| May
2010: Shabbat at Chabad House

We
were treated to a fine multi-course dinner at Chabad House.
Prior to the meal getting underway Rabbi Mendel Goldstein took us
through a Shabbat Seder. Through it we were introduced to
many traditions that most had never experienced before. During
the meal, there was lively discussion about all sorts of topics
from Israel to the ethics of producing synthetic life.
A
great time was had by all and we look forward to the Goldstein family's
return in a few months from furlough in New York.
April
2010: Heritage: Civilization and the Jews: Episode 5

We
continued our journey through the history of the Jews in April.
We picked up the thread of Jewish history as the intellectual awakening
of the Renaissance began to alter the attitudes and habits of all
people. Scholars such as Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Johanes
Kepler and Galileo began to examine the world around them with new
eyes.
Abba
Eban took us through the narrow alleys of the Venetian ghetto life.
Jewish composers, artists and poets achieved fame that transcended
the ghetto walls. Spanish and Portugese Jews who had escaped
the persecution of the Spanish Inquisition, flocked to Amsterdam,
known as the "New Jerusalem" where refugees from religious intolerance
were welcomed.
March
2010: Peter
Durrant and Passover

Peter Durrant looked at the archaeological history of the Passover
and in particular the archaeological backing for the location of
the biblical Mt Sinai. As part of his presentation we watched
the adventures of Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams as they make the
case for Jebel el Lawz, which is located in modern Saudi Arabia,
as the “real” Mt Sinai. During the discussion it was interesting
to hear that there at least 13 other sites put forward by other
scholars as potential Mt Sinai alternatives.
Dr
Henrietta Mondry, Jewish stereotypes in Czarist Russia, the Soviet
Union and the Post-Soviet States: February 2010

Henrietta
Mondry’s Exemplary Bodies: Constructing the Jew in Russian
Culture since the 1880s is one of the most important books to appear
in the burgeoning field of Russian-Jewish studies this decade. She
demonstrated how recurring themes from the Blood Libel and the demonization
of Jews as criminals, corrupt and greedy had become entrenched in
Russian society.

Despite
Russia's repudiation of the Holocaust and support for the establishment
of Israel, these stereotypes have remained in the Post-Soviet states.
Unlike the Roman Catholic church, there are no stories of Russian
Orthodox clergy risking their lives to protect Jews from persecution,
nor are there any official apologies ever been made by the Russian
Orthodox church for the persecutions of the past.
Kiwis
for Balanced Reporting on the Middle East (KBRM): December
2009

NZFOI
hosted the President of Kiwis for Balanced Reporting on the Middle
East (KBRM), Rodney Brooks who gave a spirited presentation of their
work and the responses to their advocacy on behalf of Israel.
Along
the way they have discovered that:
- The
newspapers have allowed published falsehoods to remain uncorrected.
- Often
letters columns do not have both sides of the argument adequately
covered.
- Pro-Israeli
articles and opinion pieces are vastly outnumbered by material
from the opposing lobby.
- The
standard of journalism when measured against factors such as fairness,
adequate research and independence is poor in this country.
Dr
Rodney Brooks is a Physicist who worked for a meteorological research
organisation in Maryland USA before retiring to Wanaka New Zealand.
While in the US, he participated in advocacy work seeking to address
unbalanced reporting found in the Washington Post and other papers.
He has recently published his book on Quantum Field Theory which
can be freely read from here.
Heritage:
Civilization and the Jews: Episode 3-4: October-November

Over
October and November we were pleased to present two episodes from
the documentary series "Heritage: Civilization and the Jews."
Episode
3 covers the period 30 AD to 732 AD. In first century
Rome Jews were scattered throughout the Mediterranean. Wherever
they lived, communities of Jews continued to obey the laws of their
own land though it might be thousands of miles away. By the year
135, the Roman armies of the Emperor Hadrian had crushed the land
of Judea. A total of 580,000 Jews had been killed in battles and
raids. On the ruins of Jerusalem, a Roman city was built. The shrine
to Jupiter was erected where the Holy Temple had stood, and the
teaching of Judaism became a capital crime. Emperor Hadrian obliterated
the Jewish state and renamed Judea, Palestine. The Shaping of Traditions
chronicles the decline of this Roman Empire, a process extending
over four centuries, and shows how the Jewish faith continued to
survive throughout these turbulent years.
Episode
4 covers the period from 732 AD to 1492 AD. During this
period, the Jews founded a "Golden Age" in the 10th and
11th centuries, despite periodic persecution in Islamic Spain. "In
Spain for more than two centuries, Arabs and Jews lived together,
side by side, bound to each other despite differences, by a common
love of beauty and knowledge, poetry and music, art and philosophy."
Our gaze is then transported to Northern Europe where Christianity
was gradually consolidating its authority. Then we return to see
the Spanish Inquisition and the disastrous course of events that
followed as the Jewish people found themselves trapped in a politically
and economically untenable position. Join us for the viewing of
this wonderfully informative and poignant documentary.
Rosh
HaShannah: September 2009
We
were pleased to be addressed by Ina de Paauw on the subject of Rosh
Hashanah. Ina de Paauw emigrated to New Zealand from the Netherlands
last April and is now a member of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation.
Prior to her arrival in New Zealand, she was the chair and treasurer
for the Kehillat Beit HaChidush Jewish Community a progessive denomination
within Judaism. She has practiced as a Funeral Director for
20 years and has been influential in developing new forms of Jewish
funereal rituals and ceremonies.
We
thought we were only going to hearing about one of the Festivals
during the High Holy Month but her presentation took us through
how this festival fitted into a framework of worship that covered
the entire season. Through her exciting and interested delivery
we were treated to a rare insight into why this period is a very
special part of the year for the spiritual life of a Jew.
Live
and Become: 11 August 2009

It
had been some years since I last saw the movie "Live and Become",
the story of an Ethiopian Christian whose Mother, having already
lost the rest of the family to bandits and starvation, passes him
off as a Jew so that he would be evacuated to Israel under Operation
Moses in 1984. As they part, she commands him to "Live
and become." The film was filled with many heart rending
moments as the young nine year-old dealt with his separation anxiety,
to adapting to Jewish society whilst all the while keeping his dark
secret, and at the same time, struggling with his identity throughout.
It
is a thought provoking movie that raises more questions than answers:
- Who
is a Jew?
- What
was the conflict that led to so many people becoming refugees?
- Why
were Jews persecuted in Ethiopia?
- How
did a community of Jews come to be in Ethiopia?
- What
happened to all the refugees that were left behind?
- Have
those conflicts been resolved now?
- Has
the prejudice against the Ethiopian Jews abated?
As
the movie closed and the lights came on, I looked around and saw
hardly a dry eye in the place. If you ever get a chance to
purchase this move as a DVD, buy it, its a keeper.
Alan
Dershowitz: The Case Against Israel's Enemies: Panel
Discussion: July 14 2009
On
July we had a panel discussion on the material presented in Alan
Dershowitz's book "The Case Against Israel's Enemies."
This was a great opportunity to find out about the background to
some of Israel's harshest critics and to look at the supporting
evidence that they had for their various arguments.
Shavuot
Cooking Demonstration: May 17
Shavuot (or Shavuos , in Ashkenazi usage; lit. "Weeks")
is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month
of Sivan (late May or early June). Shavuot commemorates the anniversary
of the day God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites
at Mount Sinai. It is one of the shalosh regalim, the three Biblical
pilgrimage festivals. It marks the conclusion of the Counting of
the Omer.
The date of Shavuot is directly linked to that of Passover. The
Torah mandates the seven-week Counting of the Omer, beginning on
the second day of Passover and immediately followed by Shavuot.
This counting of days and weeks is understood to express anticipation
and desire for the Giving of the Torah. On Passover, the Jewish
people were freed from their enslavement to Pharaoh; on Shavuot
they were given the Torah and became a nation committed to serving
God.
The festival being a celebration of such a happy occasion is strongly
linked to food and feasting.
Des and Evelyn Rubie, Glennis Lane and Rebecca Marchand gave an
informative demonstration of a number of traditional Jewish dishes
and an opportunity to see how Challah bread is braided.
Those who attended were treated to a wonderful panoply
of exquisite tastes and flavours.
Representing Evil: The Holocaust and its Legacy: 14 April

In
April we were pleased to have Dr Susanne Ledanff carry out a presentation
on a course she was teaching at the University of Canterbury.
The course covered the history of the Holocaust, the events that
led to its inception, the extent of its activities and finally the
impact it has had on post-war and modern European culture.
"The
systematic mass killings at Auschwitz are a defining moment of twentieth-century
history and culture. To study the camps is not just to see one of
the world's deepest abysses of racism; it is to understand the historical
and sociological fabric of that racism and to reflect on its disturbing
modernity. In this course we will study the specific background
of German anti-Semitism in particular but also the intellectual
roots of anti-Semitism and Racism in other European countries. In
the course, we look at the Nazi system of domination, with particular
emphasis on how "peacetime" Nazism shaped the lives of
citizens. This is followed by an examination of the system of terror
and extermination with particular emphasis on the concentration
camps in Eastern Europe. The course also looks at the case of France
during German occupation and the consequences of German occupation
and the actions of the co-operating Vichy Regime for the Jews. "
ABOUT
THE SPEAKER
Dr
Ledanff is the Programme Director and Senior Lecturer in German
at the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Canterbury,
New Zealand. Before coming to Canterbury, Susanne was Assistant
Professor at the Technical University Berlin, and DAAD-Lecturer
at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. Her research
interests include Goethe, Berlin cultural history 1800-1850; new
Berlin literature after 1989; German literature; Contemporary German
culture; and German sociolinguistics.
ICEJ
Ambassadorial Dinner: April 2
ICEJ
recently hosted a dinner for the Israeli Ambassador to Australia
and New Zealand, Mr Yuval Rotem which I was fortunate to be able
to attend as a representative of NZFOI.
Over 320 people filled the Spencer on Byron Hotel to hear Mr Malcolm
Hedding give the keynote address. Mr Hedding is the International
Director of the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ),
and travelled to New Zealand especially for the event.
The evening attracted guests from throughout New Zealand, including
a great mix of people from the Jewish and Christian community to
show their appreciation for the work of both the Israeli Embassy
in Canberra and the Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, and offer encouragement
for their efforts.
It was also a celebration of a shared love for Israel, the Land,
the People and the State.
Mr Rotems address focused mainly on the imminent threat that Iran
poses to Israel and the rest of the world, he stressed that it should
not be down played or underestimated.
Mr Hedding gave a heart warming address that reinforced the Christian
community's commitment to supporting Israel's right to exist and
defend herself, and emphasized Gods faithfulness to his covenants
and promises.
Addresses were also given by Mr Bob Narev from the Auckland Hebrew
Community and Mr Graeme Lee, former leader of the Christian Democrats
- each bringing their own perspectives on Israel.
The
Challenge of Money: A Jewish Perspective on Earning and Spending:
1 March

Meir Tamari
Tamari
used a passage from Pirkei Avos as the centrepiece of his presentation:
"There
are four character types among people. One who says, 'What's mine
is mine and what's yours is yours' is of average character, and
some say, this is the character of Sodom. [One who says] 'What's
mine is yours and what's yours is mine' is unlearned (lit., [of]
the people of the land). [One who says] 'What's mine is yours
and what's yours is yours' is pious. [One who says] 'What's yours
is mine and what's mine is mine' is wicked." Ch 5, Mishna 13
His
discourse explained how this passage could equally be translated
as "four character types within a person" and that they
could be used to explain why unfettered Communism, Socialism, Free
Markets cannot be made to work, warmly illustrating many of his
points with stories of his time in kibbutzim in Israel.
Economics
he said, is not the answer to everything, nor can everything be
explained in terms of Economics. In fact our modern view of
Economics is flawed. Prior to the 1940s Economics was taught
in the Western world as part of Religion. However the University
of Chicago separated out the two, saying that Economics could be
treated like a science. In fact it opened the door for Secular
Humanism to fill the vacuum. Yet, all economic decisions are
the outcome of moral judgements. Today, the unspoken mantra
is "more is better." In fact, "less is more"
may also apply. Modern Economics does not teach the concept
of "enough."
On
being asked for his opinion of what was the fundamental cause for
the economic crisis we currently face: "Let there be
no doubt, this crisis is caused by moral bankruptcy."
Those who could attend the presentation were treated to a fascinating
night as Tamari demonstrated how the Torah applied to modern Economics.
ABOUT
THE SPEAKER
Meir
Tamari was born Leopold Fagov in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1927,
and graduated from the University of Cape Town with a degree in
economics in 1948. Tamari was an active member of the Zionist Bnei
Akiva youth group, and in 1950 he joined other members of this group
in moving to Israel. At first he settled in Kfar Darom, moving soon
afterwards to Kibbutz Shluchot. (It was from the palm -- Hebrew
tamar -- trees in Shluchot that Tamari coined his Hebrew name.)
In 1960 Tamari became an economist at the Bank of Israel, attaining
the status of Senior Economist in 1967. He was responsible for the
bank's Corporate Finance Project, analyzing the economic characteristics
of manufacturing firms. This study attracted international attention.
In 1971 Tamari served as a special consultant to the UK Royal Commission
on Small Firms, and later he was invited by the French Centre national
de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) to make a comparison of corporate
financial patterns in various countries. This research formed the
basis of his doctoral thesis at the City University of London, which
granted him a Ph.D. in 1976. The thesis was later published as a
book, Some International Comparisons of Industrial Financing.
Subsequently Tamari served as Senior Lecturer in Economics at Bar
Ilan University. Bar Ilan defines itself as a religious Jewish university,
but Tamari was disturbed by the seeming disconnect between the Jewish
and academic identities of the school and its students. He writes:
"Although the university is an Orthodox Jewish institution, I found
myself teaching course in corporate finance in exactly the same
way I would have done in any other university in the world, with
the content completely divorced from a Jewish value system." He
began to introduce more Jewish sources and content into his economics
courses, in order to emphasize that Jewish tradition adopts a particular
ethical approach to economic issues and problems.
Ultimately Tamari "created a special course that would attempt to
present to the students this value system and its practical application
to economics". This was the first, or among the first, accredited
business ethics course ever offered in any Israeli institution of
higher learning. These courses helped Tamari to lay the foundations
of his unique approach to Jewish business ethics. He also began
an intensive lecture schedule to lay audiences worldwide on the
topic of Jewish Business Ethics.
In 1987 Tamari published his landmark work, With All Your Possessions:
Jewish Ethics and Economic Life. The book, based on the Bar Ilan
University course, is still in print after 20 years. This was followed
in 1995 by The Challenge of Wealth: A Jewish Perspective on Earning
and Spending Money, Al Chet: Sins in the Marketplace in 1996, and
Jewish Values in our Open Society: A Weekly Torah Commentary in
2000.
In 1992, Tamari founded the Center for Business Ethics and Social
Responsibility, on the campus of the Jerusalem College of Technology.
He continues to serve as the honorary Head of the Center. Today
the center is known as the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem.
Meir Tamari lives in a suburb of Jerusalem with his wife Devora.
He continues an active schedule of writing and lecturing.
Barbecue:
February 2009
We
started the New Year off with a BBQ at the President's house.
A great time was had by all as everyone got to know one another
over some great food and excellent sunny weather.
Of
course, it had been an eventful Summer break with Israel's Gaza
campaign to quell the rocket attacks launched from that quarter.
This
New Year was likely to be a busy one as we continued to build our
ties with the Hebrew community, and had established a joint project
to hold seminars on Holocaust Education. By sponsoring such
seminars we hope to not only raise awareness of the Holocaust but
also to work against the evil of racial prejudice in all parts of
society.
The
committee had met to work out a program of events for the year and
had started working on lining them up already.
Hanukkah
and the work of Chabad Lubavitch: December 2008
This
month the Society welcomed Mendel Goldstein to give a presentation
on Hanukkah and the work of Chabad Lubavitch. Tragically, the Chabad
centre in Mumbai India was attacked in December and Rabbi Holtzberg
and his wife were murdered.
Hanukkah
also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday
commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem
at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah
is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev
according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November
to late December on the Gregorian calendar.
Chabad-Lubavitch
is one of the largest Hasidic movements in Orthodox Judaism, and
is based in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Chabad is
a Hebrew acronym for Chochmah, Binah, Da'at meaning Wisdom, Understanding,
and Knowledge. Lubavitch is the only extant branch of a family of
Hasidic sects once known collectively as the Chabad movement; the
names are now used interchangeably.
The movement took its name from Lyubavichi, the Russian town which
served as the movement's headquarters for over a century. It has
over 200,000 adherents, and up to a million Jews attend Chabad services
at least once a year. Its adherents follow Chabad traditions and
prayer services based on Lurianic kabbalah. As "Hasidim", they follow
the Chassidus of Israel ben Eliezer.
Founded in the late 18th century by Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Chabad-Lubavitch
has had seven leaders or rebbes. Menachem Mendel Schneerson succeeded
his father-in-law, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn in 1950, becoming
the seventh leader of the movement, a position he held until his
death in 1994.
Today the movement runs thousands of centers around the world, Jewish
community centers, synagogues and schools, providing outreach and
educational activities for Jews.
Rabbi
Mendel (Mendy) Goldstein and his wife Sara are the Directors of
Chabad's work in New Zealand. During his time in Christchurch, Mendy
has become an integral part of the Hebrew Community's spiritual
life. Chabad House has also become the support centre for
Israeli travellers touring through Canterbury. Mendy was prominently
involved in supporting the family of Liat Okin when she went missing
on the Routeburn track in April. He has recently announced
plans to start a kosher restaurant in Christchurch.
A
collection of $400 was taken up for the Holtzbergs.
The role of the ANZACs in the Middle East and the establishment
of Israel: November 2008

Kelvin Crombie
The
Gallipoli campaign in World War I, celebrated on Anzac Day, April
25, has a much deeper meaning than has been generally applied to
it, according to historian Kelvin Crombie.
“I believe the Anzacs’ defeat at Gallipoli was followed
through by geopolitical events that directly contributed to the
restoration of the state of Israel."
At our November meeting, historian Kelvin Crombie gave a detailed
presentation on this interesting topic.
While working in Israel Kelvin Crombie became intrigued by the role
of the Anzacs in the history of modern Israel. He has been researching
for the past 25 years the contribution of the Anzac troops to the
Middle East. His book "Anzacs, Empires and Israel's Restoration"
was published in 1998.
The Fall Festivals through the Lens of a Jewish Wedding:
October 2008
At
our October meeting, we had Des Rubie presented a most interesting
talk on the Autumn Festivals (Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot,
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah).
He
showed how the various festivals illustrate the elements of a Jewish
wedding and thereby reinforced how a covenant marriage was woven
into the relationship between God and Israel.
His
notes can be downloaded from here.
Des
Rubie is a retired Jewish farmer who has studied the Scriptures
for over 50 years. He is a parent to 4 children and a grandparent
to 17 grandchildren.
Arnold
Zable: September
2008
Arnold
Zable is a dynamic and highly acclaimed storyteller. His books include
the award winning Jewels and Ashes (1992), The Fig Tree (2002) and
the novels Café Scheherazade (2001) and Scraps of Heaven
(2004). He is president of the International PEN, Melbourne.
Zable was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1947, and grew up
in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton. He attended Melbourne
University and Columbia University. He has travelled and lived in
the USA, India, Papua New Guinea, Europe, Southeast Asia and China.
He has run workshops for migrants and refugees, and has recently
spent considerable time with refugees held in Australian detention
centres. Arnold Zable lives in Melbourne with his wife and son.
Zable
spoke with passion about memory and history, displacement and community,
the experience of the Jewish diaspora, within Australia.
AGM:
August 2008
We
held our AGM during our August meeting and elected a new President
for the Canterbury Branch and a new Treasurer.
Many
thanks to Barry Thompson for the many years he has served as President.
He continues to serve as the President for the National Administration.
Jim
Slape was elected as a Life Member of the Association.
Members'
lunch: July 2008
In
July 2008 we met at the Northwood Villas clubrooms and enjoyed a
fun lunch together. It was a great opportunity to get to know
one another.
Rebecca
Marchand and Mendel Goldstein gave a report on their trip to the
Gala Dinner held in Auckland to commemorate the 60th Anniversary
of the establishment of Israel as a modern nation state.
Former
Australian cabinet minister Alexander Downer gave an interesting
presentation on his views regarding Israel's right to exist in the
Middle East and related many amusing anecdotes on his government's
position on the matter. John Key also had an opportunity to
present his views while he thanked the Downer for his address.
The
afternoon was rounded off with an interesting discussion with Mendel
on Judaism and various aspects of Christianity.
Paper
Clips
In
April 2008 we showed the documentary "Paper Clips".
It was about the town of Whitwell, Tennessee and how it went about
finding out what the Holocaust was about.
Whitwell,
TN is a small, rural community of less than two thousand people
nestled in the mountains of Tennessee. Its citizens are almost exclusively
white and Christian. In 1998, the children of Whitwell Middle School
took on an inspiring project, launched out of their principal's
desire to help her students open their eyes to the diversity of
the world beyond their insulated valley. What happened would change
the students, their teachers, their families and the entire town
forever… and eventually open hearts and minds around the world.
PAPER CLIPS is the moving and inspiring documentary film that captures
how these students responded to lessons about the Holocaust-with
a promise to honor every lost soul by collecting one paper clip
for each individual exterminated by the Nazis. Despite the fact
that they had previously been unaware of and unfamiliar with the
Holocaust, their dedication was absolute. Their plan was simple
but profound. The amazing result, a memorial railcar filled with
11 million paper clips (representing 6 million Jews and 5 million
gypsies, homosexuals and other victims of the Holocaust) which stands
permanently in their schoolyard, is an unforgettable lesson of how
a committed group of children and educators can change the world
one classroom at a time.
PAPER CLIPS, presented by One Clip At A Time HMA, is a production
of The Johnson Group, in association with Miramax Films and Ergo
Entertainment. It was named one of the top films of 2004 (documentary)
by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, has been acclaimed
by critics as "Oscar caliber" (Joel Siegel, Good Morning America
), and has received audience and jury awards at film festivals
across the country.
Ebenezer
Emergency Fund
In
March 2008, Steve Lightle gave an interesting talk on the work of
the Ebenezer Emergency Fund. Ebenezer is an interdenominational
Christian organization. Since being founded in 1991 by Gustav Scheller
in Bournemouth, England, Ebenezer has helped over 100,000 Jewish
people make aliyah (return to Israel) from the lands of the former
Soviet Union by sea, and on Jewish Agency-sponsored flights. Having
started with just three people, Ebenezer now has a team of over
250, an International Board and offices in the USA, Switzerland
and Germany, national coordinators in 23 countries as well as an
increasing number of bases in the former Soviet Union.
Steve
is a former Seattle Businessman who lives in Israel and has been
involved in the work of the Fund since its inception. He has
also authored two books on the Ebenezer Emergency Fund:Â
"Exodus II" and "Operation Exodus II".
International
Law and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Dr
Kennedy Graham gave a lecture on
- What
is this thing called "international law"?
- How
does it apply to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict?
- How
has it been (mis)applied historically?
His
lecture covered the theory of international law and touched on
- The
historical development of International Law
- The
UN charter
- The
role of the Security Council and its legislative powers
- The
International Court of Justice and how it has become more
common to see those accused of crimes against humanity have
been tried.
- Some
future developments in International Law.
About
the Speaker:
Dr.
Graham serves on a number of advisory boards including the:
o Public Advisory Group on Disarmament and Arms Control (Wellington)
o NZ Institute of International Affairs (Christchurch)
o Conflict Prevention Project of the International Crisis Group
(Brussels)
o EU & Global Governance Programme of the European Policy Centre
(Brussels)
o Khan Foundation of Bangladesh (Dhaka)
Dr Graham is visiting professor at the College of Europe
in Bruges, Belgium. He has also been commissioned to prepare a feasibility
study for the establishment of the Ana Lindh Chair in Conflict Prevention
and Crisis Management, to be located in Europe.
Kennedy Graham held a two-year fellowship in the School of
Law (August 2005 to July 2007). The fellowship facilitates a research
project on "alternative models of regional governance for Pacific
Island States".
Dr. Graham holds a B. Com (Auckland), MA in International
Relations (Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Boston), and
a Ph.D. (Victoria University, Wellington). He has received Fulbright
and Fletcher scholarships, a McCarthy Fellowship (1986), and was
Quarter centenary Fellow at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge,
England (1995).
Dr. Graham served in the NZ Foreign Service for 16 years,
specializing in global security and the UN, his last diplomatic
assignment being counsellor in the NZ Mission to the United Nations
in Geneva. He has lived and worked in nine countries in Asia, the
Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
From 1999 to 2004 he worked for the United Nations University,
first as Director of its Leadership Academy (Amman, Jordan; 1999-2002);
then as director of its Regional Security & Global Governance
Project (Bruges, Belgium; 2002-4). In 2004 he was commissioned to
provide a paper for the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Paper
on Threats, Challenges and Change.
In 2005-6 he has been Senior Consultant to the UN's Dept.
of Political Affairs in New York, assisting in the preparation and
convening of the Secretary-General's high-level meetings, and the
Security Council's meetings, with regional organizations.
He recently wrote an article
in the Press (15/6/2007) entitled "NZ Obliged to Help"
where he put the case for why New Zealand should take a more active
role in resolving this conflict.
August
2007: Yemenite Jewish Cooking Demonstration
The Jews of Yemen have a long and colourful
history. Local Yemenite Jewish traditions have traced the
earliest settlement of Jews in this region back to the time of King
Solomon. One legend has it that King Solomon sent Jewish merchant
marines to Yemen to prospect for gold and silver with which to adorn
the Temple in Jerusalem. Another legend places Jewish craftsmen
in the region as requested by Bilqis, the Queen of Saba (Sheba).
The Beta Israel or Chabashim (Jews in neighboring Ethiopia) have
a sister legend of their origins that places the Queen of Sheba
as married to King Solomon. Parts of Yemen and Ethiopia at that
time were jointly ruled by Sheba, with its capital in Yemen, adding
some plausibility to the story. Source: Wikipedia. "Yemenite
Jews."
Yemenite Jews have developed their own forms of cuisine and we are
fortunate to have an expert living here in the Christhchurch region.
Lauren
Carmichael presented a number of traditional Yemenite Jewish dishes
including Zhug and Jachnoon.
Vice-President
Des Rubie said it was "one of the most enjoyable meetings we've
had all year". Many thanks to Canterbury Hebrew Congregation
President Bettina Wallace for helping to arrange the demonstration
at local winery Langdale Wines.
July
2007: Members' Luncheon
We
were pleasantly surprised to be joined by
-
Rabbi Mendel Goldstein who has come to establish a branch of Chabad
in Christchurch; and
-
A couple of Israeli Artists who presented their paintings
Our
lunch at the Northwood Villas clubrooms was great fun and an excellent
opportunity to get to know one another.
June
2007: AGM and Heritage DVD Series
The
AGM went quickly and therefore well and all the current committee
members were re-elected to office. It has been a busy year
for the Society and we look forward to another interesting and eventful
year.
We also screened the third in the Heritage DVD series presented
by Abba Eban, covering the period 30AD to 732AD: A dramatic
period for the Jewish people which saw the destruction of the Temple
in Jerusalem, the scattering of the people throughout the Roman
Empire and Babylonia, the rise of Christiantiy and Islam created
new challenges and dangers.
May
2007: Shavuot (Feast of Weeks)
Autumnal
colds and flus meant that there many apologies. Our ex-Treasurer
JJ Lipton sent his regards. However those hardy souls that
were able to make it were treated to a highly informative talk on
this happy celebratory feast.
Rebecca
Marchand our Secretary gave a presentation on Shavuot (the Feast
of Weeks). It is one of the three pilgrimage feasts and is
linked symbolically to the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai as well
as thanksgiving for the completion of the harvest and its subsequent
abundance. Bright flowers are often used for decoration during
this time as according to tradition, the very desert burst out in
bloom in celebration as the Torah was given to Mankind. The
book of Ruth was read by a procession of volunteers. We were
treated to some portions being read in the original Hebrew language
by Barbara Bancroft and Ehud Ofir. What a treat!
April
2007:
Pesach (Passover)
At
our April meeting Sydney Levy, a member of the Canterbury Hebrew
Congregation and a retired Solicitor from London, gave a lively
and engaging presentation on Passover, its history, traditions and
practice. His anecdotes were particulary interesting and
brought the subject to life. Sydney has certainly had many
varied and rich experiences which gave much colour to his presentation.
A good night had by all.
February
2007: The Genesis of the Israeli Language
In
February 2007 the NZ Friends of Israel and the Canterbury Hebrew
Congregation jointly promoted a presentation on the development
of Biblical Hebrew into Modern Israeli. Around 40 people attended.
Prof
Zuckermann talked about the wonderful history of the Hebrew and
its resurrection through the 20th Century. Although the language
founders desired to re-establish a Semitic language they could not
avoid infusing it with Yiddish influences. Today Modern Israeli
is in many ways quite different from Biblical Hebrew. So much
so that a Biblical Hebrew Scholar would find it difficult to comprehend
a Modern Israeli Speaker. Conversely a Modern Israeli Reader
will often misunderstand the ancient Hebrew texts.
The
questions and answer session afterward was lively and interesting.
The audience was left to ponder on why the original Tanakh
had not been translated into Modern Israeli. The notes from
the presentation can be downloaded from here.
Prof Zuckermann's website may be found here.
December
2006: Hannakah
The
Society was spoilt with a thoroughly engaging and informative presentation
by the President of the Canterbury Hebrew Congregation, Bettina
Wallace, who gave a presentation on the Festival of Hannakah.
She
talked about the meaning of the Festival and many of the customs
and traditions that have grown around it.
A
local group also gave a demonstration of traditional Jewish dancing.
August
2006: Obsession the Movie
In
August we screened the documentary: Obsession the Movie. The film
was about Radical Islam and its nature, goals and objectives.
The material was provocative and disturbing. It challenged
viewers to consider how to counter Radical Islamism without stereotyping
all Muslims as militant radicals. Over 50 attended the screening.
During
the following month, the Society held a group discussion to debate
the material in the movie and to stimulate discover what reactions
the documentary evoked amongst its members.
June
2006: Snow
can’t stop Shavuot
Our
original speaker was snowed in and so he wasn’t able to drive in
to give his presentation on Shavuot. Happily another speaker was
able to pull himself away from his newly born daughter and step
in at short notice and gave an interesting and insightful lecture
on the Festival.
The
hardy members who braved the Winter cold, heard how Shavuot was
a time of great celebration. It was one of three festivals that
required a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Fruit intended
for the Temple were marked with ribbons and because there were so
many travellers many people opened their homes to provide temporary
accommodation and hospitality along the way.
Today,
it is also an occasion to celebrate the giving of the Torah by God.
To mark this significant event many read and study the Torah over
a 24 hour period. It is also customary to eat dairy foods during
this festival.
We
were also pleased to be joined by his parents who had travelled
from Israel to be in New Zealand in time for the birth of their
13th
grandchild.
May
2006: Committee meets with Israeli Ambassador
On
Saturday 6 May 2006,at the Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand, Naftali
Tamir’s request, he had dinner with the Committee.
Naphtali
spoke about the need for New Zealand to take a firmer line against
Hamas and Iran as well as mentioning various opportunities for Israel
and NZ to build closer ties.
May
2006: President of Hebrew Congregation Addresses Society
The
President of the Hebrew Congregation addressed the Society at its
monthly meeting on 9 May 2006. The President presented a resume
of the 143 year history of the congregation mentioning the many
colourful people who had greatly contributed to the life of the
community including the building of its synagogues in Gloucester
St and Durham Sts.
One
of the life-members of NZFOI was given a special mention for being
one of the tutors who had assisted the first girls to successfully
become their Bat Mitzvah in the 1950s.
During
its 143 year history, the community had been greatly effected by
the gold rushes of the 19th Century and the Holocaust and its aftermath
during the 20th. Since then the community has continued to develop
and seemed in good heart as it explored new forms of worship through
its progressive services. |