Dear donors,
We would like to share with you another project of the Shalem Endowment Fund.
Last week, Prague encountered a rare visit, a delegation of Israeli Druze representing the Druze Veteran Association.
The Druze are an ancient people of the Middle East. Their ethno-religion is shrouded in mystery, as the Druze are forbidden to initiate foreigners into the secrets of their faith. One of the most remarkable factors of their nation is the fact that they have no territorial claims and want to live in peace and unity with the citizens of the state in which they live.
The Israeli Druze live around Haifa and the Golan Heights and they populate regions in Syria and Lebanon. Their connection to the Jewish people was first documented in the
Torah, because Jethro, the Druze prophet, was not only Moses' but also a wise advisor who helped him with the administrative and legal organization of the Hebrew people. The coexistence of Jews and Druze over time is richly documented in historical sources.
This remarkable Arabic-speaking ethnic minority has faced existential oppression for centuries at the hands of Muslim Arabs, who have continuously attempted to destroy it.
The Druze played a key role in the War of Independence (the so-called 1st Arab-Israeli War) in 1948, when they reaffirmed their unwavering loyalty, this time to the newly emerging State of Israel. The Druze are also currently participating in the info war that Israel is waging because as an Arabic-speaking minority, they are debunking the narrative of the Israeli "apartheid state".
The Druze have a reputation as dedicated warriors, and their men serve in the IDF in combat units. Hundreds of Druze have given their lives in the fighting, including heroes who fell in the war that began on October 7, 2023.
In Prague, we met Koftan Halabi, the president of the Druze Veteran Association, and his colleague, Anan Tahiri, who together with Ran Ber, former deputy of the Israeli Ministry of Science, visited the Czech Republic to raise awareness of the Druze among the local Jewish community and to present their vision.
Although the Druze are renowned for their heroism in the ranks of the IDF, their community is often overlooked outside of the army. The conservative nature of their community, combined with a certain social isolation, is the cause for an inadequate Druze representation in universities. This directly impacts their access to well-paid/managerial jobs, especially in the high-tech, the forefront of the Israeli economy ecosystem.
Together with his colleagues, Koftan Halabi, founded DTec (Druze Technology Empowerment Center) in Israel, which aims to provide educational services and assistance to the Druze community, so that young IDF veterans can succeed in technology fields. We realize that the prosperity of the Druze community and equal access to the labor market are key both for the future of the Druze's relationship with the mainstream Israeli society and for the security of Israel itself.
The Druze have demonstrated their loyalty to the Jews countless times in the last three thousand years, so it is only natural that we continue this partnership with at least a symbolic financial support of their organization, which the Shalem Foundation donated NIS 50,000 (approx. EUR 12,500) to.
We remain in close contact with Dtec and the Druze Veteran Association and will look for ways to help the organization and the Druze community.
We appreciate this unique opportunity and thank you for your continued support.
Respectfully,
Anna & Ory
