The Community Council as a Merger of Two Neighborhood Organizations: Neighborhood Self-Management and Community Centers

Abstract

This chapter describes and analyzes the emergence of the community council, which merged two organizations operating in the neighborhoods of Jerusalem Neighborhood Self-Management Organizations and community centers. The description begins with the demographic, social, and economic characteristics of Jerusalem and its population, which provide the background for the establishment of the new neighborhood community organization. The presentation of background data will be followed by a description of the neighborhood organizations that participated in the merger, the process that led to the establishment of the community councils in Jerusalem, and the driving and restraining forces that affected the process. The concluding section of the chapter will present findings on the development of the community councils and the dilemmas they faced.