Meeting of Representatives 2014
The ‘Group Photo’ outside the Knesset
For the presentation of work plans each Division Chairperson
presented just one of their activities. Congratulations to
Ingrid Rockberger, WIZO Review Editor, who carefully
controlled the timing of this session and to the dedicated
chairpersons who adhered to the restrictions! This was a
much-improved session on previous MORs enabling us to
learn about some of the programmes in greater detail.
Out on tour
During Tuesday’s touring day we were full to bursting with
admiration for WIZO at work and with emotion by our
being in Israel’s heart, Jerusalem! Having visited Modiin
in its earliest days of development, it is great to see what
an important part WIZO plays in early age education of its
youngest citizens. How we admire the expert care and love
given by the day care centres’ staff and the warm happy
environment in which the children flourish.
The visit to the Knesset was memorable. Speaker Yuli
Edelstein received us so generously. He hopes that
eventually there will be no need for the political parties
to be obligated to put women on their lists because so
many will be elected without this contrivance. The present
number of women MKs may not meet WIZO Israel’s aims, but
we certainly appreciated the quality of MKs Shuli MaalemRefaeli, Penina Tamanu-Shata and Michal Biran who joined
one very supportive male MK – Nachman Shai - to discuss
gender equality, with MK Aliza Lavie, Chairperson of the
Knesset Committee on the Status of Women in the chair.
A lively discussion ensued between the MOR delegates
and the MKs on the importance of female leadership in
the Diaspora and its contribution to strengthening the
Diaspora-Israel relationship.
Lunch cooked by our own chefs
Lunch at the Rebecca Sieff Centre for the Family was most
memorable particularly because the tasty buffet had
been prepared by students studying culinary skills in the
vocational training school together with the chefs for the
school and day care centre.
These teenagers have dropped out of mainstream education
and are referred to the school by the social services. There
10 I SPRING/SUMMER 2014 I WIZO RE VIE W
are wonderful results due to the intensive care and attention
they receive individually, helping them to overcome their
difficulties and almost all of them gain their Bagrut and go
on to serve in the army.
The Rebecca Sieff Centre was formerly the Jerusalem Baby
Home and we heard Eli Tal El’s moving story of how he
spent the first three years of his life in the home after his
mother died and his father couldn’t cope with caring for his
five children.
Services to our youth
Teaching the next generation to become leaders is the task
in hand at the Haberer Centre. These articulate teenagers,
speaking fluent English, impressed us greatly. They learn
their skills whilst working with younger people.
We also heard from Dr Michal Rotem about the Resilience
programme which is helping 1,150 young people in
WIZO’s six youth villages how to cope in stressful and crisis
situations. Thank you so much to Jana and Simon Falic
for their most generous invitation to dinner in a magical
location overlooking the lights of Jerusalem…a night and
day to remember!
Division presentations
The Fundraising Division’s session was excellent and we
will all be showing the three short moving films about
Mell, Oshra and Adi. The material and concept for ‘Sponsor
A Youth’ is beautifully prepared and is an extremely good
aid for our income raising activities. We congratulate Esther
Mor and her volunteer and professional team!
Janine Gelley presented the Organisation and Tourism
Division’s work and introduced Ofer Yarom who gave us
fascinating insights into successful advertising campaigns
which ca