The comings and goings of July 2009
By Lydia Aisenberg
August 22, 2009
Intense heat and unbelievable humidity – summer is here, and so are bus after bus of young (and not so young) folks from all over North America and Europe, on tour with Birthright-Taglit, Reform, Liberal and Masorti youth movements, synagogue congregations and Jewish university programs.
This month we said l'hitraot (goodbye) to department staff member Dr. David Mendelsohn who has taken a sabbatical in Europe and plans to return to Givat Haviva this time next year. While away from these shores, David (a social linguist) will continue to represent our campus and further promote the International Department's 5-month long Intensive Arabic Semester he successfully helped get on the linguistic track.
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The more than busy month of July was kicked off by a group of folks from San Jose, California. Rabbi Dana L. Magat of Temple Emanu-El, San Jose, led a flock of 24 congregants in all ages.
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The Wexner Foundation Legacy Heritage Summer Institute in Jerusalem hosted 187 Wexner fellows who for the past two years have participated in the Wexner program for community leaders in the United States.
For one day of the week long tour in Israel, fellows were given the opportunity to chose from a number of different tracks. A seminar at Givat Haviva and tour of the surrounding region was one of those on offer.
47 fellows chose the Givat Haviva track. Apparently there were more, but a full bus is a full bus and the last to sign up had to change their intended track of that day. The Givat Haviva track group was accompanied by Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson, Vice President, Leadership Programs of the Wexner Foundation.
Ezra Korman, Senior VP for Education and Program Development, Da'at Travel, had put in a tall order for the group: "This is a group of community leaders from various United States communities and the intention of this day is to raise some of the crucial issues facing the relationship between Jews and Arabs and Israel today, and trends toward the future", wrote Ezra ahead of the seminar.
The Wexner Fellows heard a talk about the Arab citizens of Israel, detailed explanation with regard the Wadi Ara region, Green Line and security fence in the immediate area. Raed Kabaha, a Palestinian resident of the West Bank village of East Barta'a who has Israeli citizenship through marriage, met with the Wexner Fellows and joined them on their detailed tour of Harish, Dotan Valley, Reichan checkpoint, the Shaked Jewish settlement bloc, Katzir and the village of Barta'a.
"We had absolutely no idea we would get such an in-depth presentation as has been experienced here today – this has been such an eye-opener and such a lot to take in", said one of the Wexner Fellows as the tour drew to a close and the group prepared to return to Jerusalem. "Just awesome, amazing and so interesting", added another of the participants.
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The second of two Birthright groups from the British Isles on summer tour this season undertook a tour of the Amir Mountain range with Lydia – traveling to the Mei Ami-Umm al-Fahm lookout where they were able to oversee a large section of the West Bank and Jewish settlements over the Green Line, as well as a portion of the security fence. The tour ended with a quick visit to Barta'a village and lunch on the lawn at Givat Haviva. The students showed a great deal of interest, asking many questions and checking their detailed maps during the tour. This was the third group of British students and young professionals to come to Givat Haviva over a ten day period, the two Birthright groups and the third, a group of students from the Union of Jewish Students in the UK.
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Inner city youth from the city of Baltimore are part of the summer scenery for a month every year on campus at the Yemin Orde Youth Village. The Baltimore youth are participating in the Elijah Cummings Youth Program preparing future community leaders from among outstanding students in the 7th Congressional District.
The Baltimore youth live with their Israeli peers, many from a Russian or Ethiopian background. The American and Israeli youngsters get to know each another while living together, attending seminars – such as that at Givat Haviva – and traveling Israel on structured tours to learn about the country and the people.
The seminar at Givat Haviva – dealing with the Arab citizens of Israel and Jewish-Arab relations in general terms – has been a feature of the Baltimore program every year since inception. Judy Alter, a clinical psychologist from Washington D.C., volunteers every summer at Yemin Orde. Judy takes good care of the Baltimore new students on the village block and their Israeli peers, and we are always happy to see her with the annual intake of youngsters.
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American students and young professionals on a ten-day Birthright-Taglit tour - accompanied by a number of Israeli soldiers and students – participated in a workshop regarding Arab-Jewish relations before undertaking a tour of Wadi Ara and the Amir Mountain range.
The discussions were lively and interaction between the Israelis and their North American peers was on a very high level. A number of students, both American and Israeli, commented on the importance of establishments such as Givat Haviva and their attempts to foster better relationships between the citizens of Israel.
"I had no idea there were educational centers of this nature in Israel and will certainly tell people about Givat Haviva when I return home", one of the students told speaker and guide Lydia Aisenberg at the end of the day.
"I will certainly be back to pay a visit and learn more about projects here", added one of the Israeli students, who admitted that he had been very wary about seeing Givat Haviva on the itinerary.
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Thirty educators from Philadelphia - on a learning experience in Israel through the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education - participated in a workshop at Givat Haviva before going out and about to get to know our region.
Consultant for Adolescent Education, Josh Yarden, headed the group on behalf of CAJE, whose mission is to promote and support Jewish Education for the purpose of developing and enhancing strong and positive Jewish identity, Jewish learning and commitment to and participation in the Jewish community in the United States, Israel and throughout the world.
Auerbach CAJE is a central source for consultation, collaboration, training, programming, advocacy, research, planning, coordination, leadership and resources for professional and lay educators throughout the greater Philadelphia Jewish community – and we were honored to have them include Givat Haviva on their itinerary.
The teachers visited Barta'a, drove over the Amir Mountain range – passing the Reichan forest and viewing a section of the security fence running between Umm al-Fahm and Anin, a Palestinian village in the northernmost portion of the West Bank.
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During the course of July, over 100 Reform Synagogue Youth from the UK participated in an International Department seminar.
Divided into three groups, the youngsters participated in workshops and tours of the area.
Struggling to understand the complicated situation of post-Oslo Peace Accords A, B and C areas of the West Bank, one of the youngsters, standing atop the Amir Mountain range and overlooking a large portion of the West Bank whilse also looking out across the State of Israel to the Mediterranean, sighed, raised his hands skyward and said to Lydia Aisenberg, "Well, it all looks the same from up here!".
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Members of Hashomer Hatzair from Zurich, Switzerland, spent a day on seminar through the International Department at Givat Haviva and on tour in the area.
The youngsters were accompanied by Hashomer Hatzair shaliach (emissary) Bezalel Segev as well as Gil Schneider and Yves Bucher, members of Kvuzat Shachaf who recently rounded off their gap year in Israel.
The Swiss Shomrim spent some hours in the classroom dealing with background to the Middle East conflict before touring Wadi Ara, Harish, Dotan Valley and Reichan checkpoint, where they spoke with Palestinians.
They also visited Barta'a village where Gil and Yves had volunteered teaching English and Drama in the local high-school.
Shaliach Bezalel Segev commented that he thought it was an absolute necessity for all youth groups to undertake a seminar of the nature experienced that day by his group and madrichim.
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Over 40 members of the British Masorti youth movement (NOAM 1) spent a full day seminar on campus, visiting the surrounding area.
The British teens were accompanied by a number of Israeli peers from Omer, near Beersheba, and Modi'in. During the course of the day, the 16 year-olds met with educator and guide Lydia Aisenberg and Israeli lawyer Amir Gara from the Muslim village of Jatt in Wadi Ara.
Both Lydia and Amir commented that the youngsters proved to be an incredible group to work with, lively and with many questions and comments not normally heard from teens after only such a short stay in Israel.
A few days later, another 40 or so youngsters with NOAM 2 came for a similar seminar, and although NOAM-1 was a hard act to follow, Noam-2 did very well indeed, as so did NOAM 3 some 48 hours later.
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A group of 20 friends and families from Switzerland and Austria, on holiday together in Israel, dropped by Givat Haviva.
Lydia Aisenberg worked with the group, giving background to the Wadi Ara area before taking the Swiss and Austrian folk out and about to Harish, Dotan Valley, Reichan Checkpoint, Katzir and a walk around Barta'a where they met with Allam Abu Abead, a Palestinian from Jenin working in West Barta'a.
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With a busy month behind us, and more groups heading our way during the coming month of August, the International Department takes its leave of you for now. We'll be back soon. In the meantime, Shalom & L'hitraot.