| BRITISH VISITORS ADMIRE GIVAT HAVIVA |
When Ruth Jacobs, director of the Israel Information Centre in Birmingham, was putting together the itinerary for the February visit to Israel of a group of Jewish and non-Jewish Brits – she felt a visit to Givat Haviva was a must.
The 20 mostly retirees from the Midlands region of England spent a few hours on campus hearing about the different projects being undertaken by the various departments of Givat Haviva, as well as hearing a talk – given by a member of the International Department – on the topic of 'Arab citizens of Israel and the Palestinians: What they share in common and where they are different.'
Ruth Jacobs has visited the Givat Haviva campus in the past with other groups visiting Israel through the Information Centre in Birmingham.
"I think it is important for people from abroad to be able to see and hear for themselves about the efforts to bring people together here in Givat Haviva as unfortunately there doesn't seem to be too much publicity around such positive activities where we come from," said one of the participants gazing up at the wooden Peace Pole, hewn by teenage Jewish and Arab youth in a project undertaken a few years ago.
"I wish I could take that home and show it around," said the gentleman jokingly of the 10 meter high Peace Pole sculptured by the 20 or so teens from a 100 year-old Eucalyptus knocked over in a heavy storm and which nowadays soars over the main lawn of the campus carrying messages of peace on high.
"There should be many more educational institutions of this kind," stated another of the participants as they made their way toward the bus and the next stop on the program – visiting a winery in the nearby town of Binyamina where hopefully a glass would be raised in a toast to the continued success of Givat Haviva's activities both on and off the Wadi Ara campus.
***Upon their return to Birmingham, Ruth Jacobs sent the following email to the International Department staff.
"Thank you so much for the wonderful presentation given to my group which was very appreciative of your clear insight into the complex situation you so graphically described.
I am so grateful for your willingness to meet my group and I know that it helped immensely to put things into some sort of perspective.
"The visit was an overwhelming success."
PHOTOGRAPH:
Birmingham group members raise a toast to Givat Haviva from neighboring Binyamina
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