UIA Raises Money for Carmel Fire Victims - Overnight
The story began on Monday afternoon, when Sarah Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, paid a visit to those injured in the fire who were hospitalized at Rambam. Mrs. Netanyahu met with doctors and family members of the hospitalized, including members of Hayat's and Bisan's family. She praised the pair's bravery, adding that “after talking with members of their families, I understand where their spirit of determination and self-sacrifice comes from.”
Netanyahu, along with family members, then discussed treatment options for the two with Professor Yehuda Ulman, head of the hospital's medical plastic surgery unit. Ulman said that a quick solution was necessary, because with their skin largely burned, the two were at high risk of infection. One temporary solution, he said, was a skin transplant – but this was far from an ideal solution, because the body often rejects “foreign” skin. A proper donor was also hard to find in Israel, as the amount of skin available for such transplants was very limited. Another solution, Ulman said, was the use of synthetic skin, an extremely expensive product that required a long, complicated procedure – with neither the skin nor the operation covered by Israel's national health insurance.
Netanyahu decided to contact the Keren Hayesod, the United Israel Appeal organization, which has raised funds from Diaspora Jewry in 45 countries since long before the establishment of the state. She made a call on Monday night asking the group to see what they could do about raising money to cover the procedure - and at 4 AM Tuesday Netanyahu got her answer, with the UIA saying it has succeeded in raising 150,000 euros overnight, much of it from its Canada appeal.
UIA chairman Modi Zandberg said that the response to appeals for funds to help with the aftermath of the fire had been overwhelming. “As Prime Minister Netanyahu persuaded world leaders to provide help to fight the Carmel fire, we appealed to world Jewry to help treat the wounded, and we were able to raise the money in a short period of time,” Zandberg said. Sarah Netanyahu, for her part, said that she was glad she had been able to be of service.
Netanyahu, along with family members, then discussed treatment options for the two with Professor Yehuda Ulman, head of the hospital's medical plastic surgery unit. Ulman said that a quick solution was necessary, because with their skin largely burned, the two were at high risk of infection. One temporary solution, he said, was a skin transplant – but this was far from an ideal solution, because the body often rejects “foreign” skin. A proper donor was also hard to find in Israel, as the amount of skin available for such transplants was very limited. Another solution, Ulman said, was the use of synthetic skin, an extremely expensive product that required a long, complicated procedure – with neither the skin nor the operation covered by Israel's national health insurance.
Netanyahu decided to contact the Keren Hayesod, the United Israel Appeal organization, which has raised funds from Diaspora Jewry in 45 countries since long before the establishment of the state. She made a call on Monday night asking the group to see what they could do about raising money to cover the procedure - and at 4 AM Tuesday Netanyahu got her answer, with the UIA saying it has succeeded in raising 150,000 euros overnight, much of it from its Canada appeal.
UIA chairman Modi Zandberg said that the response to appeals for funds to help with the aftermath of the fire had been overwhelming. “As Prime Minister Netanyahu persuaded world leaders to provide help to fight the Carmel fire, we appealed to world Jewry to help treat the wounded, and we were able to raise the money in a short period of time,” Zandberg said. Sarah Netanyahu, for her part, said that she was glad she had been able to be of service.
By David Lev
Israelnationalnews.com
UIA Victoria continues to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our amazing community!
If you would like to donate, visit www.uiavic.org
YoungUIA's top 10 things to do in Israel!
The YoungUIA exec is giving LonelyPlanet and Tripadvisor.com a run for their money by creating its own "Top 10" things to do while you're in Israel over 2010/11.
Of course there are the perennial favourites such as the holy Kotel (Western Wall), Tel Aviv's beaches, Eilat and the Golan, however, what we want to do is show you the 'real Israel'!
1. The best falafel
Ta'ami Falafel bar - 3 Shamai street, Jerusalem
Any Israeli knows that the best falafel are never in the tourist areas. Hidden away from the never ending wave of American tourists on Ben Yehuda street, there is a small hole in the wall where Ta'ami is situated. Ta'ami known for its hummus above all else, but Jerusalem falafel connoisseurs know that its mastery of chickpeas doesn't end with spreads. Ta'ami's falafel is dense, moist and intensely flavorful - perhaps the best on-its-own falafel in the entire city. The restaurant's major weak point is that they don't offer the full complement of salads - you can order a falafel to go, but all you can get in the pita is the falafel, hummus and tomato-and-cucumber salad. Still, it's Ta'ami falafel and Ta'ami hummus, which means that essentially anything else would be an unwelcome distraction!
2. Making history 'fun'...well sort of
The Time Elevator 37 Hilel Street, Agron House , Jerusalem 91004
Incorporating perhaps the most unnecessary need for moving 'theme world style' chairs ever, The Time Elevator provides visitors with an opportunity to learn about the history of Israel and Jerusalem. The theater has several screens where visitors literally 'lurch' through the pages of history. This audio-visual feast is narated by none other than Topel - the guy who plays Tevia in Fiddler on the Roof.
While we're on the theme of interactive history lessons, if you're up north it's worth visiting "Golan Magic" (In the Hutzot Ha'Golan shopping center). The three-dimensional adventure incorporates a 180-degree panoramic screen. Lights, sounds and a variety of sensory stimuli enable you to experience the scenery, the people, the sites and the history of the Golan in a way you never dreamed possible. Glide over rushing streams, feel the wind, see the snow and more.
3. Xoho Cafe-Bar-Art
Xoho Cafe - Mapu 18, Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv
This ain't your ordinary cafe. If Music and Art were to marry, their child would be this cafe.
The English speaking hosts (Xoli and Howard - hence where the cafe's name comes from) make it easy for the majority of us who never got further in Hebrew at school than learning what a 'shoresh' is - and even then - to order food. Daily muffins are always a different flavor and salads are made of fresh market produce. The Salmon and Cream Cheese bagel is a definite
favorite among regulars, as well as the Carrot Cake that often accompanies a coffee for dessert.4. Electron blue
Better Place electric vehicle demonstration center: Pi Glilot compound Ramat Hasharon Tel Aviv, Israel
CEO of Better Place Australia, Evan Thornley sums up his pitch in one sentence - "Petol is getting more expensive, electricity is getting cheaper - you know how this movie ends". Entrepreneur Shai Agassi who founded Better Place foresees electric vehicles making up the majority of cars on the road in 20 years. His company will be leading the way by providing the infrastructure needed to support electric cars. Recently, Better Place opened a visitor centre in Tel Aviv. The opening of the Better Place Center represents an important step for the company as it prepares for commercial launch in Israel and Denmark next year. The Center is open to the public to come and familiarize themselves with all aspects of the Better Place solution: a fully electric, battery-powered car; a comprehensive infrastructure that includes charge spots and a battery switch station; and a comprehensive suite of in-car services designed to provide drivers with the best possible EV driving experience.
5. Support Sderot!
Sderot Media Center - Histadrut 1 Sderot, Israel 80100
The town of Sderot has been under attack from Hamas rockets for over a decade. Since Operation Cast Lead, the number of rockets hitting Sderot has fallen to almost zero. However, 10 years of constant rocket attacks has had a detrimental effect on the local economy. Now, we're not saying that Sderot is the most beautiful town in Israel - far from it, however by visiting Sderot, not only will you be supporting the locals, you will be sending a clear message to Hamas that their rockets won't lead to Israelis packing their bags!
6. A kibbutz with a difference
Kibbutz Lavi, Lower Galilee, Israel - www.lavi.co.il
Kibbutz Lavi has been going from strength to strength since its founding in 1949. During its early days, a number of Australian's made aliyah to live on the Kibbutz. We recommend staying for a shabbat on the Kibbutz. The Kibbutz is home to a world class hotel made up of 188 luxurious rooms. Many guests choose to take a tour of the kibbutz on Saturday afternoon where they discover Lavi's garden for the blind. This really is something special. Visitors - both blind and with sight are encouraged to feel their way around the garden. Specially selected plants have been planted that have unique textures and smells.
7. Nitzana Youth Village
Nitzana Youth Village
Now, we couldn't do a "top 10" list of things to do in Israel without plugging one of our own projects. YoungUIA is proud to support the Nitzana Youth Village. The village is situated on the Peace Border with Egypt. The Nitzana Educational Village brings together religious and secular Israeli-born youth, youth from the Diaspora, immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia as well as Bedouin youth. Nitzana’s overall educational approach emphasizes tolerance, mutual understanding and respect among Jews of diverse backgrounds. The Village plays an important role in promoting the development of the Negev. In addition, the village is used as a testing ground for many of the new renewable energy technologies being invented in Israel. It is projected that one day, only electric cars will be allowed to drive in the village.
8. A Drewish Princess?
22nd Street, Daliyat el-Carmel, Carmel, Israel
Daliyat el-Carmel is a Druze village high on the slopes of Mt.Carmel and has an exceptionally unique character. It is a colorful village that offers wonderful hospitality with a smile and is also very interesting. The Druze is an ethnic group that split off from Islam in Egypt
In recent years the villagers have begun hosting groups in their homes, and such a visit offers a glimpse of their houses, culture and tradition. The local residents offer tourists and genuine ethnic foods, wear their traditional clothes, tell stories about the Druze heritage and there are even guest houses designed with an authentic Druze décor.
9. Yad Vashem
Har Hazikaron, Jerusalem
Many people will tell you that they've visited Yad Vashem on numerous occasions, yet they still learn or see something new on each additional visit. As the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations. Established in 1953, as the world center for documentation, research, education and commemoration of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is today a dynamic and vital place of intergenerational and international encounter. Make sure you leave a minimum of 4 hours to look through the museum.
10. On ya' bike!
Cycle.co.il - 147 Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv
Tel-Aviv has recently built over 100km of dedicate bicycle tracks. For around $15 per day, you can rent a bike and enjoy the fresh air. Here is a suggested bike route:
Start your day by Riding South on the Seafront ( Herbert Samuel Blvd ). This will take you along the public beaches of the city into the old city of Jaffa . Ride into the Port, and there leave your bike to explore the alleys and churches of ancient Jaffa . Ride out of the port heading to the Jaffa Flea Market, where you can find nearly anything from clothing and toys to jewelry, art, souvenirs, etc.
Head north out of Jaffa , crossing the bridge at Abarbanel Street into Neve Tsedek - the first neighborhood built out of Jaffa and in the “new” city of Tel Aviv back in 1887 – where it all began. Ride through the tranquil and colorful streets of the area, enjoy the public art and galleries, and stop into one of the fashionable cafes located everywhere.
Head towards the Shalom Tower and join the bike lane along Rothschild Blvd. Follow the bike lane through the heart of the "White City" and observe the architecture that claimed this area a UNESCO world heritage site. You will arrive at the Bima Theater and the Dizengoff Center ; the commercial heart of Tel Aviv.
Follow the side streets parallel to Dizengoff, and then head east towards the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. After Visiting the Museum, stay on the inner streets, parallel to Iben Gvriol, going north to the Medina Plaza (Kikar Ha'Medina). Take some time to explore the fashion and boutique stores and the park situated in this high class area.
Continue north, until you reach the park on the south shore of the Yarkon river. Ride along the peaceful bike lane towards the sea that will eventually bring you to the port of Tel Aviv. Follow the many bike routes of this historical location before heading back to the beachfront, where we started off.
Head north out of Jaffa , crossing the bridge at Abarbanel Street into Neve Tsedek - the first neighborhood built out of Jaffa and in the “new” city of Tel Aviv back in 1887 – where it all began. Ride through the tranquil and colorful streets of the area, enjoy the public art and galleries, and stop into one of the fashionable cafes located everywhere.
Head towards the Shalom Tower and join the bike lane along Rothschild Blvd. Follow the bike lane through the heart of the "White City" and observe the architecture that claimed this area a UNESCO world heritage site. You will arrive at the Bima Theater and the Dizengoff Center ; the commercial heart of Tel Aviv.
Follow the side streets parallel to Dizengoff, and then head east towards the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. After Visiting the Museum, stay on the inner streets, parallel to Iben Gvriol, going north to the Medina Plaza (Kikar Ha'Medina). Take some time to explore the fashion and boutique stores and the park situated in this high class area.
Continue north, until you reach the park on the south shore of the Yarkon river. Ride along the peaceful bike lane towards the sea that will eventually bring you to the port of Tel Aviv. Follow the many bike routes of this historical location before heading back to the beachfront, where we started off.
If you're interested in joining one of the many UIA Missions to Israel, please don't hesitate to contact our office on (03) 9272 5533.
Heading to Israel? Here's what you can do in Jerusalem!
By Stav Shapir
One of the most vital and colorful places in Jerusalem is the Mahane Yehuda market, in the center of town. Here, you can stock up on local fruit and vegetables, gorge on candy to your sweet tooth's content, and devour a fresh plate of hummus to keep you satisfied for hours.
Not only will your taste buds be stimulated in this vivacious market place: the colorful vendors will almost certainly give you a chance to get in touch with the "stereotypical" Israeli – friendly, loud and always willing to haggle. The market is open from dawn to dusk, peaking in adrenaline on Friday afternoons ahead of the Sabbath, when thousands rush to the stalls to stock up on goodies for the weekend.
After your hunger has been satiated and your thirst has been quenched, you should be prepared to brave the Old City for a little taste of Jerusalem's loaded history and religious significance.
Walking down the Via Dolorosa will give you a step-by step-guide to the Christian history in the city of white stone. Later, a stroll through the Armenian Quarter to the Western Wall will offer you the chance to fight for the right to find a crack in Judaism’s holiest site in which you can offer up your prayers.
If you have had enough of the hustle and bustle of the city, take a visit to the Israel Museum and check out the unique and grand collection of both local and international art. This museum has on exhibit works ranging from the impressionists to the modernists and contemporary pieces, as well as a plethora of historical artifacts dating back more than 4,000 years.
When you are finished at the museum, cut across the green parks to check out Israel's Knesset building, whether you want to enjoy the view, or try to get a glimpse of the prime minister making his rounds.
After soaking in so much culture, you might want to grab a good cup of tea or coffee, or a little something sweet. Babet Café, which specializes in Belgian waffles, could be the perfect place for just that. Set behind Zion Square in the center of town, the little café is pilgrimage site for chocolate lovers, open between 1 P.M. and 2:30 A.M. every day and from 10:00 A.M. on Fridays until the beginning of Shabbat.
So, with your sugar levels high, making you feel young and energetic once more, hop across the road to the Nachlaot neighborhood, a bohemian enclave where students are in the majority. An early evening stroll through those magical alleyways is the perfect way to end Jerusalem Day.
Website promotes Dead Sea in New7Wonders competition
Tourism Ministry launches website in several languages inviting surfers to vote for 'Lowest Wonder in the World'
The heat is on in the New7Wonders of the World competition, and the Tourism Ministry has launched a website in eight languages to promote the Dead Sea as a candidate in the category New7Wonders of Nature. The campaign is also being launched via social media – Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – to encourage internet surfers to vote for the Dead Sea. 
The site, in English, Russian, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin and Korean under the slogan "The Lowest Wonder in the World," will enable surfers to add their vote. It will also provide information about the Dead Sea, and about religious, historical and cultural sites in the area as well as health tourism, events and attractions.
The site, in English, Russian, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Mandarin and Korean under the slogan "The Lowest Wonder in the World," will enable surfers to add their vote. It will also provide information about the Dead Sea, and about religious, historical and cultural sites in the area as well as health tourism, events and attractions.
The site is the latest in the Tourism Ministry's efforts to promote the site's candidacy in the competition. Other efforts include marketing, direct contact with Christian and Jewish leaders around the world, and advertising in national parks and other sites throughout the country as well as at international tourism fairs. The Ministry also held a Dead Sea week at the Expo in China, in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry.
300 million votes needed
Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov (Yisrael Beitenu), chairman of the Dead Sea Support Committee, says the new campaign will place this unique natural feature in the hearts of people throughout the world.
"The Dead Sea, one of Israel's natural and tourism treasures offers visitors a unique experience, rich in history and archeology," Misezhnikov said. "We invite enthusiasts and veteran supporters of the Dead Sea as well as those discovering it for the first time, to visit and vote for it in the competition."
Since the Dead Sea made it through to the finals, it has occupied a position within the top 14 of the 28 finalists, which include the Amazon, the Galapagos, the Grand Canyon and the Maldives. Some billion voters are expected to express their preference by the time the competition closes in November 2011, after which the seven winners will be announced – each of which will need 300-400 million votes.
The Dead Sea is considered one of the most popular attractions in Israel. According to Tourism Ministry data, some 45% of all tourists to Israel visit the Dead Sea. The tourist industry along its shores includes 15 hotels as well as 19 guesthouses in nearby kibbutzim and moshavim, plus various other businesses which provide employment to some 4,500 people.
The Dead Sea is considered one of the most popular attractions in Israel. According to Tourism Ministry data, some 45% of all tourists to Israel visit the Dead Sea. The tourist industry along its shores includes 15 hotels as well as 19 guesthouses in nearby kibbutzim and moshavim, plus various other businesses which provide employment to some 4,500 people.
ynet.com
Chinese Jewish descendants start a new life in Israel
The seven arrivals from eastern China with Jewish roots became the largest such group to ever arrive in Israel.
By Cnaan Liphshiz 
Seven Chinese people with Jewish roots landed at Ben-Gurion Airport on Tuesday to start a new life in Israel, becoming the largest such group to ever arrive here.
The group from Kaifeng, in eastern China, was taken to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in the north, where they will attend Hebrew enrichment (ulpan) classes.
A group of four girls from Kaifeng previously studied Hebrew on the kibbutz in 2007-2008.
The group from Kaifeng, in eastern China, was taken to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in the north, where they will attend Hebrew enrichment (ulpan) classes.
A group of four girls from Kaifeng previously studied Hebrew on the kibbutz in 2007-2008.
Two of the arrivals from Kaifeng - which in the Middle Ages had had a 5,000-member Jewish community - speak basic Hebrew and two others speak English. "Though the community disappeared, some Kaifeng Jews passed on Jew
ish traditions to their descendants, who are now exploring their roots," said Michael Freund, the New York-born chairman of Shavei Israel, the Jerusalem-based organization that brought the Kaifeng seven to Israel in the framework of its efforts to help people of Jewish origins back into Judaism's fold.
Via http://www.haaretz.com/
Ari Gold - how not to act on Yom Kippur
Yes, admittedly we're getting in a little early with the Yom Kippur schtick (Sept 17th-18th 2010 for those playing at home), but please enjoy anyway.
Videos contain strong language.
Videos contain strong language.
Leonard Cohen performs in Israel - speaks Hebrew!
Follow a young Melbournian Jew who just made Aliyah
Jake Wytwornik, a 22 year-old Melbourne Jew made Aliyah last month.
Jake, like 72% of us, went to a Jewish school. He was also an active member of the Zionist youth movement -Bnei Akiva.
Follow Jake on his blog http://jacobw2010.blogspot.com/ as he embarks on this amazing journey.
Jake, like 72% of us, went to a Jewish school. He was also an active member of the Zionist youth movement -Bnei Akiva.
Follow Jake on his blog http://jacobw2010.blogspot.com/ as he embarks on this amazing journey.
As a side note, the United Israel Appeal is instrumental in helping Jews from all over the world come home! Through helping with flights to Israel, funding immigration centres, and assisting Jews who face persecution in various countries, UIA truly is saving Jewish lives!
Funny Jewish inventions!
Have you ever arrived to a kiddush late? Not sure what page the congregation's on in shule? Can't decide what to name your baby?
Then you should probably check out this hilarious video!
The Simpsons go to Israel!
We all grew up with the Simpsons, however, there really hasn't been a notable episode in a while - until now!
The long awaited and highly anticipated episode where The Simpsons go to Israel, was shown in the U.S. last week.
While the Simpsons didn't visit the YUIA sponsored Nitzana Educational Village in Israel's Negev region, they did visit many iconic Israeli sites.
Sasha Baron Cohen (of Ali G, Borat and Bruno fame) does the voice for the short-tempered Israeli tour guide.
We have embeded the video for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
PS: You can say thank you by becoming a YUIA fan on Facebook!
Jewmaica
By PAUL M. FOER, KINGSTON via Jpost.com
On a warm January evening, I am seated in a synagogue with doors and windows open to the palm trees outside. Such a scene might take place in the US only in Hawaii or Florida, but it is even odder that my feet are resting on a sand-covered floor as we welcome Shabbat. It’s not the typical service which I am used to and it’s not just because of the tropical surroundings, nor is it because of the hazan’s place on a stepped-up platform in the middle. Neither is it simply because of the balcony above or because of some of the melodies and chants are unfamiliar to me. But behind the wooden doors on the bima, Torahs rest in the ark, and despite the tropical surroundings and the unusual atmosphere, at least to me, the Torahs are the clear reminder that though somewhat different from my perspective, this is a synagogue.
Among the many synagogues that may have existed at one time or another during the past 2,000 years, only a few disappeared due to earthquakes and hurricanes. Although this is the only remaining synagogue in Jamaica, where I came for a conference on Caribbean Jewry, and its cultural roots go back to the late 15th century, the present structure that houses the United Congregation of Israelites goes back only about a hundred years. Sha’are Shalom (Gates of Peace) was rebuilt in 1912 after the 1907 earthquake destroyed the 1888 building. The first synagogue in Jamaica was built in Port Royal in the 17th century, and in nearby Spanish Town a synagogue was built in 1704.
The clean, white building and its grounds are Dutch and tropical in appearance. The synagogue occupies a corner in an otherwise not-too-attractive section of the older part of Kingston, only 10 blocks or so from its rather decrepit and neglected harbor front. Surrounded by lovely grounds that include a cemetery and palm trees to shade the tombstones, it is the center of Jewish life in Jamaica. A small building next to the synagogue is home to the Jewish Heritage Center of Jamaica which houses a collection of photographs, documents and artifacts and was dedicated in 1999 by Ainsley C. Henriques of Kingston.
The sand-covered floor was the subject of many conversations and only a few synagogues are believed to have them. Henriques said that sand first is “to remind us that we are desert people. Second, that we may be as many as the grains of sand. Third, because it muffled the steps of our ancestors who worshiped in secret. And four – and perhaps the most important reason – the kids love it.”
Gerard Nahon, director emeritus of medieval and modern Jewish studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes of the Sorbonne, spoke in French as he asked conference attendees about the sand floors. “Was it to muffle the sound of steps in secret? Was it to remind us of the crossing of the Sinai? Was it mixed with sand from the Holy Land?”
At the oneg Shabbat, surrounded by the artifacts and many photographs of the Jewish Heritage Center, I joined the congregants around the table where food and snacks were spread out for the worshipers. It was pretty much like any synagogue oneg, except the informally dressed congregants were much better behaved and less pushy than the coreligionists more familiar to me.
But the food was definitely a new experience. There was a dish commonly referred to as calaloo, made from a tropical, leafy, water spinach, and then there was a dish prepared with salted fish, or what the Jamaicans call “sahlfeesh.” I enjoyed the ackee, a yellowish fruit that when prepared looked like what I imagine brains to look like, but I enjoyed its unusual, tangy flavor. Ackee and saltfish are considered to be the Jamaican national food.
For sure that was fairly unusual food for a Yankee such as myself, but before we partook of the repast, there was the traditional and familiarly blessed halla of course. And along with that, there was also something much more familiar, almost a comfort-food, or comfort-drink I should say, familiar to Jews pretty much everywhere. That was the Manischewitz.
But how did Jews ever get to the Caribbean, and especially Jamaica, where their presence continues after 500 years?
THE STORY of Caribbean Jewry was told at the conference that drew 200 amateur historians, scholars and, of course, Sephardi descendants of the earliest New World Jews to Jamaica. The conference’s popularity is a sign that we are understanding the expulsion and migration of Jews from Iberia as profoundly important and far-reaching as other, perhaps more widely known, narratives of Jewish and world history. This would include, for example, the exodus from Egypt or the dispersion to Babylon and throughout the Roman Empire. However, it is essentially a Sephardi narrative, and some suggest that may account for it not being as widely known as Ashkenazi history.
After centuries in Spain, the thriving Jewish community, which had lived relatively peacefully for centuries alongside Christians also under Muslim domination, was expelled when the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella united the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. Despite the entreaties of influential once-Jewish “New Christians” close to the king and queen, the demands of the clergy won out and they ordered the Jews expelled. It was just the inevitable next step after rioting and increasing oppression which led to the Spanish Inquisition. On an August day in 1492, all Jews had to leave Spain, and that is where the story of the Caribbean-Jewish diaspora begins.
That same day, after anchoring offshore the previous night for some unknown reason, Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain to find a new passage to the Indies. He may very well have been a Converso Jew or a descendant of Jews who earlier left Spain. Columbus was the first European to visit Jamaica and had Jews with him, some submitting themselves to baptism only upon departing from Spain.
The famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal suggested in his book Sails of Hope that Columbus even had a secret plan to make the beautiful island a haven for Jews fleeing the Inquisition. While speculation has long swirled around his Jewish roots and his intentions for Jamaica, it is well-known that the Caribbean’s third largest island holds a special place for Sephardim. Jamaica was reserved for Columbus and his descendants and Jews were relatively secure there.
Whatever were Columbus’s intentions, when the British took Jamaica from Spain in 1655, the island’s Jews, many of whom lived in Port Royal, welcomed them and came out of the closet so to speak, free to live and worship as Jews. Historians say that Campoe Sabbath, who helped the British pilot their ships into Kingston harbor to rout the Spaniards, was a Jew from the island of Nevis. The two Jamaican-Spanish officers who greeted the victorious British may have been secret Jews. From that time on, Jamaica’s Jews have multiplied and prospered and have left their mark on the island by their involvement in commerce, politics and the professions.
Thus Jamaica is a fitting place for a conference designed to both further legitimize Caribbean Jewish studies as a field of scholarship and for Jamaicans, laymen, history buffs and Jews of all stripes to advance collective understanding of an aspect of Jewish history which may have seemed neglected. Some hope that Jamaica will be the springboard to recognizing and developing greater Caribbean Jewish heritage resources for tourism.
“THERE IS no doubt that the Jewish community is at the heart, the DNA of Caribbean history,” said Swithin Wilmot, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at Jamaica’s University of the West Indies, as the conference began.
Jamaica is among the oldest and is perhaps the longest continually active Jewish community of the New World. Other early settlements included Surinam, Recife in northeast Brazil, Curaçao and St. Thomas. Because of their linguistic and business skills and contacts with brethren in other merchant ports, Jews became active traders, sugar growers and in some cases, soldiers, slave traders and even pirates.
Jews established themselves in the notorious town of Port Royal, located at the tip of a long, narrow spit that creates the enormous Kingston harbor. Port Royal was the pirate stronghold during the golden age of the much romanticized yet brief era of pirates. Made famous in the film Pirates of the Caribbean and probably as the inspiration for Disney’s thrill ride of the same name, the portrayal of Port Royal as a bawdy, raucous town may not have been too far off the mark. An earthquake destroyed Port Royal in 1692 and most of the town remains submerged. However, the nearby Hunts Bay Cemetery on the mainland is evidence of the Jewish community that once existed.
On a sweltering and humid January day, two busloads of conference participants take a very bumpy ride into the less desirable backwater neighborhoods of Kingston to visit Hunt’s Bay Cemetery. Here, at the final resting place of some of the earliest Jamaican Jews, Philadelphian Eli Gabay shows us the grave of Abraham Gabay and wonders if the man might be an ancestor. Architect and historian Rachel Frankel, who spoke at the conference and is a leader in researching and restoring Caribbean Jewish cemeteries, takes the crowd around the tombstones with their inscriptions in Hebrew, Spanish and Portuguese. Some are sporting rather surprising chiseled images of skulls and crossbones. Were these inspired by the biblical Ezekiel? Did they perhaps have some relation to the flags of some of the real pirates of the Caribbean?
As I look at the ethnically diverse group, I wonder how many Jamaicans might have Jewish blood, perhaps related to those whose tombs we are visiting. The earliest tombstones go back to the 1670s. Another tombstone, of a child, shows an arm reaching from the sky with an ax chopping down a fruiting tree.
A crowd of locals, almost all young men with dreadlocks and T-shirts, gathers at the edge of the field to watch as we mull about the graves. These men have been “recruited” to protect the graveyard, or so I am told, but that’s a story best left to be explained by locals.
THERE IS much more to the Jamaican Jewish community and all of Caribbean Jewish history than what is found in cemeteries. A shift in the frame of reference was needed, for example, when I visited the private Hillel Academy, on a hill, in a lovely setting on the outskirts of Kingston. There were 700 students at what is supposedly a Jewish institution, named after the ancient sage who loved learning and teaching above all else. Yet as one Israeli attendee remarked, “We are visiting a Jewish school with no Jews.”
Actually there were supposedly about two dozen Jewish students, but if one were to get rabbinical, it’s possible that one would count even fewer “Jews” among them.
Then I thought back to the Jewish day school my children attended. It has shrunk from 60 to fewer than 40 students in the past few years, despite being near two major American cities and having the support of three synagogues from the major streams. Not only that, but many of those students were from intermarriages or even non-Jewish families, while the Jewish families might not be considered all that Jewish. Hundreds of years after once-secret Jews found themselves finally free of the reach of the Inquisition and openly lived as Jews on the Jewel of the Caribbean, why should we question who is a Jew, even if the island’s Jews don’t particularly look or sound like what our definition of Jewish may be?
From the people I met, intermarriage and intermixing at all levels seem to have reduced Judaism or “Jewishness” to a level that suits the Jews of Jamaica, who are Jewish because they call themselves Jewish, in whatever manner befits being Jewish to them.
It’s a question touched upon by Jerusalemite Mordechai Arbell, whose talk on “The Gradual Disappearance of the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish Communities of the Caribbean” was widely discussed among the conferees.
“Throughout our long history, Jewish communities have been destroyed by persecution, discrimination, pogroms and genocide. In the case of the Caribbean, where in most places Jews have enjoyed equal rights (and in some instances special privileges), good relations with the local population, high social standing and a comfortable economic situation, we are witnessing a gradual disappearance of Jewish life.”
Arbell then asked, “Might one reach the bitter conclusion that equal rights and the lack of anti-Semitism and discrimination might be as dangerous to Jewish existence as persecution and murder? One is reminded of the words of Nahum Goldmann, the founder of the World Jewish Congress: ‘Where it is good for Jews, it is bad for Judaism.’”
Arbell, a native of Sofia, Bulgaria, served as Israeli ambassador in Panama and Haiti and was in charge of the embassies in Bogota and Seoul.
He lays out the reasons why Jews have slowly disappeared. In addition to the ease of assimilation, he points to how what he calls the “ultra-Orthodox approach and its behavioral modes created opposition among the younger generations and alienated them from communal Jewish life.” On the other hand, and not to be outdone by the Orthodox, Arbell also points to Reform Judaism with its roots in modernity and Germany. “The Reform movement introduced its own prayers and brought in its own religious leaders. Gradually, the Reform began erasing the Sephardi roots and traditions so dear to the Spanish-Portuguese communities all over the world.”
Arbell suggests that “neither found the right way to preserve Judaism in the Caribbean” but believes that “Jamaica and Curaçao have found the path between the two.”
The Holocaust and the destruction of links to older, established European Jewish communities took its toll. He also posits that the more recent arrival of Ashkenazim has also led to the withering of the Spanish-Portuguese Caribbean Jews. To a certain extent, newer Jewish immigrants “damaged the social standing of the Jews as Jews in society. The Spanish-Portuguese Jews were reluctant to be lumped with the newcomers, and some joined the non-Jewish upper social classes.”
Economic decline in the Caribbean and “Americanization” has also made an impact. Arbell writes that “Caribbean Jews saw the opportunities offered in the United States and after completing studies there preferred to remain. This tendency has drained the Jewish communities in the Caribbean of their younger generation.”
However, all is not lost, and Arbell concludes that “‘survivors’ in the Caribbean have the desire to remain Jewish coupled with the pride of belonging to the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish nation of the Caribbean, with its rich history and tradition. Lately, many useful steps have been made in this direction. This congress proves they will succeed.”
HENRIQUES OF Kingston was one of the driving forces behind the January conference, which he cochaired with Jane Gerber, professor of Jewish history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. The fact that the conference attracted some 200 persons surprised Henriques, who said he would have been pleased had only 40 attended.
Now admittedly, Ainsley C. Henriques is not a particularly Jewish name, and if the C, which stands for Cohen, were not a dead giveaway, perhaps no one would guess that this man, who traces his ancestry back hundreds of years, is indeed a Sephardi Jew. He looks more Northern European than Semitic or Sephardi and Ainsley is a Dutch name, linked to the time when Amsterdam was a center of Jewry and Holland was a major colonial power.
He is even distantly related to brothers Moses and Abraham Cohen-Henriques, 17th-century pirates who are mentioned in the best-selling book Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean: How a Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved Out an Empire in the New World in Their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom – and Revenge by Ed Kritzler. There were indeed Jewish pirates poking around Jamaica and those tropical waters. Ainsley’s ancestral pair of brothers were among them.
“Jane and I discussed the idea about a year and a half ago. The concept took shape with the realization that one could not invite people to Jamaica for a day, so it had to be at least three days and then there were the problems of kashrut and the shomer Shabbat,” Henriques said. “So we decided that we would end it on Thursday to allow those who wanted to, to leave for Shabbat at home. And having run the two earlier Union of Latin American and the Caribbean Jewish Congregations conference in Kingston, I knew I could deal with the issue of kashrut.”
Kashrut was dealt with by working with accommodating restaurants and chefs at both the Pegasus Hotel, where the conference was held, and at the Spanish Court Hotel, where I and other journalists stayed, and some kept kosher. When the groups of reporters went out to restaurants, chefs happily allowed the observant members of our group to inspect the kitchen, cook certain items separately in double foil and otherwise allow meddling in their workplaces to serve the needs of even a small group.
That was how we observed a pleasant Shabbat in the Spanish Court Hotel with a motley group of Jews from the US, Israel and even an observant young man on a business trip from Panama we happened to meet at the hotel. And, how could I forget that we sat with one of the real stars of the conference – Benny Bwoy, the original Jewmaican, a Brooklyn-born observant Jew named Behn Goldis who sings reggae.
“Up to the Monday afternoon we expected maybe just over 100 including the locals. On Tuesday we had to add 75 chairs before we started and over 200 registered in all, beyond our wildest hopes,” Henriques told me.
The February conference may indeed be a watershed event in terms of turning attention toward the Caribbean Jewish world, but the once thriving Jewish communities are in danger of being lost. Indeed, it was a bit ironic that much of the conference focused on events of hundreds of years ago and heroes, artists and leaders who have long since died, as well as cemeteries.
It may very well be that in addition to some rather remarkable and still active synagogues spread thinly throughout the Caribbean, most of the historical artifacts probably lie underground, or buried under vegetation. Even so, there may be a great deal more to be learned from diaries, personal artifacts, ships’ logs and the like, if such resources can be gathered, but in terms of physical structures, cemeteries are probably the great historical resource. What would be learned if the remnants of Port Royal from beneath Kingston harbor were to ever be brought to light?
New York architect Frankel reflected on future historic work. “The conference helped me adjust my geographic lens, from understanding New World maritime routes to remembering the Sephardi communities of Martinique and Guadeloupe, all of which fleshes out the picture of settlement and expanse of New World Jews.”
Frankel has been encouraged by the success of the conference to continue her work with field documentation, inventory, preservation and public awareness of the cemeteries, synagogues and mikvaot as national and international heritage sites and the establishment of a regional inventory of Caribbean Jewish sites.
Henriques told me that “the conference was really made by the presenters” but he was quick to add that “one of the rewarding experiences was the number of non-Jewish locals who were fascinated by the history.”
What’s next? The Jamaican Jewish leader pondered. “Possibly a weeklong tour, maybe twice annually with a day of lectures and four days of tours, Jewish sites and recreational activities. The other expectation coming out of the conference is the likelihood of some presenters doing more research on our records and filling in our story more over time; this is the mitzva of the conference – if it happens and I believe it will.”
Israel's economic success story
By Sever Plocker - Ynet.com
Without you realizing it, Israel is approaching yet another milestone en route to turning into a highly developed economy – our per capita GDP will reach the $30,000 mark this year, likely at the beginning of the summer. The overall gross domestic product, which is the economic value of all the goods and services produced in Israel, will reach roughly $230 billion.
Israel fully reached the $20,000 per capita GDP mark only in the first half of this decade. We did it slowly and hesitatingly; the deep recession during the second Intifada curbed economic growth and pushed the economy backwards.
Reaching the $30,000 per capita GDP mark reflects to a small extent the increase in real national income in shekels, and to a large extent the shekel’s strengthening against the dollar. Yet this does not detract from the accomplishment. For many years, the shekel has been
traded in foreign currency markets below its real purchasing power.We can address the $30,000 GDP mark as yet another statistical figure; just another fleeting figure. Yet we can also look at it as a starting point for a leap in the coming decade. The Israeli economy’s state at this time is exceptionally good: Other economies whose per capita GDP is similar to ours – Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Britain just to name a few – sustained harsh blows during the financial crisis. They will dedicate the coming years to licking the wounds and attempting to extract themselves from the abyss of deficit and debt. Their recovery will be slow.
Window of opportunity
This is our window of opportunity. While in most developed and industrialized states are weakened and bleeding, while their government budgets skyrocketed, Israel is strong and in good health. In six of the seven leading industrial powers, the ratio between government debt and GDP is expected to grow by dozens of percents in the coming years. The debt will reach 90% of the GDP in Germany, 96% in France, 100% in Britain, 110% in the US, 130% in Italy, and 250% in Japan. In Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Ireland, the ratio is expected to stabilize somewhere between the 100% to 150% mark.
Yet in Israel, the opposite is expected to happen: Government debt is expected to go down to only 70% of GDP, with the decline starting as early as this year. The budgetary plan presented to the government by Foreign Minister Yuval Steinitz is a pipe dream for most finance ministers in developed countries.
Israel’s new comparative advantage is prominent in many areas. The Irish government, for example, announced last week a national rescue package for local banks, at a total cost of 80 million Euros. The British, French, and American governments are close to imposing special taxes on financial institutions, in order to fund at least some of the assistance handed over to them during the crisis. Yet in Israel there’s no need for it. Israel’s banking system overcame the past two years without taking a penny from the government.
Ambitious target
Late into his tenure as finance minister, Benjamin Netanyahu presented an ambitious target for Israel: Joining the list of top 10 or 12 richest economies in the world. Is this target realistic? Based on today’s perspective, the answer appears to be “yes.” In order to join the group of truly wealthy states, Israel needs to reach the $40,000 per capita GDP mark. To that end, our economy must grow at an annual rate of 6.5% in the next six or seven years, assuming that the shekel exchange rate won’t shift much from its current level of about NIS 3.6 per dollar, and that our population will grow by 1.8% annually.
This isn’t impossible; the target can be reached. In the years 2003-2008, Israel’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 5.5%, with a less convenient starting point and with two wars in the middle.
So what can the accelerated growth in the coming years be premised on? What are its possible engines? Here they are: Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men joining the workforce, boosting the production of Israeli Arabs, improving the quality of education and employment in outlaying areas, massive investments in physical and educational infrastructure, expanding the export base and directing it to new markets, slowing down the defense budget growth, and removing bureaucratic obstacles. These are the main required steps. All of them, without exception, will minimize economic gaps within Israel.
We are already enjoying strong backwind. Here are four examples: The kibbutzim reinvented themselves and have again turned into an economic asset and a significant growth accelerator; the discovery of natural gas by businessman Yitzhak Tshuva frees Israel of the depdendancy on coal and dramatically brings down the cost of producing electricity; the Arab sector is seeing an unprecedented entrepreneurial business revolution; Israeli software companies are taking over Africa – and there are many more examples.
Diplomatic component
At this time, Israel is equipped with the needed means for a great leap. These means are integrated and also include a diplomatic/political component. In the past, Netanyahu claimed that Israel can grow and become wealthier even without a peace deal (but not under intifada conditions). Yet now he knows: A diplomatic agreement with the Palestinians is a vital condition for the great economic leap. First and foremost, because without such deal, the world will have trouble countering Iran and forcing it to abandon its nuclear program.
The grave economic implications that Iranian nuclear capabilities will have for Israel’s economy are horrifying. A nuclear arms race will add tens of billions of dollars to the defense budget, at the expense of developing the economy. One government body has already prepared a scenario for the day after Iran acquires a nuclear bomb: Foreign investors fleeing, Israeli investors taking their money and assets out of the homeland, and the grim and frightened national mood paralyzing production.
On the other hand, an Israel-Palestinian agreement would serve as a lever for orchestrated global activity – and possibly military action as a last resort – against the Iranian nuclear program. This will enable us to save tens of billions of dollars. Such deal will also open up the giant markets of rich Gulf states, which are desperate for the kinds of products and services Israel specializes in, ranging from right-to-left software systems to salt water purifiers for desert springs.
Incredible gift
Communism’s collapse in the late 1980s granted Israel an incredible gift in the form of the massive immigration from the former Soviet Union and the opening of export markets that were off limits for dozens of years. Israeli governments and the business sector managed to take advantage of the opportunity and completely change the face of our economy. Within about 12 years, we went up from a $10,000 per capita GDP to $20,000 per capita GDP.
Later we turned from a state that owes money to foreigners and contends with a foreign currency shortage to a country that foreigners owe money to, and that has foreign currency surpluses. Our economic, rather than military, independence is full by now.
The 2007-2008 crisis again grants Israel an incredible opportunity, this time in respect to competing against the developed world; the crisis undermined its pillars and posed deep trouble for it. Will we be foolish enough to miss out on this opportunity?
Cal Wilson to host YUIA Opening Act 2010
The Young United Israel Appeal is pleased to announce:
Cal Wilson - TV and radio personality will be hosting the 2010 Opening Act!
March 20
930pm
Crown Studio 3
Tix on sale soon!
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