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1. INN Investigation: Is Aliyah from America Being Shunted Aside?
by David Lev
A different kind of “aliyah revolution” is in the making, and according to aliyah activists as well as officials of the Absorption Ministry, it's a regressive revolution, one that will damage – perhaps severely – the aliyah effort, especially from North America.
At a meeting this week, the Jewish Agency ratified a plan it approved last summer that would change the focus of the organization from encouraging aliyah to encouraging Disapora-Israel ties – in the hope that education on Israel would lead to those inclined to do so to make aliyah.
The plan, titled “Securing the Future: Forging a Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish People,” entails revamping the Jewish Agency to develop programs connecting Israel and Diaspora Jewry, strengthening Jewish identity in the Diaspora, expanding programs, such as MASA, that bring youth to Israel on trips and extended stays – and, of course, encouraging aliyah.
With the shift in focus, though, a number of programs that had been in place to provide assistance to North American Jews to make aliyah have been off-loaded from the Jewish Agency. Some of these programs had been moved to the Absorption Ministry. A veteran of the aliyah movement told Israel National News, that one result will be that North American Jews seeking to make aliyah are destined to “fall through the safety net” of aliyah, getting shunted aside by both the Jewish Agency and the Absorption Ministry.
“One of the casualties of this situation is a program called Aliyah Kehilatit, which brought individuals and communities to all parts of Israel,” the aliyah worker with over 25 years of experience in the field told INN. “The program has been very successful over the past decade, and hundreds of families were resettled in communities from big cities to development towns, all over the country. Each community had a project director to guide families in the process of making aliyah, getting work, finding a home, etc. - the nuts and bolts of aliyah.”
That project is to be closed at the end of the year, though – to be replaced by other projects, that will be far less ambitious and far more poorly funded than the original program, the aliyah worker added.
Why? According to the worker, good, old-fashioned 'protekzia' may have something to do with it. “While they are cutting programs for North Americans, they are expanding programs for Russians and immigrants from former Soviet Union countries,” he said. “The powers that be in the Ministry say that they are getting a lot more immigrants from Russia, and that they should be concentrating their efforts there.”
As an example, the worker points to a gathering of scientists that took place on Tuesday, where immigrant scientists were awarded for their work. “Most of the scientists were Russian. The Ministry spent 2 million shekels ($550,000) on this 'party,' which would have been enough to keep the Aliyah Kehilatit program going for awhile. It's pretty clear where the Ministry's priorities are,” the aliyah worker stated.
Considering that the Ministry's top staff are themselves Russian, there is a smell of 'protezia' involved, he added.
The Jewish Agency is a semi-governmental organization with a specific mission – to encourage aliyah. It is not an educational organization.
So, with the Jewish Agency out of the picture and the Absorption Ministry following its own agenda, who will help North American Jewry make aliyah? The answer, at this point, is Nefesh b'Nefesh, which has been quite successful in bring American and Canadian Jews to Israel. But, according to the worker, NBN is not an ideal solution. “NBN does wonderful work, but it is a private organization, and as such could be involved in legal issues that a government is immune to. If NBN gets sued, it will shut down aliyah from North America altogether.”
One solution, according to the worker, would be to make NBN an official arm of the Israeli government, like the Jewish Agency – but if it were, the organization would lose its tax-free status as a social service organization in the U.S. “The Jewish Agency is fine letting NBN do what is supposed to be its job, and funds NBN with tens of millions of shekels a year,” the worker added. “But the whole situation is very short-sighted, and we are a 'heartbeat away,' so to say, from a major aliyah crisis.” As such, he concluded that North American aliyah is in danger of being “abandoned” by Israeli officials.
Nonsense, a source in the Absorption Ministry responded to Israel National News, saying that North American Jews who wish to make aliyah have nothing to worry about. “The accusations that we are favoring the Russians is ridiculous,” the source said. “Sixty percent of our budget to encourage aliyah is spent in North America, and once an immigrant arrives here, they are treated like everyone else and supplied with all the benefits they are supposed to get.”
If anything, the source said, the Ministry is soldiering on in a difficult situation. “The 'return-on-investment' – the amount of money we spend on encouraging aliyah compared to the results – is very low from North America, where not more than 2,500 people come on an annual basis. We have to take into account all groups, which is why we run events for different communities, but to say we favor one group over another is ridiculous and insulting.” Regarding the event for scientists on Tuesday, the source said that scientists from all over the world were included – including those from the United States.
The source added that the latest round of complaints is due to the abandonment by the Jewish Agency of its role in encouraging aliyah. “We have protested numerous times to the Jewish Agency about this change of direction. The Jewish Agency is a semi-governmental organization with a specific mission – to encourage aliyah. It is not an educational organization, and without its support of aliyah in North America, there is no doubt that the cause of aliyah will be damaged.”
2. IDF Tank Shells Stop Three Gaza Terrorists; One Killed
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Islamic Jihad said one of their terrorists was killed Wednesday when a three-man cell approached the security fence and was met by tank fire at the northern edge of Gaza.
The two other terrorists escaped without injury, and the soldiers were not wounded in the incident. The Islamic Jihad said the cell was on a “mission.”
In a separate incident, foreign media reported that the IDF wounded a Gaza Arab who was looking for building material near the Erez crossing. Military spokespersons said they are investigating the report.
Terrorists in Hamas-controlled Gaza have sharply escalated mortar fire at Israel the past few days. Four shells were fired Wednesday morning, three of them missing their mark and landing in Gaza and the fourth exploding on a kibbutz farm near Sderot.
On Tuesday, five shells were fired, two of them landing in Gaza and three in the western Negev. No injuries or damage was reported in the mortar attacks.
The IDF has carried out a policy since shortly after the end of the Operation Cast Lead in early 2008 to retaliate after every terrorist attack. Gaza-based terrorists have attacked Israel with more than 300 mortar shells and rockets since the end of the ceasefire that ended the counterterrorist campaign.
3. Education Ministry Dumps Program to Certify U.S.Olim Teachers
by David Lev
Israel National News has been informed that a program that retrains licensed teachers from the United States who make aliyah for work in the Israeli school system has been canceled, jeopardizing the prospective immigration of possibly hundreds of teachers in the coming years.
According to aliyah aid group Nefesh b'Nefesh, the closing of the “Morim Olim” (Immigrant teachers) program takes away what had been a valuable resource that teachers who wished to immigrate to Israel have used in the past to get themselves acclimated to the country. The closure of the Morim Olim program program, says Yael Katsman of NBN, means that “there is no longer an address within the system for teachers' questions and concerns, and assistance in helping them find jobs.”
The closure of the Morim Olim program program means that 'there is no longer an address within the system for teachers' questions and concerns, and assistance in helping them find jobs.'
The program, initiated several years ago, successfully integrated hundreds of teachers trained in the United States into the Israeli school system. Teachers were trained on how to deal with Israeli students, and received instructions on how to teach their specialty in Hebrew. At the end of the one-year course, candidates emerged with an Israeli teacher's certificate, which allowed them to apply for jobs in the school system.
But recently, administrators and potential participants were informed that the program was being closed down, said sources close to the program who did not wish to be named. “The course was free, which was a great boon to new immigrants,” said one participant in the program. “I have spent months attempting to track down those who decided to cut the program, in order to determine why they were closing it down. But no one is willing to come out and say why, which makes the closure even more frustrating.”
There are alternatives, an individual involved in running the program said, but they aren't easy – or cheap. “The closest alternative is a one-year program offered by several teachers' colleges, but they are rather expensive. Then there are longer certification courses, but those are also inappropriate for these teachers, who not only have licenses, but have also taught in the classroom, some for many years.”
While budgeting is always a good guess as to why government-funded programs like these are cut, Katsman isn't so sure. There is possibly also the issue of competition for jobs with Israeli teachers. “To the best of our knowledge most of these 'morim olim' were only working with part-time salaries, at one-third or at most half-time positions, but we’re not sure it was exclusively a budgetary issue.”
A higher-up in the Education Ministry who spoke anonymously to Israel National News hinted at this as well, saying that “there has been a lot of back and forth here in recent months, and money is definitely not the only reason for the program cut.”
Officials from the Education Ministry refused to comment, referring all questions to a Ministry spokesperson. Requests for comments to the spokesperson were not answered.
Several Ministry meetings on possibly re-instating the program, scheduled after much pressure by teachers and aliyah advocates, have been postponed, with the newest date for the meeting set for this week. While the likelihood of reinstating the program seems dim at this point, Katsman says she is hopeful.
“The ‘Morim Olim’ program gave much encouragement and advice to these immigrant teachers,” she said. “Nefesh B’Nefesh has been in touch with the Director General of the Ministry of Education and other important players within the Ministry, advocating on behalf of the Olim.”
4. Immigrant Researchers to be Honored
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Immigrants who have excelled in research at The University of Ben Gurion will receive government awards this coming Tuesday, with a 15,000 shekel prize ($4,000) to a professor of science from the former Soviet bloc. The prize is awarded for excellence in their fields in Israel and significant contributions to the advancement of science research and development or to economic growth and society.
The award to Prof. Boris Krasnov will be presented at a ceremony at the University of Tel Aviv, in the presence of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Immigration Minister Sofa Landver.
Born and educated in Moscow, he has worked as a research scientist at the Ramon Science Center and Jacob Blaustein for Desert Research at Ben Gurion University since 1991.
Among other winners who will be awarded are Prof. Joseph Bernstein and Dr. Nelly Kravitz.
Certificates of Recognition for work the past 20 years will be given to other academics, including Professor Miron Landau of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Dr. Eugene Katz of the National Center for Desert Research and Dr. Yulia Ustinov, head of the Department of History.
Tel Aviv University president Joseph Klafter, Science and Technology Minister Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz also will be present at the ceremony.
5. Shin Bet: Put Terrorists' Citizenship On the Line
by Maayana Miskin
Counter terror experts from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) gave support Tuesday to a bill that would strip Israeli terrorists of their citizenship. Forcing would-be terror supporters to put their citizenship on the line could be an effective tool, they said in a statement to the Knesset's Internal Affairs Committee.
The committee heard arguments on a proposal from MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu – Israel Our Home) that would take away from citizens and permanent residents convicted of terrorist activities a variety of benefits, including welfare payments and other financial assistance, and possibly of their legal status as well.
The law “has an element of deterrence when it comes to serious breaches of security,” security officials said. They added that the power to make decisions regarding citizenship should be in the hands of the court.
Rotem explained that his law is aimed primarily at preventing Members of Knesset from giving support to terrorists. “We have to find a solution for cases where an MK betrays the country, but continues to be part of it,” he said.
He was apparently referring to former MK Azmi Bishara, who is accused of giving information to Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War. Bishara fled Israel and has since lived in several Arab states, where he gives talks harshly condemning Israel.
Bishara has admitted to speaking to a Hizbullah operative during the war, but says the information he gave was available in the media.
Rotem's proposal infuriated MK Taleb a-Sana of Ra'am Ta'al, who lashed out at the Yisrael Beiteinu party, calling party head Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman “the biggest criminal in Israel” and terming Rotem “the head of the Israeli mafia.”
“You're here representing the traitors,” Rotem said in response.
6. Religious Soldiers March Forward in Officers’ Course
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Religious soldiers once again make up a disproportionately high number of the graduating IDF officers' course, with good education being cited as one of the reasons.
Although the national religious community makes up far less than 10 percent of Israel’s Jewish population, 22 percent of the officers are religious.
Tuesday’s graduation ceremony for 396 new officers was attended by IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Commander of the Officers' School, Major General Shlomo Turgeon.
One of the graduates, Elnatan Lieberman, told Israel National News that one of the reasons for the large presence of religious soldiers is “good education.” Another new officer, also religious, cited personal meetings among friends who raise morale and encourage them in their military service.
The expulsion of Jews from their Gaza and northern Samaria homes, which were destroyed by the government in 2005, had a temporary effect, said the new officers. "It deterred us and raised questions, but we realized that there was only one thing that can keep us here, and if we start taking part in unrelated activities, we won’t get anywhere. Together, we can build something beautiful.”
7. Expert: Islamists Hate Zionism, but Admire It
by Maayana Miskin
Islamic terrorist groups like Hamas and Hizbullah hate Zionism, but admire its success, says Dr. Uriya Shavit of the Dayan research center. The terrorist groups have even sought to mimic the Zionist success story in their own way, he told Arutz Sheva.
Islamic movements' hatred and opposition to the Jewish presence in Israel goes back for many years, longer than most realize, Shavit said. “However, what is even less widely known is that for all those years, Islamists tried to copy Zionism, and almost admired it,” he declared.
Zionism began as a grassroots Jewish movement to return to the Jewish homeland in the land of Israel. While there were many Jews living in the region already, the Zionists were unique in that they wanted to create a Jewish state, and they were willing to give up comfortable lives in Europe, in the Arab world, and elsewhere in order to do so.
Within decades, they had succeeded in establishing a state, and managed to keep the it alive despite being attacked simultaneously by multiple Arab armies.
Islamists secretly admired Zionism, in part due to their own misinterpretation of the movement, said Shavit. Many believed Zionism to be a religious movement, he explained. While there was “a significant religious element” within Zionism, the movement was actually more secular then than it is today, he said.
Islamists attributed Israeli victories over the primarily Muslim Arab world to Jewish faith and religiouity. They thought that “the Jews fought armed with their Judaism, while the Muslims were not armed with Islam,” Shavit explained. Islamists took their defeat as a message to pursue religious faith instead of political allies or advanced weapons, he said.
Their attempts to copy Zionism continue today, with attempts to mimic Israel's democracy, he added. While Islamist terrorist groups do not seek “democracy” in the Western sense of the word, “they recognize that it is a system that allows its leaders to accomplish things,” and they try to implement it for that reason, holding elections and establishing a parliament.
The results – seen in Gaza and elsewhere – are what the Western world would call theocracy.
When asked if the Islamists' alleged secret respect for Zionism conflicts with other elements of their movements, Shavit responded that it definitely does. “There are many contradictions within Islamist philosophy,” he said.
8. Nefesh B’Nefesh Focuses on Careers
by Elad Benari
About 120 people flocked to a Toronto hotel on a rainy Tuesday evening in order to find out all about their career options if they choose to make Aliyah to Israel.
The event was one of several Aliyah career fairs conducted across North America by Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jewish Agency. Additional fairs are being held this week in New York, Baltimore, and Miami.
Nefesh B’Nefesh conducts these Aliyah fairs on a regular basis, but the reason for the focus on careers this time around is that it is one of the most significant issues for potential Olim.
“There are two important things when moving to Israel,” said Ari Schuchman, Associate Director of Overseas Programs at Nefesh B’Nefesh. “One is communities and the other one is finding a job.” He explained that Nefesh B’Nefesh not only helps Olim learn about the difference between the jobs in Israel and jobs in North America, but also teaches them how to network.
“A lot of Israeli employers don’t want to hire unless you’re physically there,” said Schuchman. “Some people do come with a job beforehand, others it takes six to nine months once they’re there. What we try to do is help people network. We encourage everyone to come on a pilot trip a number of months before Aliyah where they go on informational interviews.”
These “informational interviews” connect the potential Olim with “employment buddies” who pass on their CVs to potential employers in Israel. Once the Aliyah process is complete, the Olim can then meet with the same people they met on the pilot trip in hopes of advancing their career in Israel. The potential employees can be former Olim who have gone through the experience of finding a job in Israel, employees of companies with whom Nefesh B’Nefesh has made contact, or simply people that contact Nefesh B’Nefesh themselves, partly thanks to the publicity that the organization’s chartered flights receive.
Participants in the Toronto fair were offered sessions on a wide range of topics, from job search strategies in Israel to information on specific fields such as lawyers, educators, and hi tech. Also on hand were representatives from shipping companies, financial planners, taxation experts, and even representatives of Israel’s health maintenance organizations.
Israeli cities such as Haifa and Jerusalem were also represented at the fair, and Schuchman explained that Israeli cities now allot budgets for the purpose of reaching out to potential Olim. Haifa and Jerusalem both send senior employees to the fairs whose job is to market their cities to potential future citizens.
In fact, said Smadar Stoller Porat, Project Manager for Olim from English-speaking countries at the Haifa Municipality, the city of Haifa assists Olim in almost everything they need when they arrive, from temporary housing in the heart of the city, through enrollment of children in schools, to assistance in finding employment.
Another unique session in the Toronto fair was “Social Networking in Israel” for singles and young professionals. “They need something different,” said Schuchman. “They need careers but they also need the social aspect of things.” The session was led by Tel Aviv resident David Matlin, a regional co-ordinator with Nefesh B’Nefesh. “He’s their age and they can identify with him. That’s what we’re all about, is actually being able to forge a relationship.”
Since 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh has helped 25,000 individuals from North America and the UK make Aliyah, and Schuchman said that the estimated number of Olim in 2010 is 5,000, up from 4,500 in 2009. Today, 25 per cent of the Olim are younger, a number which is growing.
There are four flight options for people making Aliyah: The Aliyah charter flights which operate during the summer out of New York; group Aliyah flights in which a group of Olim fly together on a regular El Al flight; individual flights; and a USAir flight if there is no El Al flight in the area. “Your Aliyah flight is free as a gift from the State of Israel,” explained Schuchman.
The October fairs will be followed by additional Aliyah events in December in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Northern New Jersey.
For more information about Nefesh B’Nefesh or to open your Aliyah file, visit the Nefesh B’Nefesh website at www.nbn.org.il
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