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NEW CHALLENGES TO ZIONISM



When we say Zionism, what do we mean? Lately in Israel, the big topic of conversation is about the downfall of the educational system. This is dangerous because Jewish people are known as the ‘People of the Book,’ and the fact that we are getting a low rating in ODEC countries is very disturbing. We in Israel, have to cope with the educational values like Zionism, which is vital to the future of the Jewish people. We are living under the constant threat of destruction by Islamic extremists – and now we are unsure as to who are enemies are anymore. We are their scapegoat. They want to wipe out Zionism. The excuse of land is far behind us. No one knows anymore why there is so much hatred towards the Jews. But the word Zionism keeps coming up, like in the speeches of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He constantly says, “We need to wipe the Zionist Regime off of the map.” I am sure he has no idea what Zionism means. He never learned about Theodore Herzl and the fact that Zionism means the solidarity of a nation uniting around a cause, which is a place under the sun in the land of Zionism. Zionism has an important role in shaping the future of the Jewish state. We have to emphasize our education in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence of Israel, declaring that this is the Jewish and Democratic state, and that education for Zionism should be a crucial part of teaching, just like history, Bible and literature. This applies not only in Israel, but throughout Jewish communities worldwide. The board of education worldwide needs to put the teaching of Zionism values and ideals at the top of its priority list. Currently, the Zionist Council is the only centralized address for Zionism in Israel today. They create a new trend among Israeli youth for a Jewish Zionist identity. I suggest you log on to: www.Zionist.org.il to find out more.



The song of the Jewish people – Hatikva, in its words, tells the story of Zionism in eight lines.



To refresh your memory:

Together we can change the future. We can strengthen our identity as Zionists.

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THIS YEARS 2008 UJC GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN JERUSALEM



I’ve been at the United Jewish Communities General Assembly (GA), an annual conference of thousands of participants from North America, held in Jerusalem this year. The GA, generally held in the United States and Canada, was last convened in Israel five years ago. It has been an incredible experience. Some 3,000 people are here… Jews from everywhere.



Sunday night was opening ceremonies. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke and all three National Anthems of those in attendance were sung. First was the “Star Spangled Banner” of the Americans, next was the Canadian Anthem “O Canada.” Then last and surely not least was Israel’s “Hatikva.” When I heard the three anthems: Of the American, then the Canadian – - I noticed that only Americans sang their anthem aloud, The Canadians sang “O Canada,” aloud. But, when it came time for the Hatikva – it didn’t matter what corner of the earth you came from – EVERYONE joined in and sang the Hatikva. The melody could be heard loud and clear throughout the hall. This is an anthem that does not know borders, regions, this is the Jewish Anthem. All of this proves again the passing of the torch to the next generation.



Monday night Defense Minister Ehud Barak addressed the GA. He said, “We are living in tough times in a tough neighborhood. The Middle East is not the Midwest. We always envy you Americans for having the Canadians for your neighbors,” he said. “We have less kind neighbors, and we have to find a way to live with them and settle with them and reconcile with them. Israel would seek peace with the Palestinians.”



We are always thinking why do we have the right to stay in this little spot in the Middle East, are we looking for trouble? There are better places, right? Why do we chose to live among fundamentalists who want to throw us to the sea? And now the Iranian nuclear threat and Islamic extremists. Because of the past, we return to the land that belongs to our forefathers. We have our capital, Jerusalem – The 14 million members of the Jewish nation.


“I was especially moved by the song for peace, “Shir LaShalom”, and the national anthem, “Hatikva”. The people sang together, something which rarely ever happens in Germany. The people in my country seem to be too reserved for such a thing and they have also had bad experience with mass events and chanting and singing crowds. We are more a society of individuals, but we long for something like what was going on at Rabin Square. Maybe this is one reason why the Germans were so hyped up about the FIFA-World Cup 2006, which was held there. They could celebrate and sing their national anthem without feeling guilty. It was just sports, not politics.”



When we say we cross borders – All Jewish communities in Europe, America, Africa…This is our virtual map on the globe. We can mark our map of Jewish communities everywhere. I gave a gift to each attendant at the GA, a copy of the Guinness World Record. Many had tears in their eyes when I showed them. Anyone can achieve breaking a record – If they are the fastest, the fattest…The fact is we bridged the cultural gap and became one. A one that I have seen here at the GA. Where Jews from everywhere have become one nation.

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CHANGE: YES WE CAN



Today Israelis throughout the country went out and voted in municipal elections for a new mayor and members of city council. What was on my mind was how many of those mayors will make sure that the Hatikva is sung every morning in their city’s schools. This is in fact up to each city’s mayor to initiate. Are you interested in knowing which cities have schools where the Hatikva is sung everyday?



Did you know that there are Jewish Israelis who are fighting to have the words of the Hatikva changed from “Nefesh Yehudi Homeah – A Jewish soul still yearns” to Nefesh Yisrael Homeah – An Israeli soul still yearns?” I’ll take this a step further and tell you that there are prominent Jewish Israeli politicians who will not even sing the words of the Jewish National Song.



Yesterday, Israel marked 13 years since the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Thousands of people gathered in Rabin Square for a ceremony. I was moved by what a foreigner who attended the ceremony wrote about her experience in regards to the Hatikva in the Yedioth Ahranot newspaper.



She said:


“I was especially moved by the song for peace, “Shir LaShalom”, and the national anthem, “Hatikva”. The people sang together, something which rarely ever happens in Germany. The people in my country seem to be too reserved for such a thing and they have also had bad experience with mass events and chanting and singing crowds. We are more a society of individuals, but we long for something like what was going on at Rabin Square. Maybe this is one reason why the Germans were so hyped up about the FIFA-World Cup 2006, which was held there. They could celebrate and sing their national anthem without feeling guilty. It was just sports, not politics.”



Our anthem unties Jews scattered around the four corners of the earth. Looking forward to seeing some of you at next weeks UJC General Assembly where I have a special gift for you.



Galia

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HATIKVA AS A SYMBOL OF IDENTITY



The Zionist Council in Israel is the core of the World Zionist movement. It starts here, its origin, the land of Zion.



The modern day Zionist Council’s mission: To continue the decisions and dreams made by the Zionist Congress, overall to strengthen the Jewish Zionist nature of the State of Israel.



Now, more than ever – this mission is crucial. It is an emergency.



Those most in need of a wake up call? Israel’s youth. They are becoming more and more disconnected from the core of their Jewish Identity. First of all, they consider themselves Israeli – Only second is the fact that they are Jewish.



The number one priority? To strengthen Zionist education among the youth here in Israel and to preserve the status of the Jewish state among Israeli society at large, which includes minorities as well, such as the Arab population – They too live in the Jewish state.



The Zionist Council is the only centralized address for Zionism in Israel in the 21st century: Universities, local municipalities, the IDF and beyond…



There are a lot of achievements…But the future is not certain anymore.



Various minorities in Israel are calling for a two-state solution, which means that Israel would not be defined anymore as a Jewish State, but as a multi-cultural state.



If Israelis will not consider themselves Zionists, who will? The greatest threat: That the entire world Zionist movement will deteriorate.



This will not happen. We simply won’t let it. This is our purpose.



We need your support to invigorate the activities of the Zionist Council in Israel.



Log on to our website to fight with us: www.zionist.org.il

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WHAT ARE WE AFRAID OF?



Jewish identity is in danger and I want to tell you why.



Here’s an example. I recently attended the Peres Center for Peace 10th Anniversary event. It was three days of panel discussions and intense dialogue between Israelis and Jews from across the political spectrum. A large group of Arab delegations was in attendance as well. Not to mention Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and legendary boxing promoter Don King.



The event was hosted in the Jewish State – - – And guess what? This will shock you. It certainly shocked me. We never once sang the Jewish National Anthem, the Hatikva.



When I asked those who planned the event – - – why… I was told that the Hatikva would, “spoil the atmosphere and make the conference too political.”



The UJC General Assembly is next week on November 16th. The GA is the largest gathering of Jews in one place – - – at one time. I will join thousands of Jews from around the globe there, and this year in Jerusalem, which is only every 5 years. The GA will be focusing on Israel’s 60th Anniversary – which is only half Chai, half 120. We still have another 60 years to really reach 120. We need to use this opportunity to understand that Israel is on the verge of a changing identity.



Israeli leaders are putting it in their election agenda. An example: We all like our president. He has devoted his life for years to the strengthening of the State of Israel. The purpose of the Peres Conference was to unite the Jewish people. But when it came to Jewish National pride through the Jewish song, it was simply pushed aside because it was “uncomfortable.”



We are now in a state of emergency here in Israel…



Israel’s youth – are becoming more and more disconnected from the core of their Jewish Identity. First of all, they consider themselves Israeli – Only second is the fact that they are Jewish. Did you know that it is being considered to change the words in Hatikva from “Nefesh Yehudi Homia” to “Nefesh Yisrael Homia?” “A Jewish soul still yearns,” to “An Israeli soul still yearns.”



As an Israeli mother of four, spending my entire life here, I do not take this for granted. Being Israeli is simply not enough.



The number one priority? We must strengthen the Jewish Zionist nature of the State of Israel. To strengthen Zionist education among the youth here in Israel and to preserve the status of the Jewish state among Israeli society at large, which includes minorities as well, such as the Arab population – They too live in the Jewish state.Certain minorities in Israel are calling for a two-state solution, which means that Israel would not be defined anymore as a Jewish state but as a multi-cultural state.



If Israelis will not consider themselves Zionists, who will? The greatest threat: That the entire world Zionist movement will deteriorate.



There are roughly the same number of Jews in Israel and the United States – more than five million in each country. But the relationship of Jews both to each other and to the rest of the society is vastly different.



There’s much concern about the issue of Jewish identity here in Israel. Jews in Israel are experiencing the opposite effect of that of American Jews…The major ethnic subgroups of Israel’s Jewish population assimilate and intermarry, where one’s ancestors came from will be of less concern.



Now is the time to strengthen our Jewish core and where else but here in the Land of Zion?



I recently headed an initiative to unite Jews all over the world through the Jews secret song: The Hatikva. We broke the Guinness World Record for the most people singing a National anthem simultaneously in real time and the Jewish people did it with the Jewish National song.



Look, here is the certificate and it says: “Guinness World Record for the most people singing a National Anthem simultaneously achieved by different groups across the world who sang Hatikva with the aim of bridging linguistic and cultural gaps between Jewish people on May 7th 2008.”



So, if we cannot sing the Hatikva at an event like the Peres event here in Israel then I will insure that Jews across the world will sing it together every Independence Day.



My goal is to have the initiative grow to become an annual tradition increasing by number. Each year, a different Jewish community will organize the Live Hatikva event, which will ultimately strengthen ties and introduce more Jewish communities around the world to one another.



I would like to initiate a law that every Jewish event funded by the government should begin or end with the singing of Hatikva. A concert, a sporting event…



In the meantime, we have Live Hatikva.



The next Live Hatikva…Live Hatikva 2009 will be broadcasted out of Los Angeles on the popular JLTV Program hosted by Phil Blazer, a special one-hour extravaganza celebrating Live Hatikva 2009 on April 30th.



So, as Israeli Jews continue to struggle with their identity: Are they Jewish or are they Israeli? I have found a solution. It’s in the Jewish National Anthem. A covert code embedded within a 2000 year old dream. And it solves this age-old issue, with a song unifying one nation.

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On November 16th, I will join thousands of Jews from around the globe at the UJC General Assembly, this year in Jerusalem. The GA is the largest gathering of Jews in one place – - – at one time. This year, as you already know, we broke the Guinness Book of World Records on Israel’s 60th anniversary on May 8th, in the category of most Jews singing Hatikva in real time. Yes, we had a long fight with the Guinness people, but we convinced them that the Hatikva is the song of the Jewish people and the song that belongs to Jews the world over. If you are a Jew and you wish to get a copy of the Guinness record let me know and I will send you a personal certificate.
Click here to contact.



My team will be going around the GA, looking for candidates who will participate in next years Live Hatikva which will be focused on American Jewry – April 2009. Phil Blazer of JLTV will be producing the event. A video stream will be pasted on the Hatikva site daily with these interviews.



You will be surprised…I have a great deal of respect for the United States and am very supportive of the “red, white and blue.” Just like Israel will always stay the Jewish state, America will always stay a super power.



So what if people are now saying that it is time to have a two state solution in the Middle East. There is no point in giving back land because eventually it will be one country to two nations. I don’t think so and every year on Israel’s Independence Day, we will remind the world again and again that we have a song that says “Nefesh Yehudi Homeah.”



Don’t you ever take the Jewish state for granted, I don’t. I will also never take America for granted because it is the Western super power and amazingly all the economies are looking to America to find a solution to get out of the crisis. Americans, when they get very nervous, they throw in an “atomic bomb.”



So next year we will salute American Jewry, showing communities and their achievements in all areas. So, send us your request to participate in April 2009 – Hatikva.

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Left to right: Galia Albin, Bernard Fornas, President of Cartier, Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna AL QASIMI, Minister of Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates

I just got back from the Women’s Forum For the Economy & Society www.womens-forum.com in Deauville, France hosted by the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards which is a competition for women created in 2006 by Cartier and the Women’s Forum with the support of the consulting firm McKinsey & Company and INSTEAD business school.



I had the pleasure of being on board with some amazing women. One of them was Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna AL QASIMI, Minister of Foreign Trade, United Arab Emirates, Jury President Asia.



In the company of many distinguished guests, we spoke about the importance of female entrepreneurship in the 21st century.



A perfect topic of conversation for me, as I passionately continue to seek ways to bridge the gap between women of different cultures and religions and transform life in the Middle East to peaceful coexistence based on healthy grounds. I believe we can achieve this through female initiatives via entrepreneurship and that we can indeed make a more peaceful planet.



This led me to invite Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna AL QASIMI to lead a mission to Israel and in return for me to lead a mission to the UAE.



Her response was made public in front of several high ranking figures…



“First, you give back all of the land you stole from the Palestinians,” she said.



I looked at her and said, “Okay, good idea. Take back the land. Are you going to recognize Israel’s right to exist and make peace with Israel side by side as a normal country in the Middle East?”



She looked at me and said, “Never.”



Since it is a business forum of women I said, “Well, this doesn’t sound like good business, in which you give something, do not receive anything in return, plus, you worsen your situation.”



I am surprised that these comments came from the UAE Minister of Trade. I guess Israel is not included.



Giving or not giving land is a bad excuse. What did she ever do for her Palestinian brothers? Zero. And maybe this is good business. Not investing and not getting anything in return.

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As I was making my way to Guinness world record London offices,
, holding 3 large folders of proven taped and documented evidence of the record set just a few weeks earlier, on the end of May, I came to realize how crazy this one woman’s idea must seem and sound like .



I couldn’t help think of how one person expressing his own crazy notions, believes and ideas, as Herzl was and once thought of in his time, eventually led to establish a Jewish state as if one has always existed. That is the nature of revolutionary ideas, when initially heard they usually get a lot of raised eye – brows and dismissal responses, but as time progresses, they increasingly show supportive growth, till they are realized.



There are many issues on which Jews can depart themselves from one another. It is a well known Jewish genetic problem – one problem – many solutions/ opinions, but unlike a lot of the Jewish people that surround us, there are a few things upon which there is full consensus. Hatikva anthem is definitly one of these things. It was sung by both European respected man of the Jewish congress ,Zion prisoners, Holocaust survivors, wedding / bar – mitzvah and prayer participants as well as during soccer games and Israel’s establishment as a state, in which it was sung spontaneously. Every time we, as Jews hear the first notes of Hatikva unity embraces us, our bodies erect with pride, our eyes lean forward with yearning and our lips mouth the words even without a sound.



This crazy notion / idea was born from a view of our nations’ past abilities to unite, that along side my desire to instill a positive motif around which Jewish people will be able to unite created a vision in my mind . A vision of one moment in time in which all Jewish people sing Hatikva together, having it be heard and sung, simultaneously, from everywhere, uniting all Jewish people to act together and do exactly the same thing at the same time. We’ve mentioned how crazy this idea sounds like once before, right?



This idea was gradually built during this past year and responses were accordingly. At first everyone thought I’ve gone mad and as did Herzl while tossing around his crazy idea, some just didn’t understand and some on the other hand, enthusiastically joined to make it happen. During the course of this passing year, I’ve met many high ranking heads of organizations and communities as well as individuals who share a love, vision and willing to get involved for their love of Israel. I’ve been to many conferences and meetings in which I spoke of the worldwide Hatikva Initiative, set for Israel’s recent 60th Independence day



At the pass of every month, as we drew closer to time of the event, a rapid growth of Jewish individuals and excitement was showing, leading the idea of having the initiative become a Guinness world record. This in turn led the “Hatikva initiative” to include massive worldwide preparations towards the event. Synagogues, Jewish schools and organizations around the world produced the Hatikva event, appointing respected community members to act as witnesses, hiring photographers and camera people to document the record. In Israel, mayors made the Hatikva singing become the pinnacle event of their, Israel’s 60th years anniversary celebrations. Every singing was documented to the full and excitement was high.



The truly amazing thing that happened following the Hatikva singing was the fact that after merely a few days Guinness documentations from all over the world were poring in to our office . Dozens of Hatikva singing DVD’s as well as witnesses statements were ll reporting of exact same time and day of the Hatikva singing in Israel and abroad: 32 local Israeli Municipaliies as well as 40 other worldwide locations in the USA, Europe, South America and others we haven’t even contacted all took part in the Hatikva singing.



After all, when this is all said and done, we all , though taking Israel’s existence as a state for granted, are afraid of losing it. As Jews, we all need one another. We are all a part of one nation, centralized in the middle east and divided across the world. After years of persecution, we have a home, a national home that every Jewish person can come to under the “Shvut law”, we should all beware of those who wish to annul this law and make Israel open all. The Jewish National Home must maintain it’s Jewish majority and worldwide connections with the Jews of the world. This force of unity will exemplify itself through the Hatikva singing that is to be sung each and every Israel’s Independence day. This annual tradition celebrating the Hatikva as the song of the Jewish people by real time joined singing of Hatikva by Jews across the world each passing year was launched on Israel’s 60th year anniversary.