World

Harry Kirsbaum
Staff. Writer

F

resh from the United Jewish Communities'
General Assembly in Toronto for North American
federations and on his way back to Israel, Zeev
Bielski, newly elected chairman of the executive to the
Jewish Agency For Israel (JAFI), sat down with the
Jevilish News over lunch to talk about short- and long-
term goals for the agency involved in bringing diaspora
Jews to Israel.

Eye To The Future I

When did you take
over?

"Four months ago. It was a sur-
prise to me. I was the mayor of
Ra'anana and, all of a sudden, I
got a call from the prime minis-
ter asking me to become the
nominee. In two seconds, I said,
`Of course, sir, I would love to It's
a big challenge to me. I went
through elections and won, and I
feel the responsibility now.
"It's a four-year term, but I
have to go through another elec-
tion in June because my prede-
cessor [ Sallai Meridor] resigned
during his term."

'

What challenges does
the Agency face now?

"The Agency has decided to con-
centrate on three directions. One
is aliyah by choice. Those who
want to come settle in Israel, a lot
of religious people, others, we
help them.
"The second direction is
Jewish education. We feel we
have to connect the young gener-
ation in North America to Israel.
"A big percentage of young
people from America have never
been in Israel, so we are trying to
promote them to come by initiat-
ing a new project called MASA
[Journey ], a partnership

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December 1 • 2005

between the government and the
Jewish Agency, and we hope to
bring 20,000 young people [ages
18-26] from around the world
each year for one year to Israel.
"In this year, they will go to a
university, a kibbutz, a moshav;
they will have a good life in
Israel, meet with Israeli society;
they will speak the language a
little bit, and when they will
become the future leaders of the
communities that are connected
to Israel, they will know about
Israeli society.
"We also support Birthright,
which also brings young people
to Israel for 10 days, but that's
different!'

And what's the third
direction of JAFI?

"Youth futures. We are trying to
close the gap that was open in
Israel between the children who
haven't got and those that have
got. We have decided to concen-
trate on the periphery in the
Negev and the Galilee, and help
the children to get better educa-
tion.
"We encourage volunteers to
help these children. We are going
to invest millions of dollars in
order to promote Jewish educa-
tion within these areas."

New Jewish Agency head plans
to focus on youth and education.

Is there a way to meas-
ure your success?

First of all, we have to raise
enough money to reach our
goals: I believe that today in this
country we can do much better.
We are trying to persuade people
that it's true that the State of
Israel today is not the State of
Israel in the beginning, but we
still have a long way to go — to
raise money for our activities in
Israel, in the former Soviet
Union, in South America.
"I don't want to be in a posi-
tion that one day I will look at
the eyes of the Jewish communi-
ty in North America and say,
`Well, we had the opportunity,
but we missed the train: Now it's
time for action!'

How much do you
receive from America?

arately, in the next three years to
help absorb almost 20,000
Ethiopian Jews who are coming
to Israel.
"The story of aliyah of the Jews
from Ethiopia is something that
will be written in the pages of the
history of the Jewish people.
These are people who were some-
where in the mountains, not
involved in the Christian society
or Muslim society. They lived
their whole lives for hundreds of
years as Jews. And from the
mountains of Ethiopia, they are
walking for days and days to
come to an El Al airplane that will
take them to a new civilization.
"It's a big investment, but ifs a
heroic story, and we hope that
the Jewish community in North
America will answer the needs
and participate."

.

The Agency receive $140 million
from. the Federations in North
America every year."

How are the Ethiopians
who have already set-
tled handling things in
Israel?

What's the goal?

"It's very difficult. Seventy per-
cent of them are below the
poverty line. They are battling.
The State of Israel is doing its
utmost, but the government has
so many needs, security and oth-
ers. We think that the money

"We have to increase at least 7
percent every year."

And ,what about
Operation Promise?

"This is $160 million, raised sep-

raised from Operation Promise
will also help those who came to
srael and to absorb properly in
their new home..

But there's a tremen-
dous risk in bringing the
rest of the Ethiopian
Jews to a country
where 70 percent of
them haven't settled in
very well. What do you
do first, help the ones
who are there first or
the new arrivals?

"The beauty of the State of
Israel is we never ask, 'What do
we do first?' We do everything at
the same time. So we bring those
people, and we look after these
people and-we look after the
State of Israel, and we encourage
Jewish education and we help
those in the forfner Soviet Union,
and we do it all at the same time.
"I know the leaders of the
Jewish community in America.
I've seen them in action. I know
that when the State of Israel calls
upon them, they are there. I've
got full trust that this operatio
will be successful. And with the
meeting that we had with the
prime minister of Israel, Arik
Sharon, we reassured him that
this course will be met!' ❑

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