Israel Week

What is Israel Week?

Israel Week is an AUJS project aimed at celebrating the wonderful and vibrant Israeli life, society and culture. It is also aimed at educating the student community on campuses around Australia and New Zealand about what Israel is really like - away from politics and conflicts.

Israel - a view without conflict

A common misconception of Israel is that it is a centre of conflict. There is so much more to Israel than this media driven view. A multitude of cultures and ideologies, a mixture of highly advanced technology and ancient treasures and an incredible array of beautiful natural wonders. All this in an area one third the size of Tasmania.

Israel - a nation of peace

Another common misconception is that Israel is an aggressor that poses the greatest threat to the Middle East. That is simply not true. The Israelis have always been a very peaceful society. They have time and time again proven to the international community that they genuinely want peace with all their neighbouring countries, can agree to a compormise, and can give up land and make numerous other concessions in return for true peace and security. Peace agreements with moderate Arab nations such as Egypt and Jordan highlight that. Israel has also been enjoying a good relationship with Turkey and Morocco - the other two moderate Muslim countries. Until the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Israel had a good relationship with the Shah of Iran. The Israeli government also enjoys close ties with several African states, most notably Kenya and Ethiopia. Read more »

Israel - a society of freedoms

Religious Freedoms - Israel is the centre of three Abrahamic religious - Christianity, Judaism and Islam. While Jewish pilgrims crowd the Western Wall on Pesach, Christian pilgrims fill the Holy Sepulchre Church at Easter and Muslim pilgrims fill the Temple Mount at the end of Ramadan. Each religious community is free to exercise its faith and to observe its holidays. Each has its own religious council and courts, recognised by law and with jurisdiction over all religious affairs and matters of personal status such as marriage and divorce. Each has its own unique places of worship, with traditional rituals and special architectural features developed over the centuries.

Gay/Lesbian Rights - Since the 1970s there has been an active gay rights movement that has often affiliated itself with the Israeli feminist movement and various liberal and social democratic political parties. Common law marriages have been achieved as well as legal adoption for lesbian couples. Gay pride festivals run annually.

Women's Rights - Israel is one of the very few, if not the only country in the Middle East where women have the same rights as men. There is no educational gap between men and women and numbers of women occupying seats in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) is exponentially rising at every election. It is also one of the few countries in the modern world to have had a female leader (Golda Meir who served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974).

Democracy is the cornerstone of the Israeli State and society. In its Declaration of Independence, Israel guarantees that its government will be "for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on freedom, justice, peace, equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex, freedom of religion, concience, language, education and culture". Another important statistic - 20% of Israel's population comprises Israeli Arabs who have equal rights as citizens, including voting and representation in the Knesset. Freedom of expression, movement, religion and press exist in Israel which is unique in the Middle East.

Israel - a leader in scientific invention

Israel has always been regarded as one of the leading nations in scientific development - especially in biophysics/biochemistry, medicine, and I.T. Here are some statistics:

Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees per head in the world. 24% of Israel's workforce holds university degrees. 12% hold advanced degrees.
Israel produces more scientific papers per capita that any other nation - 109 per 10,000 people!!
Israeli scientists developed the first ingestible video camera, the M2A capsule.
Israeli scientists developed the first fully-computerised, non-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
Israel has the highest percentage of home computers per capita. In the I.T. industry, Israel is the leading developer of both computer software and hardware. The first Motorola chips, for example, were developed in Israel.
Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000 - as opposed to 85 in the US, 70 in Japan and 60 in Germany.

Israel - a caring country

Ever since its establishment in 1948, Israel has always given a helping hand to the people of other nations struck by conflict and natural disasters. She was one of the first countries to accept Bosnian Muslim refugees fleeing the fighting in Yugoslavia. She was one of the first to help during earthquakes and tsunamis in Turkey, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the list goes on.
Magen David Adom, Israel's official first aid and disaster relief agency, now officially recognised by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, is involved in humanitarian missions worldwide. Most recently it was involved extensively in providing for the medical needs of victims in Sri Lanka and famine victims in Africa. Read more »

Israel - through the eyes of bumper stickers

Vibrant and passionate discussions are part of Israeli life, whatever the topic may be. Israeli society simply cannot live without the need to express opinions, and one of the most unique ways to do it is through BUMPER STICKERS! That's right - BUMPER STICKERS! The beauty and poetry of Israel's music and the shrill nature of its bumper stickers, slogans and graffiti are two phenomena that play important roles in Israel society. Both speak volumes about Israel's politics, values, culture and passions. The stickers refer to many ideas and concepts that are prevalent and significant within Israeli society. Read more »

Israel & Zionism

Sometimes you can hear the word "Zionism" being used when making associations between Israel and the Jewish people. This term is often misunderstood and at times misused by the media in a negative context. To understand the origins of modern day Israel and its society it is important to understand what Zionism really means. Read more »