14 Tevet, 5763
Jerusalem

Upcoming Events for the Week of 22-28 December
(Open to Press Coverage)

Wednesday-Tuesday, 18-24 December

·         Visit by international group of Jewish Journalists to Jewish Agency facilities. A group of nine journalists representing Jewish media in the United States, Argentina, Australia, and France have come to Israel for a study tour of Jewish Agency facilities and projects in Israel. After having completed a three-day tour of Agency operations in Kiev. The group will visit Jewish Agency Absorption Centers, projects for regional development in the context of Partnership 2000, and projects in Jewish education. They will also visit historical and cultural sites of Israel and be briefed by governmental and Agency decision makers.

Sunday-Thursday, 22-26 December

·         Nottingham, Great Britain. Limud Conference. Some 2,000 individuals from throughout the UK will gather for a learning experience devoted to strengthening Jewish identity. Representatives of the "Partnership 2000" project on the confrontation line in Western Galilee will participate in this conference.

·         20 prospective immigrants from France will participate in a "pilot tour" to explore living, educational, and employment possibilities in Israel.

Monday- Friday, 23-27 December

·         Kiev, Ukraine. A 40-member student leadership delegation from the United Jewish Communities (UJC) will tour Kiev to learn about Jewish Agency operations there.

Tuesday, 24 December

·         Tel Aviv, Mann Auditorium, 19:30. Ceremony commemorating 120 years of Yemenite Aliyah in the presence of Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor.

·         Jerusalem, Presidential Residence, 16:00. Presentation of Ukrainian Jewish Artists' exhibition. Some 20 Jewish artists form the FSU and Israel will present their work to the H. E. the President of the State of Israel, Mr. Moshe Katsav. The exhibition will be on display in the Shimshon Center until 6 January.

Wednesday 25 December

·         Some 40 young adults from Argentina will participate this week in a study trip to Israel, in which they will tour institutions of higher learning and receive information on Aliyah, absorption, education and employment opportunities in Israel.

·         Israel and Diaspora Educators' Conference on Computerized Pedagogical Tools. 60 educators from the USA, Venezuela, Uruguay, France, Peru, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Hungary, and Israel will learn about computerized tools for creating pedagogical contacts with Israel (video conferences, internet chats and forums, web sites etc.). The Jewish Agency's Education Department and the Educational Liaison Division in the Ministry of Education are organizing the conference.

·         Jerusalem, the Jewish Agency's Kiryat Moriah Educational Campus, 14:30. Ceremony for the awarding of Israeli identity cards to students in the Sela ("Students before Parents") Program. Some 300 young immigrants who are residing in Jewish Agency absorption centers will receive their Israeli identity cards in a meaningful ceremony. These immigrants arrived alone to study in the Sela Jewish Agency University Preparatory program.

Thursday- Tuesday, 26-31 December, Italy.

·         Tour of Hashomer Hatsair and Student Union winter camps in Italy. The singer Shalva Berthi will appear before participants in these camps. In addition, the participants will receive information on Aliyah opportunities in Israel. The World Zionists Organization's Zionist Activities Department is organizing these events.

Friday-Tuesday 27-31 December.

·         Jerusalem, Ramada Renaissance Hotel.The Orthodox General Assembly (OGA). 300 Rabbis, Heads of Jewish organizations and educational institutions will convene to discuss the Jewish nature of the State of Israel and the interrelationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. The World Zionist Organization's Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora is organizing this assembly

Anticipated Aliyah Statistics for the Coming Week

·         During the coming week 832 immigrants will arrive in Israel. Of these, 401 will be from Argentina, 161 from Russia, 82 from France, 79 from Uruguay, 18 from the Central Asian republics of the Former Soviet Union and the southern Caucasus, and the rest form South Africa, Switzerland, USA, Germany, and other countries

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

·         23 December 1968. Israel Television began to broadcasting on a regular basis. In the beginning the broadcasts were only for three days a week.

·         28 December 1961. The beginning of "Operation Yachin," to bring the Jews of Morocco to Israel.

·         28 December 1977. The Knesset ratified the peace program, which the Government of Israel formulated for the negotiations with Egypt. The proposal included the idea of Palestinian autonomy.