Bus after bus with banners declaring the occupants were sharing a month‐long experience of a lifetime with BBYO Passport to the World or Passport to Israel programs, entered the gates of Givat Haviva during the course of this month, the seminars booked with the International Department by AUTHENTIC ISRAEL tour operators.

Some of the groups arriving at Givat Haviva had spent time in Poland, or Prague and other European capitals with a rich and emotional Jewish history prior to their arriving in Israel.

Others came direct from North America to Israel.   All came relatively exhausted, hot and bothered but in the main perked up during the seminars and tours, asked a lot of questions and went on their way with a many more questions formulating and their Israeli and American madrichim preparing themselves for challenging conversations ahead as a result of their Givat Haviva visit.

“Thank you for sharing so much information about the Arab people and important points of history we haven’t dealt with yet.   It suddenly makes a lot of what I had heard before make more sense,” said one of the youngsters at the end of one of the talks dealing with the Arab citizens of Israel and the Palestinian people, what they share in common and where they are also very different as well as the relationship between the Arab citizens of Israel and the Jewish majority.

“I guess, like you said, I need to start reading when I get home and expect to get some emails from me!” proclaimed another.

One of the Israeli madrichim (educators) who admitted to being skeptical about the proposed Givat Haviva visit, later said that he had also learned a few things!    He also commented he had been impressed by the “balanced presentation of complicated Jewish‐Arab issues” and was sure that the experience had been a positive and important one for his North American charges.

Upon hearing the story of British trained paratrooper Haviva Reik, after whom Givat Haviva is named, a number of students asked for more material as they had heard of Hannah  Senesh – knew the words to some of her prose that had been set to music – but had never before come across the story of her friend Haviva who shared the same fate – death at the hands of the Nazis.

“I wonder why we would have heard so much about one and nothing about the other,” mused one of the students who said she would definitely chase up more information about Haviva Reik and pass on to her synagogue educators.

A large group of British youth affiliated with the Liberal Judaism Youth Netzer in the UK  spent two days on campus during which time they heard talks, participated in workshops and undertook a tour of the Katzir mountain range and Barta’a village.

Joining the group were 3 Israeli teens from Karmiel whose youth movement (Masorti) works closely with their British counterparts.

During their stay on campus the young Brits proved to be a lively group, a pleasure to work with and hopefully we will see many of them back on campus in the not too distant future.

Teenage friends Gearoid Johnston and Liam Barrington from Kilmihil, County Clare in Ireland spent a month of their summer break working in the almost and olive orchards of a Jezreel Valley kibbutz and were interested to know more about the other occupants of the historical valley.

Gearold and Liam spent an afternoon with a member of the International Department staff in the corner of the valley where the Green Line & Security Fence run across that valley from the Gilboa mountain range to the Amir mountain range and up to Umm al‐Fahm.

The friends guided tour incorporated visiting the Umm al‐Fahm municipal dump for building debris from where they could follow the path of the Green Line and fence between that city and the Palestinian village of Anin followed by an observation point above the line and fence whereby possible to overlook the city of Jenin and other Palestinian villages in the West Bank’s Dotan Valley.

The Irish lads also visited the Jewish settlement of Hananit to take in the view of the valley from that vantage point and also called in at the Rehan‐Barta’a checkpoint before visiting the divided village of Barta’a.

Scrutinizing maps of the region, Gearold and Liam were able to match distances, communities both inside the State of Israel and the West Bank easily to what they could see below and around them.

“This has been a very interesting and educational experience,” said Gearold.

“We will be back,” joined in Liam.

“The group comprised 17 students (in their early to mid 20s) from Switzerland. We had a talk on Givat Haviva and its programs, discussed the meaning, hopes and endeavors of co-existence, the history and current situation

of Arabs in Israel, toured the campus and then went to Barta’a village,” explained David after the visit. 

“In Barta’a we had long chats with a number of local Palestinians who expressed very different opinions -much to the delight of the fascinated students and we finished it off with a late lunch at the restaurant of Anes - much to the delight of Anes!” he said.

The bus banner declaring the presence of 40 NOAM Masorti Youth is approaching!   On an extremely hot day the first group of youngsters participated in a workshop with Lydia, met with Amir Gara, a local lawyer who discussed what it meant for him to be an Arab citizen of Israel and then after lunch, visited Barta’a.

The young Brits were deeply involved in discussions, asked many questions and interacted with the speakers –conducting themselves in a very respective manner.

In the photograph above NOAM hit the heights on the railings overlooking the West Bank from the Amir mountain range.

THE ALEXANDER MUSS HIGH‐SCHOOL IN ISRAEL brought two groups together on the same day as a group of American students on Israel Tour with Authentic Israel (TLALIM) and they were all joined by the second group of NOAM UK this month.   Staff members David Mendelsohn, Israel Neeman, Lydia Aisenberg and Inon Tagner dealt with the groups who following talks by staff members and meeting with Amir Gara, went on tours of the Wadi Ara

region with their International Department staff members.

A difficult day handled with not too many glitches and with very positive feedback from both Israeli and American madrichim as well as the teens themselves.

AMIR GARA photographed during a session in the classroom.  Hands were raised with more difficult questions for the Israeli Arab Muslim lawyer from the village of Jatt to answer.  Amir addressed hundreds of Jewish youth from North America and Britain during the month of July and said he appreciated the opportunity of meeting with Jewish youth from overseas and to discuss with them sensitive issues … for both sides.

Although disagreements arose between Amir and seminar participants and often heated discussions took place, the encounters were conducted in an atmosphere of honor, respect and listening to the other in the spirit of Givat Haviva.  Kol HaKavod to Amir, seminar participants and madrichim.

RSY‐NETZER UK have been part of the summer scene at Givat Haviva for many years and this year saw the biggest numbers of participants on tour with RSY than ever before and all five groups participated in a full day seminar organized and carried out by International Department staff members, all of whom delighted to have had the opportunity to work with such great teens from the British Isles.

Coming over a two day period the groups, each comprising 45 teens and madrichim, heard talks and participated in a tour of the Amir mountain range and visit to Barta’a village.

Some of the teens expressed extremely positive comments about the opportunity of hearing about and seeing for themselves so much in one day.

“I don’t normally like sitting and listening to people give talks but today was so special because it was so interesting it made me think about issues I never really gave much thought to before,” one young lady told Lydia Aisenberg at the end of the day.

A welcome visitor checking out the activities was Ilan Scorah, Program Coordinator for the UJIA UK.   No stranger to Givat Haviva having been in the past a seminar participant during his teens and member of Habonim‐Dror and later on as a madrich and movement worker in the UK.  

The new executive team of the Union of Jewish Students who will commence work on campuses around the British Isles in the new academic year, called in for a lesson in Arabic at Givat Haviva during their recent fact finding tour of Israel.   They were also taken to visit the nearby town of Harish – one of the ‘Seven Stars’ of Ariel Sharon constructed in the late 1980’s when Sharon was Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and a number of sites in the Dotan Valley, winding up with a short visit to Barta’a.

Most of the UJS staffers had participated in seminars at Givat Haviva in the past.   Matt Keston, the new UJIA MASA Fieldworker and member of the group graduated the MASA‐Givat Haviva Intensive Arabic Semester last year prior to taking up with the UJS and hopefully with his new posting Matt will direct some of the students to the next semester due to start in January, 2012.

Students from Holland gather at the memorial to Haviva Reik on the main lawn at Givat Haviva.

The students were very interested in hearing about the educational programs and specific projects of the organization from Lydia before continuing with Shlomo Burlah.

“It’s good to know that there are places like Givat Haviva in Israel,” said one of the students who then promised to check out the website to read more in‐depth about the institute’s activities.

British BBYO members gather at the Givat Haviva Peace Tree on the main lawn of the campus and right ‐ Aviva McLeod‐Engelhard of Nottingham, Jonathan Greenberg of Bournemouth and Alice Engler of Cheshire.

British BBYO madrich Jonathan Greenberg, who studies Urban Development at Manchester University, has been in the movement for 8 years and during his own Israel Tour when he was 15 years‐old also attended a seminar at Givat Haviva.   Pictured together with Jonathan are Aviva McLeon‐Engelhard of Nottingham (who is in charge of the Nottingham branch of BBYO) and Alice Engler from Bowden, Cheshire.  

WHEW! So, that was the month that was!  No rest yet though as August is also booked with many more groups from abroad who want to have a Givat Haviva experience coupled with their overall Israel Experience.

L’hitraot,

Hilit Ben‐Zvi, Uri Barel, Lydia Aisenberg & David Mendelsohn.