Hasbara Fellowships: June 2007

A busy week for the Fellows

Itamar Marcus from Palestinian Media Watch

Discussing ways to defeat anti-Israel propaganda on campus

A future rock star!

Students at the Save A Childs Heart House in Tel Aviv

Visiting children at the Wolfson Hospital

Taking some time out to enjoy the night life.

Our trip to the North winded down with a stop in Tel Aviv to learn about Israel's humanitarian contributions around the world. One organization in particular is called, Save A Child's Heart, performs life saving heart operations on children from around the world. Students were able to meet the doctors, mothers and children who are involved with the organization.

As we headed back to Jerusalem, some great speakers were lined up. Palestinian journalist Khaled abu Toameh, from the Jerusalem Post, Jessica Montell from an IDF watchdog group called B'Tzelem, Palestinian Media Watch founder Itamar Marcus and many more.

The students are off today for their free Shabbat weekend. A time to rest up for the final 2 days of the trip.

Day 2 in the north.

We started the day off early, as we headed to Safed to do some community service work. We learned about the damage done to the city by Hizbullah last summer.
Our tour educator Zev Jacobson talked about the history of Safed, and then we toured the city and discussed the city's victory in the 1948 war of independence.

After the city we headed off for our water hike through the Jordan river. During the hike we discussed water sharing with Jordan and its strategic importance with the Syrians. It was great to get a little wet in the summer's heat.

We boarded the bus and headed over the Lebanese border by Metulla. At a beautiful overlook we talked about the history of Lebanon and its history regarding Israel.

After lunch we went to the Valley of Tears where we watched a film of the heroic Avigdor Kahalani and the triumphant victory by the Israeli tank corps during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. We toured the battlefield and really got a feel for how Israel was to defeat.

After one last stop, at Mount ben Tal, we headed back to our hotel for another 5 star dinner. Tonight's feature film was the acclaimed, "Relentless: the Struggle for Peace in the Middle East." The film discusses the Oslo peace accords and the break down of peace process shortly thereafter. Campus coordinator David Steinberg led a very passionate discussion following the film.

Tomorrow we are headed for Tel Aviv and then back to Jerusalem for some more great activities.

To the North we go

Breakfast was early this morning, 8:00am to be exact.

We left Jerusalem before lunch and headed west to our first stop which was Latrun. Its of significant strategic value because of its elevation over the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway which made it the site of many battles notably the Independence Day War and up to the re-capture of the site in 1967.

Our second stop was to visit the Israeli community of Alfe Menashe. The town of 5,800 people has much strategic and political significance due to its location of 2 km east of the Green Line.

Our next stop was to Givat Haviva where they have begun to level the playing field, teaching tolerance, patience and understanding to Jewish and Arab youngsters. Even in these difficult times, they continue to meet daily, peacefully and as equals.

As the sun began to set we checked into the Kinar Hotel. Appetites were very high when dinner rolled out after a long day of touring. Just when the students thought we couldn’t pack in any more fun, we made our way to the beach for a bonfire and a lot of singing

Our Shabbat in Jerusalem

Aish Campus Director, Elliot Mathias getting the bar mitzvah treatment

The boys: Ian, Chris, Dan, Leon and Alex

Helena, Shirley, Sherri and Melody

Pictures

Auschwitz

An original cattle car

Learning about the Jewish community in Krakow

Our final days in Poland

Wednesday was spent for the most part in Krakow. We tried to get a feel for the vibrant Jewish community that once stood there. The immaculate synagogues, the close nit community and the incredible people who built up and maintained this community.

Our final day of the trip was at Auschwitz-Birkenau, a death machine of unimaginable proportions.

It's hard to even comprehend the atrocities that took place there, and as our tour educator Tzvi Sperber pointed out, "We are at Aushwitz, but can never really be here, we will never ever possibly understand what really happened here."

As we made the eerie walk into the gates of Auschwitz 1 we were greated with a pleasent surprise. A contingency of 50+ Israeli soldiers marched along the train tracks, proudly waving the Israeli flag. We stood teary-eyed watching them.

I cannot write what is was like to be stand in the crematorium, each student has a different perspective on this, and each and every one of us has a different story to tell.

Although our time in Poland was an unforgettable experience, we were very happy to be boarding our El Al flight heading to Israel.

More pictures will be coming up soon.

We have arrived safely in Jerusalem and we are looking forward to spending Shabbat here.

Understanding the past

The conentration camp at Medanyk

Even though it was day of mourning, it was still important to celebrate the victory of the Jewish people still being alive today.

Students lighting a candle for the 'righteous among nations' who helped save the lives of thousands of Jews

The Museum at the Lublin Yeshiva

A Warsaw Beginning

One of 3 remaining walls left from the Warsaw Ghetto

Dinner with the deputy Ambassador of Israel to Poland

Tour educator Tzvi Sberper at the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery

Looking at one of the remaining walls of the Warsaw Ghetto

We started with the Warsaw Jewish Cemetery which although usually symbolizes death, served as a reminder life. We toured the cemetery and talked about many of the incredible people who made the Warsaw Jewish community as vibrant as it was.

We then saw the remainders of the Warsaw Ghetto and talked about the unbearable living conditions Jews were forced into.

After we made our way to the memorial where the Jews were sent off to Triblinka. Throughout all of these stops our incredible tour educator Tzvi Sberper painted a vivid image of the history for us, trying to take us back to 1939.

We made a couple more stops before heading off to dinner where we were met with the deputy ambassador for Israel to Poland. He talked about the strong relationship between Israel and Poland and the current status of Anti-Semitism in Poland.

Even though it doesn't get dark until 10pm here, it was time to call it day. Sleep tight everyone, we have a real long day tomorrow.

Welcome Hasbara Fellows to Poland

Welcome everyone to the official blog of the Hasbara Fellowships mission to Poland and Israel. This is the very first of its kind and will certainly be a life changing experience for everyone involved.

The purpose of this blog is for family and friends of the participants to try to see and understand what is going on here. Through pictures and stories we hope to capture the clearest portrait possible of the program. We welcome all of your questions and comments which can be posted on each entry.

Get ready to experience the our darkest days as a nation and some of our most heroic ones as well.

Krav Maga

Krav Maga specialist Moshe Katz

Learning some self-defense tips Israeli style

A Shabbat to Remember

Rabbi Yom Tov Glaser rockin' some Shabbat tunes

Havdallah service at the German Hospice

MK Silvan Shalom meets with Hasbara Fellows

The Hasbara Fellows June 2007

MK Silvan Shalom

Hasbara Fellows getting ready

Campus Coordinator Elran Tsabag introducing Mr. Shalom

The excitement was brewing up days before the event. People were counting the days, hours and minutes until member of Knesset Silvan Shalom would address the group.

Mr. Shalom is currently servings his 5th term in the Israeli Knesset. In this pass election ,he was listed as number 2 on the Likud party list. He had previously served as finance minister, foreign minister and deputy prime minister.

Mr. Shalom talked about the current geo-political situation. The most direct threat to Israel right now, as outlined by Silvan Shalom, was the Syrian border. He also talked about peace negotiations with Syria and the necessary steps needed to break the Syria-Iran alliance.

After his speach he took questions ranging from the Iranian threat to current siege of the city of Sderot.

Our southern adventure

An overlook of the Dead Sea

Students enjoying Anders Nermen on guitar

Vegetarian food at the Bedouin tents

Enjoying Bedouin tea

The Ein Gedi spring

After picking up the women from their hotel we were off to the South. Our first stop was Ein Gedi for a hike through the rich red canyons of the region. We stopped at a nearby spring where the students could cool off. We walked back to the bus and headed off to the Dead Sea. The students bolted right into the warm syrup like water of the Dead Sea, covering themselves with the mineral rich mud. It was great to see the complete relaxation that the sea brings. We proceeded to our hotel at the Ein Gedi kibbutz. The view from the rooms overlooking the Dead Sea were picturesque.

The first session of the afternoon dealt with effective tools for tabling a campaign, event or membership recruitment on campus. The students role played different scenarios that may arise on campus and how to effectively deal with them.

I love to write about the delicious food that we have. Perhaps deep down inside, I want to be a food critic. The dinner included stir-fry chicken kabab's with a zesty lemon sauce and a bold pepper taste. Lightly buttered vegetables, rice, various fresh salads and breads accompanying to the main course. And for dessert, well I can't remember what dessert was because the dinner was so good.

In the evening we boarded the bus to enjoy the flavour of Bedouin culture at the Bedouin Tents. We were served authentic Bedouin coffee and cuisine. After dinner we parlayed in the warm desert night while enjoying the sweet sounds of Anders Nermen on guitar.

Students are gearing up for the Eind Gedi spring

Welcome to a new week

Since we last spoke the students have been busy learning from top experts in the Arab-Israeli conflict. They heard from counter-terrorism experts at the IDC in Herzeliyah.

Afterwards that met with the children from Save a Childs Heart and learned about Israel's humanitarian aid around the world.