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- Written by Steven Aiello
Kufr Qassem Comprehensive School hosted the first ever Model UN conference in the city’s history on Thursday, November 7, with 150 students from schools all over Israel competing. The conference theme was “Society”, and committees dealt with the challenges of racism, violence against women, minority languages, and the unrecognized Bedouin villages.
The students arrived in the morning to a red carpet flanked with flags of UN member states, balloons, and of course, refreshments. It was a doubly festive day, as the school was marking Mawlid--the birthday of Muhammad, as well as the MUN. For many of the Jewish students this was their first visit to an Arab school, and thus an especially memorable learning experience. In fact, for most students this was their very first MUN.
Reaching resolutions in the different committees proved quite challenging, with intense debates, and some very close votes. But by the end of the day each committee had produced well thought out draft resolutions that they could then vote upon.
At the end of a long day of learning, the delegates filed into the sports hall for the closing ceremony. After some spontaneous dancing, the delegates were called to order. Mr. Abed Frij, Qassem MUN director, welcomed the students and guests, and thanked those who had helped to make the day such a success, and in particular, the students. Then Waseem, one of the Kufr Qassem students, gave an inspiring speech about youth leadership, expressing his own pride at what he had witnessed.
Finally, it was time for the awards. In the UNGA committee, Roy Amsalem and Jawan Shalata (received Outstanding Delegate awards, and Moshe Rothstein and Tamir Shnaer won Best Delegates. In the UN Women committee, it was Jana Sayed Ahmed and Eyal Bala who won Outstanding Delegate, while Niv Blitz and Deyar Abu Rahal were the Best Delegates. In UNESCO, which dealt with endangered languages, Hani Altoree and Teba Massalha were Outstanding Delegates, while Lishy Hason and Tamir Hurwitz were recognized as Best Delegates. Finally, in the advanced Knesset committee, Amit Ram and Eisa Hammodi were Outstanding delegates, while Eliran Ben Yair and Shahd Hammodi were the Best Delegates.
All in all it was a successful day of conflict resolution, problem-solving, and intercultural learning for everyone involved. Rachell Rothstein, from Modi’in, explained that “It was very interesting to discuss the issue of the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev. It was also amazing to work with each other in the committee and better understand both sides of the issue and find a resolution which passed. Mr. Frij, the conference director, told Diplomacy “QassemMUN was the first big English event in Kfar Qassem. [An MUN conference like this] does not happen very often and we are proud that we managed to pull it off with the help of Steven. We look forward to always be a part of this wonderful team that works hard to bring people together Arabs and Jews. In addition, our students experienced what does it feel to attend a real conference with many Native speakers.”
The conference was part of the Debate for Peace activities.
The next MUN conference in Israel will be ATIDMUN on November 20-21.
See more, including the national MUN schedule, on DebateforPeace.org
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DebateforPeace
Steven Aiello
Founder--DebateforPeace
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- Written by David Goland & George Prajza
An unforgettable concert was held at Enav Cultural Center in Tel Aviv in honour of the Bulgarian Day of the National Leaders.
The event, a Bulgarian holiday usually celebrated on 1st of November, took place in Israel, on Tuesday, 5 November 2019 , under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria to the State of Israel, and the Bulgarian Cultural Center in Israel.
This special day in Bulgaria honours the work of Bulgarian leaders who have enlightened and revolutionized Bulgaria's national spirit, her values, and the pursuit of education and literature. These leaders have created and preserved the spiritual values of the nation.
The event also paid tribute to the brave actions of gentile Bulgarian Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. An extensive list of clergy and lay Bulgarian citizens was presented, describing their life-saving actions.
The entertainment consisted of a wonderful, mesmerizing concert by The Wladigeroff Trio. All three are members of the Wladigeroff family: Ekaterina on the piano, Alexander on the clarinet and piano, and Konstantin on the trumpet, flugelhorn and hand-percussion, and they all sing as well. They were born in Sofia to the family of the eminent choir-master and composer Alexander P. Wladigeroff.
The three have graduated from the National Academy of Music “Pancho Wledigeroff” in Sofia, as well as from the University of Music and Stage Art in Vienna. For over ten years now they have lived and worked in Vienna. Their projects showcase the tradition of music in the Wladigeroff ffamily and its development over three generations. In addition to the classic works written by their genius grandfather, professor Pancho Wladigeroff (1899-1978), their repertoire included works from his Berlin's period, which are considered as some of the first Jazz works in Bulgarian music.
Among the musical pieces that the trio performed were a brilliant foxtrot jazz piece from Berlin, a variations on a Jewish musical theme, a three-movements ("watercolours") work that ended with a melancholy movement and then a contrasting feisty dance. The trio performed also a rare arrangement for the familiar Hora Staccato and then a masterpiece of a medley that included tunes from Beethoven's Ode to Joy from the ninth symphony, and Ravel's Bolero.
The audience went crazy with enthusiastic applause that left no choice for the Trio, but to come back with an encore. They came back on stage with a Klezmer style piece playing intricate variations, with various muffled trumpet sounds, and Konstantin playing both, the trumpet and the flugelhorn simultaneously (!), as Alexander was strumming the piano strings with his fingers.
The audience was swept along with the trio, singing and clapping in a true celebration.
In attendance were Ambassadors , representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as all the leaders of the Bulgarian Jews organizations in Israel.
Photos by David Goland and George Prajza
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- Written by Jonathan Danilowitz
Last week the outgoing Baha’i Secretary-General, Dr. Joshua Lincoln, took leave of his many friends, colleagues, and co-religionists in Israel and welcomed the new incoming protégé, Dr. David Rutstein, at a sparkling reception at Jerusalem’s lovely David Citadel Hotel. The guests included what appeared to be the crème de la crème of Israel’s religious, cultural, political and business society. Mingling with the guests were several volunteers from the world Baha’i centers in Haifa and Acre, who chatted with the visitors, explaining the faith and answering questions of the curious. The delicious buffet dinner, accompanied by a range of colorful fruit drinks, was the background for a friendly “shalom” to the two gentlemen. A musical interlude added to the pleasure, while brief welcome and farewell speeches rounded out the reception.
A new Baha’i international website for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the Bab was launched in early September. The website will unfold in stages over the next eight weeks. Currently featuring artistic endeavors created for the occasion, and articles on the lives and teachings of the Bab and Baha’u’llah, the site will expand dynamically over time. A special letter from the Universal House of Justice about the historic anniversary will be published. Dawn of the Light, a feature film commissioned for this upcoming bicentenary, will also be released by the end of this month. The website is available in 10 languages—Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili.
The bicentenary website will connect the world by capturing the celebrations of people in selected communities across the globe as they recall the lives of the Bab and Baha’u’llah and Their unifying message. These glimpses will be illustrative of the thousands of other celebrations that will be unfolding in virtually every country.
On the Twin Holy Days, the website will capture glimpses of a wave of celebrations that will sweep across the planet. This coverage begins at sundown on 28 October in Kiribati and ends at sundown on 30 October in Hawaii. Photos, news, and other media from scores of locations will be published over the course of those 72 hours. There are also plans to include video coverage from Baha’i Houses of Worship.
The worldwide energy of the bicentenary preparations is prompting an efflorescence of activity in country after country. In Europe, communities calling to mind this significant anniversary are producing music inspired by the Bab’s life and teachings, bringing history to life through drama, and redoubling their commitment to constructive action.
France, Moldova, N.Macedonia, the UK and many other countries are deeply involved. For example, seeing the relevance of Bab’s message to today is one of the topics explored in an album of music being recorded in honor of the upcoming bicentenary by Spain’s Baha’i community. Artists from around the country and the Canary Islands are writing and recording pieces in a diversity of genres and styles as well as different local languages from Spain. Young people in Switzerland have written and narrated a short film about the life of the Bab in the style of a Kamishibai theater, a form of street theater and storytelling from Japan. Hungary’s Baha’i community is one of several that are channeling interest in Faith’s history into a printed publication. A 46-page book published in honor of the bicentenary details the 10 days that ‘Abdu’l-Baha spent in Budapest toward the end of His two-year journey through Europe and North America.
The Director and staff of www.diplomacy.co.il join in extending their best wishes to Dr. Rutstein in his new position here in Israel.
With thanks toThe Baha’i World News Service forpermission to use the material.
Photos by Silvia Golan
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- Written by Steven Aiello
The 2019-2020 MUN circuit opened in Israel with the PeaceMUN conference on Wednesday, September 25, 2019. Nearly 100 youth from Akko, Holon, Iksal, Lod, Mefalsim, Nahariya, Petah Tiqva, Shefaram, Sde Eliyahu, and other cities around the country met at the American Center Jerusalem for a full day of debating and negotiating around the theme of “Insurgencies.”
Two beginner groups discussed the conflicts in the Sinai between Islamists and the government of Egypt, and in the Philippines between communists and the government of the Philippines, while a third committee of advanced students addressed the Anglophile-Francophile conflict in the Cameroon. Students, most who were first time MUN participants, researched, planned strategies, and then engaged in an intensive day of problem-solving before voting on their resolutions.
At the end of the day all delegates received Certificates of Participation as well as feedback from their chairs. The awards were then presented in the awards ceremony. Dr. Yehuda Stolov from the Interfaith Encounter Association spoke to students about the opportunities for continuing interactions, and Felicity Aziz welcomed students to the American Center Jerusalem.
In the UNGA committee, Maria Kaabiya, Nitzan Saban, and Samar Khateeb were chosen Outstanding Delegate, while Michal Ben Haim was the Best Delegate. In the HRC committee, Basma Assi, Ido Pogrund and Laila Amory received Outstanding Delegate, and Ido Vaktor was awarded Best Delegate. In the Security Council, Amit Ram and Hosni Grere were the Outstanding Delegates, and Eliran Ben Yair was chosen as Best Delegate.
Reema Shalabi, from Iksal, was participating in her first MUN. She told Diplomacy that as her first conference, “it was amazing...one of the best experiences in my life. I enjoyed every minute, and would like to do it again.” Eyal Amsalem, from Nahariya, was another first time delegate. Eyal added that while he had been shy initially, “after the first hour, I felt better and understood everyone there. At the end of the day, I was very happy that I came and knew that I was going to continue to attend more MUN conferences.”
The next MUN conference will be QassemMUN, on November 7th, 2019 at the Kfar Qassem Comprehensive School. For more information please see DebateforPeace.org
Photo Credit: Yusef Hanes
Steven Aiello
Founder--DebateforPeace
- Details
- Written by President’s Spokesperson’s Office
President Rivlin:
"We must work harder to ensure there are more women ministers and MKs. As elections approach, I urge all Israeli women to make your voice heard."
President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin today, Tuesday 10 September / 10 Elul, hosted the Women in Diplomacy Network at Beit HaNasi, which brings together Israeli women diplomats and women diplomats representing their countries in Israel.
The network was established in 2012 by Israeli women diplomats together with the diplomatic community in Israel. It is a support network for women diplomats throughout their career and a platform for ideas and initiatives to address the question of gender equality in the world of diplomacy.
“Women have fought and continue to fight for the right to represent their countries as diplomats. The fight for equality was and still is, a just cause, and you are proof of its success,” said the president. “In your professional life, you bring greater diversity, a different perspective and fresh thinking to the world of foreign policy conflict resolution and diplomacy. In our complex and challenging world, that has never been more important. It is not just for women to fight for gender equality. We must all demand it and work towards it.”
The president added, “We cannot imagine history without the many great and courageous woman who did not wait for any man's approval in order to fulfill their calling and change the world. Here in Israel, Golda Meir served as an early role model for us.” The president also remarked that he hopes to see a woman president in the coming years.
“We are proud to see Israeli women in the roles of President of the Supreme Court, Governor of the Bank of Israel, government ministers, party leaders, IDF general, Nobel Prize winner and CEOs of major companies. But there is still much more to do. We must do more to bring Arab and ultra-Orthodox women into the workforce and to positions of leadership, and we must work harder to ensure there are more women ministers and MKs. As elections approach, I urge all Israeli women to make your voice heard and seek elected office and positions of influence, especially in decision- making on conflict resolution, foreign policy, and security,” he concluded.
Photos by Silvia Golan
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