THE HAIFA WCJE SYMPOSIUM 20007

DECLARATION

We gather here on the beautiful campus of Haifa University, grateful for their hospitality, and for the warm support and resourcefulness of the Herzl Institute. We are Jews from Egypt, who come together from various areas of expertise, to continue our exploration, at this important Symposium, of pathways to preserve our cultural heritage, history and literature, for the common good. Our time at the WCJE Symposium has been richly inspiring and profoundly motivating, and it has yielded fruitful deliberations. We have decided to adopt all our former Basic Resolutions taken at the WCJE Congress in 2006, in addition to the following.

In this second WCJE conference, we affirm our shared commitment, as Jews from Egypt, to non-violent conflict resolution and the building of cultures of peace in our region, and around the world. The urgency of the challenge is particularly apparent in a region that is so tragically afflicted by violence. The time has come for concrete new democratic and non-violent strategies that reflect previous harmonious relations between neighbors, such as ours, and cultural and spiritual realities. The Jews from Egypt, due to our vast and profound experience of living in harmony with our Arab neighbors - can certainly make a significant contribution toward peace in our region.

We believe that education is the key that unlocks the door to harmony and peace. We therefore call to the Ministry of Education in Israel, and for Jewish Education Institutions abroad, to include our rich, harmonious Jewish Egyptian culture, history, and literature, in the schools’ curricula. We recommend in particular, approaches to education that nurture peace and harmony, intercultural understanding, awareness of interdependence and moral values. These essential elements shape concern and respect for the narrative of others’ experience, such as ours, and it should be included in history textbooks as well as literary textbooks.

The World Congress of Jews from Egypt has come a long way over the past four years, since its founding in 2004. Two successful conferences, and an increasingly influential website mark part of our progress. We are publishing the WCJE Congress Book, and it will appear soon. We are collecting personal stories for the “Golden Book of the Jews from Egypt.” We have cultivated a diverse group of scholars, leaders, and voluntary activists, including second and third generation Jews from Egypt, for the intense explorations of a value-centered vision of the preservation of our heritage for the common good. We continue our efforts to establish a Museum of the Egyptian Jews in Israel; we continue to support Joe and Racheline Barda, in their efforts to establish a Chair for the research of the Egyptian Jews at Haifa University, and to bring our heritage, history and literature to the attention of the Media. We invite all others who share our concern and vision, to join us in the preservation of our culture and heritage, toward a better future.

Symposium on: CONSERVING THE HISTORY CULTURE AND LITERATURE OF THE JEWS FROM EGYPT (Hecht Museum Auditorium, Haifa University, 27 June 2007)