Friday, August 19, 1983 17
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Mivtza Elef Project Aims to Bring 1,000 Families to Israel
By CINDY KAYE
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The Israel Aliya Center, in
cooperation with 30 other
American Jewish organiza-
tions, introduced a new pro-
gram this summer aimed at
exposing American families
to life in Israel.
Mivtza Elef (Project
1,000) offered two month-
long sessions to bring a total
of 1,000 families to Israel in
a variety of capacities, hop-
ing that the participants
would become interested in
making aliya.
The program offered sev-
eral different options.
"Come and Explore
Kidumim" provided an edu-
cational, political and prac-
tical look at life in Samaria.
Participants did guard duty
and development work in
the settlement, and
attended a crash course in
Hebrew, and study sessions
and lectures.
The "JNF Forest" op-
tion consisted of pruning
trees in the Tiberias vic-
inity. An exposure to
kibutz living was avail-
able at Kibutz Ein
Hashofet. Torah study at
several yeshivas or in a
West Bank settlement
was also offered.
Provisions were made for
children in each area. Usu-
ally they attended summer
camp with Israeli children,
though older children often
accompanied their parents
in tree pruning or kibutz
work.
The families were housed
in absorption centers, dor-
mitory rooms or prefabri-
cated houses, depending on
where they were located.
The program's sponsors
tried as much as possible to
integrate the families into
their surroundings, rather
than allow separate.Ameri-
can groups to form in the
communities. Adopted
families were often pro-
vided to ensure contact with
Israeli families. The pro-
gram also included touring,
hiking, political and histor-
ical seminars and dis-
cussions.
Reactions of the partici-
pants in the first session
were mixed. In the Tiberias
absorption:center, where
families came to work in
surrounding forests, most
were satisfied with the ex-
perience. Though the gen-
eral consensus was that the
program was lacking on the
organizational level, par-
ticipants seemed to have
clearer ideas of what place
Israel could take in their
lives.
Dr. Terry Kanefsky of
Pennsylvania explained
that the appeal of the
program was that it was
more than a tour.
Kanefsky, a father of two,
came with his family with
the aim of "checking out
the lifestyle as an option
for permanent settle-
ment." He said he ap-
preciated the "non-
commercialized nature of
the project."
He noted that the group
was motivated by a con-
sciousness of aliya.
Bonnie Bailis of Pennsyl-
vania, here with her two for tours to begin, for bus
children, said she felt fortu- drivers to show up and for
nate to be able to be in Israel reservations to be
for the summer and expose straightened out were some
her son and daughter to the of the problems she men-
country. She praised the tioned.
program for providing
Bailis said, "I look at
families the opportunity to the people here, some of
live abroad at a subsidized whom have dejected
rate.
looks, people from Rus-
Bailis noted that the pro- sia and Latin America
gram's sponsorship by 30 who can't go home as I
organizations was likely the can, and I wonder if I had
source of the organizational to be here, would I op-
problems. Constant waiting .preciate it as much and
want to stay." She also
noticed problems among
Jews more acutely now
than she had on her four
previous trips to Israel. "I
arrived with a much
more idealistic view of
the country than I have
now," she said.
Dr. Gina Morantz, who
came with her two daugh-
ters from Kansas City, ex-
plained that the basic prem-
ise of the program, to attract
American families to aliya,
is a good one. In addition,
she noted that working the
land reinforced the view
that A.D. Gordon tried to
implement in the Jewish
yeshuv in Palestine the
connection between people
and the land.
"It's a beautiful notion,
but the jump from Ameri-
can culture to this idea is
difficult," she said. The
affordability of the trip also
appealed to Morantz. "This
was the only framework I
discovered which allowed
me to bring my family to Is-
rael, so that I could finally
expose my daughters to-Is-
rael," she added.
A lover's eyes will gaze an
eagle blind.
TE RY I. BERLIN
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