Ameinu and Ir Amim: Partners for Jerusalem’s Future

Ameinu has recently launched a partnership with Ir Amim (“City of Nations”/“City of Peoples”), Israel’s longest standing NGO focusing on Jerusalem’s role in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.  Working directly with Ir Amim, as a dynamic NGO on the ground in Israel, allows us to take advantage of this pivotal moment of Diaspora-Israeli relations to seek to unify world Jewry in a fight against the Occupation and for an Israel that embodies our community’s finest aspirations and values.

Ir Amim’s mission is to render Jerusalem a more equitable and sustainable city for the Israelis and Palestinians who share it and to help secure a negotiated resolution on the city through sustained monitoring, reporting, public and legal advocacy, public education and outreach to re-orient the public discourse on Jerusalem. This partnership between Ameinu and Ir Amim is a perfect fit since both share a common vision of peace and coexistence in Israel.

Concrete collaborative activities are already underway.  On June 20th Ameinu convened a conference call dialogue with Ir Amim to explore the complex reality of Jerusalem’s history and its future. Led by Betty Herschman, Ir Amim’s Director of International Relations and Advocacy, this conference call gave participants the chance to delve deeply into the issues of Jerusalem 2017.  To learn, to ask questions and to deepen all of our understandings of this city, which is both a source of spiritual inspiration and a flashpoint in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Additionally, a new collaborative report from Ameinu and Ir Amim has been produced.  The report, “Between Yom Yerushalaim and the 50^th Anniversary of the Six Day War: Looking Back and Looking Forward” contains essential resources on Jerusalem including an interactive map explaining the geopolitical issues of Jerusalem and the major changes that took place from 2000-2015, a look into some of Ir Amim’s work on the ground in Jerusalem, a policy paper on Jerusalem as a present home and future capital of two peoples, and personal stories from Jerusalemites. Check out the full report on Ameinu’s Publications page. 

Ameinu looks forward to continuing our partnership with Ir Amim in the years to come as we work together to protect Jerusalem and the peoples who call it home.