May 19, 2004 - May 23, 2004
This year's regular ZF trip to Israel was especially timed to coincide with Yom Yerushalaim (Jerusalem day).
Almost sixty stalwarts converged on the excellent Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza Hotel from many points of the compass. Add to these the fifty plus 'Israel Connect' group of young Zionists and we had just about the largest group to come to Israel in years. The 'Oldies' and Connect group came together for a couple of sessions and meals and it was a delight for us to share time with them.
Some came early and some stayed late, some came and went with the trip. The important thing was that we all came together to share what was a truly magnificent and unbeatable experience.
Somehow, those travelling overnight and arriving on the Wednesday morning, mustered sufficient strength to check in, rest briefly and turn up for the first talk at 8.30am. The speaker was David Horowitz, who began by saying "You may be tired, but I just flew in this morning from the USA". David, the editor of the Jerusalem Report, spoke, as always, in his fluent and interesting manner. He gave an important insight into what it is like to live in Israel in these difficult times and also an educated view of the current political situation.
The group reconvened after lunch for a talk by Gadi Wexler on the relationships between Muslim and Jews. Next, a highlight was an address by MK and friend of the ZF, Tzipi Livni, the Minister for Absorption. Tzipi explained about what was going on and the problems facing Sharon and the state. She explained the problems of demographics and the removal of the settlements from Gaza. Most importantly, for her, she explained how important it is for Jews to come and make Aliyah.
We then made our way to the coach, which was to be our second home for the next few days. We were privileged to have been invited to attend the Yom Yerushalaim activities on Ammunition Hill. Considering that among those speaking were the President, Prime Minister, Mayor and a host of Generals and brave soldiers we felt the security authorities handled the matter in a very non-invasive manner. Most of the speeches were in Hebrew but despite some not understanding, everyone felt honoured to have been present. The speakers told of heroic achievements in the securing of The City and wreaths were laid. There was a Kaddish for the fallen soldiers and some beautiful singing from a couple of army choirs. A deep honour for all of us!
An early start on Thursday as we piled into our coach at 8am for a drive to see for ourselves the security fence. We went to a Jewish settlement close to the Arab town of Kalkilya. We stopped the bus close to Kalkilya to allow our guide, an Israeli soldier, to come aboard and explain the whole situation to us. So much has been said about the fence but, at the end of the day, since the fence has been built, there have been no suicide bombers come across; thank G-d (except the two British. terrorists who came across with their passports). So despite the negative aspects of the fence, it has worked and saves lives daily. At the Jewish settlement, (also a source of criticism as it has been included inside the fence when it was previously positioned outside the green line) we stood on top of the hill and looked out across the Arab town towards the horizon. From this point it was clearly possible to see the entire Israeli coast from Caesarea through Natanya to Herzlia, on to Tel Aviv and all the way to Ashdod. From this point an 'enemy' could stand and launch rocket attacks with absolute ease. The fence was clearly visible; winding its way through the hills. We then drove down from the settlement to the new North - South motorway. We were shown the short length of concrete wall so often produced by the British Media. It was a real eye opener. The town of Kalkilya sprawls right up to the edge of the motorway. Terrorists had walked to the bottom of town and taken pot shots at cars driving along the motorway and the construction engineers, rendering it useless. The logical thing to do was to build a protective wall at this point to prevent these attacks. Interestingly, the concrete sections run along the official border as opposed to some of the (easily moved) wire fence.
From here it was a drive into Tel Aviv where we had an upbeat talk from Joel Rabinovitz at Bank Hapoalim on the Israeli economy. Despite all the problems, the economy is moving to an upturn. We were treated to a slap up lunch and then hit the road again.
This time we visited an absorption centre in Ra'anana. We were spoken to by a doctor from Venezuela who had two sons in the Army, a lady optometrist from Uruguay and a lawyer from South Africa. It was tough learning the language and even tougher finding a job. Nevertheless they had positive attitudes and felt they were better off in Israel than the countries they came from.
After some drinks we hit the road again, this time to visit the newly appointed British Ambassador, Simon McDonald, in his home. We had tea and cakes in the garden and an interesting talk from him. He didn't give away too much, being very much a politician but most of us sensed a warmness and an understanding of Israel’s position. Interestingly, he said that, since his arrival, nothing had impressed him more than the Israelis ability to "get on with their lives under the most incredible duress".
Back to Jerusalem, we left the coach at the World Zionist Organisation HQ building. There we were treated to a buffet supper and had a joint meeting with 'BIG' the Brits in Israel Group. We were happy to share information on Hasbara with the group and then enjoyed a discussion with Michael Melchior MK and Professor Gidon Shimoni of the Hebrew university on the subject of Israel and the Diaspora and Israel’s 'good' name.
It was then back to the hotel for a well earned rest. Friday morning began with a talk on problems faced by olim and then a real high spot; Benjamin Netanyahu breezed into the room. He took everyone by the hand and spoke to us about the political situation, the need for the fence and the reasons for the financial changes he had brought in. He then explained how he thought the economy was poised to go through the roof. He thanked us and left the room with his three minders almost as quickly as he had arrived, without us having the opportunity to ask questions. We were all left marvelling at the eloquence and charisma of the man and continued to discuss amongst ourselves the talk well into the next couple of days.
We then had some free time to prepare for Shabbat. A bus was put on to take those in need of a bit of retail therapy to the local Shopping Centre. We made Kiddush and sat down to a magnificent Shabbat dinner. It really was first class with choices to confuse even the most professional gourmet. After the magnificent meal we had the honour to be addressed by Naftali Lau-Lavie, a former spokesman for the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Naftali was one of those rare people who had been a 'pioneer' in the days before the declaration of the state. He had worked with all of the most famous of early Israeli pioneers and statesmen. A lovely man, who helped to put the creation of the state, something so easy to take for granted, into perspective.
Shabbat morning was free for prayers or whatever we desired. A walking tour was put on which took us to the Old City through some of the new areas of 'high class' housing. We had a delightful guide named Hannah who explained everything beautifully. Despite the fact that she had a group of people who had all been to Jerusalem many times before, she managed to make it interesting and to show us things never before seen. We made a visit to the Holy Sepulchre church where we discovered that inter denominational Christian problems are far more difficult than our own. After our return to the hotel, we had a marvellous luncheon (the cholent was excellent) and then one of the most interesting sessions of the trip.
We met with Elihu Ben-Onn (an Israeli Radio chat show host and journalist) and Jamil Hamad, the Middle East Correspondent of Time Magazine and a Palestinian Arab to boot! Jamil said that he thought there would never be peace until they change the school books. He assured us that, unlike other journalists, neither he (nor Time) would publish anything unless it was fully confirmed. He said that anything he received from the IDF was always true but “You had better not believe what comes from the other side!” He was careful to say that he did not think Israel was beyond reproach in many matters. He had a view that there would be peace in the future but that the future, sadly, was twenty years hence. Elihu re-iterated that demographics demanded a two state solution and sooner rather than later. Jamil said that there could not be a two state solution with Arafat around as it would be too dangerous for Israel and peace could not hold. He said that he did not want to be an Israeli (meaning he wanted to live in a Palestinian state). He also thought that the Palestinian state would be “on the East Bank” i.e. Jordan! Jamil said that Arafat was not a partner for peace and we would not see it while he was around. He also said that as far as Palestinians were concerned, no matter what they said, they did not want to live in a state ruled by Arafat and his corrupt henchmen. We were left wondering whether demographics would allow us sufficient time. When asked whether there were others in the Palestinian camp who felt like him he replied “maybe, but if I was standing in an election and received the votes of my wife and two children, I would think I had done rather well!”
We then had an upbeat talk about Aliyah from Beulah Goodman, head of the UJIA’s Aliyah department. We had heard, previously from several speakers that this was a priority. We would be lucky to welcome more than a million more Russians and possibly a million more from USA and Europe. So much work was being done to ensure facilitation and encouragement for those thinking about coming.
Our Saturday night guest for dinner was Ilan Rubin the director of the Department for Zionist Activities at the WZO. Ilan is one of the ZF’s ‘bosses’ in Israel and he told us that the ZF is possibly the best and most active of all the Federations worldwide.
We then had the privilege to welcome as a friend and guest speaker Israel’s 5th President Yitzhak Navon.
Navon is wonderful man - another pioneer who worked with all the greats from Ben-Gurion down. A Sephardi Jew, he spoke of ways to solve the country’s social problems which are endemic as a result of the mix of Orthodox, Secular, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, American, European and Russian to name but a few. He also addressed the problems of marriage and intermarriage. Following Navon’s talk, we were treated to a wonderful evening of entertainment and dancing with a lively Israeli singer and her musician. Many of the ‘Israel Connect’ youngsters got up on stage and joined in. It was a great evening.
Sunday we rose early, checked out and put our cases on the coach. At breakfast we had a debriefing, calling for all comments on the trip, good and bad. The general consensus was that this had been the best trip ever. We then drove to the foreign office where we were addressed by one of its senior press officers and diplomats, before taking the coach for a final visit to the Kotel and Old City. A quick lunch there and the coach headed off to the airport.
I would have to say that I also agree that this was a fantastic trip that I will always remember but I am also confident that, knowing the organisers, Alan Aziz and Tracy Seigal as I do, the next ZF trip will probably even surpass it.
Adrian Korsner May 2004.