Bomb attack on bus in Hadera

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Shooting resumed in Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood and Palestinian attacks expanded throughout the territories. In the course of the past week eight Israelis were killed as a result of murderous Palestinian attacks aimed at civilians and soldiers. More than seventy civilians were injured, among those were children on their way to school in Gush Katif and a baby who happened on the ill-fated bus in Hadera.

The IDF responded by launching a massive helicopter attack on centers serving the Palestinian security in Gaza. In the past two days the security cabinet held lengthy meetings with the Israeli Security officials to consolidate plans of operation against the Tanzim and Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Parallel to security efforts, leaders of One Israel and Prime Minister Ehud Barak, called again for the establishment of an emergency coalition that will convey unity in light of the new situation caused by the Palestinian attacks and pressure from the Arab world.

Barak initiated a meeting with head of the opposition, Ariel Sharon, who agreed to join an emergency coalition under the condition that Barak will withdraw from the Camp David agreements and will take a hard stand against the Palestinians.

In the meantime, the opposition is busy obtaining the 61 votes necessary in order to pass a decision for the dissolution of the Knesset in the first voting round next week, leading to early elections.

The American government has not yet given up on its efforts to bring quiet to the area. Madeleine Albright announced the preparation of a new plan for the implementation of the Sharm-A-Sheih agreements for the cessation of fighting. That includes the retreat of IDF forces to the posts held prior to the hostilities, the return of all released Palestinian terrorists to jail and no use of firearms against Israelis. U.S. Defense Minister William Cohen who visited the Middle-East, met with officials from both sides and called for an immediate end to the violence.

Lieutenant Eduard Matchnik and Sergent Samer Hussein were killed today, in two separate attacks on IDF District Coordination Office (the DCO) in the Gaza Strip.

Yesterday, Shoshana Reis and Meir Brami were killed in the explosion of a car stationed next to a city bus during rush hour in downtown Hadera. In the explosion, 61 Israelis were injured, of those 5 are in serious condition including a soldier listed in critical condition and a baby girl who sustained burns on all her body.

Last Tuesday, Miriam Amitai and Gabby Bitton were killed in Kfar Darom when a rocket was fired at a bus transporting children to school. Nine children on the bus were injured, among those 5 sustained serious injuries, three were siblings: 12 year old Orit Cohen, 8½ year old Tehila Cohen and 7 year old Israel suffered injuries in their limbs doomed to live with the scars of the attack all their lives.

The string of violent attacks is deepening the lack of trust between the sides and senior government officials in the U.S. believe that it will necessitate prolonged efforts in the area of education in order to return the clock and promote the political process.

As a result of the escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinians, Egypt decided to recall its ambassador to Israel, Mr. Mohammed Bassiouny, for consultations. Mr. Bassiouny’s absence from Israel was not limited to a specific period of time. Egyptians informed International Officials that he will return only after there will be calm in the area.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Israeli officials expressed regret for Egypt’s decision. They invited Egypt to act as a stabilizer, committing to the efforts to bring to the cessation of violence and the advancement of the peace efforts.

International Officials and prominent Jewish leaders denounced the Egyptian decision. «This is the time for the expansion of communications between the sides rather than disconnection. Instead of recalling the ambassador isolate Israel, Egypt should take advantage of its status in the area to bring to the reduction of tensions» said Ron Lauder, Chairman of the Conference of Presidents.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of the Conference of Presidents, Malcolm Hoenlein, is weary of Cairo’s negative tendency towards Israel. Hoenlein pointed out that in a recent official publication of the Middle-East map by the Egyptian Tourist Ministry, Israel was called «Palestine». «There is no acceptable explanation for such an infuriating behavior. The Ministry of Tourism must immediately retract all the maps from all the countries where they were distributed» said Hoenlein.

A Conference of Presidents announcement stated that following the peace agreement, Jewish organizations promoted tourism to Egypt and the publication of the distorted map is infuriating.

The Conference of Presidents also strongly denounces the publication of the Jordanian blacklist, distributed as of lately by extreme Islamic elements and leftist Arab organizations. The publication calls for reprisals against 22 journalists, academics, educational institutions and Jordanian businesses supportive of economic ties between Amman and Israel.

More than 300 spiritual leaders, including 200 Jewish community leaders, rabbis, and educators from 35 countries around the world and 100 leaders from Israel, will participate in an international assembly of Orthodox leadership due to open in Jerusalem on Sunday. The assembly is organized by the Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora, of the World Zionist Organization. It will last 4 days and will include special workshops for educators, community leaders and rabbis.

The assembly will discuss Jewish solidarity and strengthening ties between Israel and Jewish communities in the Diaspora. Chairman of the Assembly and member of the Jewish Agency Executive, Eliezer Sheffer, says that despite the tense security situation there have been no cancellations. Sheffer stressed that many participants announced that they would be coming «due to the situation».

This is the first convention of its kind, for representatives of all the organizations and groups in the orthodox world. The assembly will therefore not address the religious world view, but will attempt to establish a united voice for all groups. Topics of discussion at the assembly and the workshops include: religious revival among Jewish youth around the world; revival of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe; religious communities around the world coping with change in the new milleni um; and the operation of a special portal on the Internet screening sites unacceptable to the religious community and permitting the communities to conduct dialogue on Jewish topics.

Spiritual leaders from 117 Jewish communities, including presidents of communities, chief rabbis, leaders of Jewish organizations, university presidents, school principals and heads of yeshivas will attend the assembly. Participants from the US, Canada, Western and Eastern Europe, the FSU, Central and South America, South Africa, Australia, Turkey and Greece are among the delegates. They will meet with President Moshe Katsav, Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor , Jewish Agency Treasurer Chaim Chesler, government ministers, chief rabbis and senior army officers. They will also hold a solidarity rally with Gilo residents.

British Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Sacks (left) with British Prime Minister Tony Blair (right)

• $14,000 - Jewish Agency support in the year 2000 for the «Inter-generational» program run by the Yad Lakashish (help for the elderly) Society. Within the framework of this project, high-school students visit and assist the elderly in their homes and in geriatric wards in Jerusalem.

• $3,460,000 - Jewish Agency budget for the year 2000 in support of the various aliyah associations in Israel. Aliyah organizations assist with the absorption of olim in Israel and see them through their first period of adaptation in the country.

• $59,000 - Jewish Agency support in the year 2000 for the «Yachdav» project which trains teachers for Jewish Studies in state and state-religious schools in Israel. The project aims to create bridges between religious and secular youth in Israel and is run jointly by the «Nishmat» organization and the David Yellin College.

• Some 80,000 pupils are expected to participate this year in Jewish Agency ulpanim for the study of Hebrew; 50,000 operate in the FSU and 30,000 in Israel.

• More than 5,000 olim came to Israel from the Caucasus and Central Asia in the first 8 months of the year. They make-up14% of all the olim from the FSU.

The «Shabiba» (the organizational framework for youth in the Fatah movement) took place on November 6, at the Al’Najah University in Nablus. This was a well attended get together focusing on ways for the elimination of the Israeli settlements in the Judea and Samaria Regions. «Shabiba» activists, many of them members of the armed militia responsible for hundreds of terrorist attacks and shootings in Judea and Samaria since October, gave the Jewish settlers in the Judea and Samaria an ultimatum: to abandon their settlements by the end of November or «become targets for Palestinian bullets.» To illustrate the sincerity of their intentions «Shabiba» activists, equipped with guns and anti-tank rockets, held a ceremony during which they burned an Israeli flag and them shoot and set alight a miniature model of an Israeli settlement.

SILENT CONSENT IN THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

The hostile militant «Ceremony» that «Shabiba» conducted at the official academic institution (Al Najah University) in the presence of thousands of students, was not prohibited nor was it , and no expressions of reservation were offered by the University’s administration, the Ministry of higher education or the Palestinian Authority itself. Moreover, the official Palestinian newspaper Alchiya Al’jadida, in its November 7 issue, boldly reported the incident and its extremist messages without any explanation or condemnation, giving tacit support and even encouragement.

Hard pictures depicting the effects of torture of a Palestinian youth at the hands of Israeli settlers – a made-up story – were shown on Palestinian TV Channels. On October 9, the pictures showed for many long hours accompanied by hard line instigation against Israeli settlers who, according to the Palestinian Authority, «lynched with cruelty» an Um Zafa (village near Ramallah) resident Atzam Juda Chamad. Chamad, as discussed later, was killed in a traffic accident.

Radio «Kol Falastin»: «Chamad was injured by the fire of settlers... said witnesses, because he went to the cemetery where he was surprised by an army patrol ... this is murder in cold blood by settlers, or by the conqueror’s soldiers or jointly by both.» (October 9 – 12:00).

Palestinian Television: «The settlers killed Chamad at his home in front of his family and set his body on fire» (October 9 – 12:15)

Palestinian Police: «Chamad was killed by soldiers who shot him in the head» (October 9)

High ranking official in the Fatah Haisham Abu-Marim: «Chamad was kidnapped by settlers from Chalamish who murdered him in coordination with the army.» (Radio «Kol Falastin» October 9).

The Palestinian Human Rights Organization LAW: «Atzam Achmad was tortured badly ... he was electrocuted, he suffered burns from a hot iron and he was hit with an axe» (Radio «Kol Falastin» October 9)

The commander in charge of security in Gaza Mohammed Dahlan: «the settlers killed Chamad and burned his body» (October 9)

THUS THE MYTH WAS DEBUNKED

Reuters (October 3): « an investigation conducted by the Human Rights Commission ... shows that Chamed was killed in a car accident and not at the hand of Israeli soldiers or settlers. International physicians for the Commission said with a reasonable degree of medical and legal certainty that Chamad was killed as a result of a severe physical injury caused by the overturning of a vehicle. The medical report stated that the type of injuries and their distribution all over his body indicate that Chamad was thrown at a distance when the car overturned. As a result his scull and bones in the left side of his body fractured. The medical report stated that there were no signs of stab wounds on his body.

Jewish Agency Chairman, Sallai Meridor, calls upon Israel’s Government to begin participating in the funding of the Jewish Agency’s activities by matching the funds invested by JAFI in promoting a Jewish-Zionist education and immigration from the West.

Meridor spoke to the Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Committee of the Knesset at a special session surveying the activities of the Jewish Agency.

During Committee discussions, Meridor pointed out that Israel must partner the Jewish Agency in its national efforts to increase Jewish-Zionist education and the promotion of immigration from countries of the west. He stressed that the Jewish Agency allocated more than 60 million dollars of the Jewish people’s moneys annually to promote these areas and it should be the government’s responsibility to invest one dollar for each dollar put forth by the Jewish people, in order to safeguard the young generations future.

The Jewish Agency’s Chairman also reported to the Committee that in light of recent events in Israel and attacks on Jewish Institutions, steps were taken to insure that Jewish communities will not be exposed to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist elements.

Naomi Blumenthal MK, Chair of the Knesset Committee for Immigration and Absorption joined the Jewish Agency Chair’s call for the allocation of funds for the strengthening of Jewish-Zionist education among Jewish communities worldwide. Blumenthal called upon the U.S. government to reconsider its recommendation to U.S. citizens to refrain from travel to Israel, particularly regarding organized group travel.

M.K. Blumenthal urged the Chairman of the Jewish Agency to target the Jewish community of Argentina for the encouragement of immigration and the enhancement of Jewish education, particularly in view of current serious economic hardship. « Uncontrollable assimilation and immigration to the U.S. are rampant and it is imperative to take immediate action to save Argentinian Jewry» she said.

A number of Knesset Members, among them Yuri Stern and Eliezer (Chita) Cohen of Israel Be’itenu, Avshalom Vilan of Meretz and Haim Katz of Am Ehad, and Itzhak Gagula and David Azulai of Shas, complimented the Jewish Agency’s activities and called upon the government to join the Jewish Agency’s efforts of assuring Jewish continuity.

Meridor concluded by saying that in spite of the ongoing bloody attacks, there is no change in the number of immigrants to Israel and some 60 thousand immigrants are expected to arrive before the end of the year, 50 thousand of them for the FSU.

Close to 40 Jewish families from Argentina were registered lately for immigration to Israel, with the intention of settling in Upper Nazareth in the next few months. This was the result of a visit by deputy mayor Edna Rodrig, and director of the absorption center of the Jewish Agency in town, Boaz Yardeni to Argentina.

At the meeting with the Jewish families, Rodrig and Yardeni presented all the possibilities for absorption. It appears that the contention that the current state of tension in Israel prevents people from immigrating is inaccurate, says director of the Latin America Desk at the Jewish Agency, Tulio Solodky.

The first families, parents between 30 – 50 years of age and their children, are expected in Israel some time next month while the others should arrive some time next March. In the first six months of their arrival the families will live at the Absorption Center and they will learn Hebrew.

Upper Nazareth in conjunction with the Association of Latin American immigrants, are committed to helping the families find suitable residence and employment. They are also going to assist them with their social integration.

The immigration from Argentina is part of the Jewish Agency’s «Aliyah 2000» program that enables immigrants to become directly absorbed by the city. In Upper Nazareth there is a growing Latin American population of immigrants who came in the 90’s.

A hi-tech fair will open in Sao Paolo, Brazil, tomorrow November 24, to encourage Jewish engineers to immigrate and work in this field. The fair, which is being organized by the Jewish Agency in conjunction with «Hi-Link», will last four days. Israel’s leading hi-tech companies - Intel, Amdocs, Telrad, Elbit and Tower Semi-conductors will attend. A similar fair will be held immediately afterwards in Buenos Aires, Argentina and will be followed by hi-tech fairs in North America and in France.

Silvina Maniker, director of the Jewish Agency’s «Aliyah 2000» program, said that cooperation between the Jewish Agency and the business sector is a reflection of 21st Century Zionism. Maniker added that in recent weeks Jewish Agency delegations have been locating potential candidates in the Jewish communities in Brazil and Argentina. According to Maniker, despite the current situation, Jewish engineers have shown an interest in making aliyah and being absorbed in Israel’s hi-tech industr y.

Within the context of the two fairs, Israeli companies will conduct hundreds of interviews with software engineers, hardware engineers, electronic engineers and marketing people, with professional experience who are university graduates.

In order to expose the visitors at the fairs to other technological opportunities in Israel, representatives of the Jewish Agency’s Education Department, the Technion, the Center for Technological Training and the student administration will also attend the fairs and will present youngsters with options for higher-education in Israel. Moreover, the Tnufa company from the bureau of the Chief Scientist and representatives of the Small Business Enterprise organization will also participate a nd will provide advice in the area of technological enterprise.

The Brazil fair will open on November 24^th and will last 4 days. It will be held at Sao Paolo’s Hebraica Jewish community center. The Argentina fair will take place in Buenos Aires between November 28^th and December 4^th .

52 young men and women from all over Scandinavia will travel to the Swedish capital for discussions, lectures and meetings within the framework of a leadership seminar.

Dubi Bergman, head of the Jewish Agency’s European Treasury, said that the convention is being organized by Avi Steinberg, central emissary to Scandinavia who will be bringing together youth from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. The seminar will focus on Judaism, the State of Israel, education, the image of the youth leader and the Jewish annual cycle.

Israeli embassy representative Rafi Harpaz will talk about Israel’s 53rd Day of Independence and the connection to Jewish communities in Scandinavia. Those present will include community leaders, those responsible for education and youth, local emissaries from Stockholm and Copenhagen, girls doing their National Service in the Scandinavian Jewish community and those active at Stockholm’s Jewish center.

The guest of honor and keynote speaker, Dr. Shlomo Balzam, will deliver a daily lecture during the seminar and will hold discussions with the participants, parents and teachers on subjects such as: Jewish education after the age of Bar/Bat Mitzva, methods and ideas for lessons in Judaism, and more. Emissaries and educators will work on subjects for the annual program in Israel; community theater, the Oneg Shabbat and personal discussions into the small hours of the morning.

More than 160 Jews from the Baltic States will participate in a series of seminars on aliyah and Jewish education which the Jewish Agency launched this week in Riga, the Latvian capital.

The first seminar is aimed at preparing a group of young Jews for their aliyah to Israel within the framework of the Jewish Agency’s «Yachad» (together) program. The group of 20 youngsters will make aliyah next month to Kibbutz Hatzirim. Yachad is unique in that it brings youngsters on aliyah together as a cohesive group. Following 6 months of studying Hebrew and working on the kibbutz, the youngsters will integrate into Israeli society.

The «Family Seminar» is the second in this series with 120 participants, about 40 families. The seminar is designed to prepare families for aliyah and hires the services of psychologists and experts on aliyah and absorption for the seminar. Ephraim Medan, head of the Jewish Agency’s delegation to the Baltic States reports that the seminar will also include a special preparatory program for the children: «We try to prepare all family members for the transition easing their entry into the new society as much as possible».

Some 30 teenagers participated in a «Lechet» youth leaders seminar, which trains local youth leaders. Graduates of the program will work at Jewish Agency youth clubs and summer and winter camps.

According to Jewish Agency estimates, the Baltic States are currently home to some 25,000 Jews. Ephraim Medan said that since the beginning of the year 650 olim have come to Israel from this region.

The first group of 27 new immigrant youngsters from the FSU and Ethiopia, graduates of Youth Aliyah schools headed by Yemin Orde, are currently enrolled at a special academy to provide pre-army service preparation. The academy, which is part of a special Nachal program, opened a month ago at the initiative of the Zionist Federation’s settlement department and the IDF’s Brigadier General, Elazar Stern. It is being run by the Friends of Yemin Orde and the Youth and Nachal Division of the Defense Ministry.

The 10 month program is designed to enhance the youngsters’ ability to cope with their army service, expand their familiarity with the State of Israel and Israeli society, and improve their physical fitness to provide them with the opportunity of entering command positions and social assignments within the IDF. The program will also prepare olim leadership to work with youth from their communities in the future.

In December, the program which is currently operating at Shadmot Mecholah, will be transferred to a new, permanent site in the Eeron region. Avraham Duvdevani, head of the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division said that the academy forms part of the department’s efforts to strengthen and develop the Eeron region. Duvdevani added that the department will encourage the establishment of additional academies in peripheral settlements currently in the department’s care.

The Consortium of Jewish Communities in South East USA recently embarked on a partnership with the Hadera-Eeron region within the context of the Jewish Agency’s Partnership 2000 program. Partnership 2000 is instrumental in strengthening ties between Jewish communities around the world and Israel. It reflects a deep change in the Jewish Agency’s method of operation, changing the relationship from one of «donor-recipient’ to one of partnership between Jewish communities in the Diaspora and communities in Is raeli society.

The communities of Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana will participate in the project with residents of Hadera, Pardess Hanna and Karkur, the Menashe and Alona Regional Councils and residents of the Katzir-Harish municipality on the Israeli side.

According to Damon Rose, director of the Jewish Agency’s Hadera-Eeron office, the partnership between the North American and Israeli communities will focus on promoting health and medical issues, education, and community building. The program will also strengthen personal ties between the American communities and residents of Israeli through teacher and student exchanges, the exchange of medical teams, the organization of joint seminars in emergency medicine and assistance to weak populatio ns.

In recent weeks three solidarity missions of North American Jewish leaders have visited the Eeron area to express support for the residents following tension in the area, and to strengthen ties between the communities in Israel and those in the US.

In a tour of northern Israel this month, Jewish Agency Treasurer, Chaim Chesler met in the Tefen Hi-Tech Park with industrialist Stef Wertheimer, president of the Iscar Blade Industries, and the leading advocate for the economic development of Israel’s northern population.

As a result of the meeting, Tefen representatives will travel to the FSU to identify potential immigrants with suitable qualifications for work in the industrial park. Suitable recruits will be offered residence in the Galilee.

«This is a kind of direct contact project in the mode of Aliya 2000» noted Chesler after his visit. «It will help immigrants while at the same time strengthen the outlying regions of Israel. It should offer tens of highly-qualified potential immigrants from the FSU with serious job prospects, and support the development of the Jewish population of the Galilee. It is a small-scale project that should produce very encouraging results.»

The Education Committee of the Knesset unanimously disqualified a history book studied in grade 9 in schools in Israel. The committee resolved that the book «World of Values» published by the Ministry of Education, was missing significant segments on the Holocaust, Zionism and the State of Israel. This is the first time that the Knesset Committee interferes in school maters.

In the Knesset as well: Pornographic movies were projected in the forum of the Knesset during a debate on the promotion of the status of women, on the International day against violence against women. The movies were projected to illustrate the type of pornographic material projected in Israel, particularly via Satellite, and its influence on violence against women. Several Knesset members left the forum in protest.

Many new immigrants from Ethiopia in Ashdod transferred their children out of public education and into the ultra-Orthodox education system, closer to their homes. They did so to protest the City’s decision to discontinue busing the Ethiopian children to elementary schools as a result of fiscal constraints. The Ministry of Education rejected the Municipality’s request to assist with the cost of busing.

Russian Communications tycoon, Vladimir Gussinsky, purchased the Hapo’el Tel Aviv soccer team. The purchase was done through his company «Media Most Holdings», owner of the principal TV and radio stations in Russia. Lawyer Zvi Hafetz is a partner in the firm. Gussinsky also holds 25% of the shares of Ma’ariv Daily Newspaper.

This week, 14 year old Ambo Asteman from Israel was flown to the Children’s St. Luc Hospital for organ transplants in Brussels, Belgium for an emergency liver transplant.

The young girl arrived from Ethiopia a few months ago with her mother and 17 year old brother. At the end of the week she was hospitalized at the Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem and by Monday a serious defect had been detected on her liver.

Within 24 hours the girl and her mother had been prepared for the flight in the care of an interpreter fluent in English and Amharit, and a physician. The Jewish Agency’s social worker, Miriam Azariah, contacted the Jewish Agency representative in Brussels, Neta Be’eri asking her to tend to the necessary arrangements for the patient and her mother. Azariah also began a fundraising campaign to cover the costs.

The major financial contributions that saved Ambo’s life are owed to the following organizations: The Hadassah Hospital, the Ministry of Health, the Jewish Agency, the Jewish Community of Brussels and many others. Shlomo Mula responsible for the absorption of immigrants from Ethiopia the Jewish Agency the «Kav L’chaim» (Line for Life) organization from Bnei Brak who are devoted to saving lives. «I have never seen anything like it – I sent them a fax and one and a half hours later I received a pledge for $ 5 ,000» said Mula.

The operation is expected to take place in the next two weeks. Ambo will remain in Belgium for three months until she recovers.

A new publication by Prof. Shlomo Haramati has recently been added to the «University Broadcast» series which deals with the imparting of the Hebrew language.

Ephraim Lapid, Spokesman for the Jewish Agency says that Prof. Haramati, of the Hebrew University is an internationally renowned expert on the instruction of Hebrew as an added language. He has been involved both in research and at the practical level in the instruction of Hebrew in Israel and overseas and in this work he presents evidence of spoken Hebrew throughout the generations.

Hebrew became a revived language towards the end of the 19th century. However, it would appear that throughout the generations there were Jews who were capable of using Hebrew not only for various forms of prayer, but also for communication purposes. There is obviously a connection with the ancient Jewish custom of praying and studying out loud and in tune which helped one remember the words.

Throughout the generations new words were created. According to the Even Shushan dictionary, 6421 words were added to the Hebrew language during the Middle Ages. Thus, in addition to the biblical language (8198 words) and to that of the Talmudic rabbis (7879 words), this constitutes a considerable increase as 40% are new words.

The linguist Prof. Chaim Rabin explains that for 1300 years - from the conquest of the Land of Israel and past the Bar Kochba war - the Jewish people spoke Hebrew. Afterwards the use of Hebrew declined and Jews spoke other languages for more than 1600 years, until Hebrew once again became a spoken language in Israel.

In the summer of 1922, during the early days of the British Mandate, Hebrew was approved as the country’s official language and justifiably, many regard Ben Yehuda as the symbol of modern written and spoken Hebrew.

In conclusion, Prof. Haramati determines that Eliezer Ben Yehuda should be regarded as a leader who knew how to motivate individuals and groups, in order to improve spoken Hebrew at the popular level that had developed over hundreds of years, turning it into a living language in Israel.

The book serves as an excellent basis for Hebrew teachers in our time in Israel (at ulpanim and universities) and abroad, and it provides a perspective on Hebrew as a living language throughout the generations.

A new book by Rabbi Asher (Richard) Hirsch - «From the Hill to the Mount - A Reform Zionist Quest» has recently been jointly published by the Zionist Library - the World Zionist Organization’s publishing house, and the Gefen Publishing House.

The personal story of Rabbi Hirsch, who made aliyah from the US, is an integral part of the story of the Reform movement and the change which has taken place in its leadership - becoming part of the Zionist movement and transferring its headquarters to Jerusalem.

Rabbi Hirsch was the founder of the Religious Action Center in Washington, which represented the Reform movement and other American streams on social issues. He served as Secretary General of the World Union of Progressive Judaism - the world Reform movement - from 1973 until his retirement in 1999, when he was chosen to be the organization’s Honorary Life President.

Between 1987-1992 Rabbi Hirsch also served as chairman of the World Zionist Council he is currently chairman of the Jewish Agency’s FSU Committee.

Rabbi Hirsch was among the key activists in the cooperation between Jews and Blacks in the human rights struggle in the US and worked alongside his colleague Martin Luther King.

The book contains thoughts on the following subjects: Judaism and social justice; Jewish pluralism in Jewish life; Progressive Judaism in Israel; the Reform movement and Zionism; Israel among the nations.

Outside cover of "From the Hill to the Mount"

Ingredients

1 pack of spinach leaves
8 large potatoes
1/4 cup oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup of corn-flake crumbs or flavored bread crumbs

Preparation

• Wash the spinach well, remove tough stalks and cook in water for several minutes until the leaves are tender. Drain well and chop.

• Peel the potatoes, cut in half and cook in water until soft.

• Drain the potatoes and mash, add the oil.

• Allow the ingredients to cool, mix the spinach, potatoes, chopped onions, eggs, salt and pepper.

• Pour into a greased baking pan and sprinkle with corn-flakes.

• Bake at 350F for half an hour.

B'Te'avon! Bon Appetit!