For the love of Jerusalem

By now, Johanna Arbib Perugia realizes how demanding her job can be, but even so, feels blessed to have taken up the task.

While in Israel for extended celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification, the incumbent Jerusalem Foundation president met with In Jerusalem to speak about her vision for the foundation and her love of the holy city.

Arbib was born and raised in Rome. In addition to her responsibilities with the foundation, she is a senior adviser at a London-based international real estate private equity fund, as well as senior adviser to one of Italy’s most prestigious private equity funds, with interests in banking, real estate and publishing.

Her Jewish activism and involvement in the local Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal campaign began in 1985, when she was only 16. In 2007, she was elected to the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, and in 2009, she was elected chairwoman of the organization’s World Board of Trustees, becoming the youngest person ever to hold Keren Hayesod’s top leadership position.

Arbib lives in Rome with her husband and their three daughters, but since her appointment at the foundation in 2015, she has spent about half of her time in Jerusalem.

After almost two years in the position, would you say it is how you imagined it would be or harder than you expected?

First of all, for me it is a great privilege. This week I had the opportunity to see the magnitude of what it means for people who live here and people who come from overseas. In the last two years, I’ve learned to appreciate and to see how wonderful, how interesting this city is... so I must agree – yes, it is a very demanding job... It’s a 24/6 job, since I observe Shabbat, but yes, it is a privilege and I’ve gotten to know Jerusalem more.

You know, I thought I knew Jerusalem, but the people here are different. I know that I couldn’t work with the same passion, the same commitment, if it was for another city.

Do you encounter political difficulties in fund-raising for Jerusalem?

Today people don’t love us [Jerusalemites], but there are two different kinds of people who don’t love us – the reason for one of them is because they don’t know us. I think it is our duty and responsibility to teach these people what Jerusalem is. I think there is a lack of knowledge about what exactly is happening in Jerusalem, what is the reality of this city.

Yes, there is a small portion of people who have negative perceptions of Jerusalem. I think this group will continue to feel like that, but you know, even that group of people, if you embrace them and you take them by the hand, you can effect change. And we’ve seen that happen. For example, we brought journalism students from universities in the US for a twoweek program to learn about the Jerusalem Foundation projects. And when they went home, they were just different people. We saw what they wrote after the two-week program and what they saw here.

Have you found that Israelis are more willing to participate in philanthropy these days, considering that in the past this was not the case?

I disagree with you on that. Today Israelis participate in philanthropy and in our projects. I think they act differently – they are a little more sophisticated, they want to be involved in the crafting of a project. Perhaps because they live here, they know and want to know more, so they won’t just give money; they give designated money for specific projects, which has its merits.

I think that philanthropy in the future is going that way... We used to call them donors; today, philanthropy is moving more toward partnership, being involved. We at the Jerusalem Foundation have our feet on the ground; we know the reality here, and we are also partners.

Working with a mayor has had its challenges. Things seem to be smoother now, but could you tell us where potential problems in that partnership might arise today and in the future?

First of all, we are totally independent, we are not a branch of the municipality. In most cases, we conduct our projects with the municipality. In some projects, we work according to our plans. What happened in the past [referring to conflicts] was about people, I think people didn’t understand each other – that’s the way I see it.

It’s all about making this place a better place, and here in Jerusalem, we have an opportunity to make this world a better one. That’s what gives me the strength to do all I have to do. And just recently, at the main celebration for Jerusalem Day, that is what the mayor [Nir Barkat] told me when he said that what we do at the Jerusalem Foundation is to show the world that Jerusalem can be a part of the solution. It says everything in my eyes.

On a daily level, how does the Jerusalem Foundation operate? Do you go to the municipality with an idea or a proposal and move it forward, or is it the municipality’s initiative, or something totally different?

It works on both sides. We have teams that work on priorities in order to promote ideas and to work together.

From your experience, what area is it easiest to raise money for: culture? education? welfare? What attracts more eventual donors or philanthropists?

It depends very much on the donors… so I try to know before what is the interest of a donor and I propose our projects accordingly. It really varies.

Is raising money for projects in the city’s Arab sector easier or more difficult? Or perhaps it is the same, as Jerusalem is seen as one city by some donors?

I have in our donors database some who ask to donate especially to the Arab sector in the city. I think that for the first time in many, many years, the government – through the Jerusalem affairs minister [Ze’ev Elkin] and the mayor – is realizing in a very strong way how very important it is for us to invest in east Jerusalem, and how important it is for the future of the city.

What is the emphasis of projects in east Jerusalem?

Education, but also very much unemployment in east Jerusalem, particularly among women. We support programs that prepare participants for the Israeli matriculation exam, that teach Hebrew and develop entrepreneurs.

What have you learned about Jerusalem, beyond the professional aspects of your position? What do you especially love about this city?

I have learned to love the culture of Jerusalem and the richness of the people here – east and west alike. I’ve found that people who live here care more than others about the future of the city. Elsewhere, people are much more interested in the individual; here the emphasis is more on community. Even as a mother, I see that here.

A chat with Johanna Arbib Perugia, president of the Jerusalem Foundation.