Director's Report January 16th - 28th, 2010

• On Tuesday, January 18th, the Heschel Center and the Arava Institute held a workshop in Tel Aviv on "Food Sustainablility in Israel".  Over 80 people attended the workshop which was an extension of the "Food for Thought Conference" held in the fall  2009.  Since the conference, the Heschel Center and the Arava Institute have been working to create a coalition of non-governmental organizations to promote a more sustainable food system in Israel. The coalition includes environmental organizations, organizations that work on food security and organizations concerned with food and health issues.  The workshp held on Tuesday was the first in a series of meetings, workshops and conference planned for the coming year.  The speakers at the workshop included, Dr. Jeremy Benstein, from the Heschel Center, PhD candidate, Ami Ettinger, one of Israel's experts on food sustainability and an Arava Institute alum, Miki Lipshitz, Director of the "My Love of the Land" Organization of the Center for Regional Councils and Dr. Uri Gordon, a faculty member at the Arava Institute who presented the report on the current status of sustainability in the Israeli food chain. Food Sustainability in Israel Report
• The JNF Parsons Water Fund -Arava Institute tour was a great success. The group appreciated a range of site visits to the, King Abdallah Canal, Shamir Drill, Al Oja village, Jerusalem and Beer Sheva River. The packed schedule also included official meetings with: Red Sea-Dead Sea consultants, Mekorort water representatives, researchers from  the National Energy Research Centre of Jordan and a dinner at the Israeli Ambassador's house in Jordan, which was attended by the American Ambassador and former Jordanian ministers. A particular highlight was the final dinner with Uri Shani, Israel's current Water Commissioner, whose wealth of knowledge of the regional water situation and candid approach was very well received. The group was dynamic-- interested and committed to finding partnerships, spurred by impressive generosity,  and keen to find viable ways to work throughout the region.



JNF Parsons Water Tour at Israeli Amabassador's house

• Member of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) Dov Hanin, invited Vered Balan, the Heschel Center Project Coordinator for the joint Arava Institute Heschel Center Sustainable Food Initiative andy myself to appear before the Environment Committee of the Knesset to participate in a discussion about food sustainability in Israel. The first item of business on the agenda was a presentation of a report on trace levels of insecticide and pesticides found in fruits and vegetables that reach the Israeli marketplace and therefore Israeli homes.  The impressive report was presented by Shiri Bass Spector, who works for the Research and Information Center of the Knesset.  After Shiri spoke, Vered gave a ten minute presentation on the issue of food sustainability in Israel and the vision statement of the Arava Institute Heschel Center initiative.  Shiri was seated on my left and Vered on my right and when it was my turn to speak, I simply said that I am the Executive Director of the Arava Institute and if anyone wants to know what the Arava Institute does, I will point out that Shiri Spector Bass and Vered Balan are both graduates of the institute and say no more.  This brought out a number of smiles and a laugh or two from the audience but mostly a great sense of pride from me.

• The fall semester 2010 came to a sad but sweet end last week.  Their final weeks were spent studying hard for exams.  In between exams the campus life team organized numerous surprise parties for students who had to leave early.  The Campus Life Team also provided a midnight breakfast in order to allow a break from studying.  The students paid one last visit to the Sudanese children in Eilat where the students played football and made pompoms and had one last amazing potluck dinner on campus.  A final Peace Building and Environmental Leadership Seminar session was held which brought closure to the multi-cultural experiences of the semester.  Students offered blessings to one another and talked about how they had personally changed during the semester.  A very successful final party was held two days before the students left.  The theme was "Under the Sea" and the students received certificates of completion, funny awards, and year books to start things off.  Then there were multiple skits by students and staff including a wonderfully choreographed staff dance to the song "Under The Sea."  The students and staff danced the night away.  On the final day as students were about to leave they organized themselves into an AIES sign on the grass out of their bodies.  This was an amazing group of students and we wish them luck in the future!  

David Lehrer

Weekly Report January 2nd-14th, 2011

2011 has started off with a flurry of activity:

• On January 3^rd a group of alumni and AIES staff members met in Amman, Jordan to plan the 2011 AAPEN Conference that will take place in Jordan on February 3-5^th. Suleiman, a former student and Program Associate, and the Chair of the 2011 Conference Organizing Committee, hosted the group at restaurant in Amman for a planning session to discuss the conference schedule, speakers, workshops, and logistics. In attendance was Organizing Committee made up of Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian alumni,  as well as AIES staff; Sharón,  the Director of the Alumni Department, Lindsey, the AAPEN intern, Khaled, who does Jordanian recruitment, and Elad, the current Chair of AAPEN, and myself. The team eventually moved the meeting to Suleiman's apartment in order to continue working late into the night, taking advantage of a time in which those from different regions could share a space. The night ended successfully with a feeling of progress and with a visit to a local sweet shop that provided us with their last piece of kanafeh.
• On Tuesday, January 4th, Taal Goldman, Sababa Coordinator and I met with the Management Committee of Park Timna. The purpose of the meeting was to receive an overview by Yuval Peled, from the Israeli Parks and Nature Authority, of the process for listing Park Timna as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The leadership of Sababa and Park Timna have been discussing this issue and the management of the park in general for sometime.  It was decided to jointly review different international recognition programs and management techniques. After a complete review, a decision will be made as to which direction to go.
• The intergenerational meeting at ECO-ME Center at the Jericho Junction.  If you are on your way to the Dead Sea from Jerusalem, please take a few moments to stop at the newly established ECO-ME Center just after the turnoff to Jericho on the left side of the road.  From the road, it doesn't look like much and admitedly, once you are inside the compound it doesn't look like much more, just a collection of tents, shaded areas, compost toilets, solar panels and camp fires, but I believe that for those who look carefully, you will realize that you are seeing a revolution.  I had the opportunity to visit the ECO-ME Center, established about 4 weeks ago by 4 Arava Institute Alumni, Ilana Meallem, Rina Kedem, Jennifer Golding and Yair Wahle and one non-alum, Itamar Cohen, for the first time at the intergenerational meeting on Friday January 7th.  In addition, to the 5 founders, a number of Israeli, Palestinians and internationals have joined the center for a stay of from a few days to a few weeks. The goal of ECO-ME is to create a space in the Middle East which is easily accessible to Israelis and Palestinians for meetings, workshops and ongoing contact.  Eventually, the goal is to find a space which is also easily accessible to Jordanians.  The current location, makes it possible for both Israelis and Palestinians to reach with no need for permits.  The intergenerational meeting included about 40 people, obviously young and old representing different generations of peace and environmental activists. The purpose of the meeting was for the younger generation to learn from the experience of veteran activists in order to build a permanent center and eventually an eco-village.  Though ECO-ME is not a specific Arava Institute project, through the Alumni Programs Department, the institute is providing some support.  I personally was incredibly proud to see how our alumni have taken the lessons learned at the Arava Institute and are turning them from theory into reality.  
• This week the Arava Institute hosted a delegation from Dickinson College who came for a three day site visit from Sunday Jan 9th – Tuesday Jan 11th . The Arava Institute is partnering with Dickinson College on a 4 week program called "Across Borders", which will bring 17 environmental professionals from the United States to the Arava Institute in the summer of 2011.  The program is funded by a large grant from the US State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.   The purpose of the program will be to learn about our local environmental resources, to study the connections between environment and security, and to consider the contributions that environmental studies, economics, political science, policy studies, as well as social, cultural and religious history can offer to resolving these issues effectively and sustainably. The visitors, Steve DePaul, Dr. Andrea Lieber, Dr. Doug Edlin, Dr. Ed Webb, and Bryan Bartosik-Velez, spent their time meeting with Arava Institute staff, attending AIES night, and having lunch with the European Ambassador and his delegation.  
• In parallel to the visit of the delegation from Dickison College, Professor Yaakov Karni, the new Chair of the Arava Institute Board of Directors, and head of solar energy research at the Weizmann Institute, http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ESER/People/Karni/spent three days at the institute getting to the staff, students and our program. Yaakov has already served on the Arava Institute Board for one year and is the head of the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Steering Committee.  The timing of his visit was fortuitous because it coincided with a number of exciting events that took place this week.  
• On Sunday evening, January 9th, the Academic Department held the end of semester AIES Night, when students present their independent study projects and masters research.  This is an evening when the students get a chance to  showcase the fruits of their academic labour and demonstrate exactly what they have learned through their independent study and research projects.  Those students who are taking the independent study course choose a topic and a methodology at the beginning of each semester and then spend once a week doing research.  The students work together with advisors, who provide knowledge and guidance for the mini-research projects.  As Dr. Clive Lipchin, teacher of the course and host of the evening noted this year, 4 of the advisors were Arava Institute alumni.  The kibbutz community center played host to the event which included a combination of Powerpoint and poster presentations to a wide audience of fellow students, staff and faculty and kibbutz members. It was certainly inspiring listening to not only the phenomenal research projects the students are involved in, but also witnessing their dedication to promoting environmental and social change in places where it is sorely needed.

Roy Zaidenberg, student shows his poster with Yonatan Chesler, staff member



• On Monday, January 10th, the Arava Institute was privileged to host the Head of the Delegation to Israel from the European Union, Ambassador Andrew Standley.  Ambassador Standley was accompanied by Rober Krengel, the Head of the Scientific Section and Alexandra Meir, Policy Officer for the Scientific Section.  The visit was initiated by Uri Nusinow our Financial Director who invited the Ambassador to visit the institute last year when Uri attended the Europe Day celebrations held in Tel Aviv at the home of the Ambassador. The visit was flawlessly coordinated by Rutie Kaplan-Roth.  Ambassador Standley was very moved by the mission of the institute, the programs and the students.  The final meeting was our traditional student panel where the Ambassador had the opportunity to hear from 4 students about their experiences at the Arava Institute. The Ambassador asked questions and then summarized his visit by praising the students and the work of the institute.  I believe that we now have a new and influential friend of the institute.  As I accompanied the Ambassador and his colleagues back to their car for their 4 hour trip back to Tel Aviv, it occurred to me that the EU Ambassador to Israel had made this trip especially to see the institute.  He did not stop by on his way to Eilat.  He got in the car, drove 4 hours to Ketura and when the visit was over, got in his car and drove back to Tel Aviv!



Ambassador Standley addresses the students

• Solar for Gaza and Sderot Workshop - from January 11 to 13, 2011, over fifteen energy and environment experts from the academic, non-profit and private sectors in Israel, Palestine, the United States and Europe convened at the Arava Institute for the initial workshop of the Solar for Gaza and Sderot (S4GS) project. The workshop, "Exploring the Role of Renewable Energy in Addressing Humanitarian Concerns," was distinctive for enabling residents of the Gaza Strip and Israeli border region, among others, to meet. The workshop agenda was designed to facilitate discussion, networking and planning among potential partners for research, education programs, technical trainings and applied projects focused on addressing the humanitarian and energy crises in the Gaza Strip and contributing to a more sustainable and peaceful cross-border region.

Discussion of next steps

• The first five panel sessions and video-conference presentations explored the current conditions in the Gaza Strip and Israeli border region; potential roles for renewable energy in achieving better living conditions in Gaza; the threats of non-renewable energy and climate change to the region; the state of the Palestinian energy sector; and the value and feasibility of cross-border, civil society cooperation. The final session of the workshop, facilitated by two students of Tufts University, resulted in a list of next steps, long-term objectives and potential joint projects, including providing a clinic in Gaza with solar power, building household-scale solar desalination applications and bringing Gazan students to the Arava Institute.While the current political situation, regional instability and siege on Gaza produce formidable challenges to enacting any educational, research or applied projects, the workshop was a significant, first step toward understanding the need and feasibility of these efforts as well as the interest in pursuing them among potential partners. The S4GS workshop also included a regional tour of local renewable energy initiatives in the southern Arava and informative evening discussions on conditions in Gaza and the Israeli border region with Institute staff and students and members of Kibbutz Ketura. The workshop was organized by the Arava Institute, the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University and the Sustainable Spatial Development Group at the University of Liechtenstein, with the integral support of the Merrin Family Fund and the Israeli Ministry of Regional Cooperation.

 David Lehrer