Light in the Israel-Palestine darkness

[oberliner]

The intentions of JIMF's trustees are twofold: "to alleviate poverty to help to lay the foundations of community cohesion and peace-building by increasing the economic and life chances of Muslims, Jews and Christians within the city of Jerusalem". JIMF does not simply provide loans, but also runs training and mentoring programmes for those borrowing money, in order to enhance the recipients' prospects of making their businesses a success. At the same time, running joint sessions for Jews and Arabs is a perfect opportunity to expose the participants to their peers from the other side of the tracks. With doors to communal cohesion slamming shut all over the country as both Israeli and Palestinian leaders dig in their heels and refuse to co-operate at either state or street level, anyone prepared to jam a foot in the doorframe, as JIMF do, deserves the strongest of support from both local and overseas backers.

"Some of the women had never talked to the 'other side' before," Sabbah notes. "This is a way to break down stereotypes and prejudices." He recalls some of the Arab recipients querying the intentions of the fund's donors, asking him why Jews would want to help them and whether there was a political agenda."They were suspicious, but there is no hidden agenda, and no ulterior motive."

Two months ago, I saw first-hand the effect JIMF's work has had on the initial group of recipients. Several of the women came to address a group of Jewish youth movement workers from Britain, explaining how they have used their loans to expand their businesses, and how much of an impact the project has had on both their working and personal lives. While listening to their anecdotes and seeing the delight with which they spoke of their experience was heart-warming, it was during a break in the proceedings that the true value of JIMF's model came to light.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/07/israel-palestine-jerusalem-microfinance-fund

[LeftishBrit]

1. Inspiring article. Recommended in spirit, as cannot do so literally.

[damntexdem]

2. A light in the darkness, followed by Let's Do the Timewarp Again?

Often such glimmers of hope feel that way: "Crawling on the planet's face, an insect called the Human Race, lost in time, and lost in space, and meaning."

[LeftishBrit]

3. See Mother Nature's bloomers here!

A pretty hopeless crew, sir.
Who are this mob? I greatly fear
They're you, madame, and you, sir!

You'd think the dear old girl would see
It's time to stop and wonder
For mortal man's turned out to be
Her most appalling blunder.

In time no doubt she'll glumly say
'This lot could not be wetter'.
She'll scrap us all and start next day
With something rather better.

But till at last she tries her luck
With peewits, pike or pumas,
The world is stuck - the world is stuck -
With Mother Nature's bloomers.

(By Leonard Barras).

But there are antidotes to the view, such as the article in the OP.

For more initiatives in the right direction, see the organizations listed under www.allmep.org.

[Ken Burch]

4. Er...when it says "Mother Nature's bloomers..."?

does that refer to flowers, or undergarments?

[LeftishBrit]

5. Neither; it's somewhat old-fashioned English slang for 'big mistake'!

The differencea in British and American usage can have interesting results at times!

[Ken Burch]

6. Indeed.

The difference between what people there mean when they say "knock up" or "clapped out" and what WE mean when we say those phrases is quite telling.

[LeftishBrit]

7. One of the funnier things that happened on this forum...

was when someone who had some idiosyncratic view about definitions of words (possibly 'antisemitism' but I don't now remember) got into an argument with some people here, and told us "You all deserve to be bonked with the dictionary!" In British English, 'bonk' has a meaning that I don't think he intended!

[Ken Burch]

8. And I've always wondered how people in Britain reacted

When the first Yanks with "shag haircuts" showed up in the early 70's.