סיכום שנת 2007- מרכז ישראל

Shalom,
I am happy and proud to give you this report of the Israel Centre activities for 2007.
Naturally not all our activities are in , I included only the activities we did as a Mishlachat.
Each and every Shaliach had done at least as much as we did as a Mishlachat if not more.
I wish to thank the Shlichim for their wonderful work and contribution to the Jewish community in South Africa.
I am looking forward for another fruitful year with our shlichim and partners!

Tu beshvat Activities The Shlichim from All over SA led and participated in all tu beshvat activities and ceremonies around SA.

Soldier Purim Parcels- the shlichim went to the difernt schools, gathered all the Jewish pupils (at the none Jewish day schools) and prepared with them Purim parcels for the Israeli Soldiers

Educational Shlichim Seminar- the seminar was dedicated to teach all Shlichim to promote and advice regarding MASA as well as building a strategy for the Shlichim Activities in the deferent school systems in SA.

Launch of the Hagshama- Unplugged event. Unplugged that began as a mutual project of the Israel centre's and the SAZF moved to the auspice of the JNF.

Long term program week in schools (MASA) and to the community- Israel centre brought representatives from deferent MASA programs, met with all 12th grade pupils and promoted MASA to them. The end of the activity was a MASA expo in which 150 Parents and pupils participated in Beyachad.

Israel encounters reunion- was taken place at Beyachad with 120 Participants (parents and pupils).

Israel scouts delegation to yom hazikaron and yom ha'azmaut ceremonies- very good and successful ceremonies were taking place in JHB for the community and schools. Less success in CT.

Aliya events at Yom ha'azmaut celebrations- Israel centre brought representatives from different areas: banking/mortgages, housing, modiin. Pension and high education. The representatives where promoting Aliya at the yom Haatzmaut Stalls followed by 2 days personal interviews and Aliya evening at beyachad. We had more then 100 interviews and 80 participants at the Aliya evening. The Representatives went to CT to have similar events.

yom yerushalim shlichim activities in all Jewish and none Jewish day schools.

Israel week to schools together with the DIJE and GIPSY.

Israeli/Zionist caravan to the small Jewish communities: 18 communities, 6000 km, unbelievable project! The tour was focused on : the 40th universary to the relies of Jerusalem, the support to the kidnapped soldiers families, Aliya and MASA and JNF.

Launch of the Anti Semitism Seminar with Neil Lazarus. The Seminar will continue for another 11 sessions once a month.

Informal education Seminar for the DIJE and GIPSY- led by the Israel centre.

Launch of the SA teacher's seminar stirring committee to implement the vision of sending all the teachers of the Jewish educational systems in SA to a Zionist and Israel program in Israel as well as establishing an Education Academy for teachers in SA.

· The Zionist Seminars: 6 Madrichim from the Jewish Agency that came for extra work and activities in schools and youth movements. Schools that enjoyed the Madrichim : yeshiva college, KDLH, KDP, KDVPH, KDVPP, KDS, Eden- Durban. Youth movements: Habonim, Bnei Akiva, Netazer.
· Bringing Avi Hirschfeld to participate at the Ethiopia in Israel exhibition.
· farewell from the Shlichim: Kremers and Vered Margalit

· Aliya and MASA stalls in Malls- for the first time the Israel centre went to malls and public places to meet with the Jewish community. The Stals were done with the corporation of the youth movements (Habonim, Netzer). The stalls brought 300 new candidates for Aliya and MASA.

· Bible quiz- second round. In this stage we had 14 participants. The finals held in October with the participation of youth from partnership 2000 in Israel.

· The Israeli book week- all the shlichim from all over SA came to JHB to the Emuna bet midrash to run the book week. The week activities were planned and organized by the Shlicha- Dafi Kremer as a director of Emuna and implemented by the Israel Centre. In this week we had all the Jewish primary schools pupils in JHB.

· MASA Shlichim Seminar- held in CT and focused on MASA to all the Shlichim in SA in order to improve the shlichim professionalism in MASA.

· The informal Education Seminar- the Israel centre initiated a seminar for the all the informal education Madrichim from JHB and Cape Town. The seminar focused in up to date educational materials as well as about MASA and Aliya.

· Kfar Vradim youth orchestra – the Israel centre in conjunction with the SAZF initiated the visit of the orchestra. The orchestra gave several concerts and met with the youth in the schools as well as had family hospitality.

· limud – the Israel centre had participated in the Sessions at Wits university in two issues: Ïsrael up to date”, “Aliya, is it relevant?”

· Anti Semitism Seminar, 2nd session- the seminar done in conjunction with Emuna went into it’s second session to all the teachers.

· Encounter week in Schools- the Israel centre participated in the encounter weeks in schools. The DIJE madrichim as well as the JIPSY in CT along with the Shlichim and Zionist Seminaries promoted MASA and Israel to the participants based on the Seminar that was done earlier to the Shlichim and the Madrichim. The week was a good basis to promote and launch the Israel encounter.

· Israel encounter marketing in Schools- the weeks between Chagey Tishrei were dedicated for marketing the Israel Encounter to the grade 11 in addition to the marketing at the Encounter week. September was focused in organizing the Encounter, registration and raising money to include all the participants that registered.

· Rabin Memorial Day the Israel Centre in conjuction with the youth movements and SAUJS have planned and organized the Rabin Memorial day in JHB

· Lech Lech- for that week we brought R’ Ronen Neuwirth from TZOHAR organization in Israel. Rabi Ronen met with over 2500 people from the community (schools, shuls) and promoted the Idea of Aliya through the Parasha. The lech lecha week was another stage in the process of promoting Aliya and the Aliya Expo and week in SA.

· Aliya Shlichim Seminar- the seminar held in JHB, focused in Aliya and included all the shlichim from SA as well as from Zimbabwe (for the first time). As our guest to the seminar we had Anat Carmel Kagan from the Aliya department in the Jewish Agency. The seminar was a week before the Aliya Evening and finished at the Aliya evening and week. The seminar was also dedicated to team building for the new Mishlachat.

· Aliya Expo SA- the Aliya Expo week was heavily promoted in the newspapers, facebook, internet, new website, e-mails and phone calls as well as at the Lech Lecha events. The Aliya Expo opened in an Aliya evening in JHB and we expected to 80-100 participants. We faced 250 people that were squeezed into Beyachad venue, another 50 didn’t have room to fit in… the Evening followed by 3 dyas of personal meetings with people who were interested in Aliya. We did the same concept in CT with 80-100 participants. To the Expo we brought 13 experts from different fields of life in Israel: housing, employment, high education, banking, finance, community absorption and more. Each and every expert had a personal meeting with people that were interested in the specific field. In conclusion of the week we had:
o 350 participants in the opening events
o 500 interviews
o 200 new Aliya candidates
o 12 apartments were sold in Modiin
o 4 mortgages were taken for buying new apartments
The Aliya Expo in SA was the biggest and most successful Aliya event in the Aliya world in the Jewish world.

SA Zionist Jewish youth movements camps
· 2220 participants on the Jewish Zionist youth movements camps in South Africa. 379 Madrichim. 53 shlichim. 26 guests from Israel.
· 80% of the Jewish Kids and youth at the relevant group age participating in the camps is a success one can not imagine. A success in a world Scale - the Jewish world.
· The success of the youth movement in South Africa is by succeeding to include so many youngsters in the most influential educational experience in their life, by including them in a Jewish frame, pushing and focusing in Jewish life, Zionism, Israel and their personal connection to Israel, outreach and Jewish values as well as coping with maturation.
· This amazing success is due to the corporation of all Jewish organizations that support the youth movements in SA: The SAZF, JNF , The Jewish Agency and The Israel Centre and of course the Schools systems- King David, Herzlia which wisely, hug the youth movements and enable them to operate from the schools, understanding the importance of the informal education in their life.
· The camps are a celebration to all senses: the music, dances, lectures, Roach Sessions, enthusiasm, spirit, joy and happiness- this built up a life experience.
· All youth movements demonstrated Zionism and the love of Israel- each in its own way. All youth movements pushed hard and strong towards their one year MASA program in Israel and the success is well seen in the increasing numbers this year, well done!
· The platform of the camp is well utilized for promoting and pushing towards the grade 11 programs: Shorashim and Hadracha tsira- programs that preparing the youth towards the one year MASA program.
· The most amazing fact on the Jewish South African camps is the fact that those camps preserved the true spirit of a youth movement- the movements as well as the camps are planned, implemented and run by youth and youth only! The oldest one that is involved in running the camp is no older then 23… this youth are students, people in the beginning of their life. People that are contributing without asking "what in it for me". Beautiful youth.
· The youth that are running the camps are the near future leaders of the Jewish community in South Africa. They are future leaders of the Jewish people and my only hope and believe is that they are the future leaders of Israel.
· To summarize the camps without emphasizing the work and contribution of the Shlichim from the Jewish Agency will be unjust. The amazing contribution in time, knowledge, heart and soul to the South African Jewish Kids in the Camp didn't have enough words to describe. Those shlichim who left university and life to come and give from themselves really made the difference- as individuals and as a mishlachat- as a group. One of the main purposes and aims in the Jewish Agency strategic plan is to connect the "next generation". The Shlichim as well as the Jewish Agency P2K kids were a major component in achieving this goal.
· Last I must comment here about the wonderful volunteers without whose help, the camps would be less than they are. These are the doctors, nurses, drivers, mashgichim, secrateries. I commend the professional volunteers – the CSO - who contribute their time – before, during and after camp to ensure the safety and security of the community and, in this case, the camps. They do this voluntarily, sometimes with a lack of understanding from the community that they dedicate their time to, with passion, conviction and professionalism.
· I would like to thank all youth camps for their wonderful cooperation, help and understanding and look forward to a wonderful year and to the 2008 summer camps!

The Israel Encounter 2008
· 120 participants in the Israel encounter 2008. 40 more than last year. The success of last year program due to the change of the content supplier in Israel, had the most significant influence on the marketing of the program this year. The marketing focused on preparing the informal education madrichim, the shlichim and the Zionist Seminaries Madrichim. the grade 11th were surrounded by different madrichim that talked about the program. We did a use in the last year participants to market the program. In October we finished registration with no money for another 40 participants that registered. The SAZF as well as the IUA helped in raising the money that allows everybody to participate. This year we also decided that as a strategy, only participants that did not participated in the other programs to Israel can participate in the Encounter. In this way we covered over the 90% of the youth at that age that went to Israel in one program or another. The sikum done in Israel with the participants show a high satisfaction from the program and a high willingness to go on MASa program as finishing high school next year.

New Web Site
· The Israel Centre had launched a new web site.
· The site includes information about Aliya as well as has the possibility to download all form for Aliya and do the process at home.
· The website inclides all information about MASA, Youth movements, Hagshama, Shlichim To SA and lot more information.

New Aliya tools
· The Israel centre had launched the Aliya wizard which allows everyone to check his Aliya eligibility from the comfort of his home.
· The details are confidential and are left with the Aliya department and the global centre.

Aliya 2007
· In 2007 we had 240 olim:
o 198 SA Olim (108 in 2006)
o 42 returning residents (40 in 2006)
· 2008 showed an increase of almost 80% in number of Olim from SA
· Israel Centre used new methods to promote Aliya:
o Aliya eligibility wizard on the Internet
o Website
o Facebook
o E.mails (we grow our mailing list to 6500 people)
o Newspapers
o Aliya events and Expo’s.
o House meetings
o Stalls in the malls and public gatherings
o “Aliya as the main course”

New Mishlachat
· The Mishlachat for 2008 had arrived and we have:
o New national Shaliach for Bnei Akiva- Eran Sterenberg
o New Shlicha for Yeshiva college for the informal education- Yifat sterenberg
o New Shlichot for Hertzlia school- Noa fartuk and Chagit Hod
o New Shaliach community for Durban- Boaz Peled
o New Shliach for the Jewish studies department in Cape town- Rabi Efraim lewits
o New Shlichim Family in Port Elizabeth- Hillel and Aliza lev Tzion
o New Shaliach for Netzer JHB- Michael Schupak
o New Shaliach for Habonim (not national) – Doron Moshe
o New Shlichim Family for Zimbabwe- Rabi David Alima
o New 6 Bachurim For Cape town
o New shlicha for Bnei Akiva Cape town- Michal Ordman
o Naama Dahan started teaching in KDVP and building an Israel centre in the school
· Shlichim that are expected to arrive:
o National Shaliach for Habonim
o Shaliach for SAUJS and Betar
o 2 new shlichot for DIJE
o 2 new shlichot for KDL+ KDVP
· The Mishlachat in SA includes 16 shlichim in the fields of:
o Aliya
o Education and informal education
o Community
o Youth movements
· The Israel centre decided on the strategy of including all the shlichim in SA in the Mishlachat – no matter who sent the Shaliach (95% of the shlichim are send by the Jewish Agency)

Ofer Dahan
World Zionist Organization
Jewish Agency for Israel
Director of Israel Centre
E mail: ofer@beyachad.co.za offerd@jafi.org
Personals:
http://picasaweb.google.com/oferdahan
http://oferdahan.spaces.live.com/