Taglit-Birthright in Givat Haviva and Wadi Ara
By Lydia Aisenberg
August 15, 2007
Sheldon Adelson, an American billionaire who this year contributed $30 million toward the Taglit-Birthright program bringing unaffiliated Jewish students and young professionals to Israel, has doubled his contribution to the project next year in celebration of the State of Israel’s 60th anniversary.
Adelson said recently in a reception held at President Shimon Peres residence that he was donating $1 million for each of the 60 years since the foundation of the state, by which time around 150,000 Jewish young adults will have been to visit the country for 10 days at the invitation and expense of Adelson, co-billionaire founders and contributors Michael Steinhardt and Charles Bronfman and the Jewish Agency.
Almost since the inception of the innovative and highly successful project, a Givat Haviva seminar and tour of Wadi Ara has been firmly on the agenda of many of the Taglit-Birthright groups, especially those coming through the two largest tour operators of Jewish youth from abroad, Israel Experts and Israel Experience.
In the beginning, some six or so years ago, the groups of students and young professionals from the ages of 18-26 were mostly from university campuses across North America but nowadays the groups of roughly 40 with a staff of 4 (2 Israeli and 2 from the country of the group’s origin) represent almost all European countries as well as America and Canada and embrace as far flung places as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the South Americas. In recent years there has been a marked increase from Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and Baltic countries.
The challenges facing the staff of the International Department at Givat Haiva in providing seminars dealing with sensitive issues around Jewish-Arab relations and those between the Israeli Arab population and the Palestinian people have been gladly welcomed, and expanded upon as the volume of the Taglit-Birthright program and number of participants has rapidly grown.
With three permanent staff members and a number of freelancers there have been days this summer where no less than 4 or 5 Birthright groups have called in for a seminar consisting of a workshop full of background information, map reading - followed by a quick whip around the Wadi Ara region to understand more clearly the pre-l967 border with Jordan, the path of the security fence and general topography of the area.
Apart from meeting Jewish speakers the students and young professionals also have the opportunity to meet with and discuss pertinent issues with Israeli Arab speakers and sometimes chat with Arab folks in the streets of one of the local villages.
As it is the norm for the groups to have soldiers serving in the IDF accompany the overseas young adults for at least a few days of their 10 day tour in order to get to know better their Israeli peers, many soldiers have also gleaned a Givat Haviva experience and amongst them there re those who have commented they thought such educational seminars should become part of the high-school curriculum or mandatory in the first months of army service.
TAGLIT-BIRTHRIGHT from the USA, young professionals in the public relations field – intently listen to Mohammad Darawshe during a Givat Haviva seminar.
The flow of emails from students once back home fielding pertinent questions with regard the subjects touched upon during the International Department’s Givat Haviva seminar is constant.
In the main the questions asked about and requests of suggested reading material deal with the Arab citizens of Israel, the Palestinians, background to the Middle East conflict, Zionism, the Kibbutz Movement, Israeli Society in general and host of other subjects touched upon during seminars.
Emails commenting on the importance of the seminars often contain the passages “eye-opening experience,” “highlight of my Israel visit,” and “a must for every first time visitor.”
British pharmacist Rebekah Rose from Manchester, traveling with BRUK 6 – the sixth British Birthright group this year – was encouraged to join a Birthright program by her twin sister Esther who had done so two years ago.
A participant in a mixed group of students and young professionals, and with 6 Israeli soldiers aboard for a 3-day shared experience of getting to know each other – Rebekah was very enthusiastic about the Givat Haviva seminar incorporating Jewish and Arab speakers and a tour of Wadi Ara.
“The seminar at Givat Haviva was one of the most interesting activities we have participated in so far,” said Rebekah, one week in to the 10-day tour.
“Learning about Israel’s Arab citizens and their complex relationship with the Palestinians, as well as being able to see so much of the West Bank and across the State of Israel from the vantage point we were taken to in Wadi Ara, has generated a great deal of discussion between the British Birthright participants and the Israeli soldiers who are accompanying us on this part of the journey,” Rebekah said.
The Birthright UK group also carry a journal on board. Students jot down their thoughts in the group journal, Rebekah amongst them.
“I wrote about the Givat Haviva seminar as it really was a special experience – in fact I wrote that I haven’t taken notes like that since I was in university,” she said laughing during a telephone conversation a few days later.