TOTAL NUMBER OF VISITORS SINCE OCTOBER 2004: 487,238
A NEW INITIATIVE AT THE BEGIN CENTER
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center is pleased to announce the launch of its new program for post-high school Jewish students from around the world - GaP (Government and Politics) in Israel. Following in the footsteps of the enormously success Israel Government Fellows program for young Diaspora Jewish leaders, the new program offers outstanding and highly motivated Jewish post-high school students (18-19) an opportunity to study government, politics and society, with an emphasis on the Israeli context, at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, as well as Hebrew and Arabic in a specially tailored program that also includes trips and extended hikes across Israel which will not just explore the Israeli landscape but its people.
The program’s duration is nine months and is based in Jerusalem. There will be two semesters of academic study, which will provide 30 academic credits from the Hebrew University, the most prestigious university in Israel. During the semesters participants will study four days a week and volunteer in Jerusalem for one day.
Participants will also have the opportunity to take part in roundtable discussions with key decision-makers and opinion-formers in Israeli government and society.
The program is currently recruiting for its inaugural session, starting October 1st, 2009. More information is available from its dedicated website www.gapisrael.org.il.
JERUSALEM DAY AT THE BEGIN CENTER
The Menachem Begin Heritage Center, located on the Hinnom Ridge overlooking the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, will be building up to the celebrations of Jerusalem Day with four events.
The first event will be on May 13 at 5:30pm. Along with the Begin Center, the event is co-sponsored by the Movement for Strengthening Jerusalem which is an organization established by the Zionist Council in Israel. The panel discussion will be on the topic of strengthening Jerusalem as a national mission. On the panel will be Minister Beny Begin, Prof. Ephraim Inbar, head of the BESA Center at Bar Ilan University and Avi Ro'e, head of the municipality of Mateh Binyamin. This event is in Hebrew and reservations are required (02-565-2020).
On May 17, there will be a special commemorative evening for Ethiopian Jews. Jerusalem Day has been designated as a national commemoration day for Ethiopian Jews who died trying to make the journey from Ethiopian to Israel via the Sudan by foot. At the ceremony we will hear from survivors of the lengthy and dangerous journey. Also taking part will be the Minister of Immigration and Absorption, Sofa Landver; former head of the Mossad during Menachem Begin's second term, Nahum Admoni and representatives from the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews. This event will be in Hebrew, is free, but reservations are required (02-565-2020).
On May 19 at 8pm, another evening of songs, poems and sing-a-longs will take place with Nahum Heyman, recipient of this year's Israel Prize. The first half of the evening will be dedicated to songs about Jerusalem and the second half will be the songs of David Zahavi and Mattiyahu Shalem, as representatives of the Labor-affilliated cooperative settlement movement.
On May 21, Jerusalem Day, the Menachem Begin Heritage Center will show a film in the Reuben Hecht Auditorium at 8:30pm called Alone on the Walls. This is a documentary about the battle for the Old City of Jerusalem in 1948 using interviews from the participants in the battle. Natan Gini, a fighter in that battle, will speak after the film.
CONSTRUCTION AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE BEGIN CENTER
A minor construction project is underway at the entrance to the Begin Center at the sidewalk portion adjacent to Nahon Street. The plan is to build retractable barriers so that delivery vehicles can enter the area, but other vehicles will not be able to enter.
Given that the Begin Center is located on an archeological site, the Israel Antiquities Authority has posted a supervisor to assure than no artifacts, if any are found, will be damaged.
We remind our visitors to be aware and cautious when entering the Begin Center.
PARASHAT HASHAVUA UPDATE
Dr. Shelli Goldberg has finished her section of the Torah which was very popular and attracted large audiences every week. This week, Rabbi Aviah HaCohen will complete the book of Leviticus and the week after start the next book Numbers.