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July 29, 2011
Centre builds capacity
Program helps Arab women enter the workforce.
SHERI SHEFA CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
Canadian philanthropist and CanWest Global Communications director Gail Asper hopes that a new entrepreneurial program will empower Arab women in East Jerusalem to join the workforce and contribute to a “peaceful society” in Israel.
Speaking to this reporter in Jerusalem during a weeklong meeting of the Hebrew University of Jersualem’s board of governors – a position Asper joked that she inherited from her late father, Izzy Asper, in 2002 – she said she was pleased to facilitate a project that brings Jews and Arabs together for a common goal.
In 2007, the Asper Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Hebrew University joined forces with the Al-Quds Dialogue Centre, a non-political organization in East Jerusalem created and chaired by an Arab entrepreneur named Fuad Abu Hamed. The result was the East Jerusalem BizCamp – modeled after the Curry BizCamp of Entrepreneurship in Winnipeg – that was meant to provide young Arabs, including women from East Jerusalem, with the opportunity to gain experience and learn the skills needed to start a business.
According to Asper, while BizCamp was a success in assisting young Arabs with their entrepreneurial goals, most of the male participants refused to work with women. “So we decided, let’s just work with the women,” she said.
Now, the three-year Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship program, set to launch in the near future with the help of the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University, has been established to provide Arab women with the opportunity to train for the workforce and become contributing members of Israeli society.
Asper was motivated to reach out to Arab women because, while nearly 58 percent of Jewish women in Israel are working, only 20 percent of Arab women are in the workforce. According to her, some of the factors that keep Arab women from entering the workforce are the lack of support from their families, few or no day-care options for young children and a lack of public transportation in Arab villages. Jerusalem “is a city that has major poverty issues,” Asper explained. “It is a challenged city. But all the stats show that if you get the women educated and out there working … that is the path towards a peaceful society.”
Asper realized that training wouldn’t be enough to foster change, as the social and financial challenges that deter Arab women from participating are serious and would have to be addressed in order for the program to find success. She wanted to ensure that the program would provide scholarships, computer training, peer and networking support, as well as assist with child care.
“What good does it do to show them the sky and not give them the resources to fly?” Asper asked.
There is no doubt that increasing employment will help boost Israel’s economy (which has been growing by five percent each year since 2008), but this initiative could also have broader implications.
“Women who are more educated are going to be more global in their outlook…. They’re going to want to reach out. They’re going to be inclined to want to be a part of Israeli society,” she said.
So far, interest from women wanting to participate has been strong, and Asper is not surprised: “They’re sharp, they’ve got a lot of ideas, their kids are a little older and all they need is someone investing in them and believing in them.”
For more national Jewish news, visit cjnews.com.
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