Israel’s policy of blockading Gaza pushed into the international limelight; Egypt allowing Palestinians in its borders

Even though I've technically graduated and our KIP Israel trip is officially over, we have been finishing final touches on the administrative aspects of our trip.  After returning from a lovely study abroad experience in Johannesburg, Jamie reminds the leadership team that Israel is under fire again.  One only wonders how this tiny nation will defend itself from growing public support of the Palestinian predicament ... It seems as though Israel's politics are going to be under attack in the foreseeable future.

On Sunday, May 30th: "The Israeli Navy made its first contact with a flotilla carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists and thousands of tons of supplies for Gaza shortly before midnight on Sunday, surprising the boats in international waters, according to activists on one vessel.


Israel has vowed not to let the flotilla reach the shores of Gaza, where the Islamic militant group Hamas holds sway, putting the activists and the Israelis on a public relations collision course.

Named the Freedom Flotilla, and led by the pro-Palestinian Free Gaza Movement and a Turkish organization, Insani Yardim Vakfi, the convoy of six cargo and passenger boats is the most ambitious attempt yet to break Israel’s three-year blockade of Gaza." NY Times

This convoy was headed to provide "aid" to cut-off Palestine yet disobeyed fervent efforts from Israel to stop or redirect its mission.


Here are a few articles to get you up to speed:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/world/middleeast/31flotilla.html?fta=y
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/world/middleeast/02flotilla.html?pagewanted=1&ref=global-home
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704875604575280230648120058.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article443539.ece

KIP Israel Makes Headlines!

Yes, we dreamed big...but to capture Theodore Herzl's exuberance, "if you will it, it is no dream."

Israel21c, the blog about all things Israel, just featured the KIP Israel program in a feature article on its website, highlighting our experiences and successes.

After over one year of planning, networking, fundraising, hiring, organizing and yet more planning, the KIP Israel Leadership Team, along with all of our participants found success.

A total of 28 people from diverse backgrounds visited Israel, from North to South, Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea and many places in between. We visited a host of world renowned companies, many best in class in their industries, and experienced new dimensions of culture and history only found in this sliver of a nation.

Later this week our student teams will present their impressions from various industries studied. We look forward to hearing everyone's impressions of Israeli firms and their experiences.

Israel Excursion: Days 1-12

At the outset of this initiative we dreamed big.
In terms of devoutly updating the blog while traveling, perhaps our dreams were too big - but that only provides evidence of our busy days and fun nights.

The bar was set high from day one.
The day started with a unique multi-media presentation from Better Place, Israel's answer to the global oil dilemma. After the presentation, we were able to test drive new prototype vehicles that were powered by Better Place's batteries - a true zero emissions vehicle. Finally, we were able to engage in an interesting question and answer session with Better Place's founder/CEO Shai Agassi and present him with a plaque of our appreciation of our learning experiences with his firm.

The day continued to Teva, which was also fulfilling (both intellectually as well as food-wise!) and offered students a view into the world's largest generic pharma company and how it operates so successfully.

The day ended with an opportunity for mingling and networking with Tel Aviv University's Recanati and Sofaer MBA students, lead by Professor Simon Benninga and on to the Tel Aviv nightlife..

Though this is just a snapshot of one day of our experience, it is a great example of the excitement, intrigue and opportunities with which we were presented throughout the duration of our trip.

Having taken care of all of our last minute purchases, laundry and packing, the KIP Israel crew headed to the Kelley School of Business to begin our adventure.
After one year of planning, preparation, coursework, contacts, development and energy, today we are jetting off to realize the fruits of our labor.

Currently in Toronto with half of our flying behind us (measured by number of flights, not distance and surely not time), we are excitedly anticipating our arrival in Israel.

Our first day begins in the evening after a long wait aboard a plane, though I know we will all be curious to venture out and see what Israel is about and take in the new sights around us.

Whether we think of it as an undiscovered country, a Promised Land, a Holy Land or the Land Flowing with Milk & Honey...in a matter of hours we will arrive to celebrate a new chapter of our learning and adventures.

This trip has heightened expectations and much anticipation; we seek to surpass the already high level of enthusiasm and provide a new world of experiences for our classmates that has not yet been met...only in Israel.

IQ: Israeli Queers

I’m psyched! According to Out Traveler, Tel Aviv “is packed with the kind of "we're here, we're queer" vibe more typically found in Sydney and San Francisco than in one of the most conservative regions in the world”.

I first learned of the Israel’s friendliness to LGBT people through film, particularly the movie Yossi & Jager (trailer, Wikipedia). It’s about two IDF soldiers on patrol in winter (Snow in Israel, who knew?) who struggle with their closeted relationship at work and with their families. The IDF is actually well ahead of the U.S. military by allowing gays to serve openly in the military since 1993. Ivri Lider sings the sound track to Yossi & Jager, and is one of a number of top gay artists performing in Israel, the U.S. and Europe.

I even came across an article showing that a gay Israeli dating site has been around for over 10 years! J-Date has nothing on Atraf.

My Lonely Planet guide has some great club and bar ideas. Can’t wait to check them out!

Abulafia Bakery: A Microcosm of the Middle East

Meet Sa'id Abulafia. Israeli Arab, 28 year old lawyer and business manager for his family's namesake bakery and the founder and president of the Tel Aviv Sabres football team.

Hear Sa'id talk about his background and initiatives in Jaffa.
We'll meet with him at the Arab Jewish Community Center to learn more about his views as an Israeli Arab and his efforts to build coexistence in Israel.

Visit Israel21c to view the full article.

A Message from Shorashim

Dear KIP Students,

Shorashim is very excited to facilitate your journey to Israel. We promise you an unforgettable experience in which you will see the sights and sounds of the land and learn about the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in Israel.

We have provided your Leadership Team with links to articles and websites of the companies that you are visiting and information about the speakers to distribute to you.

If you would like further information on any place or more cultural, historical and religious visits on your itinerary, or would like resources on the political situation in Israel, please do not hesitate to email me: Sharna@shorashim.org

I apologize for not being able to visit last week. I was really looking forward to it. If you have questions that you wanted to ask me in person, please send me an email or call my office: 312-239-8428.
Have a wonderful trip!

Sincerely,

Sharna Marcus
Program Director
Shorashim

When you aren't packing for the trip...

Make sure to watch Fight Quest:Israel on March 5th at 8 PM on Discovery HD!

The Israeli military is one of the most highly trained and skilled forces in the world and their secret weapon is Krav Maga. In this episode, Jimmy and Doug train with the Israeli military and learn the secrets of this murderous fighting style.


It looked really interesting, and you may be able to learn some self defense techniques!

Purim Celebration!

During our last class before our trip, we were able to learn about Purim, the Jewish celebration commemorating the deliverance of the Jews from Haman who planned to kill them. The holiday is celebrated with:

• the reading of the Megilla (ours graciously by Director of Student Services)
  
• the giving of food to charity, we all brought in canned food
  
• the wearing of masquerade masks
  
• the eating of traditional foods
  

We ended the session by eating Hamantaschen cookies (which I got to help make this weekend!) It was a great opportunity to learn about the culture of Israel before our trip and give us more of a rounded view of the country. I am really looking forward to our trip, and so glad I have been able to have this experience!

Better Place Debuts Electric Car Test Drives

At a sleek office space on Israel's coastal plain, Better Place is debuting the features of its battery-powered cars to Israel's public...and getting them ready for a roll-out throughout the country.

Hear Better Place Founder/CEO Shai Agassi speak about his vision for the future, along with US Undersecretary of State, Jacob Lew.

Archaeologist sees proof for Bible in ancient wall

It amazes me that there are still discoveries like this today.

By MATTI FRIEDMAN, Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM – An Israeli archaeologist said Monday that ancient fortifications recently excavated in Jerusalem date back 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the biblical narrative about the era.

If the age of the wall is correct, the finding would be an indication that Jerusalem was home to a strong central government that had the resources and manpower needed to build massive fortifications in the 10th century B.C.

That's a key point of dispute among scholars, because it would match the Bible's account that the Hebrew kings David and Solomon ruled from Jerusalem around that time.

Continue reading AP Article

Israel Ice Dancing

I was able to see brother and sister team Israeli Ice Dancing Sasha & Roman Zaretsky compete in the Original Dance competition last night. They performed to Hava Nagila, which is a traditional Jewish folk song. It was a great performance, they were able to move from 21st to 10th. Watch their performance last night here

And make sure to watch for them tonight during the last Ice Dance competition, the Free Dance.

Jerusalem of Gold

To prepare to ascend to the Jerusalem hills, one must appreciate the mixed fabric of cultures that makes Jerusalem what it is today.

As historical geographer Dr Doron Bar states, there are many cities throughout the world that hold a special religious significance. Only Jerusalem, though, is holy to many faiths. Listening to his brief overview on Jerusalem (link above), one can make out the ambient sounds of muezzin in a typical Jerusalem afternoon.

The following are three distinct personalities who offer 10 seconds on what Jerusalem means to them, courtesy of Jerusalem.com, a great site for learning about the history of Jerusalem and complete with nightlife recommendations.

Educating voices for Israel

Recently, we were awarded a grant by The David Project to support our initiative to Israel.  Abby Sloane from the David Project came from Boston to sit through our class and network with students.  We had team presentations which were informational on industries like Agriculture, Defense, High Tech, Sustainability and Life Sciences.
Following class, Abby treated us to dinner at Samira's to educate us more on the David Project and its misson and initiatives.  To be honest, prior to my participation in this class, I had no idea the magnitude and severity of nonprofits like the David Project but after listening to Abby, I realized these organizations are very necessary.

More importantly, I realized the implications of our class on our small community in the Kelley School.   Our students will become pseudo ambassadors for those unfamiliar with Israel.  Our experiences have the ability to have a multiplier effect on our network, reaching to hundreds of others who would have not understood the Israeli dynamic. The majority of our students have never been to Israel and prior to our trip, had not planned on going there anytime soon.  It is a win/win chance to provide students with the opportunity to consider Israel as an option for business while also educating them on Israel's history and the story of its inhabitants. 

Our hope is that KIP Israel 2010 will be the inaugural trip for MBAs at Kelley.  We believe that a solid way to increase advocacy for Israel as a state is to teach non-Israelis about the business climate and opportunities within the country.  From Life Sciences to Renewable Energy, leading innovative changes are born in Israel.  We hope that the David Project and the Kelley School are able to forge a strong relationship and find more projects to work on together in the future. 

SHALOM!

ISCAR: An advanced Israeli business with a social conscience

One of the firms we will visit on our upcoming Israel excursion is ISCAR, a precision tools manufacturer and the only major investment (almost $5b) outside the US by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.

Aside from this marked distinction, ISCAR offers an interesting quality not displayed by most other businesses. Its founder, Stef Wertheimer, sought to develop the company in an area situated near Israeli Arab villages in order to spur the inclusion and development of Israel's Arab minority.

As the article in Israel21c contends, Wertheimer's work is monumental for building a peace of coexistence and understanding between Israel's populations, all through the establishment of economic opportunities.

This should be an exciting visit to an entrepreneurial firm that introduced a new dimension to solving the conflicts of the Middle East