30 Kislev, 5763
Jerusalem

Upcoming Events For The Week Of 8 December
(Open for Press Coverage)

Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 December

·         Moscow, Russia. Academic conference on 100 Years of Jewish Emigration. Lecturers from the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany and Israel will participate. Three experts from the Hebrew University, sent by the Jewish Agency, will represent Israel.

Sunday-Thursday, 8-12 December

·         Francophone Conference. Jews from French speaking nations will convene to deliberate on such topics as literature and the arts. Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor will participate in the opening session of the conference, (to be held on Monday, 9 December 13:00, in Jerusalem) alongside the French Ambassador H.E. Mr. Jacques Huntzinger, Prof. Shimon Shitrit, and Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and Director General of the Jewish Federation of France, Mr. David Saada. The conference will hold one of its activity days in the northern Israeli town of Ma'a lot, which is a partner of France in the context of the Jewish Agency's Partnership 2000 program.

Sunday, 8 December

·         Jerusalem, Beit Shmuel, 17:30-19:30. 120 students from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) participating in Birthright, will attend an Aliyah Fair during the course of which they will receive information on immigration, absorption, employment and higher education options in Israel. During the coming month some 700 students from the FSU will participate in the Birthright program.

·         The Yiddishspiel Theatre will tour Germany with the support of the Jewish Agency.

Monday 9 December

·         Kibbutz Or Haner. A 25-member solidarity mission from Holland will meet with Jewish Agency Treasurer Shai Hermesh. During the course of their visit the group will visit victims of terror, tour Zaka facilities, and participate in the inauguration of student dormitories in Kfar Azza.

Tuesday, 10 December

·         A 20-member solidarity mission from Marseille, France will visit Jewish Agency absorption centers.

·         A 400 strong "Together We Stand" UJC solidarity mission will arrive. During the course of their visit the members of the delegation will meet with Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor, meet new immigrants, visit victims of terror and tour Jewish Agency absorption centers.

Thursday, 12 December

·         Rishon LeZion, Shikun Hamizrach Community Center, 08:00. Convention of the Zionist Youth Council under the banner "We shall deepen our roots so that we may fly." Jewish Agency Director-General, Giora Romm, and Zionist Council Director General, Mosh Ben Attar will honor the participants by their presence. The Jewish Agency, the Zionist Youth Council and the Municipality of Rishon LeZion are organizing the event.

·         Kiev, Ukraine, Enrichment Seminar. The Jewish Agency is organizing this enrichment for 60 teachers of the Hebrew language in Jewish Agency (intensive language courses).

Anticipated Aliyah Statistics for the Coming Week

·         During the coming week 387 immigrants will arrive in Israel. Of these, 171 will be from Argentina, 102 from Russia, 42 from the Central Asian republics of the Former Soviet Union and the southern Caucasus, 33 from Ukraine, 15 from Uruguay, 9 from France and the rest from South Africa, India, Brazil, the USA, Colombia and others.

Landmarks in the History of Zionism, Israel and the Jewish People

·         9 December 1987. Date generally attributed for the beginning of the Intifada. The Intifada is considered to continued until the 1993 Oslo Accords.

·         10 December 1952. The second President of the State of Israel, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi was sworn into office. He was subsequently elected to two other terms. He served as President until his death.

·         19 December 1978. Menachem Begin was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with Anwar Sadat.

·         12 December 1882. The first plowing of the field of Rosh Pinah, by immigrants from Romania, who had settled on land on which families from Safad had unsuccessfully attempted to establish a settlement called Gai Oni.

·         13 December 1997. The first El-Al flight to Cairo.