Weekly Report September 24th to October 16th

It has been quite a while since I have been able to update the blog as I have been travelling around the US for the past few weeks.  Michael Edmeston, the Administrative Intern gave me the following report on the first week of the new semester:

• Each semester the arrival of the first ‘batch’ of students at the kibbutz always signals something special for all of us at Arava Institute: a sense that a new horizon awaits to be explored, mixed with a profound appreciation that all the previous years of hard work are what make that horizon possible. This year, it was the arrival of five MASA students (North American Students who are recipients of the Jewish Agency scholarship program MASA) on Tuesday the 28th of September  that signalled the new beginning. A week later, on the 6th of October, the arrival of the other 24 students making up the student body for the fall semester ensured that (despite the stress and panic of the faculty) a breath of hope and excitement filled the Institute.
   
  With the semester officially starting on the 10th of October there was just enough time to provide the students, many of whom it is there first visit to Israel or a kibbutz, a chance to get to know one another and what life might be like for the next four months. Over the last few days numerous orientation activities took place- from the mundane such as registration to the more entertaining such as a tour of neighbouring kibbutz Lotan, kite flying at the nearby Samar sand dunes and an evening social gathering of students, interns and staff at the pool followed by that which makes up the fabric of any great academic institute- a night at the pub. Finally, to top things off and as timing would have it, the day before the first seminars everyone was treated to the unique cultural celebrations synonymous with a bar-mitzvah. Making the event that much more meaningful was the fact that not only was it a bar-mitzvah for twins, but also that the boys were the sons of Sharon Benheim who herself deserves celebration for taking on the powers that be in order for students from all walks of life to be part of the experience.
   
  Indeed, like any other academic institution, the students are the ones that make up the life energy of the Arava Institute. However, the fact that the students congregated here in the beautiful Arava desert in the south of Israel are a mixture of American, Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian Jews, Arabs and Christians gives a whole new meaning to the idea of student life. For these students the chance to learn, live and celebrate under the same roof for a whole semester while their respective communities remain at political odds offers them more than simply a means of getting ahead in life. It offers them (and the world) a means of learning to get along in life. So, as the fall 2010 semester get underway, we wish all the participating students well as they pursue their respective ambitions, all of which no doubt share the common thread of helping build a more peaceful and environmentally conscious society.

A few highlights from my trip:

• Peace Building and Environmental Stewardship Award Ceremony for Pastor Gerald Durley
  
  On October 6th, the Atlanta Friends of the Arava Institute, led by Board of Trustees member Glenda Minkin held an event to bestow the Arava Peace Building and Environmental Stewardship Award on Pastor Gerald Durley of the Providence Missionary Baptist Church of Atlanta Georgia. Pastor Durley is a well known figure in the Afro-American community in Atlanta. Durley has been a long time civil rights and human rights activist and has recently become very involved in the environmental movement http://pmbcatlanta.org/bios.html. In addition to civil rights and the environment, Pastor Durley has been very active in interfaith community activities in Atlanta. For the past 10 years, the Atlanta religious community has sponsored an interfaith trip called the World Pilgrimage Mission to the Near East and Mediterranean visiting, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey and other countries in the regions concentrating on religious sites that having great meaning to Christians, Moslems and Jews. Many of the leaders of the three religious communities in Atlanta have participated in these pilgrimages. In 2007, the World Pilgrimage Mission visited the Arava Institute and made a lasting impression on the participants in the trip including Pastor Gerald Durley.
  
  A few months ago, David Weisberg approached Pastor Durley about accepting our award and though reluctant at first (he said he had enough awards) he finally agreed after he and David found a common love for Broadway musicals and because Pastor Durley understood how much a large community event could help support the Arava Institute. Over 100 people from the various religious and ethnic communities came to the event which was held in a downtown Atlanta hotel only a few blocks from the home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose presence was felt throughout the evening.
  
  The event was emceed by a local Atlanta television news anchor, Brenda Wood. The evening started with our own alumni Mousa Diabat and Eitan Amiel speaking about their experiences in peace building at the Arava Institute. Then David Weisberg played the guitar and led the Providence Missionary Baptist Church Choir in a rendition of "The World is Coming to a Start" from the Broadway musical "Purlie" (yes it will be very hard to replace David Weisberg). Other speakers included long time civil rights activist, Reverend C.T. Vivian and the Fulton Council Commissioner, John Eaves. The award itself was given to Pastor Durley by three of his friends who are also members of the clergy, the Reverend Dr. George Wirth, Rabbi Ron Segal and Immam Plemon El-Amin. The evening took on a comical air as the four old friends traded barbs and turned the evening from an awards event into a "roast". As Pastor Durley was speaking last, he warned Plemon, "don't bring a knife to a gun fight". I was laughing so hard that tears came to my eyes and in his concluding remarks Pastor Durley reminded us all of how important it is to keep a sense of humor about us as we fight to make the world a better place. The three clergy also announced that in addition to granting the award, they have established the Durley Legacy Fellowship which will annually enable two Arava Institute alumni to come to Atlanta and spend time with Pastor Durley and other community leaders to learn about community organizing and activism in the birthplace of the civil rights movement.
  
  
  This event was an overwhelming success and by far one of the most professional and high profile events ever held by FAI. It raised the bar for FAI and has helped to strengthen the institute's connection with the diverse Atlanta interfaith community. Enormous congratulations and thanks go to Glenda Minkin, David Weisberg, Audrey Galex (who first made the connection to the World Pilgrimage Mission) and the other organizers of the event.

• Meeting with Pete Seeger
  
  
  
  On October 8th, my daughter Ariana and her boyfriend, Ori and I drove up from Manhattan to Beacon, New York to meet famous folk singer and activist, Pete Seeger. It was an incredible honor for us to have been invited to this American icon's home along the Hudson River. Pete Seeger has been one of my heroes since childhood and after spending over two and a half hours at Mr. Seeger's home with him and his daughter Tinya, I am even more in awe of him and his conviction to make this a better world. At 91, Mr. Seeger may not be as physically active as he once was but his mind is as sharp as ever, especially when it comes to what the human race needs to do to survive. Pete Seeger says that if the human race exists 100 years from now, it will be because people who deeply disagree with each other have learned how to communicate often through music, the arts and even sports. I told Mr. Seeger and his daughter about the work of the Arava Institute bringing Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians and students from around the world together at the Arava Institute to teach them that nature knows no borders. I also discussed the concerns raised about the Jewish National Fund's sponsorship of "With the Earth and With Each Other", the internet event in which Mr. Seeger has agreed to participate. I explained to Pete and his daughter Tinya that the Jewish National Fund (JNF) has been an important partner to the Arava Institute over the years enabling the institute to do the cross border environmental work and to bring Palestinian and Jordanian students to the institute. The JNF is only one of many sponsors of the event which is focused on raising awareness about peace building efforts in the Middle East such as the work of the Arava Institute.
  
  Though I originally thought we would spend about an hour with Mr. Seeger, Pete was incredibly generous with his time and seemed to enjoy, telling my daughter, Ariana, her boyfriend Ori and I about his long history as a folk singer, peace activist, civil rights activist and in recent years environmentalist. Pete's Clearwater Foundation has led the battle to clean up the Hudson River. We were enthralled to hear Mr. Seeger tell us about his early days starting out singing, his friendship with Woodie Guthrie, how he met his wife, his early days as a member of the Communist Party, the need to "switch sides" when Stalin signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler, the revival of folk music in the late 50's and early 60's and his current activities in support of the environmental movement. I hope that at the age of 91, I still have the same fire in my eyes, moral conviction and courage that I witnessed on my visit to Beacon, NY. The Arava Institue and the Friends of the Arava Institute are privileged to be able to name such a legendary artist and social activist as one of our friends.
  
  David

Weekly Report September 12th to the 24th, 2010

• On September 13th, the new Academic Team including Cathie Granit the new Program Director, Barbara Finkel the new Campus Life Director, Dane Cooper, the new Academic Coordinator, Brenda Hausler, the new Admissions Coordinator as well as the Dr. Elli Groner, the Academic Director and Michelle Shachar, Director of PELS, kicked off the opening of the Academic year with a faculty meeting. The meeting reviewed the achievements of last year as well as the expectations for the coming year, the new developments in the relationship with BGU, admissions (about 35 students expected in the fall semester) and the start of construction of new dorms.
• The next day, 35 members of staff and a few family members, went on a two day staff seminar. The following report was provided by Michael Edmeston, the new Administrative Intern who replaced Tamar Norkin:
• Staff Trip September 14th - 15th, 2010
• Early Tuesday morning the Arava staff gathered at the kibbutz bus station and began a two day tour of interesting ecological projects taking places across the country. The theme of the tour was ‘sustainable food production’. Included in the itinerary were four selected projects: Bio Bees Biological systems located at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in; Emek Netofa a model for cooperative farming in the Bet Netofa Valley; EcoOcean Marine Research and Education operating in the Red Sea and; Hava and Adam an ecological farm near the city of Modi’in in central Israel.
• Bio-Bees Biological Systems: On arrival at Bio-Bees the group was introduced to the concept rearing beneficial insects and mites as a means for pest control in the agricultural industry. Here we were presented with what can be best described as a nature documentary that utilized the best in 1980’s horror film sound-effects to enlighten the public as to how this concepts works. As a progressive and ecologically thinking company, their objective is to provide the agricultural industry with an chemical-free alternative to protect crops against the invasion of destructive pests. After a brief tour of the kibbutz’s other environmental projects (such as the installation of owl houses in agricultural fields) we made our way to a seemingly enchanted picnic area located on the kibbutz where we enjoyed delicious home prepared bread, pastries and cakes combined with other typical Mediterranean cuisine such as hummus, pickled and fresh vegetables and dolmades.

Hugging Trees at Kibbutz Sde Eliayhu

• Al Batuf Valley (Emek Bet Netufa):  After reluctantly packing up our lunch, we left Bio-Bees and headed further north towards Galilee and specifically the Bet Netofa Valley. On reaching the ascent overlooking the Valley area we were greeted by Laithi Gnaime, an Arava Institute alumnus, who explained to us his work and vision in developing the valley into model for sustainable and organic farming. The overarching aim of his project is to increase the Valley’s sustainability, independence, and economic viability. The main vehicles for this are the encouragement of traditional and organic agricultural methods, the establishment of an agricultural cooperative to educate, organize, and market the products of this agriculture, and the cultivation of the Valley as a destination for eco-tourist travel.
• Abu Gil Organic Vegan Restaurant: Having been in the bus for much of the day it was a relief to finally reach our hotel in Tel Aviv where we would be spending the night. We briefly checked-in and then headed to our dinner spot- Abu Gil organic and vegan restaurant. On offer was tasty, healthy plates of various assortments ranging from bean soup to quinoa salad to lentil balls.
• EcoOcean Marine Research and Education:  Waking early, we once again got on the bus departing for EcoOcean’s research vessel docked at the harbor just north of Tel Aviv. Here we were welcomed by Andreas Weil, the founder of EcoOcean and also a proud alumnus of the Institute. Once on board we were briefed of all the necessary safety requirements before ‘setting sail’. Leaving the harbor, we were educated on the regions marine ecology and provided a short demonstration on how to take measurements of water salinity and sea life. This was followed by a particularly interesting lecture on the marine environment of Israel and the many problems facing those such as Andreas, his team at EcoOcean and other environmental groups when it comes to conserving and protecting the marine and coastal environment.



EcoOcean's Mediterranean Sea  research vessel docked in Herzilya Port

• Hava and Adam:Arriving hungry, our last stop was the ecological farm of Hava and Adam near the city of Modi’in. Again, as a group we were fortunate and proud to be introduced to the project by another two former students from the Institute- Haim Feldman and Dafna Dagani. Touring the eight-acre farm, we were shown the component necessary in order to truly live sustainably: composting toilets, chicken hatches, vegetables gardens and fruit trees, a grey water system and a herbal workshop to name a few. Having worked up an appetite once more, it was off to get our hands dirty as we prepared to harvest what we were going to eat for lunch. This meant collecting freshly laid eggs for omlettes and eggplant, onions and herbs for a salad and as filling for mud oven baked pastries.

Preparing the meal from freshly picked vegitable garden
• There are not many work days in the month of September due to the holidays.  Other than preparing for the arrival of the new students, things were fairly quite this month. One other exciting event took place on Tuesday, the 20th of September when the Steering Committee for the Alumni Biogas Project met in Susia, a Palestinian/Bedouin village just inside of the Green Line in the West Bank. A group of Palestinians, who live like Bedouins were living near Arad before 1948 and were forced to move to the West Bank during the war. Since the Israeli take over of the West Bank in 1967, their lives have not been easy and have included additional forced relocations as well as the destruction of their tent domiciles in 2002. The Israeli Supreme Court has backed their right to stay where they are, just outside of the Jewish settlement of Susia and to continue to live in tents (they are not allowed to build permanent structures).  A lack of water, sewage, electricity, waste disposal, health care etc. makes life in the village of about  50 families (500 residents) fairly precarious.  Yair Teller, is managing an Arava Institute Alumni project to introduce a low tech biogas technology solution to use animal waste to produce methane gas for cooking and heating.  The project already has one working biodigester and is planning to build 4 more. A number of Arava alumni are working on the project which has included short stays in the village, environmental education programs and technical aid with the biodigester technology. The plan is to expand the areas of aid to include, other technological solutions such as rain water harvesting, gray water reuse, solar panels, agricultural help etc.  The additional help to the village will probably be provided through the new Arava Center for Sustainable Development.  The Steering Committee met with representatives of the village council to create a dialogue on how best the institute and its partners, Ben-Gurion University as well as other non-profits working in the village can best support sustainable development in the village.

 

David Lehrer and Ilana Meallem (Um Biogas) with the first flames on a biogas burner

David Lehrer

Weekly Report August 29th - September 10th, 2010

The pace of the last two weeks due to the end of the summer and the holidays (Id Al Fiter and Rosh Hashonah) has been slow.  Not a lot to report.

• On Wednesday, August 31st, Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, head of the Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Hannah Flamm, a research intern from Tufts University and went to Sderot to meet with members of "Other Voice", an organizaiton that promotes dialogue and cooperation between residents of Gaza and Sderot.  We met with Eric Yellin, Julie Chaitin and Nomika Zion the heads of Other Voice and members of an urban kibbutz in Sderot.  Tareq, Hannah and I met with the leaders of Other Voice in order to propose cooperation on a project that the institute is working on together with Tufts University to bring Palestinians from Gaza and Israelis from Sderot and the surrounding area to study together renewable energy. The project is called Solar for Gaza and Sderot (S4GS).  The long term vision is to create cooperative projects between Gaza and Sderot using reenwable energy as the basis for cooperation.  Eric, Julie and Nomika were enthusiastic about the project which will likely start in November or December with a workshop at the institute.
• On September 1st, I attended the Board of Directors meeting in Tel Aviv of Arava EC&T.  The for profit company founded by Elad Topel, an alum of the institute and two other entrepreneur friends of Elad's Avigal Shorek and Avi Rosenblatt is half-owned by the Arava Institute.  The company is now poviding consulting services to a variety of companies and instititutions in Israel including the Aroma Coffee chain, the Shikmim farm owned by the Sharon family, the Hevel Eilot Regional Council and an off shore natural gas project.  The Board heard reports on the projects and the projections for the rest of the year, which look very promissing.
• On September 6th, I was back in Tel Aviuv for a meeting of a group of orgaizations interested in promoting the idea of a Green New Deal for the Israeli economy. This is an idea that is gaining acceptance around the world. The basic idea is that due to the world economic collapse, there is an urgent need to reinvest into national economies in order to jump start economic growth. The question is, what type of investment is planned. Are governments around the world going to invest into the same old polluting fossil fuel driven industries of the last century or is the world going to take this opportunity to move forward with renewable energy and energy efficient industries.  Are we going to design policies that promote sustainabilty and utilize the need for massive investments to implement these policies.  The Arava Institute has joined with other NGO's to try to create a New Green Deal for Israel.
• On Tuesday morning over 30 members of the staff squeezed into the meeting room to raise a toast to the new year.  Miriam and I went through all of the amazing events that took place this past year and we then raised our glasses in the hope that this year will bring even more success but most of all peace and stability to our region and the world.

Shana Tova and Eid Mubarak

David

Weekly Report August 15th -27th, 2010

• On Sunday, August 15th, the Steering Committee for the Arava Center for Sustainable Development (ACSD) met with Professor Bernard Amadei, founder of Engineers Without Borders EWB USA and EWB International http://www.ewb-international.org/ and Dr Vered Doctori founder of EWB Israel.  Professor Amadei presented the history and activity EWB in the USA and around the world.  Dr Doctori presented the work of EWB Israel is in the process of becoming its own registered association in Israel and has established a number of chapters on campuses around the country. Dr. Doctori proposed establishing a chapter of EWB at the Arava Institute.  We discussed different ways for EWB and the Arava Institute (AIES) to cooperate through ACSD.  We also discussed involving our alumni in the chapter. Amit Eliyahu, the new coordinator of ACSD initiated the visit and he will continue to develop the cooperation between EWB and ACSD. 
• Kibbutz Ketura and Keren Kolot hosted the Red Sea College - Arava Valley of Peace Summer program http://redsea-college.org/ of about 30 Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and international high school students (16 to 17 year old). The summer program is part of the United World College organization http://www.uwc.org/ which has established international high schools around the world  whose goal is "to deliver a challenging and transformative educational experience to a diverse cross section of students, inspiring them to create a more peaceful and sustainable future". The longterm vision of the Red Sea College is to build an environmental high school program in the Arava that brings Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians and students from all over the world to learn how to work together to protect their shared environment.  Sound familiar?  Though the program was hosted by Keren Kolot, the Arava Institute was involved in the program and the long term goal is to create a permanent framework for cooperation between the newly planned international high school and the institute.  The summer program is a pilot program and was considered very successful.  The expectation is that the summer program will continue every summer until the establishment of the high school is feasible.
• Though there are no students during the summer, the Academic Programs Department was not quiet.  In addition to the usual activity of preparing for the coming semester and the recruiting students there has been a great deal of activity in human resources:
• Moishe Siel, the Program Director for the last three years announced that he was leaving Kibbutz Samar, his home and moving away from the area.  He therefore, sadly announced his resignation as Program Director.  The Human Resources Committee has recommended that Cathie Granit, currently the Academic Coordinator replace Moishe as Program Director.  In addition, Brenda Hausler has been hired as Admissions Coordinator and Barbara Finkel as the new Campus Life Director.  Dr. Elli Groner, remains the Academic Director and will be overseeing a practically all new excellent all female Academic Programs Department Staff.  Good luck Elli!
• Shira Kronich sent me the following update on her trip to Brazil with Dr. Shmuel Brenner:
• Dr. Shmuel Brenner and Shira Kronich were invited to participate as a speakers in the Second International Conference on Climate, Sustainability and Development in Semi-arid Regions (ICID 2010), in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. ICID18 conference aimed to create a space for the intensive and productive exchange of new ideas and experiences. As a platform for the production of knowledge, to enable discussions throughout the week to result in new ways of living on earth that promote cultural diversity and leverage the social and natural sciences toward integrative, innovate and sustainable new development pathways. On day 2 AIES presented 'The whole life cycle approach to capacity building in Semi arid lands; a case study of Sauri, Kenya'.
  
  
  
  
  
  This presentation aimed to discuss and share AIES ideas and the experience of the Arava Centre for Sustainable Development (ACSD) in transferring its expertise – in agricultural techniques, integrated water management, renewable energy systems, sustainable development, ecosystem protection and climate change effects in semi-arid lands – to developing countries facing conditions of poverty, food insecurity, desertification and water problems. The presentation described ACSD’s interdisciplinary, trans-boundary, whole life cycle approach to addressing environmental and social problems and then explores specifically the ACSD capacity building workshops in Sauri. The workshops focused on increasing agricultural yield and accessing the market as well as optimizing water use for domestic and agricultural purposes. The ultimate objective of the presentation was to discuss the potential and limitations of the whole life cycle approach to development in semi-arid lands and share ACSD's lessons learnt and future goals.  
• On Monday, August 23rd, Hamutal Lerner from Midot, the Israeli non-profit organization that rates non-profit organizations in Israel, spent time at the institute reviewing our performance, interviewing staff members and getting updated on changes that have taken place at the institute since the last time Midot performed a rating review two years ago. At that time, the institute received a very high rating of -A.  We certainly expect our rating to remain the same or to improve in this next review.
• Tuesday, August 24th, Dr. Shmuel Brenner, straight back from Brazil, Dr. Clive Lipchin and I met in Jerusalem at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Ambassador Haim Divon, Direcor of MASHAV Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, with Ilan Flus, Bat Eden Kite and other MASHAV staff as well as private consultant Dr. Tamar Ron, expert on international development and conservation programs.  The purpose of the meeting was to review Dr. Ron's proposal to set up the Israel Center for Sustainable Development through Environmental Cooperation (ICSD).  The purpose of the new center which would be part of MASHAV is:  To strengthen Israel’s role in achieving global environmental and sustainable development goals. To support sustainability in achieving the environmental conventions’ goals in developing countries, through establishment of bi-lateral partnerships, with focus on developing and delivering tailor-made comprehensive capacity building programs in cooperation and consultation with governments, organizations, communities and other stakeholders in specific countries.  The Arava Institute has been proposed as the primary partner for this new Israeli Foreign Ministry initiative as the operational center of the program.  This is a very exciting development and the ACSD team will discuss the proposal and how best to design the framework for cooperation with the Ministry.
• The Sababa Steering Committee met on Wednesday night at the Eilat/Eilot Renewable Energy Initiative Offices. The agenda included a review of the Hevel Eilot Regional Master Plan for development in the Arava and a presentation of the Open Spaces Rating System being used to determine the value of areas arond the Arava for development and conservation.  The Hevel Eilot region covers 13% of the land of the State of Israel including much of the countries last remaining wilderness, therefore, it is the responsibility of the region to be very thoughtfull regarding development and conservation decisions which are critical to the future natural resources of the country.  The Sababa Steering Committee takes this responsibility very seriously and will issue a statement regarding the proposed master plan and how the Open Spaces Rating system should be used.
• On Thursday, Shlomit Yarkoni, from Ben Or Consulting, spent the day at the institute meeting with staff in preparation for the Israeli Financial Resource Development Work Plan, Ben Or will present in September to the institute.  

David Lehrer

Weekly Report August 1st -13th, 2010

• On the Sunday evening, August 1rst, Shira Kronich, fresh back from her trip to Kenya, gave a presentation to the members of Kibbutz Ketura about her experience there and about the exciting activiteis of the new Arava Center for Sustainable Development (ACSD). The institute is now in negotiation with the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs's Development Aid Department (MASHAV) on an expanded program for 2011.  Members of the kibbutz were thrilled to hear about these global developments taking place in their own back yard.

• The next evening, I presented the Arava Institute's strategic growth plan for the next 15 years  to the Kibbutz Ketura Secretariat.  The members of the Secretariat were impressed by the level of detail and strategic thought put into the plan.  The Secretariat decided that the plan should also be discussed in the General Assembly of the kibbutz.
• The following week on August 9th, Gigi Strom, Scientific Editor for the Arava Institute and I met with Nir Peres from the Israeli Ministry of Regional Cooperation.  The ministry is interested in working together with the Arava Instittue on programs that promote regional cooperation in the area.  The ministry turned to us because of our reputation and experience with Jordan and Palestine. They have proposed funding a number of programs including conferences, alumni activitiy and cross border work in high schools.  Many of these projects are in cooperation with the Dead Sea Arava Science Center as Well.  The mandate of the ministry is very similar to the mandate of the Arava Institute, therefore joint projects seems like a very logical step.
• The next day, the institute staff decided to take the afternoon off and go to the beach. The beach day was organized by Ronit Friedman, our institute secretary.  Late Tuesday afternoon, about 20 staff members piled into cars and headed down to the Dolphin Reef Beach in Eilat.  The cool water and afternoon breeze was just what the staff needed - that plus the beer, humous and chips.  Dolphin Reef is the home of a group of dolphins who are cared for by the professional staff of the beach but are free to roam the gulf.   The staff was thrilled to have the opportunity to get a close up look a the beautiful creatures. 

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  During the week, we recieved some exciting news from our partners at Dickinson College in Carlisle Pa. that we they had received the US State Department grant that we had submitted together.  Miriam Sharton had worked with staff from Dickinson on the development of a proposal to the US State Department to fund a student and professional exchange program.  The total grant is for $500,000 over two years. The proposal will enable the Institue to host a summer program and the following year to send a delegation of alumni to the US.  It also strengthens our relationship with Dickinson College and opens the doors for long-term cooperation.
• Thursday morning, Tali Adini, Eco-Paths Director, Sarit Maagan-Rosenfeld, Eco-Paths Logistics Coordinator and I drove to Mitzpeh Ramon in order to scout out the new hotel we will be using this year and look at other logistical issues.  Due to overbooking at the Ramon Inn, the Israel Ride will be using two hotels in Mitzpeh Ramon, the Ramon Inn and the new Ramon Hotel which is also an apartment block converted into a hotel.  It is brand new and though still lacking a pool, should be a great place to spend Shabbat for those Riders who will be housed there. The new hotel is about 5 minutes from the old hotel and very close to the machtesh.  Tali, Sarit and I met with the hotel managers of both hotels and we also went to visit "IBike" where the crew will be spending Shabbat. IBike is a great little hostel for bikers - very cool and cozy - with its own hot-tub.  The Israel Ride crew will be happy campers.  Finally, we had lunch at restaurant called "HaKatzeh" (The Edge) right on the outskirts of Mitzpeh Ramon.  I had the chicken, Tali and Sarit had the sweet potatoe quiche.  Very good but avoid the brocoli souffle (not well cooked).  In any case, we found Mitzpeh Ramon to be full of interesting tourist attractions and are looking forward to spending October 22nd-24th there during the Israel Ride.  Mitzpeh Ramon - who knew! 
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  On Thursday night, an evening in memory of Michelle Samson, a member of Kibbutz Ketura, who died of cancer last year, was held behind the pub. Michelle Samson was a avid star gazer and  August 12th was chosen as the evening to celebrate her life because it is the peak of the summer Perseid meteor shower.  The evening was organized by Abby Lutman a long time friend of Michelle's and staff member of the Arava Institute.  Michelle a nature lover, participated in many classes and activities of the institute before her passing.  The evening included a lecture by Ayli Eschar on astronomy and the meteor shower, the screening of the sci-fi movie classic, Galaxy Quest and the unveiling of the brand new telescope donated to the Arava Institute in Michelle's memory.  Yonatan Chesler, who is in charge of IT at the institute instructed kibbutz members and childern on how to see Saturn through the telescope.   The telescope will be kept inside the institute but will have a permanent stand in the new Research and Visitors Park.

David Lehrer  

Weekly Report July 18th-30th, 2010

• Once every six months, Miriam Sharton, the Associate Director and I have a private feedback session with almost every member of the staff. Sometimes, Miriam and I sit together with a staff member and sometimes we meet seperately with an individual member. It is an opportunity for the staff member to raise issues, give feedback to the administration and in general express how they are feeling at the institute. It is also an opportunity for Mriiam and I to give feedback, both positive and negative to staff members basically to ensure that lines of communication remain open. This feedback system has been a tradition at the Arava Institute for almost 10 years and has been extremely helpful in flaging problems and maintaining a positive work atmosphere. This past week, Miriam and I met with about 25 staff members in order to give and receive feedback. Sometimes these sessions simple and sometimes they can be difficult but no matter what, they are always important.

• Clive Lipchin and Shira Kronich came back from Kenya where the Arava Institute ran a course on Rain Water Harvesting for two groups of farmers. The course was funded by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is part of a new initiative at the Arava Institute, headed by Dr. Shmuel Brenner, the Arava Center for Sustainable Development in Arid Lands (ACSDAL) which provides training and extensions services to peoples from the developing world.

• During the week of July 18th to the 22nd, Arava Institute alumni, Yair Teller, Abeer Abu Sara and Leora Smith began a new alumni project in Susiya, a Palestinian Village in the West Bank building biodigesters to deal with the problem of animal waste while providing clean burning methane gas for cooking and heating. Leora and Abeer ran a parrallel environmental education program for children in order to expose them to environmental concepts.
• On Sunday, July 25th, Dr. Michael Beyth, the Chairman of the Arava Institute Board of Directors met with our two Israel resource development consultants, Neal Levy and Shlomit Yarkoni from Ben Or Consulting regarding our Israeli Resource Development Work Plan. We discussed different avenues for development in Israel and how to position the institute in terms of Israeli donors. We expect to receive the work plan by the end of September. 
• That afternoon, I stopped in on ECOWEEK, an international meeting of "green architects" who are spending the week looking at sustainable building design in Israel and Palestine. The Arava Institute is one of the sponsors of the conference. Judy Bar Lev, the institute's office manager and expert on Palestinian permits and Jordanian visas obtained permits for a number of Palestinian architects to attend the conference. One of whom is interested in coming to the institute in the fall. Donny Ornstein, an Arava Institute faculty member represented the institute at the opening session. http://www.ecoweek.netfirms.com/ecoweek.gr/ecoweek2010_BJ/index.html
• Tuesday, Friends of the Arava Institute (FAI) past Board Chair and current Board member, Eric Berzon and his wife Danielle Ruymaker arrived at the institute for a few days of meetings and relaxing. Eric and Danielle got a tour of the institute, met a number of different staff members, participated in a staff meeting and of course got a tour of Dr. Elaine Sollowey's experimental orchard.
• Another visitor on Tuesday was Sam Yosefowitz, from Switzerland, who together with Rennselar University would like to fund a project he calls, an Agricultural Oasis, an independent desert farm that provides itself with its own purified water and energy. If the institute receives the grant, the project will go under the auspices of ACSDAL and will be a partnership between the Arava Institue and the Southern Arava Agricultural R & D Center.

OK -that's about all I got - a relatively quite two weeks at the Arava Institute.

David Lehrer

Weekly Report July 4th- July 16th, 2010

• On Monday, July 5th, I spent the day in Jerusalem meeting with various people regarding a multitude of issues concerning the Institute.  In the morning I met with Yaakov Mimron and Yossi Vertzberger from the Ministry of Infrastrucure.  Yaakov is head of mining resources in Israel and Yossi, who works under him oversees sand mining. I met with them to discuss an alternative to sand mining of the Samar Sand Dunes, an important ecological resource in the Arava and one which is being threatened by a potential sand mining for building operation.  An agreement was achieved to pursue testing an alternative to destroying the dunes. Sababa, the Center for Sustainable Development in the Arava is very involved in this campaign.
• In addition to this meeting, I also met with Avner Fuchs, past president of Rotary Israel about how the institute could partner with Rotary Israel and Rotary International on Fundraising.  I also met with Avner Simon, the institute's architect to discuss the design of the new dorms.  Finally, no trip to Jerusalem would be complete without a quick shopping spree in Machaneh Yehuda.
• On Tuesday, thanks to our Arava Institute board member, Phillip Mendlinker, the Institute hosted directors from the Israeli Electric Company (IEC).  The institue arranged a tour of the region which included a visit to the proposed renewable energy industrial area, the Aora Solar Tower at Kibbutz Samar and a visit to the Arava Institute. Directors of the IEC who visited were, Moshe Bachar, David Almachias, Assad Joubran and Asher Dahan.  The visit was coordinated with the Eilat Eilot Renenwable Energy Initiative and the Arava Power Company.  Much of the discussion with the IEC was how the electricity that will be generated in the Arava will be sent back up north.
• On Sunday, July 11th, the staff reviewed the price proposals submitted by contractors for building the Research and Visitors Park.  The lowest bid came from Kibbutz Neot Smadar, one of Ketura's neighbors in the mountains behind Ketura.  The building should start by the last week in July.
• That same afternoon, the institute held the annual summer ice cream party for staff and staff families.  Judy Bar Lev and Ronit Friedman organized the event with ice cream from Kibbutz Yotvata. A very sweet afternoon!
• For some reason, everyone decided to come visit the institute on July 13th!  In the morning the Arava Institue and the Dead Sea Arava Science Center hosted ICA (Jewish Colonization Association) which is the Baron de Hirsch family foundation that has funded agriculture and development in Israel for over 100 years.  ICA has funded purchasing lab equipment for the renewable energy lab and we have a request for more equipment next year.
• Next, we hosted Richard Summers, Toronto Federation represenative,  who brought with him consultants who work with the Toronto Jewish Federation in resource development.
• Finally, Yael Shatiel, Executive Director of JNF Israel (KKL) along with 15 other KKL managers visited the insititute in order here about developments at the institute and updates on the new dorms.
• In the evening I attended the presenation of the regional master plan 2030, which lays out how the Arava Region (Hevel Eilot) will grow and develop in the next 20 years. As a local environmetnal organization, the Arava Institute and its public involvement arm, Sababa have been very involved in issues around regional planing.  In addtion to myself, Taal Goldman, Sababa Coordinator and 4 other members of the Sababa steering committee attended the meeting and were active in the discussion.  Sababa has established itself as an important environmental voice in the region.
• On Wednesday, July 14th, Shlomit Yardeni and Neal Levy, two partners at Ben Or Consulting spent the day at the institute initiating the in depth analysis of the institute as preparation for an Israeli resources development work plan that they have been contracted to provide the institute. Shlomit and Neal spent the day meeting staff and talking with each department to get a better understanding of the institute's strengths and weaknesses.  In addition to Neal and Shlomit, Shir Harel, the institute's webmaster also came down to participate in the meetings because we assume the website and new media will be an important part of our resource development strategy.
• On Thursday, Miriam Sharton and Tamar Norkin arranged a short seminar on renewable energy in the Hevel Eilot region for 15 MBA students from Maryland University.   The tour was led by Asher Epstein, Managing Director, Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship,Robert H. Smith School of Business.  The students were intrigued by the amount of entrepreneurship in the field of renewable energy in the region.  The visit also helps strengthen the relationship between Maryland University and the Arava Institute which has had a student exchange program for many years.
• The same day I was in Tel Aviv, meeting with our colleagues from the Heschel Center and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the joint Sustainable Food Initiative of Heschel and the Arava Institue.  The ministry is very interested in joining the initiative and we discussed other parters from the agricultural, business and civil society sectors who we would like to invite to be part of a wider coalition that supports a social and economic shift towards a more sustainable food system in Israel.

David Lehrer