The 8 British students from the northern communities in Israel with Birthright standing at the Katzir Observation platform on the Amir Mountain range overlooking the West Bank. Left to right: Miriam Burke, Adam Levinson, Diana Bloom, Rachel Cohen, Marc Frame, Paul Binnie, Paul Steinberg and Sam Rosen.
Twenty British university students are touring Israel together with 20 of their Canadian peers. Eight of the Brits on the Birthright trip are from northern Jewish communities - the rest Londoners. The Geordie, Liverpudlian and Glaswegian accents of the northerners are now beginning to become understandable to their Canadian counterparts having been together for a number of days. The students from northern communities are Miriam Burke from Newcastle; Adam Levinson and Diana Bloom from Leeds; Rachel Cohen who studies at Manchester University; Marc Frame and Paul Binnie from Scotland; and Liverpudlians Paul Steinberg and Sam Rosen. The 10-day all expenses paid tour of Israel is aimed at developing a bond between students aged 18-26 and Israel as well as strengthening their Jewish identity. The Jewish Telegraph caught up with the Brits while they were touring the Amir Mountain range in the Wadi Ara area. They were participating in a half-day seminar concentrating on the Arab citizens of Israel organised by the International Department of the Givat Haviva Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace. British born tour guide Tzvi Sperber is responsible for the daily programme of the group. He has been involved in informal educational programmes for many years and is well known to British visitors having guided many missions visiting the country. Tzvi said: "These students are marvelous, showing a great deal of interest in all the places, people and subjects we have been dealing with since they arrived in the country."
Published in the JEWISH TELEGRAPH, BRITAIN - 23 June, 2006
