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March and April saw bright sunshine, temperatures rising and falling, blossom and pollen in the air coupled with some very heavy rainstorms, even flooding in some parts of the country – almost everything Mother Nature can conjure up in springtime. This time of year carpets of brightly colored wild flowers adorn both sides of the Wadi Ara main highway and purple, pink and white blossomed trees decorate the slopes of the Amir mountain range and Menashe Hills, offering a natural kaleidescopic view of the fascinating and more than colorful area where Givat Haviva is situated. Slightly quieter months than the previous few, March and April enabled International Department staff to breathe a little easier and prepare in earnest for the onslaught of late spring and summer groups whilst at the same time to continue to work closely with the overseas students on the 4th Intensive Arabic Semester residing and studying at nearby Kibbutz Barkai and volunteering their talents teaching English to Israeli Arab Muslim students in Baka al-Gharbiya. The Pesach holiday was a welcome break for staff members to take time out, spend time with their families both at home and abroad and recharge batteries for the heavily booked up summer period. The diversity of groups during these months, German trade unionist, social workers, educators and high-school pupils, American attorneys and youth movement members as well as a number of synagogue congregations, a large group of over 70s from a Menashe Hills kibbutz, coupled with a group of students from different countries but who are all studying Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics, proved to be both interesting as well as very challenging for the International Department staff members working with all these folks Following an introduction to the work of Givat Haviva and quick tour of the campus, Rabbi Berk and congregants enjoyed lunch in the dining-room of the nearby kibbutz of Barkai where they chatted with some of the founder members as they stood in line. The Beth Israel congregants made a tour of the Katzir vantage point and visited Barta’a village before continuing on their way south. From home in San Diego, Rabbi Berk emailed thanks for “a wonderful visit.” The oldest and largest Jewish congregation in San Diego, Congregation Beth Israel is believed to be the only synagogue in the west that has occupied three separate buildings still standing and in use today. With a history spanning three centuries, Congregation Beth Israel will be celebrating 150 years of history this year and we wish them many more successful years for their kehilla.. A group of Attorney’s from Maryland, members of The Simon E. Sobeloff Law Society, paid a visit to Givat Haviva during their recent mission to Israel. The attorney’s met with International Department’s Dr. David Mendelsohn who discussed with them different aspects of the work of Givat Haviva in projects on and off the Wadi Ara campus. The Simon E. Sobeloff Law Society was created to provide a social vehicle to network, encourage civility and build camaraderie among attorneys whilst celebrating their Jewish heritage and Jewish values in the law. The Society serves as a forum for advocating and educating on those matters of mutual interest to Jewish attorneys. In 1952 Simon E. Sobeloff became the first Jewish Judge to sit on the Maryland Court of Appeals. Later in his career he was appointed Solicitor General of the United States and Associate (later Chief) Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Simon E. Sobeloff Law Society was created by a dedicated group of Maryland attorneys and in its first year the Society gained a paid membership of 60 attorneys. The first event of the Sobeloff Society featured former Mideast Ambassador Dennis Ross speaking of “Current Issues and Events in the Middle East.” Givat Haviva is honored that the Society members came to call in on our campus. “This delegation consists guides and educators within the DGB-Youth framework,” explained Annika Worsdorfer, Head of DGB-Youth in Baden-Wuttenberg who attended a seminar and tour organized by the International Department some years ago when a member of the rank and file and not in official capacity as in present times. “I remember the seminar in Givat Haviva very well and it was important to me that this group would have the opportunity to also have such an experience,” explained Annika. The first portion of the program was held at Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek where they visited the home of member Lydia Aisenberg who explained about the history of the kibbutz and in particular the relationship between the local Arab population and the founder members of the kibbutz during the period of the 1920s to late 1940s. A chance meeting with 85 year-old kibbutz born Uri Shaffer gave the participants the opportunity to also hear about his home of over 8 decades and why at his age he still works every day – and intends to continue to do so as long as he is physically able to Shaffer told the young labor unionists. A tour of the Green Line beginning at the Salem checkpoint in the Jezreel Valley and continuing on to Mei Ami and the Jewish settlements in the northern part of the West Bank, Katzir on the Amir Mountain range and visit to Barta’a left the German visitors with much to discuss, think about and possibly entice them to return for a longer visit in the near future. Upon return to Germany, Annika emailed: “Everyone was very impressed by the day we were able to spend with you and it marks the highlight of the week for most of the group. We will have a meeting of the group in May to reflect the week in length.”
JEWISH HELPING HANDS ORGANIZATION, USA A small group from the organization Jewish Helping Hands, founded in 2006 by Rabbi Joel Soffin and committed to the work of tzedakah, justice and righteousness in the world, visited Givat Haviva and were met and guided by Dr. David Mendelsohn. Jewish Helping Hands works both in the United States and abroad with projects organized for Ciudad Romero, El Salvador, Mendoza (Argentina) and have restored a synagogue and Torah scroll for Zvenigorodka, Ukraine. Their projects have included home building and rebuilding, micro-loans and providing meals and educational opportunities for children. With a motto of “Together we can make a difference, one community at a time” that we in Givat Haviva so strongly identify, we are honored to have Jewish Helping Hands visit our campus and region.
TEMPLE MICAH ISRAEL MITZVAH MISSION – POLAND/ISRAEL, March 23 – April, 2, 2011 Netzer is the worldwide movement of the World Union for Progressive Judaism with 16,000 members actively engaged in the organization in present times. Chapters of the movement are located in far flung places such as Australia, Belarus, Germany, North America, Panama, Russia, South Africa just to name a few. Welcoming Netzer members from any place in the world is always our pleasure. Another connection to Washington DC this month was the opportunity to meet with graduates of Washington DC University. The alumni – 28 people mostly in their 70s – were welcomed to Givat Haviva and taken around the campus, Wadi Ara and Barta’a village by Dr. David Mendelsohn. “Most of the people were from the south,” reported David. Although originally from Montreal, David’s paternal grandmother has resided in Nashville all her life and David visits his 92 year-old grandmother a number of times a year and in fact was due to be there again a few weeks after the group visited Givat Haviva. “Strangely enough a number of people in the group actually knew my grandmother,” said David and he promised to look them up during his up and coming visit at Pesach time to the city. The group accompanied David for a stroll around East Barta’a where they engaged in conversation with Rateb Kabaha the local barber and Salah Kabaha who runs a popular restaurant in the town. “The group said that meeting and talking with Rateb and Salah was very meaningful for them,” David reported back to his International Department colleagues. An email received from group participant Erin Anderson thanked David “for such an extremely enlightening presentation” and said for him it was the highlight of the visit to Israel.
Students from USA, Norway, Iceland, Singapore, China, UK, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Cyprus reading Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics participated in a seminar held on campus at Givat Haviva and also whilst out and about on tour of Wadi Ara/Barta’a with Lydia Aisenberg. The students were on the last day of a two week visit arranged by Kol Voice Seminars based in Jerusalem. An intensive program in Israel and the Palestinian areas afforded the students the opportunity to meet with leading personalities in the sphere of politics, media and peace education NGO’s and more. The students were joined by Belgian Bruno Verweer, a recruiter and staff coacher at the University of Brussels, who was cycling around Israel and the Palestinian areas interviewing staff working for NGO’s dealing in peace education. Bruno had visited Ramallah at the same time as the LSE students, the latter recognizing him when he visited Givat Haviva during their seminar and he was invited to join them for their program. Bruno had requested to visit Givat Haviva and interview program directors and facilitators as one of his ports of call during his visit to the region and he was hosted by the International Department for a few days.
BRUNO VERWEER – BRUSSELS ACADEMIC PEDDLING WHEELS OF PEACE “I have a passion for cycling and peacework,” said Bruno who in the past has been involved in the Glencree Center for Reconciliation in Ireland, the Reconcilition Process in Australia and the development of a school in Cambodia. He is presently on the path to a masters in international relations at the University of Brussels and he is researching the role of the civil society in conflict transformation. During his visit to the Givat Haviva campus Bruno spoke with Jodi Canaan, Project Director, Dudu Amitai – head of Yad Yaari - and Givat Haviva Executive Director Haggai Halevi before joining the London School of Economics students for their tour of Wadi Ara.
GYMNASIUM ST. MICHAEL, AHLEN, GERMANY Johannes Epke, a teacher at Gymnasium St. Michael in Ahlen – a town in North Rhine-Westphalia – Germany, has been leading groups of teachers and students to Israel and the Palestinian areas for a number of years and familiar with Givat Haviva and in particular, seminars organized by the International Department. Together with 2 other members of staff, Johannes recently accompanied 20 Gymnasium St. Michael students on a two week tour of the region. The teachers and teens first visited Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek where they heard about the unique way of life in that community, a taste of the veteran kibbutz history stretching almost 90 years and visited the Holocaust Memorial of the kibbutz before beginning a tour of Wadi Ara. From a vantage point overlooking the Shaked bloc of Jewish settlements in the northern part of the West Bank, the visitors from Germany engaged in conversation with two Israeli policemen on patrol of the Green Line/Security fence in the area who explained some of the special characteristics of the area and why from the security point of view it was necessary to patrol the area. Crossing over the Green Line the Ahlen educators and students then visited the Shaked checkpoint where they heard more about the daily life of both the Palestinians living on either side of the fence and the Jewish settlers in the northernmost corner of the West Bank. The group spent time at a vantage point from the Amir Mountain overlooking Barta’a village and the Israeli coastline from Hadera to Netanya and across a large section of the Dotan Valley in the West Bank before visiting the village with their Givat Haviva guide. Crossing a small bridge over the ditch that is the ‘Green Line’ and into East Barta’a, the students were greeted by a group of Palestinian boys wiling away the day sitting on the back of cars lined up alongside the ditch. “Welcome to Palestine,” yelled out one of the older kids as his friends all laughed or smiled broadly at the young visitors from abroad. “Where you from?” said another and “My name is Abed” shouts out another before they continue playing football. The Ahlen students enthusiastically followed all the explanations and made diligent use of the maps provided during the tour and were an absolute delight to guide around and discuss what could or could not be seen reports Lydia their guide for the day.
Ten Emory University academics and alumni were shown around the Givat Haviva campus and heard explanations with regard Haviva Reik and general background about the former British Army base during Mandate times. The academics, who came from Atlanta, Texas and California, met with Inon Tagner who introduced them to the MASA-Givat Haviva Intensive Arabic Semester program of the International Department and other projects of Givat Haviva were touched upon by Lydia who later took the group on a short tour of Wadi Ara. On a day with near perfect visibility the Emory academics and alumni were able to see over a large portion of the Dotan Valley in the West Bank and across the State of Israel from the Green Line to the Mediterranean Sea before actually going down the mountain and in to the village of Barta’a for a short visit. “This experience and so much information has been a real eye opener for me and so grateful for the opportunity to have this experience,” one of the academics told Lydia on their way back to the bus before continuing on their way to the next port of call on the days program. AVIV – 47 teens from Australia & Britain attend 2-day seminar at Givat Haviva April rounded off with a two-day seminar for a large group of forty-seven 18-year olds hailing in the main from different cities in Australia and 3 participants from Britain. The AUJS (Australian Union of Jewish Students) AVIV program is of 5-months duration and the present group of gap-year students attended the Givat Haviva seminar after having reached the half way mark in their program. At the end of the seminar participant Jessica Cohen, who will commence reading History & Politics at Edinburgh University later on this year commented:- “The Givat Haviva seminar has not only been most interesting but also very effective as it has made me think about the Arab-Israeli conflict in much more detail, and in a far more personal way,” said Jessica who was encouraged, as was fellow Glaswegian Jessica Cohen, to participate in the AVIV program by Jared Ross, the UJIA Scotland youth worker who is a past participant of the program. L’hitraot until the next Report on those who came to hear, share and tour our campus and region with the Givat Haviva International Department. Hilit Ben-Zvi, Uri Barel, Lydia Aisenberg & David Mendelsohn |
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GENERAL OVERVIEW
