ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית World Zionist Organization

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית World Zionist Organization"

Wendy Baker
5 years ago
Views:

1 ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית World Zionist Organization WZO NEWSLETTER No. 6 March / April 2017

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Shalom, We have just finished marking the national events of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, from Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, through Memorial Day for

The WZO was fortunate to be a partner and to occupy a central role in these events.

The Registrar of Endowments has given his approval for realization of the financial agreement between the WZO and JNF, which will enable the organization to return to full activity with renewed

2 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Shalom, We have just finished marking the national events of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, from Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day, through Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism, and ending with Independence Day festivities on the theme of the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. The WZO was fortunate to be a partner and to occupy a central role in these events. We present an overall report of the various departments, which continue their impressive activity despite our financial difficulty. The Registrar of Endowments has given his approval for realization of the financial agreement between the WZO and JNF, which will enable the organization to return to full activity with renewed energy soon. We expect that the next report will reflect the departments' full activity. Avraham Duvdevani (Duvduv) Our feet stood inside your gates, Jerusalem For the first time a special website in 4 languages in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem s reunification. The Diaspora Activities Department offers organizations / movements / educators / shlichim and others innovative, rich and varied educational material: An impressive photo exhibition, games, quizzes, and more, videos with greetings from the Department head, Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, and the personal story of the chair of WZO, Avraham Duvdevani, one of the soldiers who liberated the Old City in the Six Day War. We invite you to use the materials relevant to you from the website: SETTLEMENT DIVISION The Settlement Division returns to activity After a two-year freeze, an agreement was signed between the government and WZO regularizing the Settlement Division s return to full activity. The agreement was signed in Sdot Negev in the Gaza Perimeter in the presence of the Minister of Agriculture, the Division s administration and dozens of regional council heads. The Settlement Division s head, Gael Grunewald said: Settlement is what the Division knows how to do and that s what it will continue to do! Settlement Division JNF The Settlement Division in collaboration with JNF, continues to realize Ben Gurion s vision for settling the Negev. The aim is to bring hundreds of thousands more settlers to the Galilee and the Negev by establishing new settlements. Following the government resolution to establish five new settlements near Arad, we toured the area with JNF chair, Danny Atar to see the settlements locations at close hand and examine ways for collaboration between the bodies for the settlements benefit.

DEPARTMENT FOR ORTHODOX RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS Pesach Delegation 5777 (2017) As every year, a 10-person delegation visited seven Jewish communities in the Diaspora, on behalf of Center for Orthodox

Religious Affairs, Yitzchak Shtiglitz, its manager, and Yishai Bonney, project coordinator.

THE DEPARTMENT FOR DIASPORA ACTIVITIES The second Sayeret mochileros sets out The second cohort of the Mochileros (backpackers) took off for the small communities in Argentina.

The success of the first cohort resulted in many candidates for the second one, and we were able to build an excellent team to arrive in the communities during important dates in Israel's calendar

3 DEPARTMENT FOR ORTHODOX RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS Pesach Delegation 5777 (2017) As every year, a 10-person delegation visited seven Jewish communities in the Diaspora, on behalf of Center for Orthodox Religious Affairs in the Diaspora in WZO to conduct a seder and for religious-zionist activity during the holiday Before leaving, they met with Rabbi Yehiel Wasserman, Head of the Center for Orthodox Religious Affairs, Yitzchak Shtiglitz, its manager, and Yishai Bonney, project coordinator. The shlichim received instructions and were given haggadot for adults and children published by the Department, and materials for activity with youth. THE DEPARTMENT FOR DIASPORA ACTIVITIES The second Sayeret mochileros sets out The second cohort of the Mochileros (backpackers) took off for the small communities in Argentina. This time they will visit twice as many 4 communities: Mendoza, Entre Ríos, Chaco and Santa Fe. The success of the first cohort resulted in many candidates for the second one, and we were able to build an excellent team to arrive in the communities during important dates in Israel's calendar Remembrance Days, Independence Day and Jerusalem Day, when the shlichim bring important content from Israel to these communities. Good luck! We are now beginning to recruit the third cohort that is expected to branch out to Peru and Mexico as well. The Mochileros in the AMIA building in Buenos Aires ready for activity Rabbis Conference in Munich, Germany. A joint seminar of the Association of Rabbis in Germany and the Center for Orthodox Religious Affairs in the Diaspora took place in Munich. The main subject was education in the modern era and relations between home and school. The 120th Anniversary of the First Zionist Congress booklet published by the Center for Orthodox Religious Affairs in the Diaspora was distributed during the seminar. Worldwide Memory Dozens of Zikaron BaSalon meetings lead by the department s shlichim took place on Yom HaShoah. Events took place in Berlin, North America, Australia, Poland, Hungary, Latin America, and elsewhere. Hundreds listened to survivors testimonies, and spoke about the role of memory and forgetting in our lives as individuals and as children of the Jewish people. The Mochileros recently arrived in small communities in Argentina and joined Yom HaShoah community activity in local schools and youth movements. The Beit HaAm leaflet Between Memory and Forgetting manages to arouse discussion and receives increasingly expanding exposure.

DEPARTMENT FOR ISRAEL AND COUNTERING ANTISEMITISM At which congress was the Uganda proposal made?

worldwide. The quiz begins with local quizzes throughout Israel and the Diaspora.

The event connects different generations of the Zionist story who participated in a contemporary educational experience. This year, for the first time, families living in the USA took part.

The 36th Annual Zionist Congress for Youth The Israel Department s 36th Zionist Congress for youth took place in Emek Hamaayanot in the north of Israel.

4 DEPARTMENT FOR ISRAEL AND COUNTERING ANTISEMITISM At which congress was the Uganda proposal made? For the fourth year running, the Department for Activities in Israel, through the Zionist Council and in collaboration with Channel 10, initiated a quiz that connects Zionist families from Israel and worldwide. The quiz begins with local quizzes throughout Israel and the Diaspora. The ten winning families reach the final in Jerusalem, in a festive televised event broadcast on Yom HaAtzmaut on Channel 10. The event connects different generations of the Zionist story who participated in a contemporary educational experience. This year, for the first time, families living in the USA took part. The quiz, which has already become a tradition, received high TV ratings and media coverage. The 36th Annual Zionist Congress for Youth The Israel Department s 36th Zionist Congress for youth took place in Emek Hamaayanot in the north of Israel. Hundreds of youth from all of Israel took part in the congress: boys and girls who represent the sectors that make up the Israeli human mosaic. Participants undergo two days of learning, trips and getting to know different places in Israel, discuss current issues in Israeli society, talk Zionism and enjoy meeting one another. The event ended with a festive plenum with WZO chair Avraham Duvdevani, vice and deputy WZO chair Yaakov Hagoel, Zionist Congress chair Yigal Bibi and Zionist Council CEO Yigal Brand. Masorti Olami Festive opening of the Darchei Noam school for madrichim. As every year, the course for madrichim opened in March, this time with 120 participants: 60 new and 60 in their second year. The program is intended for madrichim in the Noam Zionist youth movement. In the course the madrichim learn youth leadership and group dynamics, and the central topic Israel: movements in Judaism, the Kotel, Shabbat in Israel, the Jewish people's connection to Israel, etc. This successful program is attended by madrichim from 15 Masorti communities in Buenos Aires. The Kiev Masorti community celebrates Pesach Rabbi Reuven Stamov heads the Kiev Masorti community. The community, consisting of families, young couples, children, youth and students, as well as war veterans and refugees from war-torn Ukraine, is very active and thriving. The community experiences Zionism and traditional Judaism through art, cooking, prayers, lessons, dancing, charitable activity, and so on. This Pesach more than 150 of the community members participated in the communal seder. In the photo: students in the Kraków Jewish school, Shaalavim, reenact the Exodus from Egypt and the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.

Herzl Center Seminar for managers of heritage sites in Israel On March 15, the Herzl Center hosted a seminar for managers of heritage sites throughout Israel as part of a course on accessibility for

The managers learned how the Herzl Center was made pedagogically accessible and they experienced accessible activities and received tips on how to implement the topic in their sites.

The Herzl Center has again proved that it is on the map of the world s leading heritage centers!

The seminar was on Herzl: The Man and the Vision and included discussion of the traits of leadership characteristic of the leaders buried at Mt. Herzl. The participants noted that the activity was not only interesting and relevant, but also turned the historical figures into inspirational ones.

5 Herzl Center Seminar for managers of heritage sites in Israel On March 15, the Herzl Center hosted a seminar for managers of heritage sites throughout Israel as part of a course on accessibility for people with special needs. The managers learned how the Herzl Center was made pedagogically accessible and they experienced accessible activities and received tips on how to implement the topic in their sites. After the activity, a moving letter of thanks was received by the Herzl Center, noting the importance and the contribution of this significant activity. The Herzl Center has again proved that it is on the map of the world s leading heritage centers! Seminar for senior NII managers In April a seminar for senior National Insurance Institute managers took place at the Herzl Center. The seminar was on Herzl: The Man and the Vision and included discussion of the traits of leadership characteristic of the leaders buried at Mt. Herzl. The participants noted that the activity was not only interesting and relevant, but also turned the historical figures into inspirational ones. Chol Hamoed Pesach at the Herzl Center For years the Herzl Center has opened its gates to the public on Chol Hamoed Sukkot and Pesach. Hundreds of families choose to undergo an experience that is both enriching and moving. Last Pesach more than 700 people visited the center and learned about the modern Exodus, the story of Zionism, in 5 different languages. There are many similarities between Moses who brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt and to the land of Israel, and Herzl who thought of the idea of the modern return to Israel. The Center s staff have developed a guide that relates to this special connection through different crafts. The many people who filled the center expressed their enthusiasm with the experience warmly in the museum s visitors book. The World Leadership Center Mt. Herzl Young Jewish Leadership Seminar in Germany Geopolitical developments in Europe following the mass emigration from Syria and the growth of radical Islam are a catalyst for Jewish communities to act to strengthen and develop new leadership. The aims of the seminar in March were to develop and empower young leaders who will develop projects, connect to existing organizations, build a peer network and strengthen the connection to Israel. This seminar, dealt mainly with the topic of motivation and teamdevelopment by creating three videos on Jewish identity. The seminar took place over a weekend and included a community Shabbat.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Herzl: The Dream That Came True In March, the Education Department, in collaboration with the Orna Porat Theater, brought the play Herzl: the Dream That Came True for a tour of

The aim was to bring Herzl down from the bookshelf and bring him to life for youth in the Diaspora, and to strengthen the connection between Israel and the Diaspora communities through the Zionist

The play, starring Amichai Pardo and produced and directed by Gil Czernowitz, tells the story of Herzl, who changed history when his private dream became a realization of the dream of millions of

6 EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Herzl: The Dream That Came True In March, the Education Department, in collaboration with the Orna Porat Theater, brought the play Herzl: the Dream That Came True for a tour of schools and community centers in the USA and Venezuela. The play ran in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Paolo Alto, Miami and Venezuela. The aim was to bring Herzl down from the bookshelf and bring him to life for youth in the Diaspora, and to strengthen the connection between Israel and the Diaspora communities through the Zionist dream, on the 120 th anniversary of the first Zionist Congress, said Silvio Joskowicz, head of WZO s Education Department. The play, starring Amichai Pardo and produced and directed by Gil Czernowitz, tells the story of Herzl, who changed history when his private dream became a realization of the dream of millions of people. His unique life story is presented to the young audience, including his many journeys, his relationship with his family, moments of happiness and crisis and above all his uncompromising adherence to his aim. The play breaks down all barriers between audience and actor, and creates live, original theater that arouses the young audience s interest in what is happening and a feeling of familiarity with Herzl. The play transmits a powerful message about the power of faith and vision and the image of a genuine leader. Tamar Freidman of Hillel Torah School, Chicago, says of the play s success: Thank you for the wonderful play that you brought to our school. Herzl s life story staged with great talent by Amichai, involved the school s children in a profound experience, opened a window to Jewish and Israeli history and taught them a story that is important and unfamiliar to them. Thank you for the wonderful opportunity; we will be happy to host Amichai and the Orna Porat Theater again. The Jewish community in Venezuela flocked to the premiere that took place in Caracas with an audience of hundreds of all ages. At the end of the play the audience burst spontaneously into singing Hatikva. The Jewish community saw itself as part of the Jewish people and felt that we were all one people, said Silvio Joskowicz, head of the Education Department, Our aim is to return to all the communities in North America, Canada and Australia and build a bridge between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry. VIA innovation conference for the participants in the programs of the world Zionist youth movements On April 6, 2017 a conference took place at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya for all members of the Zionist youth movements in the Hachshara year in Israel on the topic of innovation, organized by WZO s Education Department, in collaboration with the Jewish Agency s Shlichim Unit, the World Council of Youth Movements and IDC Herzliya. Every year more than 1,000 Jewish youth from throughout the world come to Israel in World Zionist youth movement programs and meet once a year for VIA (Values in Action). IDC president, Prof. Uriel Reichman, Jewish Agency chair Mr. Natan Sharansky and Mr. Silvio Joskowicz, head of WZO s Education Department took part in this year s event on the topic of entrepreneurship in Israel, with the aim of connecting these young people to the spirit of entrepreneurship and encouraging them to develop Jewish entrepreneurial projects throughout the world. It included 3 TED-type lectures and meetings in groups of about 30 participants with entrepreneurs from Israel who presented their projects and spoke about the ideas, challenges and insights that led them, with the aim of encouraging the young people to use their time in Israel to establish a special project and run it after their return to their countries at the end of the program. The seminar was pronounced a success and we are waiting for the participants projects in their communities! Amichai Pardo says I understood for the first time that Herzl, his vision and his heritage, do not just belong to Israel but mainly to Diaspora Jewry. Link to an article about the play Herzl: A dream come true that was published in the Ynet US website: t&cs=3538&langpage=heb

ALIYAH PROMOTION DEPARTMENT A first ulpan class in Sao Paulo A first ulpan class opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in March, as part of the Aliyah Preparation Center of WZO and Ofek Israeli.

The Department head, Marina Rozenberg-Koritni, thanked Lilian who recently began her job, and immediately harnessed her energies to work and said.

Returning home from England At the end of March the Department s shaliach in England, Dmitry Mevzos, took an active part in organizing conferences dedicated to the topic of aliyah and the return to

The conferences took place over 3 days in Manchester and London during which lectures took place on useful topics such as taxation, national insurance, employment, entrepreneurship and other topics

7 ALIYAH PROMOTION DEPARTMENT A first ulpan class in Sao Paulo A first ulpan class opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in March, as part of the Aliyah Preparation Center of WZO and Ofek Israeli. The class opened thanks to the dedicated work of the Department s employee in Brazil Lilian Peretz. The Department head, Marina Rozenberg-Koritni, thanked Lilian who recently began her job, and immediately harnessed her energies to work and said... we will soon see many ulpan classes of the Department in Brazil and a significant increase in the number of olim. Returning home from England At the end of March the Department s shaliach in England, Dmitry Mevzos, took an active part in organizing conferences dedicated to the topic of aliyah and the return to Israel of Israelis residing abroad. The conferences took place over 3 days in Manchester and London during which lectures took place on useful topics such as taxation, national insurance, employment, entrepreneurship and other topics related to preparation for aliyah. Dmitry Mevzos said the combined event was very successful and those who attended received all the necessary information. Collaboration between the Jewish Agency, Bayit Yisraeli and WZO was close and professional. The head of the Department noted the good work being done by Dmitry, manifested not only at the theoretical level but also in the number of people exposed to the topic of aliyah. Building virtual bridges As part of the Aliyah Promotion Department s flagship project to encourage aliyah in WZO establishing ulpan classes for learning Hebrew as aliyah preparation centers the Department is conducting courses for Hebrew teachers taking part in the program. During March 2017 a virtual course for teachers in France and Belgium took place for the first time (20 teachers in the first meeting) and afterwards also in Latin America. In this project, for the first time we have enlisted WZO s technological infrastructure and the Education Department s knowledge. The technological platform enables an interactive meeting between lecturer and participants and among the participants themselves, creating a dynamic class and effective, high quality learning framework. ZIONIST ENTERPRISES DEPARTMENT In recent months the Department has been busy planning its activity in preparation for approval of the budget. It is planned to focus on Zionist activity in Israel s periphery and the lives of the state s citizens. Routine work also continues in the Zionist Archive and the Bialik Institute. The Zionist Archive s third online newsletter was sent to the public and a third Zionist meeting in the Towards the Establishment of the State series took place. In the Bialik Institute researchers took part in a seminar in honor of Shaul Paz s new book..

From Holocaust to Revival WZO remembers the victims of the Holocaust and honors the memory of the fallen in Israel s wars Yom HaShoah the story of those who were silent Let s stand for

ceremony Every year at exactly the same time on Yom Hashoah, and on Yom Hazikaron a siren sounds in the public space in Israel and we remember those who are no longer with us.

Because of this lack and a wish to make this very Israeli experience accessible to Diaspora Jews, we initiated Let s stand for a minute.

he is, to pause for a minute, remember the fallen and feel the experience that is both personal and national.

8 From Holocaust to Revival WZO remembers the victims of the Holocaust and honors the memory of the fallen in Israel s wars Yom HaShoah the story of those who were silent Let s stand for one minute # Paremos 1 Minuto This year we began a tradition in which every year we will share the story of someone who survived the Holocaust and is connected in some way to one of the organization s employees. This year we tell the story of Avraham Gottesman, father of Dubi Barel, CEO of the Finance Department: For Avraham Gottesman s story click here The national institutions Yom HaZikaron ceremony Every year at exactly the same time on Yom Hashoah, and on Yom Hazikaron a siren sounds in the public space in Israel and we remember those who are no longer with us. The siren that stops everything creates a special moment that does not exist for Jews in the Diaspora. Because of this lack and a wish to make this very Israeli experience accessible to Diaspora Jews, we initiated Let s stand for a minute. The Let s stand for a minute project is an app in which the siren and the words of Yizkor translated into the local language, is operated at 11:00 local time, enabling any Jew wherever he is, to pause for a minute, remember the fallen and feel the experience that is both personal and national. To feel part of the Jewish people, even if you are thousands of kilometers from Israel. The project caught on and exceeded expectations, and thousands of Jews around the world observed a minute s silence and were partners to the powerful, unifying experience that we here in Israel experience every year. From here the road is paved to the coming years. Itamar Sternberg, WZO representative in South America, thought of, planned and executed the project in Latin America. The Diaspora Activities Department leveraged it to the other parts of the world.

WZO Newsletter Issue no. 12 May June 2018

WZO Newsletter Issue no. 12 May June 2018 Message From The Chairman Shalom and greetings, The national holidays, Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim, formed the focus of the departments activities in Israel