Written by Young Ambassadors School /Rachel Amrani.
On August 31st, a delegation of youth leaders from Rachel Amrani’s Young Ambassadors School returned from a diplomatic mission to NY, NJ and Massachusetts, where they visited the UN and met with local Jewish communities along with a number of other unique site visits.
The Young Ambassadors delegation included 20 high school students from Petah Tikva and Tel Aviv. Their itinerary included the requisite tourist stops: Times Square, Central Park, Chinatown, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, along with some visits unique to a diplomatic trip: briefings at the UN, meeting with American and Israeli diplomats at the American and Israeli Missions to the UN and the Israeli Consulate and AIPAC in Boston.
As part of the delegation’s focus on strengthening ties between Israeli and American communities and bolstering Jewish heritage, the group visited Kehilah Kedosha Janina, the only Romaniote synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, the Spanish-Portuguese Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in America, and NYC’s Holocaust Museum. They also met with Hazon, a Jewish environmentalist organization, to discuss how Judaism relates to sustainability. In Massachusetts the group was hosted by families from the Youth2Israel (Y2I) program overseen by Debbie Coltin, Congregation Sha’arei Tefilah, and a local Israeli-American family.
Another key goal for the delegation was building bridges with non-Jewish communities. The group partnered with Manhattan’s Brotherhood Synagogue and the Interfaith Encounters Association to host an event with local Muslim activists on Jewish-Muslim relations and how Israel is perceived in different Muslim communities. The Young Ambassadors got to see a Sufi prayer ceremony with the Nur Ashki Jerahhi community and talk to the group’s spiritual leader. In Boston, a professor of biblical studies talked to the group about Evangelical Christian support for Israel.
After ten days abroad, the Young Ambassadors delegation returned to Israel with many ideas and greater motivation to continue their path of people to people diplomacy.
Photos credit Young Ambassadors School /Rachel Amrani.
Did you know that Vietnam is also a coffee producing and exporting country?
Your www.diplomacy.co.il correspondent didn’t know, and that was only one of the interesting and fascinating discoveries at the charming event for diplomats at the Tel Aviv port on Thursday evening. Hosted by Yitzhak Eldan (President of the Ambassadors Club of Israel) at the Loveat Café on the waterfront, the evening was a showcase for the no less than 17 coffee-producing countries with diplomatic ties to the State of Israel. Some of them are the biggest coffee producers in the world.
The representative countries, in no particular order, were Ethiopia, Angola, Nepal, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Kenya, Panama, Thailand, Philippines, D.R. of Congo, El Salvador, Brazil, Honduras and Vietnam. Ambassadors, diplomats and Israeli society members mixed and chatted while having the opportunity to sip and taste the delicious brews of the various countries. Colorful ethnic costumes, plenty of beautiful photographs and lots of literature about the respective countries added beauty and culture to the casual but friendly atmosphere.
Ambassador Eldan welcomed the guests and thanked everyone for coming, and also the Loveat chain, for hosting the event. The introduced the main speaker, H.E. Francesco Maria Talo, ambassador of Italy. Italy is not a coffee-producing country, but is a major coffee consumer; hence the honor accorded the Italian ambassador (who admitted that he personally rarely drinks coffee. “I am the exception that proves the rule”).
Also welcoming the guests was Tal Bodenstein, owner of the Loveat chain. He spoke of the 20 years of coffee culture of the chain, mentioning that their policy is to use organic coffee wherever possible. Also with a brief and interesting introduction was Ofer Gvirtsman, the chain’s “coffee master” – in charge of roasting and preparing the various coffees for the end product we all love to drink. All the ambassadors were then Apresented with certificates recording their presence and contribution to the very successful and unusual diplomatic event.
Mr. Mario Vargas, Economic Commercial Counsellor of the Peruvian Embassy reminded us that not all the countries displaying their wares are actually exporting to Israel – yet. “The market here is growing, and everyone wants in”.
Among the guests were Yoram Naor - Honorary Consul General of Belize in Israel, Ehab Seid - representing La Nova Italiana Ltd. in partnership with Uri Gottlieb , Gary and Monica Class – representing Coppa Coppa Ltd., and our own Silvia Golan – Executive Director of DIPLOMACY.
Hundreds of people arrived last night to Rafi and Ofra Elul's house in Mazkeret- Batya, for the "Grand Finale'" of the Mimouna celebrations. This event is taking place at the Elul's house for the last 29 years.
On the house's lawn, balconies and living room, gathered for a toast, hundreds of men and women. Among them came to honor the President, Shimon Peres, the candidates for presidency Fuad Ben Eliezer and Rubi Rivlin, Minister for Aliya Sofa Landver, The Mayor of Holon Motti Sason, Rani and Hila Rahav and many others from the political, business and society fields. The gathering - which was accompanied with good music with Einat Saruf , Moti, Kaya Schwartz and other musicians, good food and drinks – was heart warming.
President Peres said: This is a holiday of love among all tribes of Israel, who gathered here in spite of their differences. A Jew is a man or woman who holds a child in one hand and the holy Tora in the other... a symbol for continuity and dedication to our moral faith. In my last visit to China, their leaders wanted to know the reason for the large percentage of Jews among Nobel Prize winners. I said that it all depends on the Jewish mother, who devotes her life to her children, which are our most precious treasure. Even though we left Egypt from slavery to freedom, our exodus is not finished until there is no hungry child left in our country, and peace will prevail.
About the holiday source... The Mimouna was brought by the immigrants from Morocco during the 50's. It was celebrated in Morocco for hundreds of years. Mimouna – luck in Arabic – was the spring celebrations in the Atlas Mountains. The holiday was identified with nature and scenery celebrations and people used to visit holy man graves. The essence of the holiday is peace, friendship and good neighborhood between Jews and Muslims. The Muslims used to bring the Jews the first bread after the Passover, and the Jews used to prepare pastries and Mufletas – food that symbols the transfer from the holy to regular times. From Matzo to bread.
Several Jewish holidays – some of which are full legal holidays in Israel – will take place this year between 24 September and 16 October. The Government Press Office would like to provide the following brief summary.
Preparations for the Jewish New Year
The period preceding the Jewish New Year is marked by special penitential prayers, recited before the regular morning prayers, and the blowing of the ram's horn (shofar in Hebrew) after the morning prayer service. Jews of North African and Middle Eastern origin began to recite these special prayers on 28 August; Jews of European origin began to recite them very early this morning (21 September). These special prayers are said daily (except on the New Year holiday itself and the Sabbath) until the day before Yom Kippur (3 October).
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah (the two-day Jewish new year), the observance of which is mandated by Leviticus 23:23-25, will begin at sunset on Wednesday, 24 September and conclude at nightfall on Friday, 26 September. Both days are marked by special prayers and scriptural readings.
The centerpiece of the Rosh Hashanah service is the blowing of the shofar during morning prayers. (The shofar is not sounded on the Sabbath should either of the two days fall on Saturday.) Both days are full public holidays and, as on the Sabbath, there will be no public transportation or newspapers. In addition, many businesses, museums and other institutions, which are normally open on the Sabbath, will be closed over the holiday. The GPO will be closed on Wednesday-Thursday, 24-25 September, inclusive.
Rosh Hashanah is also characterized by two special customs. The first is the eating of apple slices dipped in honey, symbolizing the hope that the coming year will be "sweet." The second involves going to a natural source of flowing water (such as an ocean, river, or spring), reading a selection of scriptural verses and casting pieces of bread into the water – to symbolize the "casting off" of the previous year's sins; this practice derives from Micah 7:19 ("...and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.") This ceremony takes place on the first day of Rosh Hashanah (or on the second, if the first day falls on the Sabbath).
The Period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
The ten days between New Year and Yom Kippur (inclusive) are known as "The Ten Days of Repentance". Jewish tradition maintains that this is a time of judgment when all people and nations are called to account for their deeds of the past year, and when their particular fates for the coming year are decided.
A single Sabbath, known as the "Sabbath of Repentance", always occurs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This Sabbath (27 September this year) is marked by a special reading from Hosea 14:2-10, beginning with, "Return, Israel, to the Lord your God."
The day after the New Year holiday is a day of fasting known as the Fast of Gedaliah, and commemorates the murder of Gedaliah, the Jewish governor of Judea, who was appointed by the Babylonians after they captured Jerusalem in 586 BCE; the episode is recounted in II Kings 25:22-25. When the day after Rosh Hashanah is a Saturday, as it is this year, the fast is postponed by one day. Accordingly, the fast will extend from sunrise on Sunday, 28 September until nightfall the same day. Special scriptural readings are recited, but the day is not a public holiday.
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (Hebrew for "The Day of Atonement") begins at sunset on Friday, 3 October, and concludes at nightfall on Saturday, 4 October. Its observance is mandated by Leviticus 16:29-31 and 23:27-32. The holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur is the day on which, according to Jewish tradition, our fates for the coming year are sealed. Synagogue services – centering on the penitential prayers – will continue for most of the day and include special scriptural readings (including the Book of Jonah in the afternoon). Memorial prayers for the deceased, said four times a year, are recited on Yom Kippur. At nightfall, the shofar is sounded once to mark the end of Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a full public holiday in Israel and almost all establishments (including the GPO) will be closed. There will be no radio or television broadcasts. Since Yom Kippur is a day of introspection, completely separate from the normal course of daily life – the physical aspects of our lives are sublimated while we concentrate on our spiritual concerns – the day is marked by a full (sunset to nightfall) fast. The wearing of leather, the use of cosmetics, bathing and marital relations are likewise forbidden.
Sukkot
The seven-day Sukkot festival, mandated by Leviticus 23:34-35 and 23:39-43, begins at sunset on Wednesday, 8 October and concludes at nightfall on Wednesday, 15 October. The first day, from sunset on Wednesday, 8 October, until nightfall on Thursday, 9 October, is a full public holiday. All seven days of the holiday are marked by special prayers and scriptural readings – including the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is read on Saturday, 11 October. Sukkot is a joyful, family oriented holiday, which follows – and provides a contrast to – the somber, introspective and private character of Yom Kippur. Many businesses and institutions will either close or operate on a reduced basis. The GPO will be closed from 8-16 October, inclusive, and will reopen on Sunday, 19 October.
Sukkot is characterized by two main practices. Jews are enjoined to build, take all of their meals in, and (if possible) sleep in, temporary huts topped with thatch or palm fronds during the festival. These huts (sukkot in Hebrew) commemorate the temporary, portable dwellings in which the Jewish people lived during their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness that followed their liberation from slavery in Egypt. The second main Sukkot observance is the special bouquet – consisting of a closed palm frond, a citron, a myrtle branch and a willow branch – that is held during morning prayers on each of the seven days (except the Sabbath); its origins derive from Leviticus 23:40, many traditional explanations of its symbolism have been cited.
Shemini Atzeret (Simhat Torah)
The Shemini Atzeret (literally "The Eighth Day of Assembly" in Hebrew) holiday immediately follows the last day of Sukkot, beginning at sunset on Wednesday, 15 October and concluding at nightfall on Thursday, 16 October. Its observance is mandated by Leviticus 23:36. It is a full public holiday. (Even though it follows the seven-day Sukkot festival and is often considered part of Sukkot, it is, in fact, a separate holiday. The special bouquet is not used and the obligation to sit in the sukkot no longer applies.) The day's prayer services include the memorial prayers for the deceased, as well as the prayer for plentiful rainfall during the coming winter.
Shemini Atzeret, however, centers around its special scriptural readings. On Shemini Atzeret, the yearly cycle of Torah (the first five books of the Bible, i.e. Genesis to Deuteronomy, one section of which is read on each Sabbath during the year) readings is both completed and begun anew. This event is accompanied by dancing and singing, sometimes continuing for several hours; in religious neighborhoods, these celebrations often spill out into the streets. Thus, the holiday is also referred to as Simhat Torah ("Rejoicing of the Torah" in Hebrew).
“The Bedouin are an inseparable part of the state and partners in its construction. I’m proud to be Israeli.”
160 ambassadors and consuls who represent Israel in over 100 countries throughout the world took part in a tour of the Negev held in conjunction with KKL-JNF, the Or movement and the Israeli foreign ministry. The participants had the opportunity to observe KKL-JNF’s activities at first hand and see how the organization is developing the Negev for the benefit of all its residents, including the local Bedouin.
Group photo: Ambassadors and locals at the Bedouin Heritage center in Tel Sheva Photo: Dudu Grinshpan, KKL-JNF Photo Archive
Israel Ambassador to UN Ron Prosor experiences Bedouin hospitality. Photo: Yoav Devir
“KKL-JNF’s activity in the Negev is the true modern-day Zionism, and it is changing the face of both the area and of Israeli society in general,” said Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to the UN. “Nothing can compare with first-hand observation, with coming along to see how KKL-JNF is making the desert bloom.”
KKL-JNF World Chairman Efi Stenzler met with the members of the delegation in the course of their tour and told them: “The Negev is the growth engine of the Israeli State, and it’s very important that our ambassadors get a feel for what’s really going on here.”
The long tour of the various sites throughout the Negev revealed to the visitors a fascinating, complex and colorful mosaic of life in the desert.
Givot Bar: Jews and Bedouin living in close proximity
Kindergarten in Givot Bar. Photo: Yoav Devir
The first stop along the route was Givot Bar, a new community established in 2004 to the south of the Bedouin town of Rahat. The land was prepared for settlement and developed for public and recreational use with the help of KKL-JNF’s Friends in England and the USA. Today some 130 families live in the community, and there are plans to expand to a maximum of 500.
“This tour is a reminder to us all that, despite everything, we have a wonderful country in which wonderful things are being done,” saidNissim Ben Shitrit, Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Hadara Gurfinkel, Director General of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council, added that the Givot Bar community is an example of the accelerated growth spurt underway throughout the area.
Doron Almog, Director of the Headquarters for Economic and Community Development of the Negev Bedouin. Photo: Yoav Devir
Doron Almog, Director of the Headquarters for Economic and Community Development of the Negev Bedouin, stressed in his speech that the land arrangements in the Negev will benefit the Bedouin first and foremost and improve their quality of life. “A properly-run country cannot tolerate the presence of illegal poverty-ridden shanty towns where there is no electricity or water supply and no connection to the sewage system,” he said. “Working together with the Bedouin population, we are initiating a process at whose conclusion all the Bedouin will be living in officially recognized communities. We are aware that this process involves a profound cultural change.”
Over 200 thousand Bedouin live in the Negev today. Approximately half of them live in 18 recognized communities, while the remainder are scattered among 35 hamlets that have never been accorded official recognition by the state. “If we leave the Bedouin in unrecognized communities, we shall be perpetuating the poverty in which they live and we shall be unable to provide them with the appropriate services,” said Almog. “We want to see Bedouin society integrating into the Negev, improving its socio-economic status and contributing to the Israeli economy.”
Amer Abu Muammar, Mayor of Segev Shalom. Photo: Yoav Devir
“The Bedouin are an inseparable part of the state and partners in its construction. I’m proud to be Israeli,” declared Amer Abu Muammar, Mayor of the Bedouin community of Segev Shalom. “The campaign underway against the state has made us pawns in the hands of the politicians. If there is opposition to the land regulation on the left and right of the political map, that’s a sign that there’s something to build on. If we talk and listen to one another, we can find a solution to the disagreements.”
With regard to international reaction to the Bedouin issue, KKL-JNF World Chairman Efi Stenzler said: “The media are full of disinformation that is designed to harm the State of Israel and the Jewish People. The campaigns waged against us are a new form of anti-Semitism. As a Jewish Zionist organization, we believe that it is our job to help all citizens of the state, and this is why KKL-JNF promotes numerous projects for the benefit of the Negev Bedouin.”
The delegation made its way next to Rahat, where it toured the attractive new neighborhood that is in the process of being added to the town. Anat Gold, Director of Planning for KKL-JNF's Southern Region, showed the visitors another new KKL-JNF project in Rahat – the Gerar River Park. “This park is a source of both social and physical change in the town, and it has transformed the site from an eyesore into an asset. It links the different parts of the town and provides a connection between the various communities living within it,” she explained. The first stage in the establishment of the park, which included the preparation of the ground and the construction of paths and terraces, was carried out by KKL-JNF. Stage two, which is just starting now, comprises landscaping and the provision of lighting and playground equipment. “KKL-JNF works for the benefit of all residents of the Negev, Jews and Bedouin alike,” emphasized Anat Gold in conclusion.
Visitors are greeted with flowers by a local youth ensemble in the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva. Photo: Yoav Devir
The visit to the Bedouin community of Tel Sheva began inauspiciously, when a stone thrown at one of the buses shattered its rear window. Fortunately, no one was hurt. At the local Bedouin heritage center, however, the ambassadors were greeted by children offering flowers, while a traditional musical welcome was provided by a local youth ensemble.
Qasem Abu Sarhan, Deputy Mayor of Tel Sheva, told his guests about the community, which is home to eighteen thousand residents, 65% of whom are under the age of eighteen. The main challenges facing the community are education, employment and housing, he said.
“We all need to work together to improve the state of Bedouin society,” said Kheyr Al-Baz, Director General of the Bedouin social organization Ajik. He told his listeners that 50% of Bedouin families live below the poverty line, and that only 3% of Bedouin youngsters pursue academic studies. “Education is the key to closing these gaps,” he said. “Despite all the difficulties, many of the young men volunteer to serve in the IDF, and young women volunteer for civilian national service.”
“We’ve learned at first hand about Bedouin society, and I share the view that education can help to break down all barriers,” said Foreign Ministry Director General Nissim Ben Shitrit.
Maryam and Naji Abu Rqaiq. Photo: Yoav Devir
At the Bat Midbar (“Daughter of the Desert”) company in Tel Sheva, which manufactures the first Bedouin line of cosmetics, the visitors met Maryam Abu Rqaiq, who founded this successful enterprise. She recounted how she had used her grandmother’s knowledge of traditional plant remedies in order to produce creams, soaps and oils that are now sold throughout the world. Today she employs a staff of five Bedouin women and dreams of continuing to expand the business to provide employment for many more people.
“People from all over the world come to our visitors’ center, and I believe we can serve as an example of how we can all live together,” said Maryam’s husband Naji Abu Rqaiq. The ambassadors, of course, did not leave the factory empty handed: they concluded their visit with the purchase of a selection of cosmetic products.
“This visit has helped us towards a deeper understanding of the Bedouin issue,” said David Siegel, Israel’s Consul General in Los Angeles. “Developing the Negev benefits all residents of Israel. This is a complex situation, and it is our job to explain it to people abroad.”
Carmit is a new community in the northern Negev that was established jointly by KKL-JNF and the Or settlement movement. KKL-JNF prepared the land for the construction of a community of 510 families, who will constitute the first stage of settlement. KKL-JNF will also develop adjacent green areas, with the help of its friends in Spain and Australia, and with the help of its Friends in Mexico, it will plant trees in the community’s environs.
The community is designed to comprise 2,500 housing units over an area of 4,500 dunam (approx 1,125 acres), and residents are scheduled to move into the first neighborhood at the end of 2015. The synagogue and community center have already been built, thanks to a donation from Robert and Shirley Levitt.
“People have been quick to declare that Zionism and KKL-JNF are ancient history, and to tell us that young people are no longer interested in settling the Negev. But all these gloomy predictions have been proved wrong,” said Roni Palmer, CEO of the Or settlement movement. “The Negev and the Galilee constitute 70% of our land, and 100% of our future. Together we shall continue to build the state.”
Avner Ben Gera, the Mayor of Meitar, the nearby settlement under whose aegis Carmit is being founded, recalled in his speech the vision of David Ben Gurion: “All these years we’ve talked about making the desert bloom and settling the Negev, and now here we are busily founding new communities in this part of country.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin met the ambassadors at Carmit and told them, “There’s nothing better than seeing for yourselves, so that you can tell the world what’s really happening here.” He added with a smile: “Where public diplomacy is concerned, the truth, too, is an option worth considering, and it’s by no means the worst option available.”
Efi Stenzler told those present something of KKL-JNF’s activities in the Negev as a green-oriented Zionist organization involved in planting trees in the desert, establishing parks and recreation areas and developing water resources and agriculture. “KKL-JNF’s expertise in these fields is of help to many other countries throughout the world,” he told the ambassadors. While the speeches were in progress, the heavy-duty bulldozer could be observed through the windows of the hall as it doggedly continued to operate. It takes more than words to establish a new community, and work does not stop for a moment. Before leaving Carmit, the guests planted an olive tree together. This tree will grow, the community will develop, and before long, its residents will be able to enjoy its fruit.
Beersheva River Park Bridge lit up at night. Photo: Yoav Devir
Those who visit Beersheba River Park find it hard to believe that until just a few years ago, this area was the city’s neglected backyard and the site of a polluted rubbish dump. Today it is a beautiful park with well-tended lawns, impressive landscaping and attractive promenades. Development is carried out in conjunction with of KKL-JNF’s Friends in Canada, Germany andSwitzerland.
This strip of parkland occupies an area of 4,500 dunam (around 1,125 acres) for a length of eight kilometers between Tel Beersheba and B’er Avraham (“Abraham’s Well”). The site includes an open-air amphitheater with room to seat 12,000 people. Work on Israel’s largest artificial lake is now in progress at the site; when completed, it will extend over an area of 80 dunam (some 20 acres) and will be surrounded by restaurants, cafés and recreational areas that have yet to be built. All the water in the park is purified effluent from the reservoirs established in the region by KKL-JNF.
Plans for the future include a botanical garden of desert plants, a sports center and an amusement park. The park area includes archeological and heritage sites such as ancient wells, a Turkish railway bridge and the Beit Eshel scenic lookout. “The park has changed the city’s image and the leisure habits of residents of both Beersheba and the Negev,” declared KKL-JNF’s Anat Gold.
Ilan Peretz, CEO of the Beersheba River Authority, presented the development plans, which include the construction of ten bridges over the river to link the park to the city’s different neighborhoods. At present the river is dry for most of the year, but future plans include filling it with water.
“I take part in a variety of KKL-JNF events in the USA, and it’s amazing to see the results of our activities abroad as they come to fruition here in the Negev,” said Opher Aviran, Israel’s consul in Atlanta. “People overseas are unaware of KKL-JNF’s investment in the Bedouin sector, and it’s important to bring these activities to the attention of the public.”
