יום ראשון, 22 במרץ 2009

The Big Debate!


Sunday, March 15th , 18:00. The Big Debate.
Bev Goldman- the big debate MC and myself in last preparations, raising questions, thinking in which direction the debate will be conducted.
Background:
Following petitions, letters to the Jewish Report and other events I thought it is the right time to raise a true debate in the youth movements of South Africa (Bnei Akiva, Netzer, Habonim and Betar) about their stand of Zionism. How do they see it. How does their Ideology face the reality and situation Israel is facing.
More than that the Idea was to get the youth movements to learn, engage, study and deal with their Ideology concerning the current situation in Israel as well as stand in front of the community and take responsibility for their point of views.
We raised 4 questions which we sent to the youth movements:
- What is your stand towards the settlements
- What is your stand towards the 2 state solution
- What is your definition of Zionism
- How do you implement your ideology?
The youth movements discussed the questions and prepared for the debate.
We published an advert in the Jewish report and expected 50-60 participants.
At 18:00, nervous and stressed not knowing what will happen...
18:15 and the ground floor auditorium at Beyachad is full! 130 people packing the place! Great surprise for us...
The debate started on time. Some tried to avoid giving direct answers to the questions but Bev put them on the track.
An hour and a half later the debate ended. We all felt it was too short and we need a continuation. That will come in 3 months time. The youth didn’t leave the place until 21:00 and later...
All the youth movements have been given the opportunity to write a response to the Jewish report following the debate to clarify, explain and add to what they had to say about their positions.
All their letters are attached here and will be published next week in the Jewish Report.
We accomplished a full educational process:
- Everybody dug down deep into their ideology and discussed it.
- They confronted their and other ideologies and stands.
- They took responsibility and committed themselves in front of the community to their stands and ideology.
- They had an opportunity to respond publically.
Attached is the response as well as pictures from the debate

הצג את האלבום כולו

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/

For the first time ever

“For the First time ever”... http://picasaweb.google.com/oferdahan/HigherEducationExpo#

Our target market for the higher Education Expo: 400 grade 12 in all Jewish Day schools in SA. Students and youth movements Bogrim.
Our Aim was to prepare the Boger of the high school in South Africa to go on MASA, Aliya or study in Israel
We knew and know the participants will be ready for decision only ion July 2010- they have to matriculate (December 2009) and only in June-July will be ready for the right decision.
So we built a process:
- Machane exposure in December.
- Israel Encounter at the beginning of grade 12- January
- Higher Education and MASA Expo in March for the Grade 12 (and some grade 11).
- Career evening in October- just before...
In addition the youth movements are sending to their Shorashim and Hadracha programs at Grade 11.

The Idea of Higher education Expo was raised in the Aliya Expo in November 2008 by Orit mor Sela. We discussed it and I took it as a project.
- We, in conjunction with the Student authority and the Aliya department- the marketing division: issued a high education newspaper which was published with the Jewish report in 12,000 copies. ( another 2000 copies were sent to students and pupils in the deferent schools)
- We invited MASA programs as well as universities to participate. We got the help and involvement of the student authority in inviting the deferent universities.
At the end of the day we had the following as participants:
- The Hebrew University
- Ben Gurion University
- Bar Ilan university
- Taknion – Haifa
- IDC – Hertzlia.
- IBC- Israel by choice
- Shnat Habonim
- MTA and Tafnit- Bnei Akiva
- Shant Netzer
- Shnat Betar


We build a process in the schools:
- 10 minutes exposure in the assembly by the representatives to all grade 11 and 12 pupils.
- An hour of open stalls.
- Private one on one meetings.


How many?
- Exposure at the different assemblies: 580 pupils
o King david Linksfield: 150 pupils
o King david Victory park: 100 pupils
o Yeshiva College: 80 pupils (boys and girls)
o Hertzlia CT: 250 pupils (grade 12 and grade 11)
- Personal one on one meetings: 122 meetings
o Johannesburg: 77 meetings
o Cape Town: 45 meetings
- Open exposure: countless...

The atmosphere was of a big celebration along with very high professionalism from the representatives.

Grade 12 in the Jewish Day schools of South Africa had “ open day “ with the best universities from Israel at their schools.
We completed a full process to expose them to the different opportunities of MASA and High Education in Israel.

Will this model of promotion and exposure be a success in Aliya and MASA? We will know next year. We know for sure that the number of students from SA studying in Israel had increased dramatically in 2008.

This is the time to thank everyone who lead, participated in organizing and contributed to this amazing project:
Tzachi Levi – Aliya and Habonim Shaliach
Yossi Eshed- CT rosh mishlachat and Aliya Shaliach
Yifat twersky- Educational [projects at the Israel Centre
Taliya Marcus- Israel Centre CT
Orit Mor Sela and Naomi Shmuel- student Authority
Barbara Meltz-Kahn- Marketing division- Aliya department
The youth movements in SA
The king david schools and Rabbi Craig Kacev
Yeshiva College and Rabbi Laurence Perez.
Hertzlia school and Mary- Ann Marks.

Share the event:
http://picasaweb.google.com/oferdahan/HigherEducationExpo#
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/