|
| Week ending Shabbat, September 9, 2006 |
16 Elul, 5766 |
|
Record Number of First-graders:
 The 5767 [2006-2007] school year began Monday morning relatively smoothly. Most problems were found in Kassam rocket-plagued Sderot and Shaar HaNegev. Parents in the Negev areas [left] refused to send their children to schools vulnerable to Kassam rockets. The actual number of students beginning school in Israel this year totals 1,755,000, which is up one percent from last year. Tens of thousands of yeshiva high school students and Talmud Torah pupils began their studies last week, at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul. Thousands of Magen David Adom and Civil Guard volunteers have been at the schools this week sharing information on road safety and helping police maintain order.
Some 20,000 students did not begin school Monday for various reasons. The majority of them are in Sderot and the nearby Shaar HaNegev [Negev Gateway] Regional Council. The parents are protesting the government's failure to reinforce the schools against Kassam rocket attacks. As of now, the Sderot Municipality reports, only some forty percent of the schools have been rocket-proofed.
For the former residents of Gush Katif, the beginning of this school year is an improvement over last year. Almost all of them had no organized school system in which to study. Most of them [for safety reasons] still cannot walk to school.
Capital Capitalization:
A new study course is being planned where students who live in Jerusalem can take full advantage of the special city in which they live. Bentzy Namet, head of the Jerusalem Education Administration, explained: "We thought, what does a student here learn about Jerusalem more than students in other cities? We therefore decided to build a 'Jerusalem mosaic,' by which the students would learn not only in school, but in the very sites of Jerusalem." The plan is for classes to be held in a different Jerusalem site each week. For example, classes in Old City history will be held in the Old City. The program is scheduled to begin at the start of the next school year [September 2007].
Housing Ministry Approves Yesha Construction:
Monday morning the Israeli Housing Ministry approved the construction of hundreds of new housing units in Judea and Samaria. This is the largest such project approved by the Olmert government. The city of Ma'ale Adumim [granted 348 units] is located very close to Israel's capital and is slated to become geographically connected to Jerusalem. The project was put on hold pending final determination of Israel's borders.
The community of Beitar Illit received the rest of the tenders for 342 housing units. Beitar Illit, which is home to 25,000 Orthodox Jews, is located southwest of Jerusalem and is one of the fastest-growing communities in Judea, gradually inching its way toward Jerusalem as it expands.
Even though the "Peace Now" organization vehemently opposes the building, the Yesha Council of Jewish Settlements feels the project falls far short of the number of housing units needed throughout Judea and Samaria. They are calling it "too little too late." The Olmert government has approved construction of 788 new housing units in Judea and Samaria since January 2006.
Olmert Announces Withdrawal Plan is Off:
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday that the withdrawal plan calling for the removal of most of the communities throughout Judea and Samaria is no longer relevant. The plan was at the heart of Olmert's election campaign, but "what I saw a few months ago," he said, is no longer applicable. Two of the Prime Minister's senior aides, Shalom Turjeman and Yoram Turbowitz, departed for the US Monday night, reportedly to inform Bush administration officials that the Realignment Plan is dead. However, officials in Olmert’s Office deny the report saying that the two top aides are delivering a post-Lebanon War briefing to Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, and not to bury the Realignment Plan.
MK Eldad (National Union) says, "Olmert is waving his burial of the plan as a way of buying off the right-wing, but even those in the nationalist camp who are dying to be ministers [and sit in the government] wouldn't buy a used chair from him." Interior Minister Roni Bar-On, of Olmert's Kadima Party, made sure to put things into perspective. Speaking with Israel Radio on Tuesday afternoon, Bar-On said, "The withdrawal plan is not dead, though its implementation has been postponed. The plan is now on the shelf or in the freezer, but when the time comes it will be accessed."
Seventh Aliyah Plane Arrives:
The seventh planeload carrying Western immigrants to Israel this summer arrived Wednesday. More than three thousand Jews have arrived this summer from North America and England. Among the 240 passengers, this flight included 70 young single men and women, 45 families and 30 retirees, previously domiciled in 23 US states and Canadian provinces. The flight was organized, as were previous flights, by the Nefesh b’Nefesh organization, together with the Jewish Agency. Nefesh b'Nefesh co-founder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass addressed the new immigrants, speaking about the experience of seeing Biblical prophecies being fulfilled. "Walking down the aisle of the airplane, seeing an 85-year-old and a 5-year-old share this same process; seeing a couple who survived the Holocaust filling out their paperwork; seeing single olim [Jewish immigrants] exchange numbers - it is truly a time of redemption."
Response to Europe's Anti-Israel Posture:
Next week in Brussels a gala event will celebrate the establishment of a new pro-Israel lobby in Europe, similar to the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) operating in the United States. The new organization, named "European Friends of Israel," already has 150 members from the European Parliament, and is financially supported by Jewish businessmen. Lobby members decided to make their activities as a pan-European lobby official and to network Israel supporters among members of the European Parliament and in national parliaments where no such lobby currently exists. The organization also aims to strengthen ties between existing pro-Israel groups across the continent and to help to improve Israel's image in Europe.
The opening session will host Knesset [Israeli Parliament] members from Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry gave its blessing to the formation of the organization and instructed its European embassies to assist and cooperate with it. Officials in the Foreign Ministry said that it is an important effort in light of the current relationship between Israel and the European Union. Organization chairman Michel Gur-Ari said that the lobby intends to help transform Europe into an ally of Israel.
Tour Israel for Hanukkah:
Join us as we explore Israel from a genuine Biblical Zionists perspective. Meet the people who are continuing the Biblical narrative in the Land today. See for yourself how ancient prophesies are being fulfilled. Discover how you too can participate in the ongoing process of Biblical Redemption. Join us for an opportunity of a lifetime, to see the real Israel from the viewpoint of those who are living the Bible today. The experience will change your life.
The tour has been coordinated and will be guided by Associate Pastor Jon Klein [pictured left].
More information | Questions
|
| | |
