Tsofen is an Israeli non-profit organization which is focused on advancing equal opportunity and minimizing inequality of Arab citizens in Israel by providing essential means for accelerating Arab acceptance to the Israeli hi-tech industry. Tsofen believes that side by side with advocacy and human rights organizations, there is a need for an organization that works to change the economical conditions to achieve a social change. Tsofen believes that a significant growth in the number of employees will have a qualitative impact on equal opportunity for Arabs in Israel, and a strong impact against the increasing separation between Jews and Arabs in Israel. The large number of Israeli Arabs hi-tech engineers will improve not only the economic status of these individuals, but will dramatically benefit the entire Israeli Arab community. In addition, the successful business cooperation will serve as a successful model for cooperation between Jews and Arabs in Israel. The barrier to entry of Arabs to the hi-tech is not economic, since the demand for qualified engineers is huge and suitable Arab academics are available in the thousands. Tsofen provides the solution to this market failure, by opening multi-cultural hi-tech centers for Israeli companies in Arab populated areas in the Galilee.

Passover Greetings

Dear Tsofen's partners and friends,

The overwhelming contradiction I face between the beautiful weather and hopes brought by spring season in Israel, and the completely opposite winds I feel  blowing at my face whenever I open up the newspaper, reading the headlines regarding the Arab-Jewish relations in our country and the socio-economic state of the Arab citizens of Israel, makes me want to share a piece of my family history with you.

I hope you will not find it "out of line", and if you do, please allow me to "blame it on the weather"...

So, this is how it goes:

My two late grandmothers were the two most different persons one can imagine.

Frau (Ms.) Weizmann was a religious German-Jew, well educated and a very strict lady, born and raised in a middle class bourgeois family. If someone ever plans to write the "Yekke" (German Jew) definition in Wikipedia, I would offer her picture to put there.

Batya, my other grandmother, was born in Poland to a family of farmers which she left when she was only 18, hoping to create a better society . Needless to say, she was a socialistic free spirited lady, and did not care much for religion, formal education or table manners...

Now, just imagine what it was like sitting between those two during holiday meals, a "privilege" kept for the youngest in the family, the one who couldn't refuse the offer- yours truly.

But there was one holiday that seemed to unite them- Passover.

They both used to tell me that this holiday is first and foremost a celebration of human rights and the hope for equality.

I'm sure that wherever they are today, they: 1) are arguing on something 2) are proud of what Tsofen, myself and you- our partners, are trying to achieve- a society in which Arabs and Jews are living together on an equal bases, striving shoulder by shoulder to better their lives!

To summarize this long e mail, I invite you to watch Tsofen's freshly made film (please see link below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOazsEyS9NE&feature=youtu.be

I believe the film is, primarily, a declaration of optimism. At least this is what we tried to express.

I will be grateful if you share it with your friends, on your websites and in your social-media activities.

Wishing you a great spring!

___________________________

Paz Hirschmann פז הירשמן باز هيرشمان

Resource & Business Development