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Detroit-born Israeli Brian Blondy strives
to inform the world about the Middle East.
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
W bile making a home in Israel,
West Bloomfield native Brian
Blondy created a way to share
with the world news of Israel and the
Middle East.
In January, he and two friends launched
olivetreenews.com (OTN), which links
more than 70 major news agencies from
around the world to provide real-time
news about the Middle East.
"The idea came out of a need to consoli-
date and aggregate the news of the Middle
East for a global audience," said Blondy,
28, who lives in Tel Aviv."With newspapers
transitioning from paper to an electronic
form, we feel being at the forefront of that
change should be our primary goal.
Additionally, we realized how important
it is for Jewish communities around the
world to stay updated on how the news of
the Middle East affects Israel."
Blondy attended Western Michigan
University when he and his mother, Linda
Glass, of West Bloomfield, visited Israel
on a 2002 Hadassah mission. Glass is a
Greater Detroit Chapter Hadassah officer;
she is married to Herbert Glass. Blondy's
father is Dr. Marshall Blondy of Northville.
"The trip radically change my life,' Blondy
said. In 2003, he participated in Project
Otzma, a 10-month program for young
Jewish adults to live and volunteer in Israel.
In 2005, he made aliyah (immigration to
Israel) and, in 2007, he received a degree in
government, strategy and diplomacy, with
specializations in counter-terrorism and
conflict resolution, from the Interdisciplinary
Center (IDC) in Herzliya. The degree gave
him the proper credentials to take a job orga-
nizing global medical conferences.
On Blondy's first day at IDC, he met Pablo
Tittel, originally from Germany, and Efraim
Meslet from France. "We started as best
friends and then became partners," he said.
Together the three founded OTN. Meslet
serves as editor and chief; Tittel is in charge
of business development and legal aspects
of the site; Blondy works as director of
marketing and public relations.
Not affiliated with any organized
national, religious or news entity, the goal Efraim Meslet, Brian Blondy and
Pablo Tittel of Olive Tree News.
of the site is to provide unbiased broad,
comprehensive insights on the breaking
news of the Middle East. The site includes
Next month, Blondy will begin a one-
news stories, editorials and interviews in
year internship at the Jerusalem Post as
English. It also offers access to maps, coun-
part of the post-graduate Legacy Heritage
try information and resource listings as
Fellowship Program, with a plan to blend
article information archived by topic.
his new experience with his work at OTN.
"OTN evolved out of what we perceived
Blondy said the site is geared toward Jews
as a major need to downsize and simplify
and Arabs and those in the Middle East and
the daily time and effort someone should
other areas, including the U.S.
take in reading the news about Israel and
"For the American Jew, we hope the site
the Middle East',' Blondy said. `And we want will expand the scope of their knowledge
people to be able to read it all in one place."
about Israel," Blondy said.
Middle East news sources include Israeli
"The benefit of the site for those in the
sites and newspapers, including the the
Middle East is to be able to step outside
Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz and Ynetnews.
the bubble and see what Arabs and Israelis
corn. OTN news also comes from London-
are saying about each other through dif-
based newspapers, the New York Times, the ferent opinions and perspectives side by
Washington Post and others.
side," he said. "We know this won't bring
The site is currently funded by the part-
peace, but it can definitely bring about
ners, but is seeking advertisers and investors. dialogue." 0
Buy Israeli, hp in A erica
Two local synagogue boutiques display and sell artwork from Israel.
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Senior Writer
A
traveling gallery of original Israeli
art will be available in Oak Park
and West Bloomfield.
The artwork will be displayed and sold
through the Israeli Judaica Boutique,
overseen by founder and CEO Michael W.
Heymann. "I am personally looking forward
to bringing an awesome selection of very af-
fordable Judaica and gifts to the Detroit area
just prior to Rosh Hashanah," said Heymann,
a New Yorker by birth, who made aliyah
(immigration to Israel) as a young adult.
Art pieces will be on sale Sunday, Aug.
30, at Young Israel of Oak Park (YIOP) and
again Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept.
7, at the Sara Tugman Bais Chabad Torah
Center in West Bloomfield.
The Israeli Judaica Boutique art includes
wall hangings and paper cuttings, jewelry,
Shabbat and holiday ritual items and mezu-
zot. Among the artists featured are Archie
Granot, Stacy Givon, Dan Givon, Sarah
Ganot, Sharon Binder and Enya Keshet.
"We carefully select our artists for
originality, consistency and overall quality
of their work," Heymann said. "They all
conceive their creations and perform the
actual work in Israel:'
In addition to the mobile art fairs,
Israeli Judaica Boutique sells artwork
through its Web site (www.judaicabou-
tique.com ). It donates 10 percent of each
order sold through the site to the Benji
Hillman Foundation, an organization
that provides care and shelter for Israel's
soldiers who have no family or home
to return to on Shabbat, the holidays or
other days off.
Both the YIOP event, chaired by the
synagogue's president Gil Stebbins, and
the Torah Center sale, organized by Rabbi
Shneur Silberberg, will feature works by
15 Israeli artists.
YIOP's Rabbi Cohen is pleased to host
the event that supports Israeli artists.
Heymann, too, is happy to showcase
what he calls "stunning creations from
talented Israeli artists and craftsmen. The
selling gigs bring to the members and
guests of the hosting 0 congregations
an
0 0
impressive, classy, cultured event for their
viewing pleasure, and offers for sale very
special Israeli-made gifts and artwork right
in their home com-
munity," he said.
In addition,
Heymann said,
"Each hosting con-
gregation receives
a share of the sales
and each event is,
therefore, a local
Laura Cowan's shamayim
Mezuzah shin by Dabbah
fundraiser."
v'aretz candle holders
He compares the
cultural experience
of the boutiques to visiting a museum.
Silberberg also encourages community
"There's an abundance of what to see
participation. "Israel has always has relied
and to enjoy visually,' he said. "We will be
on American Jewish support to function
bringing the very latest items that are not
properly," he said. "The opportunity to sup-
yet available from any other source. Corn-
port Israeli artists and, by extension, the
ing to one of the two Detroit-area events
Israeli economy is a tremendous mitzvah
will be a very pleasant late-summer diver- and the greatest input that we could give to
sion and a sign of solidarity with Israel."
strengthen our Jewish homeland."
❑
Israeli Judaica Boutique
• 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, at Young Israel of Oak Park. For information,
call (248) 967-3655.
• 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 6, and Monday, Sept. 7, at the Sara Tugman Bais
Chabad Torah Center. For information, call (248) 705-3561 or send an e-mail to
shneurs@gmail.com .
August 27 - 2009 11