditions have been significantly advanced.
The greatest success is in educational programs for children and adults, with many women deciding to go out to work after participating in the Project’s programs. Very little, however, has been accomplished in the actual area of employment, it was noted.
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