Welcome to the first World Council of Israelis Abroad Conference

Dates and Locations:

January 18, 2011 3:00pm – 10:00pm Beth Emeth Synagogue

100 Idler Street, Toronto

January 19, 2011 8:45am – 3:00pm Beth Emeth Synagogue

100 Idler Street, Toronto

3:30pm – 6:30pm Sherman Campus | Lipa Green

4600 Bathurst Street, Toronto

January 20, 2011 8:45am – 2:30pm Beth Emeth Synagogue

100 Elder Street, Toronto

Sponsored by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto

Conference Program:

Tuesday
January 18 Location: Beth Emeth Synagogue

3:00 – 3:30 pm Reception

3:30 – 4:30 pm Opening ceremony

 Gil Blutrich – Welcome greeting comments from the “World Council

of Israelis Abroad” Committee
 MK Yuli Yoel Edelstein - Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora
Affairs - Israel
 Ted Sokolsky - President & CEO - UJA Federation of Toronto
 Amir Gissin – Consul General of Israel in Toronto
 Menachem Kohen - “Mishelanu” – Chairman
 Elizabeth Wolf – Chair of the Board
 Gil Palter – Campaign Chair 2012 - UJA Federation of Toronto

4:30 – 5:00 pm    Intermission

5:00 – 7:00 pm   Pillar 1: Building an Israeli Community Abroad –Israeli organizations

around the world

 Gidi Grinstein - President and Founder of Reut Institute - Israel

 Menachem Kohen - Israeli Centre - Melbourne
 Anat Koren – Alondon Magazine - London
 Jennie Star - Tarbuton – Israel Cultural Center - San Diego
 Eldad Goldfarb - JCCGV - Vancouver
 Daniella Givon - JCCGV - Vancouver
 Yehuda Freilich - Israel Link - Chicago
 Vered Glickman - Israeli Culture Centre- Budapest
 Ilan Weiss - Israeli Organization - Berlin
 Ron East - Canada Sheli - Winnipeg
 Ran Mesterman – "The UJA Israeli Forum" – Toronto

7:00 – 7:15 pm Intermission

7:15 – 7:45 pm From the Myth of Return to the Mainstreaming of the Israeli
Community
Professor Rina Cohen – York University, Toronto

7:45 – 10:00 pm Dinner and Entertainment - The Israeli- Canadian Projects:

Kachol-Lavan, Mifgash, Shevet Hermon
Wednesday
January 19 Location: Beth Emeth Synagogue

8:45 – 9:15 am Reception

9:15 – 11:15 am Pillar 2: The relationships between the Israeli and Jewish
Communities and how to move forward?

 Ted Sokolsky – President & CEO UJA Federation - Toronto

 Menachem Kohen – Israeli Centre – Melbourne
 Jennie Star - Tarbuton – Israel Cultural Center - San Diego
 Anat Koren – Alondon Magazine – London
 If’at Eilon- Heiber - Israel and overseas department, JFGV –
Vancouver
 Yehuda Freilich - Israel Link – Chicago
 Ron East - Canada Sheli – Winnipeg
 Vered Glickman - Israeli Culture Centre- Budapest
 Ilan Weiss - Israeli Organization – Berlin

11:15 – 11:30 am Intermission

11:30 – 12:00 pm First and second generation Israeli emigrants and their perceptions
of the local Jewish communities: North America and Europe
comparison
Dr. Lilach Lev Ari- Oranim - Academic College of Education and Bar Ilan
University

12:00 – 12:45 pm Lunch

12:45 – 2:30 pm Pillar 3: The relationship between the State of Israel and the Israelis
abroad

 Mk Yuli Yoel Edelstein - Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora

Affairs - Israel
 Amir Gissin - Consul General of Israel in Toronto
 Professor Gidi Koren - University of Toronto and University of
Western Ontario, Toronto
 Rafi Hadad – Tzofim – North America
 Geoffrey Druker - Israel advocacy consultant, JFGV - Vancouver
 Israel Pupko – NGO “Mishelanu” - Israel

2:30 – 3:00 pm Israeli Identification and Attachment to Homeland among Israelis

Abroad
Dr. Uzi Rebhun - The A. Harman Institute of Contemporary Jewry
and The Hebrew University, Jerusalem

3:00 – 3:30 pm Transfer to Sherman Campus – Lipa Green Centre

Breaking to Location: Sherman Campus - Lipa Green Centre
workshops
3:30 – 6:30 pm 1. Education and Identity of the Second Generation
Chairs: Sara Dobner & Israel Pupko

2. Business, Social and Professional Involvement In Israel

Chairs: Gil Blutrich & Gidi Koren

3. Community Building and Cultural Identity

Chair: Ran Mesterman & Menachem Cohen

6:30 – 7:15 pm Dinner for out of town guests

Thursday Location: Beth Emeth Synagogue

January 20
8:45 – 9:15 am Assembly

9:15 – 10:00 am Presentation of working committees

1. Education and Identity of the Second Generation

2. Business, Social and professional involvement In Israel
3. Community Building and Cultural Identity

10:00 – 11:30 Putting it all together – Reflections, lessons and next steps

 Sara Dobner – "The UJA Israeli Forum" - Transformation of identity

– the Israeli-Jewish dilemma
 Rabbi Israel Landa – Preserving the Jewish Identity
 Nadia Prigat – “Habait Haisraeli”
 Hasia Israeli - Chief program officer &Head of North America
delegation -Future relations with the Jewish Agency for Israel
 Israel Pupko - “Mishelanu” – Opening dialog for the future
 Rafi Hadad – Tzofim – The young of today the future of tomorrow

11:30 – 11:45 Intermission

11:45 – 12:15 Closing ceremony

 Ted Sokolsky - President & CEO UJA Federation of Toronto

 Gil Blutrich – Thank you from the “World Council of Israelis Abroad”
Committee

12:15 – 1:00 pm Lunch

1:00 – 1:45 pm Natan Sharansky – Chairman of the Executive, Jewish Agency For Israel
(JAFI)
World Council of Israelis abroad Conference Committee:
Ran Mesterman
Sara Dobner
Rina Cohan
Gidi Koren
Gil Blutrich

World Council of Israelis Abroad Conference Professionals:

Nella Feldsher
Orit Ben-Or
Galya Sarner
Israel Pupko

World Council of Israelis Abroad Conference Coordinator:

Orit Ben-Or

Special thank you to Ted Sokolsky, President & CEO - UJA

Federation of Toronto

Sponsored by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto