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 Participants of the Zionist Leadership Initiative organized by the Department for Zionist Activities of the World Zionist Organization which took place during the Jewish Agency Assembly laid a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl in Jerusalem (photo: Joe Malcolm) HUNDREDS OF JEWISH TEACHERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD IN ISRAEL THIS MONTH - FOR PROFESSIONAL REASONS AND SOLIDARITY
141 Jewish teachers from all over the world are touring Israel this week as part of a solidarity visit, for educational purposes and to study the current situation. The teachers, from the US and South America are touring Israel as part of a project for educator missions, which began at the end of May and will continue throughout the summer. To date, 285 teachers have taken advantage of this program, out of almost 1,000 who have confirmed their participation. Dozens of teachers are also participating in the Education Department's "Kivunim" program and visiting Israel this week. Despite the security situation in Israel in recent months and despite the many reports of tourists and groups canceling their trips to Israel, June has been packed with a large number of visitors coming to show their solidarity and support. Even as the media focused on the annual Jewish Agency Assembly and meeting of the Board of Governors, which took place at Jerusalem's Hyatt Hotel last week, more teachers landed in Israel to tour the country within the context of the project. The teachers' project, which is organized and coordinated by the Jewish Agency's Zionist Education Department, was planned during the winter months as part of the Public Relations and Information policy adopted by the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency. During their visit, the teachers will meet with both government and non-government organizations from all sectors in Israel. Aware of the limitations of public relations and Information in the international media and the biased, anti-Israel reporting in the world press, the Education Department encouraged these missions in order to provide Jewish teachers from around the world with a clearer view of the Middle East conflict, and help them understand its complexity. This way, the teachers will be able to return to their communities and advocate Israel's position, having seen the situation first hand - and not as it is portrayed in the media. Joel Rosenfeld, who heads the project, emphasizes that the purpose of the visits is educational, in an effort to provide the teachers with a better understanding of the situation: "Actually, these are not solidarity groups. We are not trying to present a one-sided pro-Israel position, but are attempting to look at all the elements of the conflict and allow the teachers to formulate their own opinion based on understanding and awareness, and not from what they see in the media", said Rosenfeld. |
