Nicoletta Dimova is serving as an intern with Rabbis for Human Rights.
Working at Rabbis for Human Rights located in the City of Jerusalem has been an experience that has far surpassed my expectations. Formed in 1988, Rabbis for Human Rights is a rabbinic and Zionist organization that works to give a voice to the religious, Jewish tradition of human rights both in Israel and Palestine.
After having spent almost two weeks working with Rabbis for Human Rights, I realize how lucky I am to be taking part in some of the good work with which the organization is involved. As early as my first day on the job, I was offered a number of projects from which to choose. After touring the various locations where the projects are based, I made the decision to concentrate mainly on two assignments: working at the Jaalin Bedouin Camp, as well as doing home profiles for houses in danger of being demolished.
There is a great deal that one can learn from working in such an unfamiliar and harsh environment. This experience is enriching my knowledge of facts from the ground as are my personal interactions with the people I meet. I hope to observe community members, listen to them and learn from them so that I can absorb their stories and apply them to my future work.
Working side by side with the women from the Jaalin Bedouin community is truly a unique experience that not very many individuals have in their lifetime. In the United States, people often speculate on what these people’s lives are like. I am learning as much as possible about the daily lives and struggles of the members of the Jaalin community.
I am also hoping to be able to get a good grasp of the situation of the community members of Silwan in East Jerusalem, whose homes are being demolished day after day. After already spending some time with a few of these individuals, I truly feel that I can speak of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a real sense of passion and emotion. I want to take all of those feelings, as well as my knowledge, and bring it into action when I go back to America. While it has only been a couple of weeks, I am convinced that I have already grown to be a lot more mature about the way I handle conversations and issues that have to do with this conflict.