Greetings!
SHALOM!
ARZA Canada, the Canadian arm of Reform Zionism, is proud to have you as a member and we want to keep you up-to-date on important issues in Israel with our periodic newsletter. |
| Spotlight on: Education in Israel |
 For a tiny country to survive in a hostile neighbourhood has been no small achievement for the Jewish state. The secret is generally understood to be the creativity and resourcefulness of her people, unleashed by individual freedoms, and powered by an essential element - education. So what is the state of education in Israel in 2009? Many believe that the quality of Israel's education system has deteriorated in recent years as a result of financial cutbacks, and that this represents a threat to the future of the country. The Ministry of Education describes the challenges.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union of Reform Judaism, believes that Israel should teach a common core curriculum, based on Jewish values, to all streams of public school - secular, religious and Ultra-Orthodox.
This study agrees with Rabbi Yoffie, arguing the importance of improving the curriculum in the untra-Orthodox and Arab sectors.
Israel's universities, the home of Nobel prize winners and leading scientific research in medicine, technology and other fields, are also considered at risk. Many observe a brain drain of top talent to well-funded positions overseas.
On a positive note, the Reform movement in Israel, known as the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), has had success in attracting families into the Reform movement through its pre-schools. The IMPJ opened three new pre-schools in the past two years, each of which resulted in growth of the Reform movement in the community. The IMPJ is eager to open pre-schools in many more communities in Israel, a project strongly supported by ARZA Canada.
And while Israel has separate school systems for Jews and Arabs, a movement in favour of mixed Jewish-Arab elementary schools is growing, with schools currently in Jerusalem, the Galilee, Wadi Ara and Beersheva. |
| Education in Israel - Recent News |
 Education Minister Gideon Saar met resistance when he suggested removing the term Naqba from Israeli Arab school textbooks. (Naqba, meaning catastrophe, is the name used by Arabs for Israel's War of Independence.)
Controversy also surrounded back-to-school in the town of Petach Tikvah, where three schools temporarily refused entry to new immigrants from Ethiopia, eliciting accusations of racism. |
| Economic News |
 Israel's economy is relatively strong in 2009, with a big rebound in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and one of the world's lowest bankruptcy rates. |
| Arts and Culture |
 It's now common for the mega-stars of popular music to appear in Israel. In recent years Paul McCartney, Madonna and Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd) have performed in the Holy Land. Canadian Leonard Cohen recently performed in Israel, with a purpose. |
| A Word of Hebrew |
 Achlah - a popular, slang word for "nice", as in "achlah shizuf!" or "nice tan!"
אַחְלָה שִזוּף
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If you're attending the Reform Biennial in Toronto, come and visit us at the ARZA table.
Wishing you and your family a healthy and productive autumn.
Sincerely,
Les Rothschild
President, ARZA Canada |
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| Welcome |
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Les Rothschild,
President, ARZA Canada |
| Upcoming Event |
Does Reform Judaism stand a chance in Israel?
Rabbi Gilad Kariv,
Exec. Director,
Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism
Tues. Nov. 10
7:30 PM
Temple Sinai
210 Wilson Ave.
Toronto |
| Hold The Date |
| Canadian Reform Leadership trip to Israel
June 17-24, 2010
Learn through study, travel and sight-seeing.
Meet interesting Israelis.
See the work of the IMPJ.
Details to follow.
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Omri Casspi became the first Israeli to be selected in the 
