Center Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 49

Volume 3, Issue 49
September 18, 2007

Total Number of Visitors Since October 2004: 325,635


Israel Government Fellows Program Launched

This week, nineteen young interns arrived from countries around the world to participate in the newest Menachem Begin Heritage Center initiative, in cooperation with MASA (a joint project of the Jewish Agency and the Government of Israel). The Israel Government Fellows program creates an opportunity for young people to work in Israel's Ministries and other governmental offices to gain a unique perspec tive on Israel and to have an unparalleled internship experience. In this September 2007 session, these interns will work in the Prime Minister's office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Justice Ministry, the Labor, Trade and Commerce Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, to name a few.

The interns are a diverse group of people, 14 women and 5 men, who hail from the US (Massachusetts, Florida, California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky), from the UK (London), from Australia (Sorrento), from Hungary (Cegled), from Switzerland (Lausanne) and from Argentina (Buenos Aires). Many of them are multi-lingual and most have been to Israel before. All of them have at least a bachelor's degree and are proven leaders in their communities. Most are between the ages of 22-24.

The interns were formally welcomed on Tuesday, September 18, by Harry Hurwitz, Founder and Head of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, and Herzl Makov, the Head of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. The program starts with three weeks of orientation to help the interns acclimatize to life in Israel, to learn about the history of Isr ael and Jewish history and to cover a myriad of other cultural, historical, economic topics. The interns will start their internships on October 10 and will work four days a week for five months. The other day of the week is reserved for additional workshops, tours and trips. They will not only gain work experience, but also have a chance to explore all over Israel, meet their Israeli peers, and meet with leaders in Israel.

Tamar Darmon, Director of the Israel Government Fellows Program, and her assistant Alon Shani are very excited about the beginning of the program and are looking forward to working with these young, dynamic interns. For more information about the program, click here.

30th Anniversary Celebrations in Planning Stages

The 30th anniversary of the historic visit of President Anwar Sadat of Egypt to Jerusalem at the invitation of Prime Minister Menachem Begin on 19 November 1977 will be the opening of a three year program of activities culminating on 26 March 2009—30 years after the signing of the Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel. The series of events proved to be a turning point in the Middle East and a breakthrough in the relationship between Israel and Egypt.

Work is now in progress on various exhibitions recalling the historic period and on the publication of a book highlighting the exchange of letters and statements between Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin. In processing the documents, researchers found that, remarkably, Menachem Begin had written to Anwar Sadat on October 5, 1981, the day before Anwar Sadat was assassinated at the height of a military parade on October 6, 1981.

Parashat HaShavua Renews for 5768

The new cycle of Bible studies in the Rohr Family Parashat HaShavua program will officially start on October 11, 2007. Parasha Bereshit will be combined with a special program taking place on Hoshana Raba (reference below). After an interval of several months, the popular dynamic lecturer, Dr. Micha Goodman, will return to the podium to introduce the new series and new concept. Students from Ein Prat, a Mechina (a pre-army study course) in Kfar Adumim, will give a 15 minute talk about the Parasha of the week and Dr. Micha Goodman will follow that with a 40 minute lecture about prophecy.

Special Program for Hoshana Raba

On the evening of October 2, 2007 the Begin Center will hold an all-night study session to celebrate Hoshana Raba. The evening begins at 10:00pm with a special opening lecture by Dr. Micha Goodman covering Parasha Bereshit. Lectures continue through the night until 4:00am. Speakers for the evening include Danny Segal and Rabbi Rafi Feurstein among others.

Yemenite Evening

During Chol HaMoed Sukkot, on Monday October 1, an evening celebrating Yemenite culture will be held at the Begin Center. The evening will be hosted by former MK Geula Cohen who is currently the head of the Uri Tzvi Greenberg Heritage House. The evening begins at 5:00pm with a round table discussion until 6:45pm. At the intermission, Yemenite foods will be available for tasting (inside a Sukkah). The evening continues with traditional Yemenite dancing. Entrance to this event is 40NIS. Tickets for the event are not available at the Begin Center, but only by calling 02-623-1532 or 02-625-1856.