Jisr az-Zarqa | A Multicultural Delegation of Community Leaders Visits to Explore Local Initiatives
The Jisrawi Heritage Center hosted a group of participants from the “Multicultural Community Leadership Training Program,” part of the Mabat Association, in collaboration with the Jewish-Arab Regional Partnership in the Carmel Coast area. The visit aimed to promote learning, networking, and cooperation, as well as to provide firsthand insight into the cultural and human experience embodied in the establishment of the Jisr az-Zarqa Museum, along with the village’s distinctive initiatives across various fields.
During the visit, Sami Al-Ali, Director of the Jisrawi Heritage Center, delivered a lecture highlighting the initiative to establish the Jisr az-Zarqa Museum, led by Al-Wafaa School for Special Education. He also presented the collaborative efforts and partnerships that contributed to the development of a sustainable and impactful project. In addition, he reviewed the journey of social, cultural, and educational initiatives led by the center, shedding light on a wide range of projects that have emerged and evolved over the past decade through the joint efforts of the local authority and civil society.
Al-Ali also addressed women’s, youth, and sports initiatives connected to heritage and the sea, as well as educational and community programs aimed at strengthening local identity and empowering various segments of society.
He emphasized the importance of networking and building partnerships between local and regional institutions, noting their key role in advancing community initiatives, ensuring sustainability, and amplifying their social and developmental impact both within and beyond the community.
He further highlighted the role of joint social initiatives in creating a structured, integrated, and inclusive environment for community work in the village.
The program also included a field visit to the separation wall between Jisr az-Zarqa and Caesarea, passing through the new neighborhood and the fishermen’s village. Participants listened to an in-depth presentation addressing urban planning policies and their implications for the village, alongside an overview of community, environmental, tourism, and sports initiatives led by local fishermen along the الساحل. They were also introduced to the heritage of fishing and the sea as an essential part of the village’s identity and collective memory.
The visit concluded with a summary session emphasizing the importance of partnership-building. Participants expressed great interest in this pioneering community experience, which combines the preservation of local memory with the strengthening and organization of sustainable, collaborative community work.
