Around the World

Promoting Israel and Aliyah

Spreading the Seeds of Aliyah

r-l: Robert Haas (one of the Pirchei Aliyah) working on the Slovak Jewish Monthly, with his colleagues, Michael Szatmary and Pavol Poloni.

Speaking from the beautiful city of Bratislava in Slovakia, Robert Haas, who volunteers as one of the twenty-three Pirchei Aliyah in Central Europe, recently attended a week-long Tnuat Aliyah seminar in Israel to learn about the Jewish Agency, absorption, Israel programs and aliyah promotion. "Everything was interesting, but I particularly liked the workshops on public presentations and the media." At the completion of Robert's tenure as Chairperson of the Slovakian Jewish Youth, he wanted to "continue being active in the community." So, in addition to running the monthly Jewish newspaper, Hochmes, and developing a website, www.delet.sk with a friend, Robert volunteers as a Perach Aliyah, providing invaluable information about Israel and Israel-programs to Slovakian Jews.

Meir Beck, Immigration and Absorption Department emissary based in Budapest, has Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia the Former Yugoslavia, as well as Hungary, under his purview. "The Pirchei Aliyah are indispensable to our efforts to organize Israel events and spread the word of Israel to the many Jewish communities of Central Europe. Last week in the Former Yugoslavia, I met with the Pirchei Aliyah to make a short-term work plan. Firstly, they will translate the aliyah and program brochures into Serbian, and at the many upcoming "Cholent Day" celebrations of Yugoslav Jewry, they will distribute those brochures and be available for consultations. This past Chanukah, our three Pirchei Aliyah in Budapest were at parties around the city with material for distribution, and met with many people interested in Israel."

However, Meir admits, "no matter how successful our Pirchei Aliyah are, they cannot solve the underlying problem which is that Israel programs are beyond the financial means of Central Europeans. If we could make scholarships available, I guarantee a dramatic rise in registration for programs, which would concurrently strengthen both the community and the Israel and aliyah promotion mechanisms."

Wandering Minstrel and Friends

Performing ballads, songs and snatches on their way from community to community, the caravan "Faces and Voices of Israel" met with Jews across Germany. Conceived and orchestrated by the Department of Zionist Activities and the Immigration and Absorption, a trio set out the last week in November to serenade small Jewish communities with sounds of Israel. The trio consisted of Michael Bogomoluy, Yigal Klebansky and Victoria Shpigun, all talented young Israelis, who themselves made aliyah from the FSU.

Through anecdotes and personal examples, the three sent a positive message to the primarily Russian-speaking Jewish immigrants in Germany. Each presentation was adapted to its audience - with an older audience in Rostok, nostalgia reigned with less talk and more singing (led by Yigal). With the young adults there and in other communities, the questions of Jewish identity and Israel took a leading place on the agenda.

The caravan meets with young German Jews

Antennas with Attitude

A Jewish family in Guadalajara, Mexico interested in learning about Israel and Israel opportunities would have a frustrating job finding someone to talk to three months ago. For those thousands of Jews living in the periphery of Central and Southern America, the Immigration and Absorption Department has set up a promotional apparatus known as "antennas."

Batya Ehrlich of the Immigration and Absorption Department's Latin America Desk explains, "We began informally in Argentina, with help from the existing community structures, selecting individuals in outlying areas, and training them to represent the Jewish Agency. We discovered that in these sparsely populated areas, we find an upsurge of interest and Jewish commitment." The success of the Argentinian trial led to an expansion of the idea.

At the end of December, after nine new antennas from Latin America were identified and prepped, a seven-day seminar in Israel was organized for them. Batya explains, "It was something of a seminar-on-wheels. We toured the country, visiting programs and institutes of higher education. In between visits, the antennas attended workshops on the presentation and dissemination of information. Heading back for Guadalajara and Monterey in Mexico, Valencia in Venezuela, Cali in Columbia, Recife in Brazil, Guatemala and three other small Jewish communities, the antennas carried reams of Spanish-language material, high spirits from a positive trip and the blessings of the department for their embarkation on a fulfilling journey.

Big Bang in Britain

Consulting with students at the Israel Expo in London

Banking on the proven success of person-to-person contacts, the Jewish Agency's delegation in Great Britain demonstrated a prominent presence at the hugely successful Israel Expo in London and at the Union of Jewish Student's conference in Derby. Zvi Kahane, Regional Director for Britain and Western Europe and Boaz Yardeni, emissary in London who had barely stepped off the plane when preparations began, delved head first into planning for the Israel Expo with the British Zionist Federation. The Jewish Agency was represented with four different booths: general Israel programs, employment counseling for potential immigrants, youth movements and university programs.

Akiva Werber, Head of the Immigration and Absorption Department's Division for English-speaking Countries, expressed great satisfaction in the number of visitors - eight thousand - and at the interest in the Jewish Agency booths. At the booths and later at the conference, a successful immigrant from Great Britain, Susan Strakovsky, attracted many listeners with her personal anecdotes of aliyah.

During the Union of Jewish Students conference, held a week later near Nottingham Forest, Vicki Angel, Director of Tnuat Aliyah gave a workshop on the Jewish Agency, Student Authority representative Orit Mor-Sela gave a workshop on MA programs in Israel, Akiva Werber on the Law of Return and Israel's responsibility to the Jewish people. Tnuat Aliyah's Magen David Adom and Internship programs proved particularly popular, while great interest was registered in higher education opportunities in Israel. An expected increase in university tuition in Great Britain makes educational options in Israel more tempting than ever to young Jews.