JCPA Plenum: Israel's Domestic Concerns

Monday, March 10, 2014 5:45 p.m. The JCPA Plenum provides a prominent national forum to enable our community to shape the policies and strategies that best advance our priority objectives. As Israel grapples with domestic challenges like Bedouin resettlement in the Negev, civic equality between Arabs and Jews, that status of women, an influx of African migrants and asylum seekers, intra-communal religious tensions, the socio-economic gap, and legislation affecting the State's democratic character, we will examine how Israel meets Ben Gurion's challenge and the community relations implications of these issues. What are the most constructive avenues for our engagement? How do we balance our activity in this arena with our traditional role of advocating on behalf of strong U.S. support of Israel? Join Rabbi Douglas Kahn,Joel Moss, and Ghaidi Rinawie to learn more. Speaker Bios Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi Coming from a rich background of work in education, organization development and community activism, with special attention to women's rights, Ms. Ghaida Rinawie-Zoabi is the founding Executive Director of Injaz Center for Professional Arab Local Governance, a post she has held since 2008. Previously, she directed the Development Unit at the National Committee for Arab Local Councils, where she coordinated the composition, writing and advocacy of the Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel, coordinating this work with UNDP/UNOPS. Ms. Rinawie-Zoabi co- directed the Peace Education Department of IPCRI (the Israeli/ Palestinian Center for Research and Information). She is currently a board member of Women against Violence and Dirasat, the Arab Center for Law and Policy, and is a member of the International Women's Commission. Ms. Rinawie-Zoabi is married and a mother of two, and holds an M.A. degree in Organizational Development from Haifa University; and Bachelor Degree in Psychology and Hebrew Literature from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Rabbi Douglas Kahn Rabbi Douglas Kahn is Executive Director of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council, a position he assumed in 1989. He serves on the Global Council of United Religions Initiative, an international grassroots interfaith organization and on the JCPA Civility Committee. He previously served as co-chair of the Intergroup Clearinghouse, San Francisco's major organization addressing issues of intergroup tensions, and President of the CRC Directors Association. Prior to joining the JCRC staff in 1982, he was the Executive Director of Hillel at George Washington University. A fourth generation San Franciscan, Doug received his rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. He is the recipient of the Jewish Community Federation's Executive of the Year Award and the community's Israel in our Hearts award. He has written extensively on Israel and other topical issues. He is married to Ellen, an estate planning attorney, and they have two sons. Joel Moss Joel Moss is a social worker and human services manager by training and experience. He worked in the Jewish community in Montreal for many years, including serving as Director of Youth Protection, Assistant Director of Jewish Family Services, Executive Director of JIAS (the Canadian cousin of HIAS) and adjudicated refugee claims for ten years as a member of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board. Joel has led training seminars for professionals, students at all levels, community groups, and volunteers on a wide variety of human service topics as well as teaching Biblical and Talmudic texts. Joel joined HIAS Israel in December 2008 to provide the professional leadership for the training of officers for Israel's Refugee Status Determination program. Since February, 2009, Mr. Moss has also served as the Director of the HIAS Israel office and has continued to work closely with the Israel Ministry of the Interior, as well other NGOs and providing services to African migrants in Israel. Joel is married to Dr. Ellie Moss, a Professor of Psychology. They have five children and 13 grandchildren.