Head of the Jerusalem Will Succeed list for municipality Yehuda Ben-Yosef said that After Oct. 7, he says, it is clear that if the Kurds were given a country, “it could be Israel’s next Azerbaijan. They can be our ambassadors to the Muslim world.”
Ben-Yosef, president of the Israeli Kurdish Community, chairman of the Israel-Kurdistan Friendship Association, and promoter of Kurdish culture (poetry, folk song, and dance), however, added that Israel has historically supported Kurdish autonomy, providing military training and advocacy.
He said that political interests – especially with Turkey – have sometimes overshadowed this support, leading to strained relations.While much of the Arab world condemns Israel following Oct. 7, there’s an auspicious alliance waiting to be fostered – with the Kurdish people.
Ben-Yosef really wants to discuss why the Kurds should be Israel’s next ally. “Unlike most nations in the region, the Kurds prioritize inclusivity, regardless of religion or ethnicity,” he says. Moreover, Kurdistan and Israel share common enemies: Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. And, like Israel 75 years ago, they seek independence.
“I want a united Jerusalem,” he declares regarding his candidacy in the upcoming municipal elections. Ben-Yosef is head of the Jerusalem Will Succeed list – with a woman as his No. 2, we are glad to hear.
He is this alliance’s most outspoken advocate, recognizing common adversaries and shared values.
Kurdistan has a population of around 6.5 million, with up to another 45 million Kurds spread throughout the world, including Israel’s some 300,000 Jewish Kurds. Among them is National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Kurds are delighted to have one of their own in Israel’s government. “Not that I am happy about it – but, you know, he is of Kurdish descent,” Ben-Yosef says with a wink.
Since the war, Ben-Yosef has held virtual meetings with Kurdish community leaders across Europe, the US, and Canada to raise awareness. He shows us pictures and videos where men and women draped in Kurdish flags are shouting for Israel, holding unprecedented protests in support of Israel throughout Europe. Later this month, 21 Kurdish community leaders will visit Israel on a solidarity mission, he says with pride.
Yet, he explains, bureaucratic hurdles hinder the full realization of this alliance. “Dozens of Kurds want to volunteer in Israel,” but visa restrictions on their Iraqi passports often prevent Kurdish individuals from freely engaging with Israel, “directly harming it.”
Activist & educator
Born in 1960 in Jerusalem, Ben-Yosef became an activist from an early age through the Oded movement. He served in the IDF Education Corps and built a career in teaching, among the educational leaders who helped introduce technological study programs into the ORT high school network.
Ben-Yosef founded Beit Hatzayar, a high school for youth with behavioral disorders, and fought to establish the beloved animal corner on Old Katamon’s Kaf Tet Be’November Street. The goats and geese provide animal therapy. Children love to walk by and visit the animals; mothers come with babies and older people with their caregivers.
From 1997 until his election to the city council in 2018, Ben-Yosef represented the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood, expanding the area’s education system and establishing a police station. He also fought against the demolition of Canada House – Ulpan Etzion Jerusalem Campus, where many young Anglo immigrants live and learn when they first make aliyah.
He says if even 10% of these immigrants stay in the country, he has succeeded.
Ben-Yosef’s firm philosophy is centered on loving one’s fellow, humility, faith in one’s ability to create, being self-critical, and learning from all.
