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Pnina writes:
"Dear Chatliners,
I would like to share with you, a special meeting I have had recently. His name is Salman Abu Rukun. He belongs to the Druze community in Israel, that has linked its destiny to our people. They serve in the army, and are an important part of the Israeli society.
Some words of Introduction
The Druze religion is a monotheistic religion. It is called "Almuahidun", it means the believers in one God. The religion has developed relatively late, starting in the 11th century, as a splitting process from Islam. As a relatively young religion, its characteristics were taken from all 3 monotheistic religions, as well as from the Greek philosophy. The religious books' interpretations are written in the Arab language.
Interesting is the status of women, which is so different from Islam. The woman is equal to the man. She can be a religious leader, and can divorce the man (really send him away).
The Druze population live mostly in Syria, Lebanon and Israel, and a small group in Jordan. They live mainly in rural areas.
Salman Abu Rukun
Salman Abu Rukun lives in Osafiya, a Druze village (already a town), that has a history of 400 years. His father was a peasant, and as a child he passed a lot of his time with his father in the fields. Nowadays he is a "walking encyclopedia" of all the plants, trees, spices and animals in the country.
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority is responsible and handles about 20% of Israeli lands that are national nature reserves and parks. The Authority is empowered by legislation to establish, manage, operate, supervise and develop national parks and nature reserves, as well as educate and guide the country's population to knowledge and awareness of heritage, conservation of nature and wildlife and more.
In his role as the Head of Educational and Guidance Division, he is in charge of 10 centers for professional training of guides. A good part of his work is done with the National Education System, involving teachers, school principals, supervisors and others. The aim especially is to attract young adults and school children to learn and promote the environmental standards.
I have met Salman, a man with a special pleasant personality in his home town and he took me to the Carmel forests, to many beautiful corners. I saw trees that are older than 1000 years!
It was a magical guided day, and I wanted to share it with you.
Pnina Evental
Givatayim Club
There are Druze communities of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, with important overseas branches in the Americas and Australia. It is especially interesting that Druze women are considered equal to men in all aspects.
"Dear Chatliners,
I would like to share with you a meeting I had recently with Hagi Yohanan, an archeologist. He was born in Israel,
his parents immigrated to the country in the 50s from Kuchin-India. I met him in Apolonia, an archeological site not far from
Tel- Aviv. He has been working at that site with digging expeditions since 1995.
Many of the expeditions are by volunteers from various countries, especially from the USA, Brazil, Germany and France.
Shown on the right, a photo of Hagi Yohanan in his office at the site.
Apolonia, is a multi layerd site, dating from 6 hundred BC till the crusader’s period in 1265 AD(13th Century). It was settled during that period of time.
The site is situated near the sea, on a ridge of limestone. The sea was used for commerce, harboring ships and more. The name Apolonia was given to the site in the Helenistic Period. The local people identified it with Apolo.
In 1998 intensive and extensive excavation work was done at that site, and the Crusaders' fortress was exposed. The fortress was built in 1241 AD and destroyed in 1265 AD, according to found documentation. The fortress existed for only 24 years.
Many periods compose the history of the place:
Hagi introduced me to the different layers of the site which contain the moat, the entrance to the fortress, the fortress wall, the water pools the towers, the kitchen, dining room, and more. I have photographed the place and I hope you will enjoy it.
Best Wishes for the new year, which I hope will have a better continuation than it started. Love and peace to all of you.
January 2005
Pnina
Dear ChatlinersIn the south of Israel there is a children's home which is called Neve - Hanna. Well, there are homes for children and youth in many countries, but what was very special in Neve - Hanna, is the concept of the place, the variety of children, and the BAKERY.
On the left is a photo, taken on a rainy day, of the entrance to Neve-Hanna.
*Hanni Ullman (1908 - 2002), born in Germany, is one of the founders of the educational system in Israel.
The children are from all over Israel, and belong to the different ethnic groups that compose the local society, for example new immigrants from the former USSR, from the Ethiopian community. Besides the children living in Neve Hanna, the institution initiated in the 1990s a daycare program for children for the same background. In 2004, this daycare program was expanded also to Arab speaking children like the Bedouin children. Some explanation about the Bedouin children: the name 'Bedouin' means the inhabitants of the desert, they were nomads.
Some decades ago Bedouin tribes in the south of Israel were settled in a township by the name of Rahat, not far from Neve-Hanna. In 1990 Neve-Hanna developed a cooperation with teachers from Rahat and since then Jewish and Bedouin youth meet on a regular basis. There is now even one daycare group of Jewish and Bedouin children that are studying together, as well as enjoying all the counseling and rehabilitation services. The program is called “Path to Peace”.
Teenagers live in a separate unit and manage their lives more independently.
Aesthetics and cleanliness are high priorities of the place.
There is a library, synagogue, a cultural center, sports field, and a petting zoo.
The thinking behind the concept is to teach children the value of work, earn a living, and not being dependent on charity. Under the guidance of a Swiss master baker the bakery started to function, teaching the children the art of baking and the skills needed for marketing. The children are getting money for their work in the bakery (as well as weekly pocket money).
Nowadays, the bread has such a reputation that El-Al our national air carrier is one of the good customers, and serves the bread in its first and business class!!
Well as we know, education is the key to progress, Neve–Hanna is a really good example.
I was beautifully received by the director of the place Mr. Weger, and Mr. Appel chairman of the Board .
Dear Chatliners, I think it is a special place, and thought it will interest you as well.
My Best Wishes to all of you
Pnina
February 2005
There are caring individuals, who have the economical means, and are ready to donate part of it back to society. They do it as a means to help in developing those in need, but first and foremost it is done for themselves because "giving" has a high significance to their spiritual life, and personal well being.
Well, here is the story.
As I have told you in a previous email, SI/E Givatayim Club, adopted a children club. The club is supported by the welfare department of the city of Givatayim. The children come from families that have social problems. They are coming to the club from school, having lunch there, and staying all afternoon, doing homework, playing, and having all kinds of enriching activities that their home can not support. Our members come twice a week to help the children with homework, playing with them, and sometimes just being a "listening ear".
The physical place was dully equipped and old. One day we were told that the club will be temporarily closed as someone donated the money to refit the place. Not long ago, we were invited to the center, to participate in the children’s painting exhibition, and the inauguration of the newly opened club.
The surprise was great, as the place looked simply beautiful. Extensive work had been done inside the construction. New furniture, play-room, fully equipped kitchen, and the center of all this, a room, completely full with new computers, TV and DVD sets, a dream! The children’s paintings were very nicely displayed, and also computer work by the children.
Seeing the children’s faces, was the best feedback we could get. There I have met Naftali Vax, the man responsible for all this. Naftali, an electronic engineer and initiator, opened a plant of telecommunication in 1982, and made his capital. He decided that some of that capital will be invested in lowering the polarity in society, concentrating especially in children’s development.
It started with scholarships to children in primary school, continued with a study center for dyslexic children by providing them with computers and software. Opening a study center for Ethiopian and Yemen children, again by providing tools for development. And to "our" club, not only its refurbishing, but all its maintenance for a year.
The project has such good results that school principals are knocking on the door....and you will not believe it, he even donated money for a workshop, in order to develop street leaders for Palestinians in Gaza !!
The next project he initiated will be called "From School to University". It will be again for children in the last two years of primary school, whose families are having economical problems. Thirty children will come once a week to a center where teachers in mathematics, English, and learning skills will be working with them. Add to this a social club will be opened for them in order to develop their social skills. Other volunteers have joined Naftali to finance all the needs of that ambitious project.
Meeting the man was really an experience, as he is a very modest and pleasant person. I wish many will follow his example. He can easily be called a Soroptimister….I was very impressed, and wanted to share that meeting with you.
Love and Light
Pnina
Dear Chatliners
Why all of a sudden Fish Pools?
As I have told you before, it is now the birds’ migration season and the pools are their “restaurants”…. It is quite damaging for the fish breeders, but an unbelievable phenomenon of nature. Different kinds of fish are bred in the pools, most for food, there are also fish for aquariums.
The pools occupy a huge area. They are separated by walking paths. All year round there are local birds coming to have meals there, like seagulls, egrets and others, but during the migrating season, many more species are present.
It is a treasure for ornithologists (bird’s watchers) and photographers. Aside from more, and different kind of birds like storks, wild geese, cranes and others, one can find there all sort of other species, like butterflies, spiders, and rich vegetation around some of the pools.
"The community of birds is seen all around the place, in the sky, on the nests, in and out of the pools, on ropes, fences, you name it.
"There are special oxygen devices that are mixing the oxygen in the water, a real spectacle as well…
"I have already been there 3 times and wanted to share with you the place and some of the photos taken there.
"I hope you will enjoy that place through them."
Pnina
November 2005
Pnina's regular vignettes about remarkable individuals, fascinating phenomena of nature, inspiring activities, groups of people and more, make this possible. Pnina is a gifted photographer and through her sensitive eye we have an opportunity to read these "stories", because they are illustrated by her fabulous photographs, we actually experience virtually being there!
Earlier on this page Pnina introduced us to the Fish Pools with brief mention of the migration of birds, a major annual phenomenon in Israel. For those of you who may have missed her comprehensive mini-essay about BIRDS' MIGRATION written November 2003, I recommend you go to LETTERS FROM ISRAEL - THE HALF-FULL GLASS page 2 Scroll to the bottom of Page 2 for Pnina's comprehensive section about Migration of Birds.
New on this page is Pnina's final "story" for 2005. It can be seen as a MESSAGE FOR PEACE.
"Last Saturday I traveled to the Galilee going north of Israel. We went to see the bird’s migration phenomenon, and we have visited the center which is called “Domus Galilaeae”. I think it will interest many of you, and I would like to share it with you
"It was inaugurated in March 2000. It is a center for Christians in general, and young priests in particular to study and connect to the Jewish/ Israel religion and traditions.
"According to the explanation received by the priest who was our guide while visiting the center, it is a way to better understand the sources of Christianity and to build peace.
"He explained that it is according to ”Dies Domini” (the apostolic manifesto) of Yohanan Paulus the second (Pope John Paul II), which called for learning of the Jewish roots for better understanding of Christianity.
Pnina writes further: "I see it as a message for peace between human beings of the two monotheistic religions.
"The center initiator was a well known Spanish painter, Kiko Argüello, in collaboration with an international group of architects, who built a modern construction that integrates in harmony with its surroundings.
"It is a huge construction that has a beautiful “neo roman” gate, entrance hall, conference center, computerized Library, church, 100 rooms, kitchen and dining room. There is a beautiful painted wall that depicts the connection between Judaism and Christianity. (Shown on the photos below)
Above: "MARIA" on the right below: "VITRAGE WINDOW"
Pnina concludes: "I took many photographs of that place, and some of them I would like to share with you. It is my letter and blessing to you all, my sisters, for the coming Christmas holidays and the coming New Year.
"Love and peace to all of you."
Pnina.
December 2005.
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