Jews to help --- ARABS??

Haaretz: The Jewish community in the United States is gearing up for a new challenge: raising funds to promote equal rights for Israel's Arab minority. Having proved its strength in struggles for the Jews of Russia, Ethiopia and Iran, American Jewish organizations are now readying to help improve the lives of Arab Israelis. At a symposium in New York two weeks ago, Jewish community leaders unveiled a coalition of charities and organizations whose representatives will form a task force to oversee aid to the Arab sector. The conference was attended by representatives of more than 60 private and public charitable foundations, heads of Jewish organizations and officials from key Jewish federations. Many Jewish philanthropies in the U.S. have for years been directing funds to welfare projects in the Arab sector, but conference organizers said that the broad array of representatives in attendance and their practical decisions marked a historic turning point in the community's priorities. The co-executive director of Sikkuy - Israel's Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality, Shuli Dichter, praised American Jewish leaders. "We are happy to see that Diaspora Jews finally understand the importance of equality in Israel and are starting to think of Israel in realistic rather than idealistic terms," he said............