The Shared Society Insider - News from The Abraham Fund - May 2010 In This Issue Government to invest in 13 Arab towns Keeping an eye on Knesset legislation International Mother Language Day Scholarships for Arab students Mediation course for senior Arab and Jewish government officials Arabic newspaper features Arab Women's Employment Initative Maintaining high charity ratings Dear Friends, The week of October 10th will be unlike any other when a delegation of The Abraham Fund's top Israeli board and management leaders will travel to New York and Washington to bring our shared society message to a variety of business, religious, professional and philanthropic groups.  The week will culminate with an intimate benefit dinner for our American donors and our Israeli guests.  Look for more information about The Abraham Fund's "Benefit Week in New York" in our fall newsletter. Government Announces Major Investment in 13 Arab Towns A $210 million investment in the economic development of the Arab community was approved by the Israeli cabinet in March. This historic investment is intended to strengthen the economy through construction and expansion of industrial areas, creation of administrative institutions, development of professional and academic training programs, and improvement of the police force, as well as infrastructure, tourism, transportation and day-care services in 13 Arab towns. Read Mohammad Darawshe's Op-Ed Keeping an Eye on Knesset Legislation - Government limits Foreign Ministry cadets course acceptance to those who have done military or national service Read more   - Nakba Law: Not recognizing the historical narrative of Israel's Arab citizens will not eliminate or reduce the significance of this issue in their lives. Read more    - Government to invest $210 million in Arab economy. Read more   - Interim report presented by MK Ahmed Tibi shows that Arab employees make up 6% of Civil Service. Read our response   - Knesset Education Committee discusses vast gap in teaching hours between Arab and Jewish schools. Read our response ___________________________________________________________ Marking International Mother Language Day This year on UNESCO's International Mother Language Day, The Abraham Fund surveyed 23 main governmental websites to find out which of them offered services to Israel's Arabic speakers. Arabic is one of Israel's 2 official languages and is the mother language of 20% of Israel's citizens.   The results of the survey were sent in a letter to the Prime Minister. Read the letter to the Prime Minister.   Members of The Abraham Fund attended the Education Committee meeting at the Knesset on the status of the Arabic language in Israel to present the results of the survey.  Read more about the meeting. ____________________________________________________________ Partner-Orange and Abraham Fund Scholarships for Arab Students One of Israel's major cellular network providers, "Partner Communications" (Orange), has teamed up with The Abraham Fund on a scholarship project with the aim of encouraging higher education among young Arab students. The Abraham Fund will present 25 scholarships of $1000 each, a donation of Partner Communications. Read more Mediation Course for Senior Arab and Jewish Government Officials in the Galilee At the beginning of March, 18 senior Arab and Jewish officials and decision-makers in Galilee local governments attended the first session of a mediation course sponsored by The Abraham Fund Initiatives, in conjunction with the Ministry of the Interior's Mafam Galil Maaravi Training Center and the Carmiel Community Mediation Center. Read more Leading Arabic Newspaper Features Arab Women's Employment Initiative - Sharikat Haya On April 23, "Kul El Arab", Israel's leading Arabic  Newspaper, featured an article about  The Abraham Fund's Arab women's employment initiative, "Sharikat Haya". The article highlights the importance of Arab women joining the workforce and the success of the "Sharikat Haya" initiative in enabling them to do so.  Read the translation of the article in English Maintaining High Charity Ratings Every year The Abraham Fund is reviewed by Charity Navigator, the largest US charity evaluator, and Midot, Israel's charity evaluator and we are happy to announce that we continue to maintain our high ratings in efficiency. The Abraham Fund received the highest possible - 4 stars from the Charity Navigator and 4.5 stars from Midot. We hope you've enjoyed learning about the latest developments at The Abraham Fund.  For more information about how you can support our work, please don't hesitate to contact us   Best wishes,   Ami Nahshon International President The Abraham Fund Initiatives www.abrahamfund.org

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