Al-Qasemi Academic College Conference 
"The Culture of Dialogue" 

Thursday, January 25, 2007

It is a great pleasure to be a guest at "The Culture of Dialogue" Conference organized by the Al-Qasemi Academic College.

It is often said that American culture is a blend of many different cultures. The metaphor often used to reflect this assumption is the "melting pot." It is thought that immigrants from around the globe bring their cultures and "throw them into the American pot." The mixture is stirred by events until the various cultures blend together.

There is some truth to this metaphor. However, in reality, the United States is a culturally diverse society with regional, ethnic, linguistic and religious fluctuations around the dominant culture. Immigrants become a part of this culture by giving up many of their differences as they join the social mainstream. Nonetheless, they inevitably retain some of their favorite traditions which then gradually circulate within the larger society and can eventually become part of the mainstream.

This is possible because American culture is dynamic and still steadily evolving. This should not be surprising. After all, we're a young nation spread over a continental sized land mass and we live in an age where modern communications can allow information and entertainment from anywhere in the world to reach us at the touch of a button or the click of a mouse. However, there's another reason: more and more Americans nowadays believe that cultural diversity enhances creative problem solving and increases productivity.

Not only are differences welcomed, but they are even valued and viewed as strengths. Very few Americans today would want to go back to the past when minorities had to give up their differences to fit into the mainstream culture. Diversity is seen as an opportunity to be embraced, not an obstacle to be overcome. This open attitude reflects the strength of our culture and our confidence in it.

The larger issue facing America today is not how to eliminate our differences, but rather how to best manage a society with so many differences to reap the most benefit from them. The United States has always been very diverse, but it is no longer a matter of bringing together different European nationalities and ethnic groups, if it ever was. Today, diversity means all races and religions, ethnic groups, various nationalities, men and women. In some circumstances it can also mean the disabled, employees of all ages, and people with different sexual preferences. Because of the reality of the demographic changes, increasing global interdependence, and the obvious benefits of diversity, Americans are increasingly willing to adapt and develop the necessary skills to communicate and work with people of all cultural backgrounds.

Over the past several years, the U.S. Embassy has worked closely with Israeli NGOs, academics, and policy-makers to encourage a dialogue on democratic principles in society. We believe that fostering a strong civil society encourages understanding, tolerance, and empathy among diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural groups, in Israel as well as the United States.

Experience has taught us that healthy democracies require the constant and dedicated work of engaged, active, knowledgeable citizens. Ways have to be found for members of diverse interest groups to forge bonds to solve common problems and build bridges across lines of conflict. We also have to concentrate on creating systems and techniques for dealing effectively and constructively with our societies' complex ethnic and cultural mixes.

By discussing, explaining, and exposing some of the dilemmas democracies face in times of crisis, you will no doubt find yourselves assessing and critiquing the behavior of the government and the populace during times of stress. Israel is not alone in facing fateful questions that sometimes bring the majority's real need for a feeling of security into conflict with the principle of fair treatment for "the other." In the United States we have grappled with questions of ethnic diversity, and we have a rich history of efforts to overcome racial prejudice and discrimination. For example, a few years ago we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's "Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas" decision, which overturned the notion that education can be "separate but equal," and the 40th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights legislation, which formed the basis for greater political equality for America's minority, particularly black, populations.

By the way, here I'd like to note that I am personally a member of the first generation of Americans to benefit from these changes. I am particularly fond of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. You see, as a boy I lived for a while in Topeka, Kansas, and it just so happens that I started kindergarten in the fall of 1955 in one of the very first schools that was integrated by the Court's decision. One of three black children who enrolled in our school that fall became my classmate and my friend. This friendship shaped forever my outlook on the value of diversity.

Of course, not all America's experiments with race relations ended as happily as the integration of my Topeka kindergarten. There's no denying that we have experienced a painful history in this area, and more than fifty years later we are still trying to get it 100 per cent right.

I'm sure that you will profit from your discussions today. I wish you all success.