Where can you find lawyers, judges, scholars, human rights advocates and Jewish leaders all in the same room?
In San Francisco, when Hagai El-Ad comes to town.
El-Ad, an Israeli civil rights leader, spoke May 6 at a lunchtime lecture sponsored by the New Israel Fund. About 80 people attended the event, held at the offices of Farella Braun and Martel LLP.
“I’d put it up there among one of the best events we’ve had this year,” said Orli Bein, regional co-director of the New Israel Fund, a foundation that supports the development and growth of nearly 150 progressive nonprofits in Israel.
El-Ad directs the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, NIF’s flagship Israeli organization. El-Ad is the former director of Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, the leading LGBT organization in Jerusalem. He began his career as an astrophysicist.
El-Ad appeared in San Francisco in conversation with Michael Bien, managing partner at the law firm Rosen, Bien and Galvan, LLP. Here are excerpts from their talk:
Bien: How did you come to abandon science for social action?
El-Ad: I still employ lessons from science. But what I discovered was that the ability to change hearts and touch people is not easy in science.
Bien: You used to work for Jerusalem Open House. Why was it important to have World Pride in Jerusalem? Why not just in Tel Aviv?
El-Ad: It’s not sufficient that advocating for equal rights happens elsewhere. We need to fight for these values everywhere.
Bien: What position does the Association for Civil Rights (ACRI) in Israel take on the occupied territories?
El-Ad: The occupation is a human rights violation and needs to end, and the Israeli response to ending the occupation should be done in a way that respects the human rights of all. The occupation has a poisonous effect on Israeli democracy. I cannot overstate the sense of urgency that this point needs to be injected into public opinion.
Bien: [Israeli Foreign Minister] Avigdor Lieberman has emerged as a divisive leader. What are the implications of his popularity for Israel? What effect will that have on the Arab-Israeli relationship?
El-Ad: Lieberman led the most racist campaign in the history of Israel [among other things, proposing that all citizens be required to sign an oath of loyalty to the Jewish state]. Yes, we heard similar notions 20 years ago, but then, the opinion represented a tiny minority and had no broad backing or mainstream support. Now, they’re a major partner in government. And I think that weakens the backbone of Israeli democracy. It’s unbelievable that we’re not in agreement on something so basic as our shared citizenship.
Bien: What is ACRI’s position on the security fence?
El-Ad: Israel has to defend its borders. That is obvious. And had the fence been built on the Green Line, no one would have had a problem with it. But it is built on Palestinian land and often for no security reason.
Bien: What is the implication of the current recession on social justice in Israel and what is ACRI’s role?
El-Ad: A record-breaking 20,000 Israelis are newly unemployed monthly. That’s a tremendous source of concern. Even though Israel has national health insurance, polls show that one-third of citizens still cannot afford health care. ACRI is making sure that co-payments don’t limit Israelis’ ability to have healthcare.
Bien: Many of us want to support Israel, but that can be a difficult role for those of us concerned about human rights in Israel. What is our role?
El-Ad: I am not interested in just any future for Israel. I want justice and peace, equality and democracy. If we’re not talking about Israel’s imperfections in an honest and thoughtful way, how can we move forward? ACRI is making sure progressive voices in Israel know they’re not isolated and that they have broad support in this country and elsewhere. There needs to be more room for a conversation in [the United States] based on facts and not on fantasy.