Rainbow Communities: Desegregation Initiative



Dear Friends,

We are members of the founding committee of a new organization established in Israel to desegregate housing. This initiative complements our work with the Campaign to Rebuild Palestinian Homes and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. We hope that Rainbow Communities will lay help the foundation for future reconciliation between Palestinians and Jews in Israel through providing the opportunity to live together in mixed housing throughout the land.

Sincerely,
Fred Schlomka
Salim Shawamreh


Rainbow Communities


Multinational Housing Cooperatives in Israel

If you want to be added to our mailing list please send email to :
RainbowCoops-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


Rainbow Communities is a housing cooperative association for people who want to live in non-segregated communities in Israel.

Rainbow Communities has a vision of a fully democratic society where all people have equal rights to housing and land. The current status quo in Israel discriminates against Palestinian Arabs and others who are restricted by law and regulation from the housing rights enjoyed by Jews. Currently 93% of the land in Israel is controlled by the State and used among other things to develop and build communities exclusively for Jews, including those who are not citizens. The Coop will develop opportunities for all citizens and residents to live in open communities. Rainbow Communities will not mandate the organizational structure of individual communities, except that they are open to all without distinction of nationality, creed, language, gender or any other status.

The Coop plans to organize:
A cooperative framework for members
- lease and purchase of lands and real estate
- land use planning and development services
- legal and financial services
- construction processes
- sales or lease of homes to members

The founding committee has begun a fundraising program, is researching available land, and conducting a membership campaign.

This introduction is intended to solicit requests for more information about the coop from people in Israel and abroad.

If you want to be added to our mailing list please send email to:
RainbowCoops-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

or
go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RainbowCoops/ and click the "Join this group" link

or
go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RainbowCoops/join

You will then receive periodic updates on our progress.

With all good wishes,
Pamela Butter
Uri Davis
Sadik Nassar
Fred Schlomka
Salim Shawamreh
Tamar Yaron
Steering Committee, Rainbow Communities
Multinational Housing Cooperatives in Israel



Completion of the form below is NOT necessary to join the email list.

If you wish to become involved with the Coop, please provide us with some information about yourself by filling out the following form. No information will be provided to third parties.

Please copy and paste the form into a new email window and, after filling it out, email to: RainbowCoops-owner@yahoogroups.com

Name:

Organization (if applicable):

Street Address or PO Box:

City:

State/Province:

Postal Code:

State/Country:

Email Address:

Web site address (if applicable):

Telephone:

Mobile phone:

Fax:

I am interested in Rainbow Communities because:

(Please delete the categories that do NOT apply to you, or add comments at the end)

1) I may want to live in a non-segregated community in Israel.

2) I have professional skills that might be of use to the Coop.

3) I don't live in Israel but would like to support this initiative.

4) I am interested in any possible investment opportunities.

5) My organization would like to endorse the principals of Rainbow Communities. Please contact me.

6) Other:

Comments, questions:

Please email the completed form to: RainbowCoops-owner@yahoogroups.com

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