Happy Israel Independence Day!
For some great shiurim and activities about Yom Ha’atzmaut, check out the Yeshiva University Yom Ha’atzmaut To Go packet available for download here.
Yom Ha’atzmaut Sameach!
May 8, 2008
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Israel@60: A Time to Celebrate?
April 9, 2008
That seems like a stupid question, right? Isn’t this 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel worth an extravagant celebration? There should be dozens of fireworks shows to light up the sky across the country! There should be parades with war heroes, politicians, movie stars and television personalities! Men, women and children of all ages should pour into the streets in a flood of excitement and national pride!
In fact, the Israeli government has set aside $28 million for this year’s festivities. It’s not quite the $70 million from the celebration of Israel’s Jubilee year back in 1998, but it’s a serious chunk of change. What better way to unite a country that has gone through so much in the last few years than a day full of natioanlistic festivities?
Apparently the Israel@60 campaign has united the people, but not in the way it was intended. To date, over 90,000 Israelis have signed a petition to request that the government not spend any more money on this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut than it would in any other year. Buy why?
Petitioners argue that this is no time to spend valuable resources on a celebration that is mainly used for political grandstanding. The irony, they claim, is that the theme of this year’s celebration is “Strengthening Israel’s Children” – yet statistics show that 1/3 of Israeli children are living in poverty, and school teachers held a two-month strike at the beginning of the academic year because of inadequate pay and poor classroom conditions.
The organizers of the celebration have responded to this public demand. They currently plan for only 20% of the $28 million to be spent on Yom Ha’atzmaut itself for the festivities. The rest is going to be spent on educational programs, infrastructure projects, and remembrance projects. School children are going to hike into Jerusalem on the path that was used by Israeli soldiers in 1948. A walking path is going to be built around the Kinneret, along with a bike path that will cross the country. Over 60 picnics are going to be held across the country, and beach parties will be happening along the coast. And yes, there will be fireworks shows in seven different cities from Teveriah to Eilat.
So what are we to make of this? Does this signal a lagging in nationalism by Israelis, or a practicality in spending money where it’s most needed? How would you want the festivities to be?
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Faces of Israel
March 26, 2008When you think about Israel, and more specifically about Israelis, what do you see? Do you see a young man in army fatigues? A Hassid praying at the Western Wall? A merchant at the shuk in Machane Yehuda? What you picture is only a sampling of the different people that make up the population of Israel.
Donna Rosenthal, in her book The Israelis, attempts to paint a broader picture of Israel and Israeli culture. The Israelis tells the story of the very different cultural and religious groups that make up the great State of Israel.
The stories of some Israelis often ignored such as Hareidim, Ethiopian Jews and Russian Jews really come to life in the pages of Rosenthal’s book. After breaking down stereotypes, the author tackles some of the more challenging issues like the different non-Jewish Israelis that live in Israel including the Druze, Bedoin, Muslims and Christians.
The Israelis does a great job of capturing the essence of what it means to be an Israeli living in Israel today. It is an important read for anyone this is invested in Israel’s future, and wants to understand her people.
A copy of “The Israelis” is being sent to all of the participants on the Spring 2008 Eimatai Conference courtesy of the JNF. Anyone from a previous conference that submits an article to the Eimatimes will also receive a copy of the book.
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Another Kind of Green – HANC
December 24, 2007
The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County is preparing for a revolution. And not just any revolution. HANC Eimatai Emissaries are leading the school on a mission to change the way students interact with their local environment and the larger global environment. The Eimatai Emissaries recognize that HANC students value giving back to those who give to them. HANC students understand that the world shares a responsibility to the future. So, the Eimatai Emissaries have instituted a new environmental initiative dubbed, “Another Kind of Green.” After all, “Im lo achshav, eimatai?”- if not now, when?
We live in a non-renewable world. Every day, valuable resources that are taken from the Earth are wasted. If nothing is done to preserve the precious materials we are so generously blessed with, we will be left with nothing. Only 27 percent of newspapers in the United States are recycled, and 500,000 trees must be cut down to produce each week’s Sunday newspaper. It is easy to think that we, as students, are powerless and cannot attack this problem. The HANC Eimatai representatives have decided to break free of this way of thinking and actively fight to save the environment. We may not be able to drastically alter our lifestyles to go entirely “green”. Yet, we can take the first steps in the right direction to save our planet and our futures. Therefore, HANC is launching its first environmental initiative: “Another Kind of Green”. We hope to diminish the amount of renewable products wasted through a school-wide recycling program in coalition with local sanitation departments. Remember, seventeen trees are saved for every ton of paper recycled! By starting small, we hope to spread our initiative to other schools.
The recycling campaign represents one facet of HANC’s efforts to preserve the global environment. We recognize another environment in need of protection. A city close to our hearts and constantly on our minds: HANC’s sister city: Sderot.Sderot, an Israeli settlement, lies one kilometer from the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian town of Beit Hanoun. Since the beginning of the Second Intifada, Sderot has been under constant rocket fire from Qassam rockets launched by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. These rockets have caused death and injuries, as well as significant damage to homes and property. In May, 2007, a significant increase in shelling from Gaza prompted the temporary evacuation of thousands of residents from their homes. We seek to aid those in need in Sderot by preserving and rebuilding their precious environment.
The devastating damage is occurring across an ocean, yet HANC students empathize with the residents of their sister city. The HANC Eimatai Emissaries seek to intensify the bond between HANC and Sderot by collecting money to support rebuilding and beautification efforts. To connect with rebuilding efforts overseas, display unity with Sderot and deeply root a sense of environmental appreciation in HANC, students will take part in planting a garden on school grounds. Through their initiative, HANC students hope to emerge into the future as leaders and pioneers with the goal of helping the environment and global community.
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