Under the auspices of the Zionist Council in Israel’s “Covenant of Life” project, Druze and Jewish students were able to meet up this week. Students from Herzliya’s ‘Harishonim’ High School hosted students from Bet Jann Comprehensive for an engaging encounter that included dialogue groups, an artistic program and a competitive sport contest in mixed groups. The levels of in-depth dialogue reached by students from both schools was awesome and truly impressive.
The Zionist Council in Israel’s “Retamim” (“Reins”) leadership program for Negev teenagers departed on weekend retreat last week, with a seminar focusing on Zionism, the pioneering spirit and love of the Land of Israel. The co-ed participants gained insights into the stories of the early pioneer men and women from the twentieth century and encountered the stories of contemporary pioneers. They closed the circle by addressing their own Zionist identity and its relevance in the present era.
The returning delegation from the overseas Hasbara (Israeli Diplomacy) mission, a project under the auspices of the World Zionist Organization, met at Mount Herzl for its wrap-up session. As part of the program, they followed the Zionist Women Leaders’ trail on Mount Herzl of figures who led change in Israeli society. They also visited the Herzl Museum and processed their experiences and insights from the mission (and its initial concluding encounter) together. This opened the way to an exploration of options for continued cooperation into the future - mission members are presently considering how best to further projects and reinforce their internal networking connections with each other and they remain in active contact and collaboration with the various bodies they met through the project.
The Zionist Council in Israel has officially launched the 2024 Zionism Quiz. This represents a unique opportunity to learn about our shared experiences in a different and far more interesting manner. This year, the Quiz will be dedicated to the IDF, the Israel security forces and the communities in Israel’s border regions. Local Quiz heats were held recently across dozens of schools and youth movement clubs around Israel. Successful contestants will continue to the regional tier and from there to the Finals, which will be televised on Keshet Channel 12 TV, with moderator Niv Raskin, on Yom Ha’atzma’ut, Israel Independence Day 2024.
Garin Tzabar (a core cohort comprising alumni from the Israel Scouts movement in the Diaspora), a group of young people who made Aliyah and enlisted in the IDF, were recently hosted at the Herzl Center. The day opened with a memorial ceremony for Border Police Officer and Garin alumna, Sgt. Elisheva Rose Ida Lubin z”l, who fell in line of duty last November in the Old City of Jerusalem. The program continued with a tour of the Museum and Mount Herzl Park with the National Service and Voluntary Service Year team. The young people heard presentations and engaged on the subjects of the Israeli dream and leadership; the day concluded with a visit to the National Memorial Hall for Israel’s Fallen.
In the South -The Division continues its activity toward the rehabilitation and renovation of the affected communities. At this point in time, the Division is focusing on the establishment of temporary accommodation at seven sites for residents of southern Israel whose homes were destroyed. These will include 196 units for residents of Kibbutz Beeri, who will temporarily relocate to Kibbutz Hatzerim, whereas new temporary homes at Omer will be provided for inhabitants from Kibbutz Kissufim and additional communities. The Division also continues to provide ongoing trauma counselling for the communities concerned as well as the villages and local councils, in order to ensure community rehabilitation in all localities.
In the North – The Division is working on rehabilitation and renovation programs for the rural sector of northern Israel. Five-year projects have been submitted on infrastructure renovation, the expansion of various communities, and financial assistance to support projects and private enterprise.
Teenagers of the Zionist Council in Israel participated in collecting, packing and distributing equipment to soldiers throughout the country and for families in the south who were evacuated from their homes.
This activity takes place throughout the week in many settlements in Israel including Druze settlements. Additionally, the coordinators of the Zionist Council in Israel traveled around the country distributing Israeli flags.
The World Zionist Organization helps write action plans related to the war for the Diaspora youth movement instructors so that they know how to use the many materials available on the Internet and adapt them to the different ages of their groups. Additionally, all the projects and initiatives of the World Zionist Organization are published among the movement's graduates, university students and college graduates. This way, needs can be met and movements are accompanied by further local or regional initiatives or needs.
The World Zionist Organization helps with the educational procedures and organizational needs of the movements whose graduates are in educational programs in Israel, especially at the Institute for Guides Abroad (Machon L’Madrichei Chul). They offer special creative activities for evacuees in Eilat, the Dead Sea and all over the country. Furthermore, participants in long-term programs of the youth movements in Israel volunteer in agricultural work in kibbutzim and agricultural farms as a part of their educational program.
Due to the situation, many foreign workers left Israel, leaving Israeli farmers desperate for help. The World Zionist Organization launched an initiative to help Israeli farmers via volunteers who will join the agricultural work. The first volunteer mission began on Wednesday, November 1st, at the jojoba fields in Kibbutz Netiv HaLamed Hey.
Israeli agriculture is facing huge challenges currently, especially due to the shortage of workers. In order to maintain functional continuity and a continued supply of fresh “blue and white” [Israeli] produce, we set out this week together with hundreds of Israelis to aid and support the farmers in the Beit Ezra settlement.
The World Zionist Organization (through the Zionist Council) purchased hundreds of board games for children. These games, which are distributed throughout the country at the evacuation centers, are used by the children to enable them to create a relative routine in the complex situation they are in and allow them to have independent leisure activities. Some of the places we distributed this week were Beer Sheva for evacuees from the south and Kfar Nahar HaYarden for evacuees from the north.
The Zionist Council’s young adults in their year of service at "Garin Tzameret" have operated in several aid centers continuously since the first day of the war. They assist in sorting and preparing the equipment boxes according to the field’s needs, volunteer at the Barzilai hospital assisting the medical staff and even serve as babysitters for children whose parents were conscripted to serve in the war. In addition, they also assisted at emergency shelters and volunteered at the local “War Room” (Hamal), while staying together with the families of the evacuees in central centers, running activities and providing an informal educational framework for the children of the evacuated families.
The trainees of the Pre-Military Preparatory School of the Zionist Council deployed across the country in a wide range of volunteering activities. They used kindergartens, helped parents recruited to reserve duty and medical teams, helped with kibbutz security, ran a mini camp at the Sheba Hospital for the children of the medical teams, and also participated in helping with agriculture, food packaging, transportation, food preparation, clothing donations and more. The trainees also volunteered at the Dead Sea hotels, where they created a registration list of elderly people who are staying at the hotel and require assistance.
Since the outbreak of the war, a variety of voluntary activities have taken place with the Druze population. The World Zionist Organization through the Zionist Council continues to strengthen the home front by collecting and assisting in distributing equipment and creating activities in cooperation with the "Eshkolot" department and Druze youth for aid and volunteer missions. In many localities of the Druze populations, boxes of food and equipment were donated and sent to the soldiers serving in bases in the north. A blood donation drive was held in Ma'ar, and many Druze went to visit and cheer up the wounded in the hospitals.
Representatives of the Zionist Council went to many Druze communities and distributed Israeli flags to passers-by. The flags are a symbol that aims to raise morale and strengthen the Israeli spirit.
The Zionist Council in Israel initiated a project to support the families of the Druze reservists. Three hundred support and encouragement packages were delivered to the families of Druze reservist soldiers who were recruited for reserves with the outbreak of the war. The packages include board games for children, family games, snacks and a blessing for unity and peace. The initiative was announced by reporters on the N12 news website and on the Walla website.
Over a hundred participants of the global Zionist youth movements stayed in Eilat for a week in order to volunteer. The city required volunteers in a variety of areas due to the number of citizens who were evacuated to Eilat. The volunteers are part of the studies at the Institute for Guides Abroad (Machon L’Madrichei Chul), a joint program of the Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemet, the global youth movements and the World Zionist Organization.
Some of the volunteers study in Kiryat Moriah in Jerusalem while some are in Kibbutz Ketura. They volunteered in many fields such as agriculture, helping with agricultural work in kibbutzim, moshavim or agricultural farms, packing packages, running activities with evacuated children and adults at the hotels, helping at the municipal hotline - mainly with conversations with Spanish speakers and more. All of the participants are guides in their movements in the Diaspora.
The Zionist Council in Israel is continuing their activities with the evacuated families through the program “Embracing the Envelope.” One of the highlights of this week's events was a meeting with the children's star Tal Mosari, who came to entertain the children of the families who were evacuated to Kibbutz Lavi and Kfar Tavor. In addition, in Kibbutz Shefayim, where most of the residents of Kfar Aza were evacuated to, there was an evening full of sports and cheering for the Israeli soccer team in its match against the Kosovo team. The event took place at the "Pabushka" pub, the neighborhood pub of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which they recreated in the hotel lobby.
A video is being distributed created by trainees and members of the global Zionist youth movements from all over the world. The video is unanimous for all of the global movements. The councils were asked to contact the local municipalities in order to have their trainees participate.
The 3Z organization ran a conference in Palo Alto in the United States. A seminar was held for young representatives of the United States youth movements, the managers and professional coordinators who accompany the movements at the conference. During it, representatives of the World Zionist Organization conducted significant activities on the war and the current situation in Israel.
The World Zionist Organization, in cooperation with the Zikaron B’Salon association, continues to visit holocaust survivors for Shabbat. This is the second week that dozens of volunteers went to the homes of hundreds of Holocaust survivors to spend some time with them and try to alleviate a bit of their loneliness.
Many volunteers keep visiting Holocaust survivors to reduce their loneliness a little. Little pockets of light!
The student community of "Totzeret Ha'aretz" in the Galilee, in cooperation with the Zionist Council, volunteered in the Hefer Valley’s harvest fields with the goal of helping Israeli agriculture and Israeli produce.
Ilai Azulai from Kiryat Shmona was preparing for his bar mitzvah when the war broke out. Representatives from the Zionist Council came to the Club Hotel to help produce his special event and together with other partners, a wonderful celebratory Bar Mitzvah was organized.
The vests and helmets used by all of the World Zionist Organization’s units during tours have been branded with our logo.
An extensive tour was conducted in Kfar Aza for the "Conference of Influencers'' group - senior journalists in the ultra-orthodox sector and in the Israeli media - newspaper writers, radio broadcasters, television anchors and all social media platforms influencers.
About forty people participated in the tour. The tour was accompanied by Reservist Lt. Col. Yaron Bouskila, head of the operations division of the Gaza Division.
During the tour, an overview was presented by Zaka member Mr. Simcha Greinman, who has been at the scene since the beginning of the events until today.
During the tour, the influential people met with residents and heard about the horror stories that occurred on the Black Shabbat and saw firsthand the harsh and painful evidence of the horrible massacre.
After the tour, a visit was made to the United Hatzalah’s war room in Sde Yoav, where they heard stories and listened to first-hand recordings of the rescue teams who were in the field on October 7th.
In the days after the tour, many articles were published on the various websites and channels the group members represent which provided a unique angle for events and expanded the media coverage that is so necessary today for the world to see.
