Hello
We are delighted to present you with the newsletter for the month of April, which includes a newly-published volume in the Ha'zeman series on Zionist-Mizrahi-Sephardic philosophy. You will also find a new humoristic video clip critiquing UNRWA, as well as updates concerning the Institute's activities.
Enjoy!
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Zionist-Mizrahi-Sephardic Philosophy
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On behalf of the Institute for Zionist Strategies, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and the Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute we are delighted to present you with the third volume in the Ha'zeman series – a periodical dealing with Zionist philosophy in the context of the Hebrew Calendar.
The new volume was published before Purim and comprises a variety of philosophical texts originating from Eastern Jewish communities as well as Sephardic Jews from Western countries, reflecting rather aptly the verse from the Book of Esther: "… from India unto Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty seven provinces."
Well, sort of...
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The attached volume is made up almost entirely of philosophical excerpts from the 19th and 20th centuries, all written by Sephardic and Mizrahi philosophers. Throughout the volume you will find little "I.D. Cards", which offer basic information about each of the mentioned philosophers.
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Did you know that the international definition of the term "refugee" clarifies that the title is not hereditary? Well, unless you claim to be a Palestinian refugee, of course.
We asked the Elevator Entertainment Group (Hama'alit), to briefly explain just how problematic the whole issue is. |
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So what can be done about UNRWA after all? Our proposition can be found in a detailed position paper by Nir Amran.
Enjoy the clip! |
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The He'Halutz program ("The Pioneer")
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During the past month, the members of the He'Halutz program in Rehovot met with the Institute's chair, Dr. Yoaz Hendel. To quote a few of Dr. Hendel's words from the meeting: "As far as I am concerned the heart of the matter is how we go about protecting the miracle called 'The State of Israel'.
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The He'Halutz program was founded to nurture this very passion among students with social and public impact, and instill in them leadership capabilities for the good of our future."
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Members of the He'Halutz program at the Sapir College met with the mayor of Sderot, Alon Davidi. Davidi described his current dilemmas and challenges as mayor of a development town located in the Gaza Envelope area, and gave the members of the program some insight and advice on how to go about building their personality and character in order to achieve public and social standing.
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Members of the He'Halutz program in Rehovot also met with Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, head of the Hesder Yeshiva in Kfar Batia and member of the Tzohar organization, for a fascinating discussion on religious Zionism and Rabbi Kook, A'H.
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Rabbi Cherlow delved into the teachings of Rabbi Kook and tackled some very interesting topics, such as: Does Religious Zionism today follow in the footsteps of Rabbi Kook's doctrine, And why are the elite circles wary of the religious national sector.
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The Blue&White Human Rights Association conducted extensive activities over the past month, for example: Students from the He'Halutz program in the Sapir College visited checkpoints. This was the first occasion for such cooperation between the two frameworks in preparation for future joint projects. Similarly, students from UCLA were also taken on a visit to the checkpoints.
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Our activities are always conducted with the assistance and coordination of the relevant State authorities, such as the Health Department of the Civil Administration and its Permits Center, to cite a fewexamples.
Alongside our presence at the checkpoints, we continue to hold our educational programs 'Purity of Arms' (Tohar Ha'Neshek) and 'For the Sake of the Spirit' (Biglal Ha'Ru'ach), and we have recently started developing the educational workshops further, in preparation for the following academic year.
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In light of the heated public debate which has been raging for the past fortnight concerning the incident of the soldier who shot a wounded terrorist, and the issue of "Purity of Arms" that has been brought to the surface as a result, we have published a joint public statement with the Ha'Emet Sheli ("My Truth") organization supporting the security forces, and expressing our encouragement of a full-fledged and responsible investigation into the Hebron incident. (Here, in Hebrew, is the statement)
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International Women's Day at the Institute for Zionist Strategies
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In honor of International Women's Day we wish to express our appreciation of all our women activists. We take pride in all they do.
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They are talented and of the highest caliber, and perform their work with a sense of mission, inspiring all those around them. We are very proud and gratified that these talented women, so much in demand, have chosen to join our team.
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The Institute in the media
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The Mako website interviewed Nave Dromi, director of Blue&White Human Rights, on the organization's activity and objectives.
Tzachi Kirshberg, who manages the field of education at Blue&White Human Rights, was interviewed on Yaron Vilensky's radio show on Army Radio, where he talked of the nature of the activities conducted by the BDS movement, and then went on to describe our new initiative aimed at foiling such activities, whereby a number of pro-Israeli organizations have joined forces in order to monitor and counteract BDS initiatives. |
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Makor Rishon reporter, Elyashiv Reichner, published a review of the new volume in the Ha'Zeman series in his weekly column, Rachok Me'Ha'ayin ("Out of sight").
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In articles published by members of the Institute, a variety of current affairs and matters of public concern have been tackled:
Articles in english:
- The Institute's chair, Dr. Yoaz Hendel, describes how the dispute over the Ritual Baths Bill further expands the ever-growing chasm between Israel and American Jewry (Yedioth Ahronoth).
- Miri Shalem, CEO of the Institute, expresses her dismay at the apparent attitude towards Ethiopian immigrants in Israel 2016 (Makor Rishon).
- Yisrael Harel, founding chair of the Institute, is moved by the new Jewish arrivals in Israel from Yemen (Haaretz).
Articles in hebrew:
- Prof. Simcha Goldin, fellow of the Institute, tells of his son, Hadar Goldin, who was killed in Operation Protective Edge (Yedioth Ahronoth).
- Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun expresses his view that if a special area is designated for Reform worshippers at the Western Wall it will only lead to more divisions and rifts (Makor Rishon).
- Adi Arbel, the Institute's project manager, exposes the unique nature of the method used in Israel to appoint judges (BeSheva).
- Nave Dromi, director of Blue&White Human Rights, comes out against the hypocrisy demonstrated by the political left when it comes to right-wing satire. (Haaretz)
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