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"The Basketball Game" is a graphic novel adaptation of the award-winning National Film Board of Canada animated short of the same name – intended for audiences aged 12 years and up. It's a poignant tale of the power of community as a means to rise above hatred and bigotry. In the end, as is recognized by the kids playing the basketball game, we're all in this together.

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Tag: Africa

Couch potatoes, fitness nuts

Couch potatoes, fitness nuts

Most people know there is AIDS in Africa but few people comprehend the scope of the pandemic. In the past 30 years, 30 million people have died and 17 million children have been orphaned. Grandmothers have buried their own beloved children and are parenting again, with few resources. Vancouver’s Tikun Olam Gogos, together with other supporters of the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, are hosting two pledge events for African grandmothers caring for children orphaned by AIDS.

The first pledge event is For the Love of Grandmothers Fitness Challenge. Here’s how it works: you design a fitness challenge for yourself. The event period began March 8, International Women’s Day, and you must complete your self-challenge by Sept. 8, Grandparents’ Day. Choose something you enjoy and do it harder, faster or more often. Your commitment will help you reach your fitness goals.

You can do it once in a big event or work on it day by day. Then, dedicate your challenge to a grandmother you love. Examples of fitness challenges include the Sun Run, Tough Mudder, spinning 100 kilometres in a day or a month, walking or running three times a week for six months, etc. Whatever you imagine, you can do as part of this challenge – register at fortheloveofgrandmothers.weebly.com.

The second fitness challenge, back for the third year, is Solidarity Cycle, on Sept. 8. This ride is open to people of all ages. It has three track options: the Classic is a 100-kilometre cycle from White Rock to Yarrow. The Easy 50 kilometres goes from the lunch stop in Aldergrove over mostly flat, rural roads to Yarrow, and the 100-kilometre loop starts and ends in Yarrow. Stops along the way are hosted by cheering grandmothers offering refreshments and moral support. There is a celebration at the end of the ride with chili and a corn roast in Yarrow for all participants. Registration for Solidarity Cycle opens on May 1, with training and team-building rides offered throughout the summer. For more information, see solidaritycycle.weebly.com.

For both events, participants set up a secure fundraising page and ask their friends and families for contributions. Funds raised will support vital services and programs, from grief counseling to training for income-generation to support for school fees and uniforms

Format ImagePosted on April 12, 2019April 10, 2019Author Tikun Olam GogosCategories Local, WorldTags Africa, AIDS, grandmothers, health, Solidarity Cycle
Training local doctors

Training local doctors

Prof. Mark Eidelman, director of the pediatric orthopedics unit at Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital, second from the left, with African colleagues at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. (photo from Rambam Medical Centre)

Dozens of doctors from Ethiopia and neighbouring countries recently participated in a practical course, the first of its kind, which trained them to fix pediatric orthopedic deformities. The course, held for the first time in Africa, was led by Prof. Mark Eidelman, director of the pediatric orthopedics unit at Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital.

Fifty doctors participated in the four-day course. Some of them had already completed their internships, while others were still interns. They attended lectures about different treatment types, attended workshops and participated in surgeries. The Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, hosted the course, which was sponsored by CURE International. CURE is a nonprofit organization that assists children in developing countries suffering from medical issues, in cooperation with POSNA, the Pediatric Orthopedics Society of North America.

The Ethiopian hospital’s pediatric orthopedic services are directed by two doctors from England who relocated to Ethiopia several years ago. The doctors created the course in order to give treatment tools to local medical teams dealing with one of the most common problems in the country.

“Against the backdrop of genetic diseases and problems, and especially since there is a great lack of knowledge, infrastructure and treatment capabilities with regard to pediatric orthopedic deformities, there are many people in Ethiopia with problems that are taken care of in other countries at much earlier stages,” said Eidelman. “In Israel, like in many other Western countries, they know how to diagnose problems … and treat them in a timely manner. This helps these patients to enjoy a higher quality of life and prevent their conditions from deteriorating. Now, for dozens of local doctors, there are tools and knowledge to help their patients.”

Joining Eidelman on this recent mission were two doctors from the United States: one who was Eidelman’s teacher, Prof. John Herzenberg, a senior doctor in the field from Baltimore; and Prof. Christof Radler, who is also renowned in his field.

According to Eidelman, the main problem in training African doctors is the difficulty of traveling to the United States to receive training there. “The institutions in Baltimore are considered the best in the field in terms of training and teaching, and the city hosts the leading conferences and courses,” he said. “Unfortunately, most of these doctors don’t manage to secure entry visas for the U.S. and, as such, are denied access to this information. This is the reason why we decided to bring the training to them. At the end of a successful course, we decided to continue with this initiative and, in the near future, I’m supposed to return to Ethiopia in order to train additional doctors.”

Format ImagePosted on November 30, 2018November 29, 2018Author American Friends of RambamCategories WorldTags Africa, Ethiopia, healthcare, Mark Eidelman, orthopedic, pediatrics, Rambam Health Care Campus
Vintage paddles for auction

Vintage paddles for auction

Members of the Tikun Olam Gogos show off some of the paddles being auctioned, until Oct. 10. (photo by Paula Simson)

Last fall, Sue Hyde, dragon boat master and member of Tikun Olam Gogos (which loosely translates as Grandmothers Repairing the World), walked into a board meeting with a hand-painted paddle she had decorated herself. Her idea was to sell paddles like it to raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, which supports grandmothers in Africa who are raising children orphaned by AIDS.

Tikun Olam Gogos is a Jewish charitable organization, sponsored by the Sisterhood of Temple Sholom, and it is dedicated to fundraising for Grandmothers to Grandmothers. The board was in favour of Hyde’s idea – and one of the board members bought the paddle on the spot. Paddles for African Grandmothers was born.

Hyde had access to more than 30 vintage paddles and the Tikun Olam Gogos asked various artists to paint them. The resulting paddles are being auctioned off until Oct. 10 at tikunolamgogos.org/on-line-auction.

“The paddles were done by a selection of different artists, including one stand-up paddle done by a Syrian refugee,” Tikun Olam Gogos member Sunny Rothschild told the Independent. “The rest are meant to hang on the wall. The paddles are amazing, intricately carved as well as painted. Some are two-sided and some aren’t.”

photo - Tikun Olam Gogos makes bags and other items to raise funds, which will be for sale at the group’s Many Rivers to Cross event Oct. 13
Tikun Olam Gogos makes bags and other items to raise funds, which will be for sale at the group’s Many Rivers to Cross event Oct. 13. (photo by Paula Simson)

The fundraiser will culminate with an evening concert on Saturday, Oct. 13, featuring the City Soul Choir and a meet-and-greet with the artists. Winning bidders can pick up their paddles then.

Marie Henry, the founder of Tikun Olam Gogos, also spoke with the Independent. The Tikun Olam Gogos are part of the Greater Vancouver Gogos, which includes more than 25 groups.

“I was visiting in-laws in Kelowna, and I went to a public market and saw a stall where women were selling beautiful tote bags. I found out they were supporting the Stephen Lewis Foundation,” she explained. “I came back and joined the group in Vancouver, but the only problem was I was the only Jew in the group and events kept conflicting with the Jewish calendar. ‘This is crazy,’ I thought, ‘I’m going to form my own group.’”

Henry did just that, in 2011. Today, the group, which is named after the Jewish concept of repairing the world (tikkun olam) and the Zulu word for grandmother (gogo) has Jewish and non-Jewish members. Henry said that only some of the members are actual grandmothers, with the rest being “grand others.”

There are a few hundred Grandmothers to Grandmothers groups across Canada, as well as organizations in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. Tikun Olam Gogos has sold more than 2,000 tote bags, with all profits going to the Stephen Lewis Foundation. That’s some $200,000 in donations from tote bags, said Rothschild.

“The admin costs are 11% of all the monies raised, one of the lowest rates of all charities in Canada,” Henry added.

While Henry takes care of notes and minutes and other administrative details for the group, she said, “We have a lot of really talented women in the group, like Sunny, who takes responsibility for part of the group and helps run it.”

Rothschild joined Tikun Olam Gogos almost four years ago, when she was slowing down her career as a lawyer and had more time for volunteer work. She is active in sewing the group’s signature tote bags, as well as taking turns selling them at local craft fairs, where the Gogos get a chance to tell people about their work and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. “That’s the best part,” she said.

“I have a Post-it up in my house – ‘May my life be for a blessing,’” said Rothschild. “This is one of the things that I do because I want my life to be meaningful and to have mattered.”

“The reason that I started this group when I found out what they are doing,” said Henry, “is to help these grandmothers raise up to 15 grandchildren. My grandchildren live a life of privilege and I feel so horribly guilty that these women in their senior years have to suffer so horribly badly. Doing this, I feel useful. In the final analysis, we are performing tikkun olam.”

“I don’t think that the governments in Sub-Saharan Africa understand the revolution that is going to take place because of these women becoming empowered,” said Rothschild. “There are amazing stories of what women are doing, standing up for their rights. It’s really quite amazing what’s happening.”

“The support that we give them helps them to do that,” added Henry. “I see this as the same to the way that suffragettes in North America stood up for their rights, and here it’s happening in a similar way nearly a hundred years later.”

For now, Henry and Rothschild are hoping the community will come out to support Paddles for African Grandmothers at the Many Rivers to Cross concert.

“We’ll be selling tote bags,” said Rothschild. “People can buy a glass of wine, there will be food too – it will be a lovely event.”

Tickets for the Oct. 13, 7 p.m., show at Temple Sholom can be purchased via tikunolamgogos.org/events.

Matthew Gindin is a freelance journalist, writer and lecturer. He is Pacific correspondent for the CJN, writes regularly for the Forward, Tricycle and the Wisdom Daily, and has been published in Sojourners, Religion Dispatches and elsewhere. He can be found on Medium and Twitter.

Format ImagePosted on October 5, 2018October 3, 2018Author Matthew GindinCategories LocalTags Africa, City Soul Choir, Marie Henry, Stephen Lewis, Sunny Rothschild, Temple Sholom, tikkun olam, Tikun Olam Gogos
Kick scooting for a school

Kick scooting for a school

Gil Drori and Bex Band are kick scooting down the West Coast to raise money to build a school in Tanzania. (photo from Gil Drori)

Gil Drori and Bex Band are en route to the Mexican border. They left from Vancouver last month. What’s newsworthy is how and why. They will be making the journey entirely by way of kick scooter – that’s right, not electric scooter, but kick scooter, the glorified skateboard with safety rails, and they will be doing so to raise money for a school in Africa. They are calling their adventure Kicking the States.

“We decided to do a charity challenge like no other that would help raise money to build a school in a poor village in Tanzania. We visited the village and the half-built school last year and saw the reality and hardship that the children are living in,” Drori told the Jewish Independent in an email interview. “It wasn’t easy to see but we wanted to do something positive, which is how the idea for Kicking the States came about.”

The journey is about 2,500 kilometres long and will take the couple three months. It is, as they say, “entirely muscle-powered.” Drori and Bend have had to pack very lightly to fit all their gear into their modified front pannier, so they are carrying just a tent, sleeping bags and a spare change of clothes.

“When we first thought of the idea, it seemed an impossible challenge, which is exactly why we went for it,” Drori told the JI.

Drori was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Zichron Yaakov. He met Bend while traveling in Guatemala. He’d recently finished his army service and Bend, university. Despite having completely different backgrounds, they “instantly clicked.” They now both live in the United Kingdom, where Bend comes from, and call London home, although they still visit Israel regularly. They recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary.

A kick scoot journey of this kind has never been attempted before, so there are no precedents, and Drori and Bend are learning as they go. “It’s a real adventure!” said Drori.

They hope to raise a total of $10,000 along the way, through sponsorships and by delivering free talks at events for which admission is by donation.

Two years ago, Drori and Bend were working regular jobs, Drori in IT and Bend in teaching. They decided to leave the city life to hike the Israel National Trail, having never done anything like it before. It took two months to complete and, from that point, they have been attracted to adventure as a way of exploring and seeing of what they are capable. They now both work as digital nomads, which gives them the flexibility to keep taking on new challenges, like Kicking the States.

“I think the simplicity of traveling with just a bag with everything you need and working your body each day is really appealing,” said Drori.

Before taking on their latest adventure, they did a four-day mini-trip on scooters, which showed them that it was possible.

“We’ve had a tough but great first two weeks on the expedition,” said Drori. “Physically, it has been very demanding and we have been scooting distances of 30 to 50 miles a day [50 to 80 kilometres], so are left achy and tired. Hills also pose a challenge and we have to get off and push the scooters uphill, which is not easy with all our gear attached.”

Most days, Drori and Bend have no idea of where they’ll be sleeping that night. They have been reliant on people offering to host them, as well as staying at campsites and even sleeping in the yards of strangers. “It has been quite tiring sometimes, living with that uncertainty each day,” said Drori, “but we are trying to embrace the excitement that that also brings.”

The two have faced setbacks every day so far, from road blockages, wrong turns, running low on food and fatigue. Drori said focusing on the money they have raised is what gets them through.

“The children we met in Tanzania are living in real hardship and their only hope of escaping is by getting an education,” said Drori. “They are fed two meals a day at the school, learn to read and write, leave with qualifications and, more important than that, confidence in themselves. We believe that every child should have a right to an education no matter what their circumstances, which is why we are so passionate.”

Drori said they have been surprised by the amazing people they have met along the way. “It’s been the absolute highlight,” he said. “Such kind and wonderful people who, despite us being strangers, have hosted us for a night, fed us or made generous donations to the charity. We’ve met people from all walks of life and have heard so many interesting stories. It sounds cliché, but it restores your faith in humanity. People really are good!”

Drori stressed that 100% of the money raised goes directly to the school. “We really hope that people will support us and get behind this cause,” he said.

People can donate at justgiving.com/kickingthestates.

Matthew Gindin is a freelance journalist, writer and lecturer. He is Pacific correspondent for the CJN, writes regularly for the Forward, Tricycle and the Wisdom Daily, and has been published in Sojourners, Religion Dispatches and elsewhere. He can be found on Medium and Twitter.

Format ImagePosted on June 15, 2018June 14, 2018Author Matthew GindinCategories WorldTags Africa, fundraising, Gil Drori, kick scooting, tikkun olam
טרנד חדש

טרנד חדש

טרנד חדש: גידול משמעותי במספר המהגרים מישראל לקנדה. (צילום: DrRandomFactor)

מספר מבקשי המקלט יוצאי אפריקה שעזבו את ישראל ועברו לקנדה עלה משמעותית מתחילת שנה זו (2017), לעומת שנת 2016. זאת לפי נתוני רשות האוכלוסין וההגירה של ישראל. כך מפרסם עיתון הארץ.

בהתאם לנתוני הרשות בחלק הראשון של שנת 2017 היגרו לקנדה מישראל קרוב לאלף אפריקאים. רובם המוחלט (כתשעים אחוז) הם יוצאי אריתראה והשאר מסודן (כשישה אחוזים) וממדינות נוספות (גם כן כשישה אחוזים). זאת לעומת כתשע מאות יוצאי שתי המדינות שעזבו את ישראל ועברו לקנדה בכל שנת 2016.

המהגרים מישראל לקנדה מקבלים כאן מעמד חוקי במסגרת התוכניות לקליטת פליטים. ממשלת קנדה מעניקה להם תושבות קבע מיד עם נחיתתם באחד משדות התעופה הבינלאומיים המקומיים, כולל זכויות סוציאליות מלאות וכן גם ביטוח בריאות (מדובר ביתרון משמעותי על פני מי שמהגר לארה”ב). לאחר שלוש שנים מלאות של מגורים בקנדה מהגרים אלה יכולים להתחיל בהליך לקבל בקשה לקבלת אזרחות מקומית קבועה.

כיום קנדה היא יעד מספר אחד של מבקשי מקלט שמבקשים להגר מישראל לאחת ממדינות המערב. אחריה במרחק רב נמצאות: הולנד, שוודיה, ארה”ב ונורבגיה. בסך הכל במחצית השנה הראשונה של 2017 כאלף שלוש מאות יוצאי אפריקה עברו מישראל לאחת ממדינות המערב. לעומת זאת יש ירידה במספר יוצאי אפריקה שחוזרים לגור בארצות המוצא שלהם.

קנדה הפכה ליעד מספר אחד למהגרים האפריקאים בשל מדיניותה הנוחה לאפשר להם להגיע לכאן, להיקלט ולקבל עזרה ואף להשתקע במדינה באופן קבוע. בין התנאים לקבלת המהגרים שמציבה ממשלת קנדה כיום: 1. מתברר שהמהגר לא יכול לחזור יותר לארצו 2. המהגר עובר בדיקות רפואיות מלאות 3. המהגר מפקיד עשרים וחמישה אלף שקל ערבות שיבטיחו כי הוא יוכל להתקיים בקנדה בשנה הראשונה (גם אם לא ימצא עבודה). 4. הגוף שמסייע להמהגר להיקלט מחוייב לדאוג לצרכים הבסיסיים שלו בשנה הראשונה.

לעומת קנדה מספר מבקשי המקלט בישראל ירד משמעותית בחמש השנים האחרונות, מאז 2012 – שהיתה שנת שיא במספר המהגרים האפריקאיים שהגיעו לארץ (מספרם נאמד אז בלמעלה מחמישים ושישה אלף איש). כיום חיים בישראל לפי הערכה באופן מורשה כשלושים ושמונה אלף מהגרים אפריקאים. ממשלת ישראל לוחצת בשנים האחרונות על המהגרים אלה לעזוב את המדינה ולחזור לארצם. מי שעוזב מקבל מענק מיוחד מהמדינה בגובה שלושת וחמש מאות דולר. ישראל כידוע מקשיחה את החוקים והתקנות נגד אזרחי היבשת השחורה בשנים האחרונות.

הקלות בוצעו בהסכמי היצוא והיבוא בין ישראל וקנדה

ישראל וקנדה חתמו לאחרונה על הסכם חדש להכרה הדדית בין התוכנית “גורם כלכלי מאושר” שמפעיל המכס בישראל, לבין תוכנית מקבילה שמפעילה רשות המכס הקנדית ונקראת “שותפים בהגנה”. על פי ההסכם החדש גורמים מאושרים ישראלים, מדובר מלמעלה ממאה גופים שעומדים בקריטריונים פיננסיים, בקריטריונים ביטחוניים ובתנאי החוק (בהם יצואנים, יבואנים, סוכני מכס, שמלחים בינלאומיים, נמלים ימיים, מסופים לוגיסטיים ועוד), שיזכו להקלות בהליכי כניסת טובין ושחרור הסחורות שלהם בקנדה. בנוסף מטעניהם יזכו לסיכון נמוך ובידוק דבר שיגרום לחסכון משמעותי הן בזמן והן בכסף. במקביל גורמים מאושרים קנדיים יזכו אף להקלות דומות בדומה לגורמים הישראליים.

יצוין כי זה ההסכם הרביעי שמדינת ישראל חותמת מאז שנת 2011 בתחום הקלות ביצוא וביבוא. לישראל יש כבר הסכמים דומים עם שלוש המדינות הבאות: ארה”ב, דרום קוריאה וטייוואן. מנהל המכס הישראלי נמצא בימים אלה בהליכים מתקדמים לחתום על הסכמים דומים עם מדינות נוספות בהן סין.

Format ImagePosted on July 26, 2017Author Roni RachmaniCategories עניין בחדשותTags Africa, Canada, economics, immigration, Israel, אפריקה, הגירה, ישראל, כלכלי, קנדה
Helping one village at a time

Helping one village at a time

With solar panels, Innovation: Africa – founded by Sivan Ya’ari, centre – is helping bring light and water to African villages. (photo from Sivan Ya’ari)

“Growing up in Israel, we were a poor family,” recalled Sivan Ya’ari, founder of Innovation: Africa. “But the poverty I saw in Africa was true poverty. We can’t compare.”

Ya’ari spent part of her childhood in France, which later helped her land a job with Jordache, a jeans manufacturing company based in the United States that had some factories in French-speaking African countries.

“After spending time in villages and traveling to other countries, I realized that the main challenge in Africa, the main reason why Africa is still in poverty, is the lack of energy,” she told the Independent. “Because there is no energy, they can’t get access to medicine, vaccines – because there is no refrigeration. Because there is no energy, people don’t get access to good education. But, most importantly, people don’t have access to water.”

Ya’ari had imagined Africa to be a continent with little water, but she discovered there is actually plenty of water in Africa. However, the water is located in aquifers and, to get to it, you need to pump it – and to do that, you need energy.

“Growing up in Israel, I remember seeing solar panels on every building,” she said. “So, when I came and learned a bit more about energy, I thought, maybe we just need to transfer some of the knowledge and some of the technology to remote villages to give them a chance to access water and education.”

Ya’ari enrolled in Columbia University’s master’s in energy program and began fundraising to bring energy solutions to Africa.

As a student, Ya’ari started in one village, and then another, continuing to the point that, today, she has brought the technology – a large pump run by solar panels – to about 140 villages, and counting. The water is pumped into a large holding tank and then, with the help of gravity, flows to different taps that are installed throughout a village.

“Usually, we’re putting one tap two kilometres from the water pump system, another tap four kilometres from it and another … in all directions,” said Ya’ari. “So, with one water pump system, we’re able to reach many villages and people.”

Once the concept proved successful, Ya’ari founded Innovation: Africa, which operates in seven African countries. “In every country, we have an office with a local manager,” she said. “In Uganda, for example, we have seven full-time local people working who have all been trained. They are managing and doing the work on the ground.

“We first hire a company that does geological surveys. This provides information about how deep the aquifers are, how much water we can find and where would be best to drill. Then we hire a drilling machine company and have local contractors do the rest – installing the pump, the water tank, involving the community (meaning, the villagers) who decide where to instal the different taps.

“Once this is all installed, sometimes, in some villages, we instal an extra tank – only for irrigation technology (Netafim) that we bring from Israel – and then we provide irrigation pipes to the village.”

Each pump provides 30,000 litres on average per day per system.

Innovation: Africa recently received an award from the United Nations for their remote monitoring system – another technology that came from Israel.

“It’s off-grid, remote monitoring, so, at any point, we are able to remotely know how much water we’re pumping into every village,” explained Ya’ari. “If something breaks, meaning a pump hasn’t pumped water in 24 hours, we are notified about it by the system; not only us, but the local contractors and the local managers.”

Most of the funding has come from individuals and foundations, often with one individual or family sponsoring a village. On Innovation: Africa’s website (innoafrica.org), there is information about how to become a sponsor.

“We have a bar or bat mitzvah … choosing an orphanage to adopt and then they are traveling with their parents to be there when the kids get light for the first time,” said

Ya’ari. “We have families adopting villages. It’s very transparent, personal and concrete. The donors appreciate that they also have access to the remote monitoring. At any point on their phone, they are able to see how much energy was produced or consumed and how much water was pumped. They also know if something breaks. They are connected to the villagers. They go back and visit.”

According to Ya’ari, many children, especially girls, are kept out of schools in Africa so that they can walk the great distances necessary to get water.

“I believe that the best return on the investment is when we bring water to a village,” said Ya’ari. “What we found is that people are spending hours a day looking for water. Most of the time, the water they find is dirty and is not good for drinking. Once we bring clean water, the people are healthier. The changes we see … the children are going to school. We see a lot more girls going and getting an education. We see that they are growing food.

“What inspires me is the number of businesses villagers are able to grow with access to water. They are able to grow food and sell it in the market. They are making bricks and making their homes, no longer made with mud. We see livestock…. They are making more money.

“And, for the medical centres, it’s tremendous,” she said. “Once we provide a little energy and we buy a small fridge, then people come in from the capital to the village to help. The doctor, with energy, she can actually work.”

When it comes to the cost to make this happen, it is about $5,000 to light a classroom and $18,000 to light a whole school, including the homes of the teachers. To bring water to a entire village, it costs around $50,000.

No governments are involved in these projects. It is all about people on one end of the world helping out people on another end.

“Unfortunately, there is no shortage of villages waiting,” said Ya’ari. “In the seven countries that we operate, we have a long list of schools needing light and water centres. It has a lot to do with funding and people to adopt the villages. We have the people on the ground and the technology.”

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Format ImagePosted on June 16, 2017June 29, 2017Author Rebeca KuropatwaCategories WorldTags Africa, innovation, Israel, Sivan Ya’ari, solar energy, tikkun olam
Consider an African safari

Consider an African safari

In Livingstone, Zambia, visitors on the Jewish tour will see a church that used to be a synagogue. The Jewish population peaked in the late 1950s, to some 1,000 community members. (photo by Rebecca Shapiro)

“This guy came to stay, and asked to see the Jewish parts of town,” recounted Peter Jones, owner of the luxury Zambian hotel, the River Club. “I asked him to wait until the next day, then spent all evening swotting up on the area’s Jewish history.”

photo - The Jewish cemetery is on the Livingstone tour
The Jewish cemetery is on the Livingstone tour. (photo by Rebecca Shapiro)

Thus began Jones’ first Jewish tour of Livingstone, an historic town close to the mighty Victoria Falls. He led the guest around the country’s first synagogue (now a church), a small museum and the Jewish cemetery.

“He really took his time walking round,” Jones recalled. “I later found out he was a Holocaust survivor.”

That was 13 years ago, and Jones reckons he’s led about 100 Jewish tours since.

On a recent trip to the region, I was lucky enough to experience a tour for myself. Knowledgeable about all manner of local signs and monuments, Jones pointed out evidence of the town’s rich Jewish heritage that you’d never notice yourself – the faint outline of a Magen David beneath the old synagogue’s paintwork, the marks on a doorway where a mezuzah used to hang.

It seems appropriate, therefore, that his stunning riverside lodge is home to the first custom-built kosher kitchen in Livingstone’s tourism industry. The newly built facilities offer separate dishes for meat and milk, kosher food and customized meals for Orthodox guests. Jones pointed to an upsurge of Jewish tourists, particularly from North America, to explain why he sought mashgiach-approved status.

He’s not alone in noting the increased Jewish interest in the region: companies such as Sikeleli Africa Safaris have responded to it by creating luxury and bespoke “Jewish-friendly” itineraries.

This move made sense for the West Vancouver-based, family-run safari company, thanks to their longstanding Jewish ties to Southern Africa. I had the pleasure of spending time with the daughter, Danni, a Zimbabwean local whose Jewish grandfather held the esteemed position of mayor of Harare, the capital. She now works with many properties that cater to kosher tourists, including Zambia’s River Club, South African beachside hotel Prana Lodge and safari camp Makweti. These properties not only offer authentic safari experiences, but truly showcase the luxury available in all parts of Southern Africa.

For those who don’t keep kosher, the company’s options are, as you’d expect, more varied. This is partly because the safaris are fully customizable, but also because locations on offer include so much more than just South Africa’s renowned Kruger National Park.

photo - The sun sets on a safari in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park
The sun sets on a safari in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. (photo by Rebecca Shapiro)

Safaris in Namibia can be unique. Very much off the beaten track, the arid country is home to two great deserts, the world’s tallest sand dunes and a fascinating multicultural character. A whole host of luxe camps have popped up there in recent years, and they’re the perfect place to both spot the black rhino on foot, and explore a country to which very few people venture.

So, why the increased Jewish interest in Zambia and Zimbabwe? After all, it’s obviously easier to be a Jewish traveler in South Africa than in the surrounding countries. Johannesburg boasts the largest Jewish population in the country, while Cape Town has an impressive range of kosher facilities. There are also Jewish communities to be explored in Durban, East London, Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth. The Chabad presence throughout the area is as useful as it is widespread, but the cultural sights themselves form a real highlight. Don’t visit the country without visiting the Jewish Museum in Cape Town (it’s close to South Africa’s oldest, grandest synagogue), and do leave time for visiting Kleine Draken, the only winery in South Africa dedicated exclusively to kosher and mevushal wines.

From a personal and Jewish perspective, however, I found traveling to lesser-known countries to be infinitely more satisfying. This was thanks to the Jewish scene’s intimate feel there. Jews originally settled in Zambia and Zimbabwe from the late 1800s, as a result of pogroms in Russia, and later to flee persecution in Nazi Germany and antisemitism in South Africa. Numbers peaked in the late 1950s in Zambia and Zimbabwe, at 1,000 and 7,000, respectively. Since then, despite mass immigration to Israel and the West, Jewish life hearteningly continues. In Zimbabwe, for instance, Harare contains both a Sephardi and an Ashkenazi synagogue, but because the city now has fewer than 100 congregants, the prayers alternate between the two.

But, traveling in countries such as these is also more feel-good because of tourism’s boost to the economy. Many Zimbabwean camps have fantastic initiatives. Staying at a Wilderness Safari camp, for example, helps support nutrition programs for primary school children. At Miombo, a personal favorite, you can visit the Iganyana Arts Centre, where local artisans create gorgeous crafts out of recycled materials. Likewise, a trip to the River Club provides opportunities to contribute to social development projects in the village, including renovating water supplies and building libraries, as well as to take stunning river cruises, with hippo or crocodile sightings likely.

I should stress, however, that visiting Zambia or Zimbabwe doesn’t just benefit others – it provides you with the most exclusive, unparalleled safari experience. The game is abundant – Cecil the Lion’s pride strolled past my tent in Davison’s Camp – the scenery is phenomenal and the drivers are incredibly knowledgeable. There’s also a wealth of interesting attractions nearby, such as Great Zimbabwe, a former city that houses the largest collection of ruins in Africa south of the Sahara. Oh, and according to Sikeleli, a safari in Zimbabwe costs just one-sixth of the price of one in neighboring Botswana.

photo - A lion relaxes in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park
A lion relaxes in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. (photo by Rebecca Shapiro)

On top of that, the countries offer such sincere hospitality that you can’t fail to be impressed – luxurious Linkwasha Camp provides kosher food on request in the middle of the bush, while Vintage, a back-to-basics Zimbabwean camp with no running water, still manages to cater to everything from vegan to gluten-free.

And did I mention that Victoria Falls, the waterfall that separates the two countries, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and natural wonder of the world? You have to see its beauty and hear its roar to really understand just how magical it is. But, until then, just trust me that, from any perspective, but particularly a Jewish one, venturing to Zimbabwe or Zambia on a safari is unforgettable.

Sikeleli Safaris runs Jewish safaris for families, couples and congregations alike. Though fully customizable, accommodation tends to be in luxury lodges and hotels in Zambia and South Africa. Prices start from approximately $6,000, excluding commercial flights and dependent on season and group size. The itinerary can be amended and can start in either Lusaka, Zambia or Cape Town, South Africa. Danni at Sikeleli Safaris can be contacted at [email protected] or by phone at 26-378-279-9697.

Rebecca Shapiro is associate editor of vivalifestyleandtravel.com, a travel blogger at thethoughtfultraveller.com and a freelance journalist published in Elle Canada, the Guardian, the Huffington Post and more. A Londoner by birth, she’s lived in Shanghai and Toronto, but is currently (and happily) settled in Vancouver.

Format ImagePosted on September 23, 2016September 21, 2016Author Rebecca ShapiroCategories Travel, WorldTags Africa, safari, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Voices of Africa fundraiser

Voices of Africa fundraiser

Left to right are Anne Andrew, Marie Henry, Stephen Lewis, Joyce Cherry, Darcy Billinkoff and Dawn Alfieri at the African Grandmothers Tribunal, which was held in 2013 at the Chan Centre. (photo from Stephen Lewis Foundation)

The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, in conjunction with the Stephen Lewis Foundation, is supporting grandmothers of sub-Saharan countries in their efforts to raise their orphaned grandchildren, whose parents died of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Tikun Olam Gogos, one of the local groups participating in the campaign, is hosting the Voices for Africa fundraiser on June 15 at Temple Sholom that will feature the City Soul Choir and a marketplace.

Marie Henry, volunteer administrator of Tikun Olam Gogos, talked to the Jewish Independent about the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the Grandmothers Campaign and Tikun Olam Gogos’ place in it.

“Stephen Lewis Foundation was created 10 years ago,” she explained. “Before that, Mr. Lewis was an NDP politician. After he retired from the Canadian political scene, the United Nations appointed him to look at the AIDS epidemic in Africa. What he saw there was shocking: 18 million children had been orphaned in Africa because of AIDS. Their grandmothers had to step in to raise the children. After he returned to Canada, he was determined to help them. That’s how the foundation started in 2006, and Lewis applied to Canadian grandmothers to support it. He knew they could do it. They had resources, experience, determination and time.”

According to Henry, there are now more than 240 groups across Canada associated with the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign. They all include in their name the word gogos, which is Zulu for grandmothers. “The movement’s already spread to the U.S., England and Australia,” she said.

The funds the campaign gathers go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which in turn supports the grassroot initiatives of the grandmothers of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan countries.

photo - Totes made by Tikun Olam Gogos, and other Gogos, will be on sale at the Voices for Africa fundraiser on June 15
Totes made by Tikun Olam Gogos, and other Gogos, will be on sale at the Voices for Africa fundraiser on June 15. (photo from Tikun Olam Gogos)

Henry explained how it works. “The foundation can’t give enough money or food or shelter; the need is just too great,” she said. “Instead, the grandmothers have to come up with an initiative of their own that would improve their condition. It could be a small business that needs a startup loan. It could be a community garden to grow food for a number of families, and they need seeds. Or it could be an educational opportunity, to teach the children and their grandmothers how to prevent AIDS or how to access and administer medicines in case they are already infected. Many children are [infected]; they have been infected before they were born. Many grandmothers also need legal help and education to keep the roof over the children’s heads.”

The latter problem stems from the inheritance traditions in some countries where, after a husband dies, his widow doesn’t inherit property, the husband’s family does, explained Henry. Even if the law says otherwise, the husband’s family’s actions are not always lawful. Many of the grandmothers and their orphaned grandchildren live in small villages without access to legal or medical help, and could be kicked out of their homes by the deceased husband’s relatives. So, the grandmothers themselves have to come up with the programs, depending on what they need in their particular country, area or village. They then apply to the Stephen Lewis Foundation for funding.

“There are several regional directors in those countries, all local women,” Henry said. “They read the proposals, visit the people, assess the projects and decide if the money should go to this particular program. A year later, they would check if the program works, if it should be re-funded, or maybe not. The grassroot programs receive all the money – no government of any of the countries involved receives one dollar, no bureaucracy benefits. The foundation keeps its administrative cost to 10%, which is one of the lowest of all charities. The rest all goes to the people who need it.”

photo - The Tikun Olam Gogos in January 2016
The Tikun Olam Gogos in January 2016. (photo by Susan Hyde)

Henry herself got involved with the campaign almost by accident. “I was visiting my family in Kelowna,” she recalled. “We went to a farmers market and I saw those beautiful totes. The woman who sold them was a member of one of the Gogos groups. They made and sold tote bags to raise money for the foundation. I loved the idea. I found a group in Vancouver and joined it, but there was a problem. I was the only Jew in the group and, often, their meetings fell on the Jewish holidays, when I couldn’t attend. I decided to create my own Jewish group and, of course, I started with my synagogue, Temple Sholom. Everyone was very supportive. Our group, Tikun Olam Gogos, first met five years ago, in May 2011.”

Currently, the group has 29 members, mostly retired women, some grandmothers themselves, others not. They meet once a month, discuss group business and create the kits for their totes. Several group members are experienced seamstresses who sew the totes of various sizes. Others apply their creativity to the trimmings and beads. Still others are good at sales. Everyone finds something to do that agrees with their personality and skill level.

The group’s tote bags are sold at craft fairs. To date, they have raised more than $120,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Many of their fundraisers include an entertainment program as well as a marketplace. The June 15 fundraiser is no different: it will feature the choir, under the direction of Brian Tate, and a marketplace of crafts by Tikun Olam Gogos, South Van Gogos, Welisa Gogos and Van Gogos, as well as a silent auction, wine bar and dessert. Tickets are available at eventbrite.ca.

Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].

Format ImagePosted on June 3, 2016June 1, 2016Author Olga LivshinCategories LocalTags Africa, AIDS, gogo, grandmothers, Stephen Lewis, Temple Sholom, tikkun olam, Tikun Olam Gogos
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