Director's Report March 27th to April 8th, 2011

Student Culture Night
     On Monday, March 28th, the students gathered for their first culture night of the semester. It was a nice community event as many staff, kibbutz members and their families also attended. The evening started off with an American presentation of how to make a proper peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There were then a few presentations about Jordanian and American culture through pictures. The Israelis presented an extremely funny skit about an Israeli Passover seder and after that there was a beautiful Arab wedding ceremony. There were a few music pieces preformed and a few poems read as well. To finish the night the Arab students led us in a dabke (Arabic dance) and from there we danced the night away.It was another very successful evening and it was very nice to see the community come together and celebrate everyone's culture. Report provided by Josh Neirman

Food Sustainability Workshop
     Tali Adini, Director of EcoPaths and I attended a Food Sustainability Workshop held on March 28th and 29th at the Nes Ziona guest house in the Carmel Mountains.  The guest house is located on a mountain top that overlooks areas  that were part of the carmel forest fire disaster in the fall of last year.  The fire did not reach the guest house but came very close.
     Two years ago, the Arava Institue, together with the Heschel Center held Israel's first ever sustainable food confenrece, "Food for Thought".  Ever since then, the Heschel Center and the institute have been deliberating on how to bring in additional partners and create a real coaltion of individuals and organizations who are working together to promote a more sustainable food system in Israel.  Heschel used the funding for its annual think tank workshop MAOF to fund a 2 day coalition building workshop.  About 20 people attended including  representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Local Governments Council, a variety of non-governmental organizations working on food security, nutrition, vegeterianism, sustainable food supply as well as organic farmers and interested individuals.  The program included round-table discussions, "coffee house" discussions, "speed dating" and other creative ways to put on the table issues such as the food supply chain, the role of the major supermarket chains, government impediments to small local food supply industries, food security, nutrion, processed food, organic farming, farmers markets etc.
     The two day workshop produced an agend and a variety of projects that will be followed up through ad-hoc committees and continued coalition building. One of the important results of the workshop is the development of a Sustainable Food Covenant which will help the newly formed coalition to create a common agenda and action plan. Tali and I agreed that the conference was very helpful and that the Arava Institue must find a way to continue our involvement in the initiative.


Student Water Trip
     On Monday April 4th the students departed on a three-day field trip for the Water Management course. On the first morning the group visited the sinkholes in the Dead Sea area and learned about the Dead Sea Works company that extracts minerals and resources from the increasingly destabilized Dead Sea. Dr. Clive Lipchin, an expert in water management in the Middle East, acted as tour guide and teacher, gave information about many sites along the way and provoked discussion on issues the students are learning about in class. As they drove along the Israeli side of the Dead Sea, the students also learned about what is happening to the Dead Sea and about water resources on the Jordanian side.

     After viewing several areas near the Dead Sea, the students arrived at a swimming beach for lunch, just in time for the first rainfall of the trip. The students witnessed the rare sight of large waterfalls cascading from the cliffs of Ein Gedi and as the journey continued north many more waterfalls could be seen from the road. Very fitting for a trip designed to learn about the water systems and resources in the region, the students stopped at a large waterfall next to the road and watched the roaring water fall from the towering cliffs above, flood the road and flow into the Dead Sea. Successfully bypassing the area through the rain and floods, the bus continued and made several more stops in the Dead Sea region for more lectures from Clive. The group then stopped at the Lido Junction, which sits at the northern tip of the Dead Sea. There the group discussed issues related to the history of the Dead Sea Region, in relation to transboundary ownership and management. They  discussed the ways in which the area has changed as the waters have receded and ownership has changed hands over time. They arrived at EcoME, an alumni project in the West Bank that is easily accessed by Israelis and Palestinians, learning about a successful alumni venture and were hosted overnight by Arava Institute alumni Yair Wahle, Rina Kedem, Ilana Meallem, Jennifer Golding and the rest of the EcoME team.
     Flexibility was required of both students and staff when the planned hike had to be cancelled due to flooding in the desert, and the group set off through the lightly falling rain to a natural spring north of Jericho to hear about the spring that provides water for the settlements and villages in the area. The visit included a lecture from Clive and an improptu trash cleanup at the spring. From there the students continued to Uja village for lunch and then a visit to a family home to learn about the sewage treatment systems that individual households maintain without relying on waste water infrastructure. In the afternoon the group visited a village in East Jerusalem to understand the problems of wastewater systems related to the political situation and the interests of Palestinians and Israelis working together on wastewater management. There the group also visited a current student's home and heard from a community member about the efforts to manage water in the village.
     The group had dinner in East Jerusalem at a restaurant owned by the family of alumnus Ihab Baraket and spent the night in Nes Harim in the Jerusalem mountains. They woke up early to arrive at the Palmachim Desalination plant south of Tel Aviv and were given an in-depth educational tour of the facility to learn about alternative water resources in a region that has very few (and those are rapidly depleting). After several hours at the plant the group visited the Palmachim beach, which was recently saved from development by an environmental campaign.  One of the campaign activists came to speak with the students at Ketura earlier in the semester to teach them about activism in the Environmental Leadership course. After lunch, sand-castle building, volleyball, and swimming, the students left the beach and arrived at the last stop on the field trip: the biggest waste water treatment facility in the world, the Shafdan waster water treatement plant. After an hour of education, discussion and questions the students were able to tour the entire facility by bus and see the treatment of sewage firsthand!

     Despite a rain cloud following the bus around the country, the trip was successful in educating the students on the many issues of water in the region. The discussions had during the trip are relevant to Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians and students from around the world because it's clear that no water source or treatment system can be considered without thinking of the other people who rely on the same bodies of water to provide fresh water. The trip was also an opportunity for the AIES community to travel together, visit alumni, visit  student's homes, and recognize the borders that are sometimes overlooked while learning in a classroom on campus. Report provided by Lindsey Zemler

Director's Report March 11th - 25th, 2010

It has been a relatively quiet two weeks at the institute since my last posting, at least as compared to the turmoil taking place in the rest of the world, the natural disaster in Japan, the revolutions accross the Arab world and the increased violence between Israelis and Palestinians.  In contrast, Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and international students participated in this year's annual soccer tournament on Ketura:  

Pini Lutman Soccer Tournament -  On Monday the 14th the Arava Institute men's team participated in the "Tournir Pini", an annual soccer tournament in memory of Pini Lutman, a kibbutz member who passed away over 15 years ago. The men's team was matched against Kibbutz Samar, the defending champions of the tournament. The Arava Institute team was made up of eleven student, staff and faculty members from Israel, Jordan, Palestine, America and Turkey.  It was a very tight match through out and Samar took the lead in the second half, scoring, after colliding with the Arava goalie. With Samar leading 1-0 the Arava team put a lot of pressure on Samar's defense and eventually scored on a nice crossing shot. Regulation time came to an end and the game went to penalty kicks (PKs). The initial PKs were best out of three and both teams made one. Then the match moved to sudden death penalty kicks. It kept going back and forth with both teams goalies blocking many shots. It wasn't until the 9th PK that Samar finally scored. The men's team put up an amazing effort and their match was actually the closest any team had against Samar until they won 4-1 in the finals.
      On Wednesday the 16th the Arava women's team had their first match to defend their title. They first played against the Kibbutz Ketura team. In the first half the Arava team dominated and entered half time up 2-0. In the second half a few errors by the Arava team led to Ketura scoring and making it a 2-1 contest. However, the women's team came together in the end to hold of Ketura.
     On Friday the Arava women's team played Kibbutz Yotvata in the finals. It was an extremely hot afternoon and both teams were battling against each other and the heat. Kibbutz Yotvata scored mid way through the first half and halftime came with a 1-0 lead for Yotvata. In the second half the women's team gave it their all but ended up coming up just short on multiple occasions and the whistle blew with Kibbutz Yotvata winning 1-0. It was an amazing effort by our women's team and I'm sure they will be back in the finals next year.  Congratulations to both teams!  Reported by Josh Neirman


Trip to US

I just spent a week in the US at a conference at Brown University and some time with our new Executive Director of the Friends of the Arava Institute, Dan Schachter along with our Chair, Seth Morrison and our Director of Development, Rabbi Michael Cohen.  In the aftermath of the horrible terrorist attack at Itamar, I wrote the following message from the conference in Brown to our students:

Message to Arava Family
I am currently attending a conference at Brown University called "Israelis and Palestinians: Working Together for a Better Future". The conference is sponsored by the Elga K. Stulman Fund and the Watson Institute for International Studies of Brown University. The purpose of the conference is to expose students and faculty from Brown University to the myriad of cross border Palestinian and Israeli cooperative organizations such as Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI), All for Peace Radio, Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME) and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES). The conference started in the evening with an informal dinner for the conference speakers. I met old friend such as Gershon Baskin, Hanna Seniora and Eyal Naveh. I met new friends from peace organizations such as Maysa Baransi-Siniora, Mossi Raz and Galia Golan. I also met Professor David C. Jacobson, the Director of the Judaic Studies program at Brown and our host for the conference. This was the conference that Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed was supposed to attend but could not because he never received an answer from the US Consulate for his visa application.


On the first morning of the conference, the participants woke up to the horrific news of the terrorist attack on the Itamar Settlement, and the slaughter of the Fogel family including the unthinkable murder of an infant. We were all in shock, Israelis and Palestinians alike, at this inhuman act which is difficult for any human being to comprehend. It was a very surrealistic feeling to be in the cocoon of an American university campus, about to hold academic discussions on Israeli/Palestinian cooperation, only to be confronted by the reality of terrorism in the Middle East. Every panel session opened with a condemnation of this heinous act but we did not allow the violence in the West Bank to overshadow the message that we came to deliver to the students and faculty of Brown University. The message, of course, is that there is an alternative to the violence. The resolution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians can be achieved through peaceful means. The overall consensus of the conference participants was that 70% of the Palestinian people and 70% of the Israeli people agree on a two state solution, yet our leaders do not have the ability to lead us to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

In addition to the human and personal tragedy of the cold blooded murder of the Fogel family, this is a tragedy for the Palestinian and Israeli people because it feeds the flames of hatred and pushes the Middle East towards the precipice of another cycle of violence. Unless Palestinians and Israelis commit themselves unequivocally to a condemnation of violence and all forms of military aggression, we will find ourselves locked into a never ending brutal struggle with one another that will leave many more victims like the 5 members of the Fogel family.

I am deeply saddened by the senseless murder of the Fogel family and my prayers go out to Tamar, Roi and Yishai. Most of all, I pray that the Fogel family are the last victims of this tragic struggle and I strengthen my commitment to help find an end to the violence in the Middle East and my resolve to work towards a just, secure and peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

David

Director's Report Feb 27th to March 11th

• Spring Semester students are continuing a volunteer project that was started by our students from last year working with Sudanese refugee children in Eilat. This week, one of the student organizers, Inna Filkovski presented the project to staff members. There is a Sudanese refugee community living in Eilat. The total number of Sudanese refugees in Eilat is unclear. There is a strong distrust of Israelis authorities so they don’t reveal numbers. Because Eilat residence view the Sudanese refugees as a threat to their jobs and because the Israeli government has not stepped in to provide funding for welfare services the Eilat municipality has decided to ignore the refugees and provide social services for the adults nor for the children. Some children study in school and some don not . But there is no afternoon program for the children. The policy of the municipality does not allow the social workers to attend activities with/for Sudanese.



     Despite the animosity in Eilat towards the refugees, the students of the Arava Institute have stepped into the void and are trying to provide afterschool environmental activities. The students go to the refugee neighborhood once a week. The program was started by Assaf Katz in fall 2009 and ran all year. This year's student's decided to continue the program. The weekly is on Sundays from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The children are of various ages (from 5-15). About 15 children attend on regular basis. There are approximately 25 children in the building. The activity takes place in an abandoned building in the Sudanese refugee neighborhood because the community centers in Eilat will not allow the activities to take place on their premises.
     The program includes strengthening English skills with an emphasis on environment, recycling, reducing using environmental games like bowling with recycled bottles, identifying animals, and arts and crafts using local material. The kibbutzim in the area have donated material and toys for the project. About 15 Arava students were involved last semester, even more are participating this semester. The fact that many Palestinian and Jordanian students are involved is helpful because the Sudanese speak Arabic.
• Visits: A group from the Holy Land Trust, 15 college students visitied the Arava Institute this week. Cecil Rimer spoke in morning. Dr. Tariq Abu Hamed did walk through the park. Intro to PELS with Michelle Shachar , Sharón Benheim held a student panel (which also served the Ramah group staying in Keren Kolot).
     A group of students from LeSalle University, a university with campuses around the world vsiited the institute and met with students. This group was from Philladelphia and from Brazil. They are on a program looking at sustainability through community.
     Karen Shapiro, member of the Friends of the Arava Institute, her husband Doug Frazer, Israel Ride alum, Doug's parents, Karen's mother and Nathan Frazer visited the institute. David Frazer, Doug's father facilitated the May Mann Estate donation which funded the May Mann Campus and the May Mann laboratory. The family was taken on a tour of the institute, the new Research and Visitors Park, the new Arava Power Company solar panel field and the dorms. The family also had the opportunity to hear from a student panel.
• The new group of students, although already busy with their classes in their second week at AIES, have initiated a number of extracurricular activities. Last night was the first Women's Circle of the semester, held around a campfire on the night of International Women's Day and attended by the female students and staff members. Continuing students from last semester facilitated a space for personal communication and invited each one present to speak about a woman who influences and inspires them. Many women shared what qualities they admire in the women who influence them, and later a staff member who attended told them that in order to recognize such admirable qualities in others, the female students certainly embody the qualities themselves. In addition they were invited to share the difficulties in a new place and to see the circle as a safe space of support and listening. The evening ended with rolling out dough and making pita over the fire, and the women were encouraged to continuing asking themselves the questions which had come up and to seek each other out for individual communication and reflection, as well as invited to facilitate future Women's Circles. Cathie Granit, Program Director, who attended the event said: "The women’s circle was fantastic. It made me feel excited about the students we have this semester, at least the women. We have a dynamic, energized, active bunch this semester. They seem to have good follow through." Reported by Lindsey Zemler

David Lehrer

Director's Report - Month of February 2011

I apologize to all blog fans but the month of February overwhelmed me with travel and conferences such that I was not able to keep the blog updated. I will try to fill in the month of February and then hopefully get back to a routine of updating at least every two weeks.

• Alumni Conference in Aqaba - Feb 3rd-5th - Over 100 alumni and affiliates of the Arava Institute gathered in Aqaba, Jordan for the annual Arava Alumni Peace and Environmental Network (AAPEN) Conference. In our largest alumni conference to date, an amazing groupof individuals gathered to participate in workshops, see inspiring lectures, communication and planning sessions, alumni-led activities as well as social opportunities, networking, and cultural activities. It was a weekend full of energy and activity which included a lecture by a representative of Engineers Without Borders Palestine who spoke about his experiences working in the environmental field in the Palestinian Authority, small-group “open space” discussions, a “Decision Making and Time Management” workshop with a Jordanian management consultant, an alumni-only communication session which provided the opportunity for more personal connections based on shared experiences between alumni from various years, presentations and discussions on the structure of the alumni network, elections for a new alumni committee, and a keynote speech by T.H. Culhane on his solar energy projects. A number of alumni presented their current work to all conference participants to offer an opportunity for cooperation and collaboration and provide updates from their field and experiences. Amongst those who shared were Gonen Sagy, the coordinator of the Youth and Environmental Educational Peace Initiative (YEEPI) project run by AIES and funded by USAID, Yair Teller on the bio-digester project in Susya, updates on various environmental and peace building projects happening the Jerusalem area, our Jordanian alumni who are working on a project called Green Echo in Jordan, and a team of alumni who initiated the EcoME Centre.In addition to a full schedule the alumni and other conference participants held a Kabbalat Shabbat service, an open prayer session with music, various musical jams, and a dance party as well as many chances to socialize, network, meet new and old friends, and revitalize the feeling of strength and connection between alumni. At the end of the weekend each region (Jordan, Israel and Palestine) elected four representatives to sit on the new AAPEN committee with a chair for each region coming together to form the international committee. The conference ended with a feeling of progress, inspiration, and excitement for all the upcoming events, projects and potential collaborations and partnerships. (Report provided by Lindsey Zemler)

Our alumni having a serious discussion about sustainability in the Middle East

• Trip to the US Feb - 6th -18th - Immediately after the conference, I travelled to the US in order to attend the Friends of the Arava Institue (FAI) Executive Committee meeting hosted by Board members Karen and Barry Fierst in their home in Maryland. The main purpose of the meeting was to finalize the FAI budget, work plan and to interview candidates for the position of FAI Executive Director. The meetings were very successful and the committee has chosen a new Executive Director for FAI, Daniel Schachter from Boston, Mass. In addition to the committee meeting, I also had the opportunity to meet with donors, foundation representatives, political leaders in Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Colorado. I also met with the JNF Board of the Mountain State Region who have raised over $800,000 towards their $ 1 M goal for the new dormitories. I had the opportunity as well to visit Eddie Sperling, our rider who was seriously injured on the 2010 Israel Ride, in the hospital where he was undergoing a procedure.
• Opening of the Spring Semester 2011 -  On Tuesday, February 22nd, a group of 38 students, 4 Palestinians, 9 Jordanians, 13 Israelis, and 12 North Americans, arrived to Kibbutz Ketura and the Arava Institute. Before classes begin, the students have a few days of orientation.  The first evening of orientation, the students and interns participated in some get to know you ice breakers and then the students were officially welcomed by the Arave Institute staff.  The next morning all of the students walked over to Dr. Elaine Soloway’s experimental orchards where she explained that she’s growing trees from Morocco and Jordan to see how they adapt to the climate of the Arava and understand their medicinal value and other traits.. The students then had their first Peace Building and Environmental Leadership Seminar session with Michelle Shachar and Dr. Uri Gordon.  Everyone had the opportunity to learn about one another through different activities. Later in the day, the students went on a hike followed by a Middle Eastern style gathering with the staff and faculty of the institute. On Thursday the students were taken on a regional trip. They went to Kibbutz Naot Smadar where they learned about the art center, saw wood working and got to learn about the construction of the building. The students also went to their organic winery and learned about organic agriculture and cheese production on the kibbutz. The students finished the day by taking a hike to Nachal Kasui pristine landscape above Ketura with sand dunes close to 100 feet high. The students frolicked in the sand for a half hour and then had a very nice lunch on the dunes.  Friday was course registration day. Everything went smoothly for the students. In the evening some students went to Friday night Shabbat services and everyone came to a very nice meal in the kibbutz dining hall.  On Shabbat about half of the students went on a beautiful Shabbat hike in the desert. On Sunday morning classes began. (Report provided by Josh Neiman)
• International Renewable Energy Youth Conference - Feb 20th - 22nd This year, the first International Renewable Energy Youth Conference Competition was held in the Hevel Eilot Region as part of a broad focus on renewable energy and spring board for regional development Thirty two youths participated in the conference: 2 from Jordan, 12 from abroad (France, Germany, Italy, Britain, India, Romania, Latvia, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Hungary and Serbia) and 16 from Israel. The competition was about creative solutions for energy storage. Participants also toured sustainable projects in the region. The participants stayed at the Keren Kolot Guest House and had the opportunity to visit the Arava Institute, the Research and Visitors Park and hear a lecture from Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, head of the Arava Institute Center for Renewable Energy.  The competition winners created  a "fly wheel renewable energy storage system.  The atmosphere of the conference was interesting and exciting and introduced the participants to life in the Arava.
• Eilat Eilot Renewable Energy Conference - Feb 22nd - 24th - The fourth annual Eilat Eilot Renewable Energy Conference was held in Eilat at the Herods and Dan Hotel. Over 2,000 people participated in the conference which once again brought together, entrepreneurs, scientists, policy makers and financers to discuss the promotion of renewable energy in the Middle East and the world. The conference began with the opening ceremony of the new Arava Power Company solar field, the first commercial size field to be licensed by the Israeli Electric Company. The APC field is located just south of the new Arava Institute Research and Visitors Park. Throughout the conference, both the new solar field and the Research and Visitors Park were flooded with visitors from high government officials, reporters, developers and other conference participants. On the final day, 4 bus loads of conference participants descended on the park, the field and the institute providing a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness of the institute's academic and research programs.

David Lehrer

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



Weekly Report December 12th - 31st, 2010

December has been an incredibly packed month:

• On December 12th through the 15th, the Research Department held a conference on Kibbutz Ketura for 15 Palestinian, Israeli, and Italian water professionals: "The Development and Management of Marginal Water Resources in Water Scarce Regions: The Case of Israel and the Palestinian Authority". The conference was funded by the Italian Trade Commission and the Israeli Office of Regional Cooperation. Due to the increasing scarcity of clean water in the West Bank, Israelis, Palestinians and Italians spent three days discussing a cooperative framework for regional water resources management and ways to utilize grey water (water from kitchens, showers and sinks) for agricultural purposes. The final result of the workshop is a commitment from the Arava Institute, Italian representatives, and West Bank local council to assess and implement marginal water reuse schemes in Palestinians villages. More information is available at: http://english.themarker.com/joint-italian-israeli-palestinian-project-to-solve-sewage-problem-1.331049
• On December 13th, Professor Miri Amit, the new Dean of the Eilat Campus of Ben Gurion University visited the institute. Professor Amit is a mathemation and for more than ten years  served as the National Superintendent of Mathematics at the Israel Ministry of Education, overseeing school curricula, national testing and mathematics education policy for the entire State of Israel.  Professor Amit was appointed to her new position as Dean of the Eilat Campus and is very interested in deepining the relationship between the Arava Institute and BGU.  Professor Amit had the opportunity to meet staff and students on her first visit to the institute.
• A few days after the conference at Ketura, Israeli and Jordanian researchers met in Aqaba under the umbrella of the Dead Sea Arava Science Center, headed by Dr. Hanan Ginat.  On December 16th and 17th, 30 Israeli researchers and 30 Jordanian researchers who are working together on cross border research in hydrology, biology , ecology, renewable energy, sustainble agriculture and medicinal plants met for two days in Aqaba to report on progress and to develop ideas for future research programs.  The logisitics of the confrerence was organized by a group of Arava Institute Alumni who have created a new environmental organization.  Many of the projects are joint Science Center Arava Institute research and a number of Arava Institute staff attended the conference including Dr. Clive Lipchin, Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, Dr. Elli Groner, Dr. Michael Beyth, Gigi Strom, Abby Lutman and myself.  The conference was a major success hosting an unprecidented number of Israeli and Jordanian researchers who are working together. The proof of the success of the meeting was not during the presentations of research but during the meals when instead of Jordanians sitting at one table and the Israelis at another, the biologists sat together with the biologists, the ecologists sat together the ecologists and the hydrologists sat with the hydrologists; science knows no borders. The conference and the research is funded by  the Israeli Ministry of Regional Cooperation.
• The following week, on December 23rd, the Arava Institute held its final Board of Director's meeting for 2010.  The Board recieved an update, reviewed goals for 2011 and discussed the budget for 2011.  The 2010 budget year was difficult due to a lower than expected fundraising campaign.  Board members asked for clarification of the budget and want to see a plan to stabilize the finances in 2011.  The Directors of the institute will submit such a plan by January 15th, 2011.
• After the Board meeting the Association held its Annual General Meeting.  The meeting approved the Board of Directors for 2011 and appointed Professor Yaakov Karni to replace Dr. Michael Beyth as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Arava Institute.  Professor Karni is head of the Solar Tower and solar energy research at the Weizmann Institute in Rechovot. Dr. Beyth will continue to serve on the Board.  The institute wants to thank Dr. Beyth for his tremendous contribution to the Arava Institue by serving as Chairman for three years and wishes Professor Karni luck and success in the new position. 
• On Wednesday, December 22^nd and Thursday, December 23^rd, students participate in the PELS Jerusalem trip.  The students first had a tour with Eitan Katz from the Ir Amim (City of Nations) Organization.  He took them around Gilo, Harmon HaNatziv, Jabel Mukaber and Mount Scopus, where he spoke about the geographical and political landscape.  The students then spent the rest of the day at the Jerusalem Institute of Israel Studies (JIIS) where they heard from Israel Kimcki who is the director of the Jerusalem Studies Desk and former Director of the Policy Planning Department for the Jerusalem Municipality.  He spoke about the issues Jerusalem faces and possible solutions to those issues.  Following that the students heard from Walid Salem, director of the Center for Democracy & Community Development.  He spoke about the Arab Peace Initiative.  Also speaking to the students was Dr. Alon Liel, Former Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  He spoke about the Syria-Israel Track and where it stands today.  Both gentlemen then had an open discussion with the students where they asked many tough, but thoughtful questions.  The following day the students awoke early in the morning to have a compassionate listening training preparation for the day ahead.  This was led by Maha El Taji-Daghash and Annael Harpaz.   The students then went to the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem where they went on at Jerusalem Reality Tour led by Rotem Mor.  The tour took them through the City of David where they learned about the importance of it to the Jewish people.  They then went to the Alternative Welcome Center, run by the residents of Silwan, where they heard from a resident of Silwan about the struggle the people are facing when it comes to dealing with the Jerusalem Municipality and the Jewish residents of Silwan.  Following that the students went to Sheikh Jarah where they met with three Palestinian Legislators from Gaza where they asked amazing questions ranging from peace with Israel to Gilad Schalit to Palestinian politics.  The students then had a very somber meeting with Noam Schalit (the father of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit) and heard about the latest regarding Gilad’s status. Following that the students briefly recapped the two day trip and went on their way.
• The first Friends of the Arava Institute Eco-Tour  arrived on Kibbutz Ketura on December 26th.  There are 18 participants on this pilot Eco-Tour including 4 members of the Friends of the Arava Institute, Seth Morrison (FAI Chair), Barry Fierst, Karen Fierst and Hillel Solomon.  The tour was organized by Tali Adini, Director of the Eco-Paths Department of the Arava Institute and led by Dr. Clive Lipchin and Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed.  The tour spent a day and a half on Ketura learing about the institute, meeting Arava Institute students and hearing lectures about cross boundary water issues.  The next three days were spent travelling in and around Jordan, Israel and Palestine.     

• The official opening of the new Daniel Fischel & Sylvia Neil Family Research and Visitors Park in Memory of Dr. Eugene Fischel & Dina (Diane) Markowicz was held on December 27th with the participation of the FAI Eco-Tour, Kibbutz Ketura members, AIES staff and students.  Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, Daniel, Sylvia and their families could not attend the ceremony.  A special dedication ceremony will be held sometime in the future when the family can participate.  The Research and Visitors Park is located just in front of the Institute's offices and will serve as an area for field testing renewable energy technology, sustainable water technology, sustainable agricultural techniques and for studying ecosystems.  The park will also serve as an educational demonstration site where students and visitors can learn about the research being done at the Arava Institue.  Finally the park will serve as an outdoor classroom for students from around the world.  Rutie Kaplan-Roth and Sarit Maagan-Rosenfeld did a superb job organizing the ceremony.

• Thursday night, December 30th, Sababa (The Center for a Healthy Environment in the Arava) held its final steering committee meeting for 2010.  With 16 participants, the committee was updated on the current campaigns, Timna Hotel, Samar Sand Dunes and Agricultureal Waste.  The committee received the news that the District Planning committee in Beer Sheva rejected the Israel Lands Authority's objection to the planned declaration of a nature reserve in the mid-section of the Samar Sand Dunes, paving the way for approval of the natur reserve.  Taal Goldman, Sababa Coordinator and other Sababa and Green Course activists participated in the hearing in Beer Sheva.  The committee also recieved a report from Revital Katz about the Environmental Impact statement which was commissoned by the Beer Sheva District Planning Committee on the Timna hotel.  The report clearly recommends not to build the hotel in the Sasgon Valley and recommends that it be built near the entrance to the Timna Park.  All in all, a good month for the environment!  
• Late breaking news:  The Arava Institute has been recognized as a winner of this year's MEPEACE "Education" Award.  : http://www.mepeace.org/events/mepeace-awards-event-dec-31

Happy New Year!!
David Lehrer