Israel's New Consul-General in San Francisco

These stories never grow old for me. Here's a profile of Ishmael Khaldi, Israel's new Consul-General in San Francisco, a (rather attractive) 36-year-old Bedouin from the Chico Enterprise-Record:

Working as a shepherd as a child, Khaldi seemed an unlikely candidate to become a diplomat. But he was a talented, ambitious student who succeeded in school and went on to earn a master's degree in political science from Tel Aviv University.

...

Khaldi said he is dedicated to working for a prosperous future for Israel.

The nation is not perfect, he said, but in such things as its support of religious diversity and its treatment of minorities, it's a shining democratic example for the world.

Bedouin women are going to university

There are hundreds of Bedouin women enrolled in universities in Israel this year, up from single digits two decades ago, according to The Guardian. Having a university degree raises a woman's position in society, a wonderful antidote to other recently published stories.

Positive gains for the Bedouin

A first in the Israeli Foreign Service: Hassan Ka'bia, a Muslim-Bedouin, was named consul general of the Israeli consulate in Alexandria, Egypt, YnetNews.com reports. As the article reports, while this is an individual accomplishment for Mr. Ka'bia, this is also part of a Foreign Ministry initiative to increase the participation of various minorities in the Israeli Foreign Service.

This is especially interesting news because of the ongoing conflicts between the Egyptian Bedouin and the Egyptian police and border guards.

About Shahadeh Abu Arrar's kids

The same little AP article has been popping up in various news outlets for the past week, "Israeli Bedouin father of 67 wants to get married again - for 9th time". Apparently, Mr Abu Arrar lives mostly on government handouts, "claims to remember all his children's names," and is "still going strong."

Appallingly, this story keeps popping up under the Odd News section of Yahoo! News or under Diversions on the CBC web site. The lives of this man's children and wives are ignored in the nudging and winking, mixed in with the world Sudoku championship and pumpkin throwing competitions. Most dead-tree newspapers don't even include one of the last paragraphs, the only one worth reading:

Activists said Abu Arrar's story showed the urgency of raising literacy and education among women in the impoverished Bedouin community. Many are pressured into marriage or feel they have no other options beside raising children, said Khadra al-Sani, director of Sidra, a Bedouin women's rights group.

Third package has landed!

The English coordinator for the Bedouin schools in the Negev area writes:

What a lovely end-of-year present to receive the carton of books you sent in February. ... Guess it was "Camel Express"... and I'm not sure camels know how to swim. But the package arrived safe and sound and last night I "tiled" my living room floor sorting the lovely books which are now piled up in my friendly wagon near the front door and will be delivered this morning in my "bookmobile". It was exciting going through the titles and enjoying a few stories on the way. I'll be taking the books to Abu Krinat elementary and high schools.This is a Bedouin community about 45 minutes from here.

Thank you so much for your hard work and help. These books will go a long way, I'm sure, in helping young English pupils learn the language. Know that English for Bedouins is a 4th language. They learn Hebrew and English and also classical or literary Arabic. The Bedouin spoken dialect is very different from the formal language. I'll be working with the English teachers next year and showing them how to use these fantastic books in their classes.

Any thanks from Laurie go directly to our generous donors. I am just the person who passes them on.

We have pictures!

All together now: Kids + Books = Awww.

Relevant recent news items

• An initially depressing, but eventually hopeful analysis of Bedouin issues in the Jewish Exponent. The obvious solution is recognizing the unrecognized villages: No Room Left for Nomadism.
• Bedouin women can fall between the legal cracks in Israel, because of intersecting societal and cultural pressures. Ha'aretz describes a new center opened in Be'er Sheva that provides them with legal help: New center helps Bedouin women fight for their rights.
• Short but interesting story from American Public Media about changing gender roles and expectations in Israeli Bedouin society: Bedouin women settle into worklife.
• A small silver lining in a Ha'aretz report about Israeli matriculation scores. While Bedouin students have the lowest matriculation percentage reported for different groups, the percentage has gone up significantly in the last few years: New calculations raise matriculation eligibility results.