Following an activity-packed year, the Task Force marked the end of this phase with a presentation of their interim work products at the Tur Sinai hall in Jerusalem.
The festive event opened with greetings by Nitza Farkash and Ali Haider, members of the Steering Committee. The following are excerpts from Nitza’s moving remarks:
“When we started out, no one in this room knew anything about each other apart from the labels that led us to this point. But I have to say that there is one thing I do know about each and every one of you. And if you look right now into the eyes of the people sitting around you, many of whom you know nothing about, there’s one thing you can count on, and know with almost absolute certainty. And that thing is what brought me to this gathering and this undertaking.
I know with certainty that each of you sitting in this room believes in LivingTogether. Everyone here believes it’s possible. Everyone here believes it’s crucial. Everyone here believes that LivingTogether is necessary for our continued existence in the State of Israel. And everyone here is willing to invest a huge effort to turn the idea of LivingTogether into a reality…. And as far as I’m concerned, even if I don’t know a thing about any of you, the knowledge that you are taking on yourself the responsibility of finding a way of living together is all I need for me to know that you are the people I want to be marching alongside on the way to a better Israel. And I’m convinced that many others will join us.”
During the event, the members of the Task Force presented the interim results of their work to the friends and partners of LivingTogether. This was followed by a discussion of the products.
The interim products include a fascinating paper that lays the foundation for the common language created by the Task Force, and, deriving from it, an outline of social tasks in the various content areas: education, academia, public space, culture, and the private sector. It was important to us to receive feedback and suggestions from everyone present, and we are happy to report that we did.
Following the summer months, during which the professional team geared up for 2017/18 and assembled a work-plan, we will be devoting this coming year to building the project, with a focus on three spheres of activity:
– Developing content areas: continuing to develop a language unique to LivingTogether, a strategic plan, a benchmark, and theoretical research.
– Task development: building, and starting to implement, unique sample tasks in the fields of education and society, stemming from the principles of the language and strategic plan. These tasks originate with the Task Force and partners in the LivingTogether initiative.
– Public awareness: cultivating the ability to raise awareness to our approach and its results.
These stages will be implemented by the Professional Team in partnership with the Task Force, assisted by all those involved in this cause. At the same time, we’ll continue our efforts to establish a conceptual and practical connection with the Office of President Rivlin and the Ministry for Social Equality, and to broaden the circle of partners in this undertaking.
