An African night in Jerusalem

“We need help to keep our doors open.”

By SHAINA OPPENHEIMER
Attendees at the JACC’s celebration of African Culture Night (photo credit: BEN REISER)
Attendees at the JACC’s celebration of African Culture Night
(photo credit: BEN REISER)
On the evening of May 22, friends, family and curious visitors gathered at the Abraham Hostel for a warm celebration of African Culture Night. Hosted by the Jerusalem African Community Center (JACC), the evening was filled with live music, authentic African delicacies, dancing and a fashion show of traditional African dress.
The crowd was a lively mix of families and volunteers from the community center, locals and those staying at the hostel. Or Mor, resource development and evaluation coordinator at JACC, explains, “Some residents of Jerusalem don’t know and have never met anyone from the African community in the city, and those who have met someone from this community know nothing of their culture. This is an opportunity to form a connection with them and to advance dialogue and good neighborly relations.”
JACC started as a grassroots initiative in 2007 and became an NGO in 2014. About a year ago, the organization was able to open a physical center to further foster and support the community.
Run by volunteers, JACC aims to promote the quality of life and overall well-being for African migrants and asylum-seekers in Jerusalem. The center provides lessons in English, Hebrew and computer skills as well as enrichment programs for children. It also provides assistance with social, legal, work and health matters.
“There are many gaps between the parents and kids. This gives them a little extra help for their kids to better integrate here,” says Hailey Dilman, the English program coordinator.
Dilman has been volunteering at the center for about a year and a half and devotes herself to making it feel like a home to all: “This is not just a community center, it’s a meeting point for Israelis and [Africans], and for them to know there’s people here in Jerusalem who care.”
The night not only served as a celebration of cultures, but as a fund-raiser for the center. As JACC board member Ariella Cwiekel, notes, “We need help to keep our doors open.”
It is important to do so, she explains, since the JACC is impacting the lives of individuals while also fostering a sense of unity among families, those involved at the community center and the greater community of Jerusalem. For the area’s African population, “it’s a home away from home,” Cwiekel remarks.
For information on JACC: www.jacc.org.il/ For donations: www.mimoona.co.il/Projects/3394&ChangeLang=English