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- Written by Jonathan Danilowitz
H.E Mr Lars Faaborg-Andersen Ambassador-designate of the Delegation of the European Union to the State of Israel, his wife Mrs Jean and Mr Zinger
Members of the Diplomatic Corps in Israel were invited at the offices of the Israel Olympic Committee on Sunday afternoon 17thNovember.
Mr. Ephraim (Ziggy) Zinger addressed the audience with a short history and highlights of the Olympic Games, and the guests were then invited for refreshments and the “Experience”. The hosts made sure that this exclusive presentation was for the diplomatic corps alone.
Ambassadors and Diplomatic Corps' visit to the Olympic Committee was organized in collaboration with Diplomacy-PR team, Silvia Golan and Aviva Shwartz.
Israel’s Olympic history goes back only to 1952 (the country was but four years old!) and has been a roller-coaster ride of tears; tears of joy, but also of intense sadness. Israel’s Olympic memory will always be tinged by the sadness of the games in Munich in 1972 when Arab terrorists slaughtered 11 Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village.
On the other hand, Israelis have been the proud winners of six medals over the years, including one gold medal. Considering the size of the country and the fact that sport has never played an intense role in Israeli society, the country’s pride and joy – as if the medal is “ours”, not the athletes’ – is quite understandable.
The Olympic Experience is a multi-media exhibition lasting about 40 minutes, where guests are led through the sparkling history of the games worldwide, with special accent on Israel, from the rebirth of the event 1896 (women were banned at the first games!) to the present.
It becomes clear why the Olympic Games attracts the attention of the entire world. No other international sporting event – and there are dozens – is quite like it. The scenes of Israeli sportsmen and women receiving their medals are inspiring – and brought tears of joy to many of those attending.
“The Olympic Experience” can be enjoyed at the Israeli Olympic Center, 6 Shitrit Street (2nd floor) in the Hadar Yosef area of Tel Aviv, the very center of Israeli sports.
There are English and Hebrew versions and the groups can be up to 50 people, 8 times a day. Prior arrangements and reservations are essential (call 03-7955900 ext1) http://www.olympic.one.co.il
Mr Zinger with H.E. Prahlad K . Prasai, embassador of Nepal and wife
Photos Silvia Golan
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- Written by Yad B'yad Association
The Yad B’Yad Association noted its 30th anniversary in a gala performance of the musical "My Fair Lady" starring Nathan Datner and Shani Cohen. All incomes of the show (held Saturday, 2/11/13) where dedicated to fund activities of the association and to open two more Warm Homes for children at risk.
The gala hosted ambassadors, business and media personas as well as the members of the Yad B'Yad Association friends circle.
The Yad B’Yad Association was founded in 1982 by Ms. Shelly Hoshen, psychologist and pre-school age counselor. Mrs. Hoshen was guided by an educational philosophy which claims that all children deserve the nurturing and love that can ensure a strong foundation for a meaningful life and an opportunity to realize their full potential, and that this foundation must be built as early as possible. Unfortunately, there are still far too many children in Israel whose families struggling to provide this all-important environment. Thus the Yad B’Yad Association has dedicated itself to various projects designed to fill this need.
The Association runs 10 Warm Homes in the center of the Israel, where children at risk between the ages of three and a half and seven come after kindergarten and school hours. The children stay in the houses until 18:00 PM and receive everything that their families and neighborhood are unable to provide: Hot meals, cognitive enrichment, emotional support, appreciation of values and normative behavior, and an abundance of warmth and love from the professional staff.
Mrs Shelly Hoshen with the cast of "My fair Lady". Photography: Raphael Delouya
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- Written by U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv
On Wednesday, October 30, Ms. Julie Fisher, wife of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, visited an early childhood day care center in the Bedouin village of Abu Kaf and Hagar Association’s Jewish Arab bi-lingual school in Be’er Sheva. The center is part of Embassy partner Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation – Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development ‘s (AJEEC-NISPED) “Parents as Partners” program to empower Bedouin – a program recognized by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor. The Hagar bilingual elementary school, which has continued to flourish and grow since its inception in 2007, is the recipient of monetary and in-kind support from the U.S. Embassy and the US Agency for International Development.
During the visit at the Hagar School, Ms. Fisher told the Arab and Jewish 6th graders: “I am pleased to see you, Jews and Arabs, learning together, playing together and trusting each other. Your school demonstrates that language and cultural differences do not have to be obstacles between people, but rather, they can provide opportunities to learn from each other.” As an educator, Fisher understands the value of bilingual education to developing open, tolerant and successful students who will help ensure a peaceful future.
Photo: Michele Dastin-van Rijn/ U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv
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- Written by American Embassy & British Embassy Tel Aviv
Photos: Mary Knight
Ms. Julie Fisher, wife of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, and Mrs. Celia Gould, wife of British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould, visited the Eritrean Women’s Community Center in south Tel Aviv on November 6. During the visit, Ms. Fisher and Mrs. Gould learned about the child care, health, education, and support services the center provides to Eritrean women in the community. Ms. Fisher and Mrs. Gould also had an opportunity to meet mothers, play with children, and enjoy home-cooked Eritrean food.
Zebib Sultan, who arrived in Israel three years ago from Eritrea, started the center in July 2012 with assistance from Amnesty International. Sultan decided to start the center to address a need for Eritrean women to be supported by women who speak their language and understand their culture.
“It was a meaningful visit, filled with informative first-hand accounts of the plight of Eritrean women, men and children,” Ms. Fisher said. “Hearing about the initiatives to prevent domestic abuse, provide pregnancy support and educatio , as well as learning about the health care challenges they face, was compelling."
Mrs. Gould said, “It was an honor to meet Zebib and see first-hand the amazing work her and the team at the community center do every day in a difficult and complicated situation. Their compassion and hard work makes a huge difference in the lives of some of the most vulnerable women in Israeli society.”
The center provides low-cost child care services so the women can work during the day, and offers enrichment classes in the evening, such as English, Hebrew, family planning, and computer literacy. The center also coordinates a group of men and women who work on eradicating domestic violence in the Eritrean community by raising awareness and assisting victims.
Ms. Fisher and Mrs. Gould were accompanied to the center by Ms. Mary Knight, wife of U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission William Grant, and Mrs. Jo Jefferson, wife of the British Military Attaché to Israel, Colonel Nigel Jefferson.
This visit continued Ms. Fisher’s outreach to Israel’s diverse communities. On October 30, Ms. Fisher visited an early childhood day care center in the Bedouin village of Abu Kaf and Hagar Association’s Jewish Arab bilingual school in Be’er Sheva.
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- Written by Michal Cohen
Many distinguished representatives from the business and diplomatic community were present last Wednesday at the residence of Colombia's Ambassador, Mr. Fernando Alxate Donoso and Wife , to celebrate the 203-th anniversary of the establishment of Colombia as an independent state.
In an exciting evening, where the Israeli government was represented by the Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni, the close and friendly relationship was clearly felt in three levels.
In the first level, the close relationship was strengthened notoriously with the visit of Colombia's President about a month ago, which included meetings with President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and several major ministers, such as Mrs. Livni, Minister of Science Mr. Perry, Minister of Infrastructures Mr. Shalom, and others. In the second level, it was clearly pointed out the common goals in the taking of historical decisions that will result in a peace process in our region, as well as regions of conflict. In the third level, thoroughly described by Colombia's Ambassador, there are a variety of operative plans, which will include cooperation and information exchange on natural resources, energy and agricultural matters, as well as an increase of information on technology. The Ambassador also reviewed and described additional plans dealing with visits of Israeli sportsmen and sportswomen in Colombia and vice versa, especially during this festive event, while a large delegation of Colombian sportsmen and sportswomen is participating in the Maccabiah games.
The great appreciation of the Ambassador for the Minister of Justice Livni was clearly perceptible, as well as his familiarity with local politics. He praised her for her unceasing efforts in the establishment of peace relations and agreements between the Israelis and Palestinians, and regional cooperation for the thriving of the region. The Ambassador pointed out his appreciation for the fact that Mrs. Livni is tirelessly active keeping this issue on top of matters.
Minister of Justice Livni thanked the Colombian President for his productive and important visit, expressed her appreciation for the support of Colombia to Israel, and mentioned her hope and belief that, following the notorious efforts of US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, we will be able to, not only carry negotiations, but also reach agreements. She also expressed her hope that the European Union joins and participates in this effort, and that, finally, the two parties will summarize their differences and their common goals in direct negotiations. Mrs. Livni ended her address with a chord of humor, mentioning that her son is one of the travelers in South America, so she must maintain good relations with her South-American friends.
Photo Tomer Peled
tranlated from hebrew by David Altman
