Sunday, November 7, 2010

Opening of Lunch and Learn for School Year 2010/2011

Last Thursday, Laura King and I spoke with Eitan Shaul who is the interim director of the Lunch and Learn program In Dimona. Eitan advised us that the program opened on November 1st in all 13 elementary schools and has a total enrollment of 430 children. This year, every school has developed a signature enrichment program that has been added to Lunch and Learn and is funded by the school and the municipality. Every parent met with school personnel and Lunch and Learn staff to discuss their children and the program. An emphasis has been put on nutritious and healthy meals. Plans are being made to assess the program on 2 or 3 occasions during the year.

We will participate in the hiring of a permanent director within the next few weeks. We will be advised of the design of the assessment and we will receive financial reports, copies of contracts and copies of invoices. I believe Lunch and Learn has continued to improve and reflects best practices that have been shared across schools over the years. We should be proud.
Thanks for all of your support.

Danny Frankel

Friday, November 5, 2010

Magen David Adam Petition on Gilad Shalit

Please click on the link below and sign the petition to free Gilad Shalit. I will not be posting the many petitions that I get to sign but that Gilad is not given even the most basic prisoner of war rights is unbelievable. Please forward either the link to this blog or the link below to all of your friends both Jewish and non-Jewish and ask them to please sign. Forward it to you legislators both state and national as well and ask them to sign. Gilad needs our support. He needs to be freed but at the bare minimum he needs to be visited by the Red Cross.

Thank you for taking the time to support this most humanitarian cause.

The Magen David Adam Petition:
http://www.mdavisitshalit.org/?utm_source=MDA+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d72440238f-Sept_eNewsletter6_1_2010&utm_medium=email

I am also placing the link for the Wikipedia article on Gilad for more information on him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilad_Shalit

Monday, November 1, 2010

Race for the Cure in Israel

I know that this post is not specifically about Dimona or the Network but I was truly moved by this "Netletter" from Barbara Sofer. I hope that you will be also. Congratulations to Hadassah for sponsoring this event in Israel.
-s. rosenthal-

Dear Hadassah Friends,

This isn't a formal Jerusalem Netletter. It's a personal letter to you, my Hadassah friends. I'm still overflowing with emotion from the first ever Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure in Israel, and want to share that excitement with you. Everywhere I go in Jerusalem, I'm receiving thanks to Hadassah for making this event happen. You deserve those thanks, and I'm passing them on to you.

Join me please for an imaginative visit to Sacher Park, Jerusalem's "Central Park" on October 28. By 10:30, as I walk through the arc of pink balloons set up by the Jerusalem Municipality, hundreds of women and men are gathering, trying on white and pink T-shirts with the Hadassah logo alongside those of Komen and City of Jerusalem. A number of the early-arrivals are familiar faces, but most have come from afar - villages on the northern border and in the Negev, and from abroad. Then, the buses start arriving with hundreds and hundreds of women. From Haifa, from Beersheba, from a Druze village in the north, from a religious settlement on the West Bank, from the local Arab village of Abu Ghosh, from upscale north Tel Aviv, from factory floors and lawyer's offices. There are Hadassah nurses and Hadassah patients, moms pushing strollers (like my daughter Hadas and her new Hadassah-born baby Shani) and grandmas holding parasols. The scorching sun and temperature in the 90's haven't discouraged them. The prediction of a desert dust storm turns out to be wrong. We are an army ready to march up the hills of Jerusalem from the park to Gai Ben Hinom, near the walls of the Old City.

An estimated 70 percent of Israeli women have breast cancer checks, which are free with our health insurance. But for 30 percent of the population, low awareness is compounded by cultural issues like modesty, fear of a stigma that would impact matchmaking, and even divorce. This walk will save lives by raising awareness. I've already heard of two women who were too scared to have a mammogram but who were encouraged by the Race to do so.

Our President Nancy Falchuk, Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat and his wife Beverly,American Ambassador James Cunningham and his wife Leslie, Komen founder Nancy Brinker, Komen ambassador Hadassah Lieberman and her husband Senator Joe step out first when Israel's top fashion designer Dorin Frankfurt sounds the starting gun.

Marching up front are 350 Young Judaeans, Year Course participants aged 18 and the college graduates of Hadassah-WUJS. Take Seth Levine, 27, from Los Angeles, whose mom Rachel, a cancer survivor, has arrived from the US to walk with him. "This is fantastic," said Seth. "We always did the walk together in LA, but walking by the Old City is inspiring. I'm also excited that there are so many more young people walking here than in LA. "

The Young Judaeans were everywhere. No wonder YJ Chair Shelly Sherman and former Chair Judy Shereck, both here from the US, were so proud.

Jennifer Griffin, the Fox correspondent is walking with 20 members of the Fox bureau who covered the intifada and the second war in Lebanon with her. "None of this could have happened without Hadassah," she told Nancy Falchuk in a tearful interview the night before. One year ago, Griffin was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Her hair is short and gray. "I broke the color barrier at Fox," says the young, beautiful woman."I'm the first gray-haired reporter." Griffin covered Israel for Fox for seven years and married New York Times reporter Greg Myre. Their two daughters were born at Hadassah Mount Scopus. You will remember her positive portrayal of Israel. (See her interview at www.hadassah.org)

By the time we walk up Bezalel Street, the river of white and pink t-shirted walkers has wound its way through the city. Bus after bus of walkers has arrived, to join the locals. Seventy students and Professor Nava Ben Zvi are here from Hadassah College, as are our nursing students and teachers. Hundreds of Hadassah-Israel volunteers walk and work as Race volunteers. The Jerusalem police estimated that 7,500 marchers are in the streets of the city, beyond all expectations for a first race. "I took part in the first Race in Washington, DC," says Hadassah Office in Israel executive secretary Diane Schneider, who raised $1200 for the Race, "We were only 5,000 back then."

Jerusalem has seen many demonstrations, marches and parades-but never have I seen such a mix of Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, newcomers and veterans marching shoulder to shoulder, soldier to soldier, in determined solidarity and sisterhood. "It was the first time I ever made conversation with an Arab," an extreme Orthodox Jewish educator who had flown in from Washington admitted sheepishly.

I'm wearing a pink sunhat, and I'm fascinated by the array of other head gear: Hijabs and scarves, sheitels (wigs for cancer patients and religious Jews), bandanas, baseball caps.

"I'm not a survivor, I'm a two-time winner," Marcie Natan, former National Treasurer and currently Hadassah-College chair, told National Radio. She's wearing a pink t-shirt. Before the race, women's organizations on the ground had predicted that Israeli Jews and Arabs wouldn't want to wear the pink t-shirts that advertise that they have been breast cancer patients. But as the American women-700 visitors came from abroad---slipped into pink shirts, so did their Israeli sisters. "I never thought I would wear this today,"said Hadassah Hospital sabra spokesperson Yael Bossem-Levi who went public for the first time about her own battle with this disease. So did Hadassah's attorney, Lisa Tross.

Why had so women come from abroad? "It was a promise to myself that I would show that I was fine, and march for this life-saving awareness," Debbie Levine, Houston chapter President explained. Former Vice President Kate Edelstein, from Bellingham, Washington, had the distinction of coming the furthest.

Life member Iris Dankner of New York celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on Friday at the Abell Synagogue in Ein Kerem (home of the Chagall Windows). Dankner was celebrating 13-years of being cancer-free together with her husband and their two young adult daughters. "We knew it was time to come to Jerusalem to celebrate."

Hadassah-Israel took on the challenge of organizing the 14 women's organizations, a first ever coalition to work for a single goal. And in the week before the Race, they organized a model breast check in Soda Stream, a seltzer factory in Mishor Adumim. Four Hadassah Hospital physicians visited the factory on the way. Among the 40 factory workers they checked, most were immigrants from the former Soviet Union, from Ethiopia and from the nearby Palestinian villages. Said Talia Hali-Selassi of the Ethiopian community she comes from, "Among Ethiopian women, there is very low awareness. Many use folk remedies when diagnosed because they can't understand that they are sick with something significant when they don't feel sick. I'm inspired by the volunteers from Hadassah to become an activist to increase awareness."

Hebrew, English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Amharic, Yiddish, and yes-that's Russian you hear that group speaking. Our own Lauren Kedem is walking with a bus of youngsters from Meir Shfeya Youth Village, 16-year old boys and girls from the former Soviet Union. This is the first time in their lives they have ever been to Jerusalem. What an entry! Barbara Spack, Youth Aliyah Chair, hugged them all.

The river of walkers winds through King George Street and down Agron. Soon the walls of the Old City are in sight.

All week long, the city walls have glowed pink at night. In a ceremony that was broadcast on every TV station in Israel, Sara Netanyahu, wife of the Prime Minister, together with Mayor Barkat, flipped the switch that announced Jerusalem would be, as Nancy Falchuk said to the press, "turning the defensive walls of the city to offensive to defeat breast cancer." Later that evening, the Israel Museum's landmark Shrine of the Book turned pink, too, and delegates from around the world celebrated in an evening hosted by Ambassador and HMO board member Zalman Shoval and his wife Kenna.

Let's keep marching. Here's the group of Arab women from Abu Ghosh community center. They've learned about breast health from the program run by the Patricia and Russell Fleishman health center and have become health volunteers and activists. They revealed that before Hadassah had started the center, they had been prohibited by their husbands to walk for exercise and to swim. Now they walk regularly, have swimming lessons, and switched to whole wheat flour in their homemade pita bread. But the most moving comment of all was made by one of the middle-aged women. "We have less family violence now that the men understand we have something important to say." They cannot hug Hadassah nurse Tal Atzmon enough for the work she has done as coordinator.

Members of the Komen Mission were so moved by visiting Abu Ghosh that they asked to join Hadassah. They had the same reaction when Knesset Speaker Rubi Rivlin used his address to the VIP Komen mission to speak passionately about what Hadassah has meant to the life of the city over the many generations of his family that live here. Indeed, there was a synergy between the Komen supporters, many of whom were not familiar with Hadassah's work, (most who came weren't Jewish, and had come to Israel for the first time) and the enthusiasm for Hadassah they were bringing home with them.

Earlier on the day of the visit, Komen officials who support research learned first hand about the newest cooperative projects between Hadassah and Augusta Victoria Hospital which is the main cancer center for the Palestinian Authority. Professor Tamar Peretz, head of the Sharrett Institute of Oncology, was embraced by students and colleagues, who are in constant collaboration with her.

At the end there was music. The singing group that leads off the entertainment is our own Hadassah-Neurim Singers. Picture them, please, kids whose native language is Russian and Amharic, kids who lived on the street until they were gathered into the warm embrace of our healing village, kids who never thought they could face the world let alone appear before thousands of strangers. They're singing a slightly altered version of "Let it Be" in different languages. National President Nancy Falchuk is on-stage, singing along with them,

"And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me, shine until tomorrow. let it be."

We --Hadassah--brought this international Race to Jerusalem.

We provided the bridge to Israel.

We spoke with knowledge and dignity on every podium, sat at every table.

We made many new coalitions.

We brought attention to the life-saving, humanitarian work of our hospitals.

We energized our young people and raised their awareness.

And, as always, we're working to save and enrich lives

Frankly, we all had reservations about taking on this task. We needn't have. Our name spread far and wide to a population that needed a reminder about our mission.

We're tickled pink.

From Jerusalem

Barbara Sofer

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Mayor Cohen of Dimona on Lunch and Learn


                                                                                    איזו  14001         אות הגלובוס הירוק         אות מגשים ישראל
     עירית דימונה                                                                        2009                           2009
  לשכת ראש העיר                                                                         
Mayor Office      



October 7, 2010

To:   Executive Committee - JFNA Network of Communities

I would like to thank you for your decision to approve the continuation of the Lunch and Learn program in Dimona in cooperation with the Jewish Agency in 2010-2011. This program helps 430 children in Dimona, who come from weak homes and at-risk families, to improve their scholastic achievements and their quality of life.

Evaluation and examination which we have carried out show significant improvement among the children participating in the program, both scholastically and in their social standing among the pupils of the school, which is greatly appreciated. During the last few weeks great efforts have been made by all of the professional bodies in the city, the education division, the welfare department, the school principals and Jewish agency personnel, in order to embark upon the new activity year in a professional manner which will benefit the children participating in the program. Criteria for acceptance of children to the program were determined, and many supplemental activities will be added to the program this year in cooperation with the municipality and the schools. Emphasis will be placed upon working with the parents, and volunteers will assist in program activities. Individual evaluation will be made of the impact of the program upon the children.

The ties between us are extremely important to Dimona. We hope to reinforce the connection with the Network of Communities during the coming year. It is truly important to us that the Communities and the donors are aware of how important and significant their contributions are to the residents of Dimona, and for this we thank you on behalf of the municipality and all the residents of the city.

For many years Network has invested funding in Dimona, and we intend to make great efforts during this coming year to strengthen the ties between us, in cooperation with the Jewish Agency. I hope to begin a fruitful and significant dialogue during my upcoming visit.

I would very much appreciate it if you could send our thanks and our recognition of your contribution to all of the Communities.


With thanks and respect,

Meir Cohen
Mayor of Dimona




ת.ד 1 דימונה 86100 ■ טל. 08-6563100 ■ פקס 08-6563231 ■ efratm@iula.org.il
P.o.b 1 Dimona 86100, Israel ■ Tel. 972-8-6563100 ■ Fax 972-8-6563231

Monday, October 4, 2010

Join the Discussion

The Dimona – Network Partnership Blog is about Dimona. It’s about The Network. It’s about the things we do together. My name is Stephen Rosenthal, a member of the Network Community, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I have been asked by our Network steering committee to set up and be the editor of a blog. The reason that they asked me, is that I already have a personal blog called Random Thoughts, www.stephenrosenthal.blogspot.com and that I have a deep love for the connection between Dimona and the Network. For this blog to be successful, we need comments and posts from our members both in the US and Israel. This blog is not about me. This blog is about all of us. I look forward to hearing from everyone. Please send me articles and pictures. For this blog, you can email me at Networkjfna@gmail.com.

My dream is for this site to be a meeting place. A place where our communities in the States and in Israel, share the exciting things they are accomplishing. We need articles about individuals, groups, and activities. We can discuss events pertaining to Jewish Federation of North America. Comments on speakers or fundraising or an Israel Day should interest others. Highlight other Jewish activity in your community. Maybe your synagogue or temple had a great event. Maybe Hadassah or B’nai B’rith or AIPAC or any of the other myriad of Jewish organizations did something special. Please tell us about your youth groups whether they are part of USY or Temple Youth or Young Judea or BBYO or any other. Our brothers and sisters in Dimona should feel just as free to let us know what is going on in Israel. We want to know about youth groups, adult groups, new construction, group travels, accomplishments and anything that makes you proud of Dimona. No one should be shy. As you will see, I am also including a Hebrew translation of whatever is written in English. If our Israeli brothers and sisters care to write in Hebrew, I will include an English translation. I am using Google Translate to do the translation. Google Translate is not perfect, but the program does a pretty good job.

Of course, we will feature the programs that we sponsor in Dimona. Hopefully, we will learn more about our Lunch and Learn program and Atidim. If your community has any direct community to Dimona contact, write about it. You will certainly be hearing about our connection between Sioux Falls’ and Dimona’s art magnet schools. I know other Network communities are looking to make similar direct connections. Please tell us what is happening. Let us discuss other possible projects between the Network and Dimona.

So what do you need to do? You need to be a follower of this blog. For that you have to sign up. You need to submit articles and pictures of your programs. You need to comment on articles. If you have questions about how a community put together a program, please ask. If one person has a question, probably many others have questions as well.

This blog is for all of us. This blog is a place for us to share our successes or maybe even programs that are yet to be successes. This blog is not only just for me, the Network executive committee or local leadership. We should contribute, yes, but we should not be the only ones. This blog is for everyone in our communities. This blog is where we can learn from one another to make each of our own communities a better place for Jews to live. We can give Network members a taste of Israel and small community Jewish life. We can give Dimona a taste of the communities in the Network. Please be a part and join the discussion!

להצטרף לדיון

דימונה - רשת השותפות הבלוג הוא על דימונה. זה על רשת. זה על הדברים שאנחנו עושים ביחד.שמי הוא סטיבן רוזנטל, חבר הקהילה רשת, סו פולס, דרום דקוטה. נתבקשתי על ידי ועדת היגוי שלנו לרשת כדי להגדיר להיות עורך של בלוג. הסיבה שהם שאלו אותי, כי אני כבר בלוג אישי בשם אקראית מחשבות, www.stephenrosenthal.blogspot.com וכי יש לי אהבה עמוקה הקשר בין דימונה לבין רשת. בבלוג הזה כדי להצליח, אנו זקוקים הערות שנכתבו מחברי שלנו הן ארה"ב וישראל. הבלוג הזה הוא לא עלי. הבלוג הזה הוא על כל אחד מאיתנו. אני מצפה לשמוע מכל אחד. נא לשלוח לי מאמרים ותמונות. עבור הבלוג הזה, אתה יכול דוא"ל אותי בשעה Networkjfna@gmail.com.

החלום שלי הוא עבור אתר זה כדי להיות מקום מפגש. מקום שבו הקהילות שלנו בארצות ובארץ, חולקים את הדברים המרגשים הם להשיג. אנחנו צריכים מאמרים על יחידים, קבוצות, ופעילויות.אנחנו יכולים לדון באירועים הנוגעים הפדרציה היהודית של צפון אמריקה. תגובות על הרמקולים או גיוס כספים או יום ישראל צריכה שאחרים עניין. הדגש בפעילות היהודית אחרים בקהילה שלך. אולי בית כנסת או מקדש היה אירוע גדול. אולי הדסה או בני ברית או איפא"ק או של הרבים האחרים של הארגונים היהודיים לא משהו מיוחד. אנא ספר לנו על קבוצות הנוער שלכם בין אם הם חלק USY או בית הנוער "יהודה הצעיר" או או BBYO או אחרת. אחינו ואחיותינו בדימונה צריכים להרגיש בדיוק כמו חינם כדי להודיע לנו מה קורה בישראל. אנחנו רוצים לדעת על קבוצות נוער, קבוצות מבוגרים, בנייה חדשה, נוסע בקבוצה, הישגים, וכל דבר שגורם לך גאווה של דימונה. אף אחד לא צריך להיות ביישן.כפי שתראה, אני גם כולל תרגום עברית של כל מה שנכתב באנגלית. אם האחים ישראל ואחיותינו טיפול לכתוב עברית, אני יכללו תרגום אנגלי. אני משתמש ב-Google Translate כדי לעשות את התרגום. Google Translate הוא לא מושלם, אבל התוכנית עושה עבודה טובה למדי.

כמובן, אנחנו נביא את התוכניות שאנחנו חסות בדימונה. יש לקוות, נוכל ללמוד יותר על ארוחת הצהריים שלנו ואת תוכנית למד עתידים. אם הקהילה שלך כל הקהילה ישיר כדי ליצור קשר עם דימונה, לכתוב על זה. אתה בהחלט תהיה לשמוע על החיבור שלנו בין סו פולס 'ו מגנט האמנות של דימונה הספר. אני יודע אחרים קהילות ברשת מחפשים ליצור קשרים ישירים דומים. אנא ספר לנו מה קורה. בואו לדבר על פרויקטים אפשריים אחרים בין רשת לבין דימונה.

אז מה אתם צריכים לעשות? אתה צריך להיות חסיד של הבלוג הזה. בשביל זה אתה צריך להירשם.אתה צריך לשלוח מאמרים ותמונות של התוכניות שלך. אתה צריך להגיב על כתבות. אם יש לך שאלות על האופן שבו הקהילה להרכיב תוכנית, בבקשה לשאול. אם אדם אחד יש שאלה, ועוד רבים אחרים מן הסתם יש לך שאלות גם.

הבלוג הזה הוא של כולנו. הבלוג הזה הוא מקום עבורנו לשתף ההצלחות שלנו או אולי אפילו תוכניות שעדיין לא הצלחות. הבלוג הזה הוא לא רק בשבילי, הוועד הפועל או רשת מקומית מנהיגות. אנחנו צריכים לתרום, כן, אבל אנחנו לא צריכים להיות היחידים. הבלוג הזה הוא בשביל כולם בקהילות שלנו.הבלוג הזה הוא המקום שבו אנו יכולים ללמוד אחד מהשני כדי להפוך כל הקהילות שלנו למקום טוב יותר ליהודים לחיות. אנחנו יכולים לתת לחברי הרשת טעם של ישראל בחיי הקהילה היהודית הקטנה.אנחנו יכולים לתת דימונה טעם של קהילות ברשת. נא להיות חלק ולהצטרף לדיון!