Violent crime in the Arab Palestinian community in Israel has increased drastically in recent years, taking the lives of hundreds, undermining security and disrupting the fabric of society. Both as victims and perpetrators, youth are disproportionately impacted.

In response to this, we are supporting a project run by the Baladna Association for Arab Youth that seeks to mobilise young people - and those who work with young people - to make strategic, collaborative efforts to reduce violence in the Arab community.

Over the last several years, Baladna has researched the underlying forces that have caused the rapid proliferation of violence, and they are now sharing this knowledge publicly in order to address the situation. Looking at the broader social, political and economic context is key: systemic discrimination has given rise to major disparities between the Arab community and the Jewish majority.

One key part of Baladna’s project is a pilot phase that involves pairing at-risk young people with trained mentors, helping them to find hope in a difficult context and make positive decisions for the future.

Bible reading

‘Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.’

Philippians 4: 8-9

Thought

The practice of mentorship is biblical and something we see throughout the Bible. To quote just a few examples, Moses mentored Joshua, Elijah mentored Elisha, Elizabeth mentored Mary, Jesus mentored the disciples, and Paul exhorted the older women to mentor the younger women in the book of Titus.

Just like the young people are doing in this project, learning from other people is so important. It takes courage and humility to open our hearts to others, and it can often require a sacrificial spirit to pour ourselves into someone else’s life. And yet, God has created us to do life together and live in community.

Ask yourself: Are there any Christians you look up to? What do you admire about them?

Prayer

Loving God,

We pray for those in the Arab community in Israel who are caught up in violence and for those who are living in fear. May the project that Baladna is leading bring light and hope to a dark situation. May a deeper understanding of the root causes of violence lead to effective, joined-up strategies to stop it.

Thank you that you have created us to live in community, not in isolation. Help us to have teachable spirits - open hearts to learn from other people and also a willingness to give time and energy to helping others.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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