NEW YORK (JTA) — A rabbinic group endorsed an organization promoting human rights for Israel’s Arab minority.
The Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents 2,000 Reform rabbis, adopted a resolution Tuesday supporting the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Israeli-Arab Issue, which wants to improve conditions for non-Jews in Israel.
"We urge all CCAR members to become increasingly educated on Israeli-Arab issues and to share their knowledge and concerns with the people they serve," the group said in a statement. "We call upon synagogues, Federations, and other organizations to join the Inter-Agency Task Force, and urge its members to lead these organizations to do so wherever possible."
The CCAR said that despite notable efforts by the Israeli government and other organizations, the living conditions in Arab villages and towns throughout Israel were far below those in Jewish communities.
"We saw men, women, and children living in situations that would not be tolerated in Israeli Jewish communities or in the United States or Canada, including schools without running water and daily routes to school that are perilous or impassable on certain days," the CCAR said, quoting a report filed by a delegation that returned from a visit to Arab communities in Israel.
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