Israel
Shared society in Jerusalem
By SIMONE COHEN SCOTT Last fall a Canadian city tour was arranged for two women from the Jerusalem Business Development Centre (or MATI, as its acronym is known in Hebrew), an Israeli NGO that promotes development of small businesses among under-served communities in Jerusalem. This NGO is a project of the Jerusalem Foundation: The tour, happening in May, is being sponsored by the Asper Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg. I had the good fortune, in Jerusalem last month, to meet and visit with these two women, Michal Shaul-Valej, Deputy CEO, and Riham Abu Snineh, East Jerusalem Manager. It was enlightening to hear about the sensitive and important work these women are doing, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again and learning more when they visit Winnipeg on May 7th, Sunday morning, 10 a.m., at the Asper Jewish Community Campus in the Multi Purpose Room.
The Jerusalem Business Development Centre began in 1991 with the support of the Jerusalem Foundation, as a way to provide an economic solution to unemployment. Jerusalem, Israel’s largest city, is also the poorest. To alleviate this extreme situation among immigrants and ultra frum Jews, 80% of whom live below the poverty line, and Arabs, 40% of whom also live below the poverty line, it was decided the best solution would be to help these people develop small businesses. So the NGO was formed to provide what would be needed to do this: MATI helps with the forming of the idea for a service or a product: provides the basics of how to begin; the education and training to see it though; a business plan; adaptation of business models; basic budget assessments; arranging loan assumption; and any further guidance; under-girded always by English and Hebrew instruction. Poverty problem solved, right? Nope! What MATI offers is the easy part. It’s what the clients bring that provides the challenge.
There is a depth of work behind the work that requires special sensitivity on the part of the staff and volunteers. An understanding of the various cultures is paramount, and resistance needs to be met with patience and empathy. Michal has been with MATI for 21 years, so she was in at the beginning. We can expect that her professional degrees have been massively enhanced by the challenges brought to the project. It has been said that Jerusalem and its myriad of problems is a microcosm of the planet. Trying to blend peoples’ cultures and histories developed over centuries, while occupying a small geographic space, is not going to be like “Let’s go for a walk in the park.” Actually, even that analogy wouldn’t be easy or maybe not even possible. People tend to stay in the groups where they feel safe. Think of the Haredi or Muslim or Ethiopian communities, all resisting normalization. Each culture has a hesitancy to trust, and it can take a long time for a person to realize the ‘other’ does not have a hidden agenda besides just helping. It would have taken Michal or Riham (who has been with MATI 11 years), patience, empathy, and perseverence, to win that trust, even when a better quality of life is the goal. Every member of the 23 person staff would have to be ultra sensitive, committed, and strong, as modelled by these managers, to do this work. In effect, they would all be mentoring the clients and each other.
Immigrant women are perhaps the most able to see and respond to the professionalism of this organization. With the help of MATI many of them have set up child care enterprises, enabling other women to pursue other occupations. This is the case in all the communities. The solution to the poverty problem could very well come from entrepreneuring women. The next step, reaching across boundaries and interacting with each other, would chip away at the societal alienation going on now. The composition of the staff reflects this propensity of women clients. At present of the 8 staff in East Jerusalem and 15 in the West, only 3 are men. I didn’t ask about the ratio of single mothers. This could be a question for the May 7th meeting.
A tangible difficulty among immigrants is that there is no common language, so explaining aspects of the project to the participants is difficult. Language is an even more severe barrier with Arab groups. East Jerusalem citizens, under the Jordanian education system, are not conversant in Hebrew at all, and in most cases not English either. It is realized that bringing the eastern section of the city into the economic pattern of the west is part of the goal, and for this, to speak English is paramount. Fortunately, English classes are attracting students from various streams. In fact English classes are currently the strongest incentive for members of the groups to mix a little. One point here: As I spoke to these women I realized they would not let themselves get bogged down with regret at what perhaps SHOULD have been done in the past. No, they won’t dwell on that; instead, they look forward and up, putting their shoulder to the wheel to overcome past misjudgments. NOW. MATI has open connections with City Hall which have been very helpful in many ways,
At a point in my visit with Michal and Riham we were joined by Zvia Shelly, the CEO of MATI. She has been with the group two and a half years, but my goodness! What a powerhouse of skills she brings to the mix. She has spent a couple of decades with various organizations where she has gained massive experience with management agencies, local authorities, large scale-budgets, stakeholders, volunteers and staff recruiting, strategic planning, goal setting, immigrant absorption, education and culture, and even agriculture which is hoped will contribute to bridging the gap. This is a formidable trio of women. Perhaps they will be the ones who break-up the log jam that forms that troublesome Jerusalem microcosm.
When the beloved Mayor Teddy Kollek (z”l) began the Jerusalem Foundation he intended opportunities to be available for all society everywhere to help in making Jerusalem truly “….the joy of the whole earth…”. Having just experienced the retelling of our Exodus from Egypt, we long for our Holy City: “Next year in Jerusalem”. Attend on May 7th and hear more from these woman about what’s going on there. You’ll come away enriched.
Features
New website for Israelis interested in moving to Canada
By BERNIE BELLAN (May 21, 2024) A new website, titled “Orvrim to Canada” (https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/ovrim-en) has been receiving hundreds of thousands of visits, according to Michal Harel, operator of the website.
In an email sent to jewishpostandnews.ca Michal explained the reasons for her having started the website:
“In response to the October 7th events, a group of friends and I, all Israeli-Canadian immigrants, came together to launch a new website supporting Israelis relocating to Canada. “Our website, https://www.ovrimtocanada.com/, offers a comprehensive platform featuring:
- Step-by-step guides for starting the immigration process
- Settlement support and guidance
- Community connections and networking opportunities
- Business relocation assistance and expert advice
- Personal blog sharing immigrants’ experiences and insights
“With over 200,000 visitors and media coverage from prominent Israeli TV channels and newspapers, our website has already made a significant impact in many lives.”
A quick look at the website shows that it contains a wealth of information, almost all in Hebrew, but with an English version that gives an overview of what the website is all about.
The English version also contains a link to a Jerusalem Post story, published this past February, titled “Tired of war? Canada grants multi-year visas to Israelis” (https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-787914#google_vignette) That story not only explains the requirements involved for anyone interested in moving to Canada from Israel, it gives a detailed breakdown of the costs one should expect to encounter.
(Updated May 28)
We contacted Ms. Harel to ask whether she’s aware whether there has been an increase in the number of Israelis deciding to emigrate from Israel since October 7. (We want to make clear that we’re not advocating for Israelis to emigrate; we’re simply wanting to learn more about emigration figures – and whether there has been a change in the number of Israelis wanting to leave the country.)
Ms. Harel referred us to a website titled “Globes”: https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001471862
The website is in Hebrew, but we were able to translate it into English. There is a graph on the website showing both numbers of immigrants to Israel and emigrants.
The graph shows a fairly steady rate of emigration from 2015-2022, hovering in the 40,000 range, then in 2023 there’s a sudden increase in the number of emigrants to 60,000.
According to the website, the increase in emigrants is due more to a change in the methodology that Israel has been using to count immigrants and emigrants than it is to any sudden upsurge in emigration. (Apparently individuals who had formerly been living in Israel but who may have returned to Israel just once a year were being counted as having immigrated back to Israel. Now that they are no longer being counted as immigrants and instead are being treated as emigrants, the numbers have shifted radically.)
Yet, the website adds this warning: “The figures do not take into account the effects of the war, since it is still not possible to identify those who chose to emigrate following it. It is also difficult to estimate what Yalad Yom will produce – on the one hand, anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews and Israelis around the world reminds everyone where the Jewish home is. On the other hand, the bitter truth we discovered in October is that it was precisely in Israel, the safe fortress of the Jewish people, that a massacre took place reminding us of the horrors of the Holocaust. And if that’s not enough, the explosive social atmosphere and the difference in the state budget deficit, which will inevitably lead to a heavy burden of taxes and a reduction in public services, may convince Zionist Israelis that they don’t belong here.”
Thus, as much as many of us would be disappointed to learn that there is now an upsurge in Israelis wanting to move out of the country, once reliable figures begin to be produced for 2024, we shouldn’t be surprised to learn that is the case – which helps to explain the tremendous popularity of Ms. Harel’s website.
Features
Message from a Palestinian in Gaza to protesters: “You’re hurting the Palestinian cause”
A very brave Palestinian who was willing to put his name to paper and write an article for Newsweek Magazine has exposed the utter hypocrisy of all those students – and others, who have been setting up encampments across the U.S. – and now Canada, too.
You can read the article at https://www.newsweek.com/message-gazan-campus-protesters-youre-hurting-palestinian-cause-opinion-1894313
Features
The Most Expensive Israeli Soccer Transfers
Even if Israel isn’t known as a world soccer power, it has produced plenty of talented players who have made a living in top European leagues. On more than one occasion, an Israeli international has commanded a rather large transfer fee. But who are the most expensive players in Israel’s history? The answer could be a little surprising. We took a look back to find the most expensive Israeli soccer transfers of all time.
Tai Baribo
In 2023, Baribo made the move to MLS, signing with the Philadelphia Union. The reported fee was around $1.5 million, which is one of the highest transfer fees the Union has ever paid for a player.
Omer Atzili
Throughout his career, Atzili has played for a variety of clubs, including stops in Spain and Greece. In 2023, he joined Al Ain in the UAE for a transfer fee of $2.1 million.
Maor Buzaglo
Now retired, Buzaglo was briefly the holder of the richest transfer deal for an Israeli player. After a couple of successful seasons on loan, Maccabi Tel Aviv paid $2.7 million to rival Maccabi Haifa for Buzaglo in 2008.
Dia Saba
Saba made history in 2020 when he joined Al-Nasr, making him the first Israeli player to play for a club in the UAE. At the time, it was a big deal for relations between the two countries. Al-Nasr also paid an impressive $2.9 million transfer fee for the midfielder.
Tal Ben Haim
On multiple occasions, Ben Haim has been sold for more than $1 million. First, there was his move from Hapoel Tel Aviv to Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2023 for close to $1.2 million. A few years later, Sparta Prague came calling for him, spending $3.1 million as a transfer fee for the winger.
Itay Shechter
During the prime of his career, Shechter was the type of player who warranted a seven-figure transfer fee. German club Kaiserslautern paid a little over $2.6 million in 2011 to bring Shechter to the Bundesliga from Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Daniel Peretz
When Peretz was sold to Bayern Munich, it wasn’t the most expensive deal involving an Israeli player, although it was arguably the most important. He became the first Israeli Jew to play at Bayern, which is one of the biggest clubs in the world. The transfer fee for Peretz paid by Bayern Munich to Maccabi Tel Aviv was around $5.4 million.
Oscar Gloukh
Gloukh is one of the best young Israeli players right now. He already has three international goals in a dozen appearances to his name. Somehow, Gloukh is already one of the most expensive players in Israel’s history. After coming up with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he moved to Austrian giant Red Bull Salzburg in 2023 for a transfer fee of close to $7.5 million. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him top that number one day.
Liel Abada
Abada has been a part of two huge transfer deals in his young career. In 2021, Scottish club Celtic paid $4.8 million to acquire him from Maccabi Petah Tikva. However, that number was topped in 2024 when Charlotte FC of MLS paid a fee of $8 million for Abada.
With Charlotte FC, Abada competes in North America’s top league, facing teams from both Mexico and Canada. Throughout North America, sports betting has taken off in recent years. That includes betting in Canada, where there is a large collection of trusted sports betting platforms.
Eran Zahavi
To date, Zahavi holds the record for the most expensive transfer fee paid for an Israeli player. It’s fitting for Israel’s former captain and all-time leading scorer. In 2016, Chinese club Guangzhou City paid $12.5 million to get Zahavi from Maccabi Tel Aviv. That record was nearly broken later that year when another Chinese club offered $20 million for Zahavi, who turned it down and stayed with Guangzhou City.