JDC at GA 2003: Highlights on the UJC GA Program & Site/Route Visits

At the UJC General Assembly 2003 in Israel, JDC speakers will present on a variety of topics. JDC is also offering bus routes to learn more about JDC programs and the communities we work with. Please see below for a listing of speakers and bus routes.

For more information on the UJC General Assembly in Israel, please click here.

Sunday, November 16, 2003

Kavkazi Mega-Event, 9:00 am

8 different missions (over 300 people) will attend a major happening celebrating the Kavkazi-Israeli community and the work JDC does with them. The event will include a short briefing about the Kavkazi community in Israel, a traditional music and dance performance with an opportunity for audience participation, a display of Kavkazi artifacts and crafts, and personal interaction with Kavkazi leadership.

Monday, November 17, 2003

Narcissism or New Wave, 10:30AM-11:45AM
Alan Gill, Executive Director of International Relations, JDC

How should organizations respond to the challenges of creating commitment to collective responsibility (unrestricted, communal giving) in the face of increasing donor pressure for individualized and designated giving? What will be the impact on fund raising and communal planning? Practical lessons and action strategies and models from the Israeli and North American contexts will be presented.

No Woman or Child Left Behind: Addressing 2 Populations at Risk, 10:30AM-11:45AM
Yossi Tamir, Executive Director, Ashalim JDC

The current economic environment in Israel has exacerbated the problems that face families and specifically, women and children. In the United States the economy and budget cuts have also increased these problems. The extent of the direct impact on the Jewish communities varies, with the greatest impact on dense urban areas. What is the current reality? What are the overall strategies of addressing these issues? What can we learn from each other?

A New Look at Israel in the North American Jewish Experience, 10:30AM-11:45AM
Andres Spokoiny, Director, JDC

For years, we have assumed that the Jewish community understood, embraced and actualized an organic connection to Am Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael. The matzav, the attenuated peace process, and the emergence of post-Zionism raise questions about such assumptions. Do the old myths correspond to the new realities? What is the Israeli view of their relationship with the Diaspora and vice versa? Are we speaking the same language? How do we develop resources that allow us to communicate, create natural linkages and learn from each other?

International Innovations in Caring for the Elderly, 10:30AM-11:45AM
Yitzhack Brick, Director General, JDC-Eshel & Jack Habib, Director General, Brookdale Institute Israel

The changing demographics of the elderly population in Israel and North America presents challenges to our communities seeking new ways to provide care. Participants in this session will learn more about innovations in service delivery focusing on community-based care, institutional care and technological innovations.

PACT (Parents and Children Together) Partnership Council Meeting, 2003 12:00-1:30 pm
BY INVITATION ONLY for Partner Federations

The Third Annual PACT Council for major partner Federations will include discussion with local partners, government Ministry representatives and JDC staff on the major policy issues and programmatic directions of PACT including a formal presentation on the PACT evaluation findings presented by the JDC-Brookdale Institute.

Trends in Volunteerism: Perspectives from Israel & North America, 1:45PM-3:00PM
Arnon Mantver, Director General Joint Israel, JDC

What is the role and value of volunteerism as a resource in providing for our people? What are the emerging trends in North America and Israel? What can we learn from one another? Explore issues related to how volunteer service strengthens our communities and can extend the capacity of our social service network. Discuss how service can be an ladder to further engagement in the community.

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Kavkazi Patners Meeting, 7:45-8:45 am

With the support of select Federations, JDC has been able to initiate a strategic plan to assist the Kavkazi community in Israel to become better integrated by improving their educational, leadership and employment opportunities in Israel. This meeting will provide an update on JDC's programmatic undertakings with the Kavkazi community, highlight new initiatives and present a prospective work-plan for engaging this community and Federation partners in the coming years.

JDC on Major Plenary: Nationbuilding for the 21st Century, 9:00AM-10:15AM
Gene Ribakoff, President, JDC & Steve Schwager, Executive Vice-President, JDC

On the final day of the General Assembly, we will focus on the emerging leadership challenges facing the Jewish people in the 21st century. We will hear a keynote address by Former Prime Minister, and leader of the opposition faction, Shimon Peres. MK Peres will share with us his vision for the future of the Jewish people. Michael Steinhardt will respond.

Since 1914, JDC has maintainted an unbroken presence in Israel and brought care, compassion and help to millions of Jews around the world. Wherever there is a Jew in need… JDC is there. During this session a short presentation will be shown in recognition of JDC’s 90 years of service to world Jewry.

Providing a Jewish Safety Net, 10:30AM-12:30PM
Asher Ostrin, Director, Former Soviet Union Programs

As economic conditions have deteriorated in Israel and in the United States, increased numbers of people in our communities are facing economic hardship. What is our mandate in addressing the resultant needs? How can we harness our passions and convictions in order to meaningfully impact the situation? In light of our Biblical mandate to provide for those in need, what are the responsibilities of volunteer leaders of a philanthropic system in making communal decisions and developing strategies which can enhance our governments’ efforts to provide for citizens in need?

JDC Led Routes for GA – Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Trip #48 An Exploration of the Druze Community – Have the unique opportunity for face –to-face authentic exposure to the needs of Israel’s Druze community and the innovative programs and special people who are working to help them overcome their unique challenges. Site Visits to JDC programs for leadership development, women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship and Matriculation enhancement for students in the northern villages of Abu Snan and Mrar.

Trip #30 Bridges to Tolerance – GA participants will be exposed to a range of cutting-edge initiatives that work to break down the barriers between different population groups within Israeli society. Site Visits in Rehovot and Tel Aviv to JDC programs including PACT – Parents and Children Together for Ethiopian-Israelis, Teen Town for Youth at Risk, Gishur Mediation Training for Physically Challenged Adults and Volunteer activities in a disadvantaged neighborhood.

Trip #24 The Jews of the Caucasus Mountains – JDC has developed a continuum of innovative programs designed to assist the Kavkazi Community (Jews from the Caucasus Region of the former Soviet Union) to battle an array of integration programs including unemployment, poverty, Hebrew illiteracy and education difficulties. Site Visits in Hadera/Or Akiva to JDC projects for School-based learning enhancement, Small Business Employment support, After-school enrichment programs for children utilizing traditional arts, music/dance and cultural activities.

Trip #23 The Challenges of Ethiopian Immigration – JDC is leading a route to explore the challenges faced in absorbing the 86,000 strong Ethiopian-Israeli community in Israel. Featuring the unique PACT (Parents and Children Together) Partnership for pre-schoolers in Kiryat Gat, the day will feature interactive opportunities to visit literacy enrichment activities in Kindergartens, cultural performance, face-to-face meetings with Ethiopian-Israeli educational liaisons and traditional community leadership, participate in a special cultural "Happening" for Ethiopian parents and children together.

Trip #18 A Partnership of Caring – This JDC led-route will expose participants to innovative projects that serve to enhance and maximize the capacity of local service providers and government partners for Israel’s most vulnerable populations. Site visits in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv will feature JDC projects like Supportive Communities for the Disabled and Elderly, Entrepreneurship for Youth at Risk at the exclusive Lilith restaurant, and School-based trauma initiatives for children exposed to the impact of terror and the ongoing security crisis.

Trip #13 Folklore – Israel’s Colorful Cultural Tapestry, Option I – This route offers a unique engagement with cutting edge programs which highlight the preservation of traditional Ethiopian, Kavkazi, and Jewish cultures within the context of a modern, dynamic and multi-ethnic Israeli society. Day includes personal and interactive encounters with various immigrant populations within their local communities and will incorporate an opportunity to dialogue about the nature of ethnic identity along with an enjoyable and unique cultural experience. Site Visits to JDC projects in Ramla, Sderot and Tel Aviv include Adult literacy for Ethiopian immigrants, Dance Performance from Kavkazi troupe and Youth DJ program for immigrant youth at-risk.

Trip #46 Israeli/Palestinian Cooperation Dialogue and Development – Led by JDC-IDP (International Development Program) this route will present a different side of life in Israel – highlighting areas of cooperation and commonality between Israelis and Palestinians in the areas of civil society. Site Visits and meetings in Jerusalem include dialogue with Israeli and Palestinian researchers working cooperatively, high school projects promoting coexistence, and using arts and drama as vehicles for promoting cooperation.

Trip #16 Meeting the Healthcare Challenges in Israel – Israel has been at the forefront of developing new health technologies in response to local and global needs. Learn how meeting nearly daily challenges has translated into innovative community health techniques.