The unique challenges of Israel's periphery communities

Ahmad: He's mentioned below

Earlier this week, Israel's parliament, the Knesset, held an important conference under the title "Periphery at the Center". Some 500 participants attended including government officials, domain experts, mayors, local council heads, journalists, academics and Members of Knesset.

The event focused on the challenges facing Israel's outlying areas - the periphery communities located relatively far from Israel's centers of population in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and the Coastal Plain.

According to a Knesset report [here], the subjects under discussion included economic and social resilience, employment and economic development, personal security, education, culture, art and aspects connected to how the periphery communities are represented in the media.

"In Israel there are 257 local authorities, and 200 of them are dependent on the government's support," Ministry of the Interior Director-General Mordechai Cohen said at the opening. "The heads of local councils go from ministry to ministry and beg for alms! We need to think outside the box."

Data presented by the Central Bureau of Statistics showed that communities in the periphery have the highest percentage of smokers and people who are overweight. And the lowest percentage of people who exercise.

Among some of the other worrying data points presented to attendees:

• In the periphery, 30.9 out of 100,000 people are killed in road accidents, compared with 18.6 in central Israel communities.
• About a quarter of the residents of periphery communities simply give up on getting medical treatment because of distance factors.
• 54% of residents travel great distances to receive medical care
• A third of periphery residents are unhappy with the state of available health services

At the Malki Foundation, we are only too aware of the challenges and the failures that follow. We are proud of our Therapists on Wheels program which for years has made a valued, straightforward and relatively simple contribution to allieviating some of the periphery's problems.

Ahmad Mutlaq is one of the talented and dedicated physiotherapists who works in our program. He travels to the homes of children with disabilities in the South in order to deliver in-home, and much needed, therapy service. Read more on our website about Ahmad and the children he treats ["Bringing therapy to children in the south"].

When a "vociferous friend of Israel" encounters a fierce advocate for Israelis with disabilities

Source

We could claim the recent High Holydays season is to blame for the delay. 

But whatever the excuse, we apologize for not being quicker to republish some coverage of the recent very successful speaking tour the Malki Foundation organized in the UK with the dynamic and impressive Karine Elharrar, a member of the Israeli parliament (The Knesset) at its centre. [See "London encounters with the truly remarkable Karine Elharrar", September 4, 2016; and "London: Last chance to hear the inspiring Karine Elharrar MK", September 12, 2016].

Ms Elharrar is an outstanding Israeli advocate for the cause of people with disabilities. The nature of her public interest work fits well with the advocacy and values which we at the Malki Foundation want to encourage.

Here's the text of a report published on the website of the Conservative Friends of Israel (UK), datelined September 16, 2016, under the title "CFI Chairman Sir Eric Pickles Joins Israeli MK Karine Elharrar at Malki Foundation "In Conversation" Event in Parliament":

From Ms Elharrar's Facebook page 

 

This week in Parliament, CFI Chairman Sir Eric Pickles joined Israeli MK Karine Elharrar at an “In Conversation” event hosted by the Malki Foundation. Sir Eric spoke with Karine about Israel’s strong ties with the UK as well as discussing the impact of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The MP for Brentwood and Ongar told Karine that he is “proud to be a vociferous friend of Israel”, describing the country as “a bastion of democracy in a region of instability”. He underlined that anti-Semitism is often disguised as anti-Zionism, and said that while perfectly legitimate to criticise the Jewish State, it is not legitimate to deny Israel’s right to exist. Sir Eric emphasised that this desire to single out and delegitimise Israel lies behind BDS and other boycott movements. Prior to entering the Knesset in 2013 as Israel’s first disabled female MK, Karine headed the Legal Clinic at Bar-Ilan University, specialising in the rights of Holocaust survivors, people with disabilities, and pensioners. Amongst numerous political roles she chairs the Knesset State Control Committee.The Malki Foundation is the sole non-profit organisation in Israel supporting parents in order that they may keep their profoundly disabled child at home – rather than put them in a home – by funding key paramedical therapies and provide free-loan assistive equipment. The charity operates across all ethnic and religious communities.

We expect to soon have some additional media coverage of MK Elharrar's recent Malki Foundation UK speaking tour to share with our readers.

London: Last chance to hear the inspiring Karine Elharrar MK

Karine Elharrar MK, visiting London

In London this afternoon (Monday), the Malki Foundation UK's special guest, Karine Elharrar MK [background here] addressed a packed room of invited guests and interested members of the public in the British parliament.

The Rt. Hon. Sir Eric Pickles MP, Chairman of the Conservative Friends of Israel, engaged in a public interview with Ms Elharrar, focusing on her work as a legislator in Israel's parliament (the Knesset), as a lawyer and as a noted social activist on a series of important fronts. As a woman who has lived with the challenges of muscular dystrophy since childhood, and whose personal mobility depends on society embracing the need for accessibility, Ms Elharrar has a unique perspective which meshes well with the Malki Foundation's mission: empowering rhe families who care for a child with special needs, and in particular the mobility-challenged.

It is a huge privilege to be able to bring her to British audiences and to expose people to her inspirational message.

Ms Elharrar is going to address a second London forum on Wednesday, mainly comprising lawyers and people working in the law. All available seats for that have been taken up.

For people in and near London wanting to hear this remarkable young woman, Malki Foundation UK will hold a third forum tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 8:15 pm in conjunction with the Mill Hill Synagogue. Places are strictly limited and, owing to security considerations, pre-registration is absolutely required. Go online to www.shul.co.uk/Karine to reserve your place. We're certain you will not be disappointed.

In the British parliament today: Speakers (left to right): MK Karine Elharrar; Malki Foundation UK chairman Geoff Hartnell; Sir Eric Pickles