march 2016 • volume 10 • issue 10 • adar-i / adar-ii 5776

March 2016 • Volume 10 • Issue 10 • Adar-I / Adar-II 5776 www.jewishtimesasia.org

AUTOMAKER QOROS LOOKING TO DEVELOP SMART-CAR TECHNOLOGY IN ISRAELBy Staff Writer & Agencies

IN THIS ISSUE

Regional News

French comedian barred

from Hong Kong 3-8

Business News

Elta Systems to provide air surveillance

radars to the Philippines 10-13

Art • Culture • Music

Shimon Peres celebrates Israel-China

friendship with a song 15-17

Festival

Purim 18

Jewish communities in Asia

Candle-lighting and

the month’s Parshas 19

Chinese automaker Qoros is considering the establishment of an advanced R&D centre in Israel, Chinese media recently reported.

According to the Chinese reports, “Qoros plans to open an R&D centre in Israel to focus on developing a smart-car, to stand at the forefront of electric vehi-cle development – including au-tonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence technologies. These technologies will be integrated in the next generation of electric cars by Qoros.”

The announcement was in-cluded as part of the coverage of an event at which Qoros pre-sented the plans for its electric vehicle division. The “E-MIS-SION 2016”, a prototype of a Qoros electric vehicle based on the Qoros 5, will be displayed at the Beijing Auto Show in April.

The platform will serve as the base for both an electric ve-hicle and a plug-in hybrid that will be launched in China with-

lion into Shai Agassi’s electric car venture Better Place LLC and in Chery Quantum LLC.

Israel has so far not been home to a fully fledged centre for developing an electric ve-hicle, but the country has been gaining acclaim as a centre for global expertise in vehicle tech-nologies such as remote start and electronic ignition.

The opportunity to re-eval-uate smart-car technology with an automaker that has electric vehicles in production could be a positive step in the right di-rection. However, the financial constraints on Qoros are also a major negative factor in the de-cision to further invest.

Qoros was launched in 2012 as a 50/50 independent joint venture between Chinese auto-maker Chery Automobile and Israel Corporation. The com-pany is aiming to be one of the first Chinese auto manufactur-ers to meet European and inter-national quality standards.

It has also been a difficult in-vestment environment for elec-tric vehicle initiatives, since the R&D centre for Better Place – in which Israel Corporation also invested – closed three years ago. In 2010 Israel Corporation, controlled by Ofer Holdings Group, injected US$334 mil-

Qoros electric vehicle

in 12-18 months.

Qoros is held by Kenon Holdings, which spun off from Israel Corporation last year and is controlled by Idan Ofer (55%). Unfortunately the Qoros venture has so far not been a profitable one for Kenon Hold-ings as it continues to finance massive losses incurred by Qoros – a total of US$1.1 bil-lion so far. Qoros sold 13,000 vehicles in China during 2015 – more than twice as many as in the corresponding period in 2014, but those are paltry fig-ures given the size of the Chi-nese market.

New search engine to target anti-SemitismThe World Zionist Organiza-tion (WZO) has launched an app called “Sniper”, which it says is a search engine for anti-Semitic content.

The Sniper system is set up to scan the internet using an algorithm that will identify certain keywords in different languages. WZO members will scan the results, confirm the cases that actually show real anti-Semitism, and respond with direct replies or contact au-thorities in the offending party’s country.

WZO emphasises the fact

that the app will be monitored and supervised, so that its use will be proper, and not aimed at shaming individuals or groups without proper evidence.

“The Sniper will create de-terrence,” say the entrepreneurs behind it. “It won’t be so easy to publish a status calling for the murder of Jews, or pictures of burning Israeli flags.”

Sniper’s first users will be members of the WZO’s global network for combatting anti-Semitism, at the WZO’s com-munications centre. Later, other users are expected to join in.

Their role will be to create a kind of “wall” on the site, on which they will write the per-sonal details of publishers of anti-Semitic content, as well as what they published (quotes, screen grabs, pictures, videos and more).

The app was launched dur-ing a WZO conference aimed at combatting anti-Semitism. It will initially operate on a trial basis in countries in Latin America, which has seen a re-cent rise in anti-Semitism that has not been as well-publicised as European anti-Semitism.

Receive Jewish Times Asiaby email

You are ONE CLICK awayYou can also access all previous

issues, news content and features

FREE TO REGISTERVisit our websitewww.jewishtimesasia.org

Jewish Times Asia March 2016 3

Publisher & FounderPhilip Jay

Design & LayoutThe Green Pagoda Press Ltd

ChairmanRobert L Meyer

We welcome editorial enquiries and advertising requests.Please email: [email protected]

PrinterDG3 Asia Limited3/F, Welltown Industrial Bldg,13 Ko Fai Road, Yau Tong, Kowloon

DistributionPP&D Company Ltd

Jewish Times Asia is published by Jewish Times Asia Ltd© Copyright 2016

Jewish Times Asia LimitedSuite 2207-2209,Tower 2, Lippo Centre,Admiralty,Hong Kong

General Line:Tel: (852) 2530 8177Fax: (852) 2530 8100

Representative Singapore:Andrew LimMobile Tel: (65) 9631 7112

Email:[email protected]

Jewish Times Asia is registered as a Hong Kong newspaper with the Government of the HKSAR.

Material in the newspaper may not be used or reproduced in any form or in any way without permission from the publisher.

While every effort has been made that the content is true and accu-rate, the publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions in the printed text.

Jewish Times Asia is distributed on a controlled circulation, compli-mentary to resident addresses and businesses in the region. In addition extra copies are available at syna-gogues, Jewish community centres, kosher restaurants, clubs and asso-ciations. The newspaper is also on EL AL flights between Israel & Asia.

www.jewishtimesasia.org

Jewish Times Asia

www.hmsa-group.com

London — HMSA Ltd 1st Floor, 3 Crawford Place,

London, W1H 4LB United Kingdom

Geneva — HMSA SarlBoulevard des Philosophes 5,

1205 Geneva, Switzerland

Hong Kong — HMSA (HK) Limited2310 Dominion Centre,

43-59 Queens’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong

HMSA Group — International Corporate Service Providers

We offer impartial independent and discreet advice and assistance to entrepreneurs and families from around the world to strategically generate and preserve wealth that lasts for generations

For all enquiries contact: [email protected]

Israeli wine exports to Asia increase

Twitter suspends accounts for terror threats, mostly ISIS-related

French comedian barred from Hong Kong

Dieudonne M’bala M’bala

Israel’s wine exports grew 6% to US$39 million in 2015, the Israel Export and Interna-tional Cooperation Institute commented during the 2016 Sommelier Wine Exhibition, which was held in Tel Aviv in January, where 80 wineries displayed their wares.

The Export Institute added that despite last year’s larger export volume, the money value of exports actually slipped 3% in 2015, due to the weakness of the Euro.

An analysis by the wine industry and the Export Insti-tute’s economic unit shows that most of the increase in Israel’s exports of wine and other alco-holic beverages were to Asia: the wine sector’s exports to Asia rose 16% to US$2.6 million, while exports to North Ameri-

Twitter said in Febru-ary that it has suspended over 125,000 accounts “for threatening or promoting terrorist acts, primarily re-lated to ISIS”.

“We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism and the Twitter Rules make it clear that this type of behav-iour, or any violent threat, is

ca grew 8% to US$25 million. Exports to the European Union were down 18% to US$10 mil-lion, which the Export Institute attributed to the Euro crisis.

According to Export In-stitute figures, Israel has 300 wineries, 60 of which are com-mercial. Most of the wineries are boutique and garage winer-

not permitted on our service,” the social networking service reported on its blog.

Twitter said it has increased the size of the team that reviews reports of abuse, and that has reduced response time to such abuse on the app. It also said that it was partnering with or-ganisations working to counter extremist content online.

ies – small businesses produc-ing only a few thousand bottles a year. The local wine market’s annual turnover is NIS 1 billion, with exports totalling 40 million bottles a year, plus 10 million more bottles of grape juice, and 20% of output is for export.

Export Institute wine and fresh produce manager Yaara Shimony said: “Israeli wines have gained global recognition in recent years from many in-ternational parties. Last year’s boom in exports to Asia, where the kosher wine market is negli-gible, shows the global progress of the Israel wine brand. Israeli wines can already be found in places such as Hong Kong, Ja-pan and China, in contrast to the past, when exports in this sector focused mainly on the demand for kosher wine among Jewish communities worldwide.”

“As an open platform for expression, we have always sought to strike a balance be-tween the enforcement of our own Twitter Rules covering prohibited behaviours, the le-gitimate needs of law enforce-ment, and the ability of users to share their views freely – in-cluding views that some peo-ple may disagree with or find offensive,” Twitter said.

Controversial French comedi-an Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, who arrived in Hong Kong on 28 January to perform two stand-up comedy shows, was expelled from Hong Kong a day after being detained, and his shows were cancelled. His two sons, one a minor, were also detained.

Dieudonne, who has been convicted seven times in France for inciting racial hatred against Jews, posted photos of the in-cident on his official Facebook page. In a later post, he said he had been detained for 15 hours, and blamed it on “pressure by Israel”. He returned to Paris via Thailand on the same day.

In November last year, a Belgian court sentenced Dieudonne to two months in jail

for racist and anti-Semitic com-ments during a show there.

The comic is the promoter of the quenelle quasi-Nazi sa-lute and the term “shoananas” – a mash-up of the Hebrew word for Holocaust and the French word for pineapple – which he uses to suggest the Holocaust never happened, without openly

violating French laws forbid-ding such denials.

Israel’s Consul General in Hong Kong Sagi Karni praised the government for “taking the right measures”, and said: “Who wants to import anti-Semitism, racism, Holocaust denial and sympathy to Jihadist terrorists into this beautiful society?”

An Iranian couple was ar-rested in India while trying to board a British Airways flight because they were carrying forged Israeli passports.

The husband and wife were also carrying their origi-nal Iranian passports when they were arrested on 24 Jan-uary at Chennai Airport, the New Indian Express reported.

They had met and married while working in India and had planned to settle in the US. The couple reportedly thought it would be easier to enter the US with Israeli pass-ports. Airport police told the newspaper that the passports were forged in Goa in India, where the man was working.

Couple arrested for forged Israeli passports

More Indian tourists

Israel is actively targeting 50% more Indian tourists in 2016, said a top executive from the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT).

The country welcomed 13% more Indian tourists in 2015, with approximately 40,000 Indian tourists vis-iting Israel compared to around 35,000 in 2014. De-cember 2015 alone saw a growth of 52% over the pre-vious year, IMOT said. Israel attracted over three million visitors globally in 2015.

Likewise, India’s Jew-ish community in Israel is also reaching out for tour-ists to visit India. One such development over the past few years has been the re-surgence of diaspora Indian Jews visiting Jewish heritage sites in the country. At last year’s national convention of Indian Jews held in Israel, In-dia’s ambassador to Israel ap-pealed to young Jews of In-dian origin to take advantage of the ease of travelling to the land of their forefathers and to contribute in strengthening bilateral ties by connecting to their roots.

Jewish Times Asia March 20164

In 2012, Indian police forensics experts investigate the scene after an explosion tore through a car belonging to the Israel Embassy in New Delhi

India’s security forces re-cently arrested a suspect who allegedly committed a terror attack in 2014 and was plan-ning to carry out terrorist at-tacks against Israeli targets in Bangalore.

According to India’s Na-tional Investigation Agency (NIA), the suspect arrested is Jeb Afridi. He is a resident of Amdabad and is active in the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Afridi is suspected of com-mitting a terrorist attack on Church Street in Bangalore on 28 December, 2014, and of be-ing involved in other incidents in Bangalore and elsewhere.

According to the NIA, he exploded a small bomb outside a restaurant at which an Israeli delegation was supposed to dine. A woman was killed and three were wounded in that attack. There were no Israeli

organising similar activities in India.

Ziv Shalvi, Deputy Consul General of Israel in Bangalore, said he was satisfied overall by police work and the Indian au-thorities in their daily co-opera-tion with the consulate, but did not specifically reference the case of Afridi or recent publica-tions.

Regional News

India arrests suspect planning to attack Israeli targets

casualties. Contrary to claims made by the NIA, the Israeli Consulate said it was not aware of an Israeli delegation, official or not, that was supposed to vis-it the restaurant in question that evening.

In addition, the NIA state-ment said that the suspect ad-mitted to an arson attempt at the Israeli Visa Services offices in November 2015, and was sus-pected of being involved in and

Pokharel said Nepal has com-pleted all preparations for the under-construction Interna-tional Airport in Pokhara, and that work on the airport would begin soon after signing an agreement with China.

Similarly, Israeli Ambas-sador to Nepal, Yaron Mayer, said the desk would help pro-mote tourism in Nepal.

He also expressed his be-lief that the relations between Nepal and Israel would further strengthen in the days to come.

Israel culture exhibited in Pokhara

A new desk exhibiting items of agricultural and archaeo-logical importance in Israel has been set up at the Inter-national Mountain Museum in Pokhara, Nepal.

The new desk was set up placing together a stone brought from the Dead Sea of Israel and a stone from the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest.

Inaugurating the desk, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda

Five women in their 20s from the Chinese Jewish communi-ty of Kaifeng arrived in Israel to make aliyah on 24 Febru-ary.

The women, who have been studying Hebrew and Judaism in their native Kaifeng, made a special visit to the Western Wall on their arrival into Israel. They must still undergo a formal con-version by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The women will con-tinue their Jewish studies at Je-rusalem’s Midreshet Nishmat-The Jeanie Schottenstein Center For Advanced Torah Study For Women, with the support of the Shavei Israel organisation, which will also cover their liv-ing expenses and support them as they prepare for their conver-sions. Upon completion of the conversion process, they will receive Israeli citizenship.

“Kaifeng’s Jewish descen-dants are a living link between China and the Jewish people,” said Michael Freund, chairman of Shavei Israel, which seeks

Kaifeng women make Aliyah

to strengthen ties to the descen-dants of Jews in communities around the world. “After centu-ries of assimilation, a growing number of the Kaifeng Jews in recent years have begun seek-ing to return to their roots and embrace their Jewish identity.”

The Kaifeng Jewish com-munity is believed to have been founded by Iraqi or Per-sian Jewish merchants in the eighth or ninth century. At its peak, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the community may have numbered up to 5,000 people. Today, after centuries of assimilation and intermarriage, the community claims 500 to 1,000 members who continue to observe Jewish customs.

Seven young men from Kai-feng made aliyah in October 2009 with the help of Shavei Is-rael. Last year three young Chi-nese men from the Jewish com-munity in Kaifeng, joined the Israeli army after making aliyah to Israel, and recently complet-ed their conversion to Judaism.

International Mountain Museum

From left: Li Yuan, Yue Ting, Li Jing, Li Chengjin and Gao Yichen, standing in front of the Western Wall

Shav

ei Is

rael


Regional News

Trauma experts visit Hadassah UniversityA team of experts in treating victims of natural disasters from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India visited Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem in January to see how coping with trauma and large natu-ral catastrophes is done there.

The unusual visit focused on Prof. Avi Rivkind, head of Hadassah’s level-1 trauma unit. Some of the visitors came from countries that have no diplo-matic relations with Israel, Riv-kind said, and they included senior doctors and government officials responsible for coping with trauma and disasters.

Rivkind, who was among the founders of the unit in 1991, told the delegation how the hospital copes with victims of terror, road accidents and stab-bings, and others hurt by sharp

to help trauma victims in that year’s tsunami.

The visit was initiated and organised by the American Jew-ish Committee, which works around the world to carry out unofficial ties with many gov-ernments and countries under Project Interchange, which was launched 40 years ago. Every year, some 35 delegations of non-Jewish opinion leaders go to Israel to attend an educational seminar to learn about the coun-try.

objects. He described how Hadassah teams treat victims of tsunamis, earthquakes and floods abroad, and the visitors showed a great deal of interest in treatment protocols, how the work was divided up among medical staffers, and neurologi-cal and orthopedic rehabilita-tion.

Those from Sri Lanka were surprised to hear that Rivkind visited their country in 2004

After three years of failed efforts, the United Nations Committee on Non-Govern-mental Organizations has voted to grant official advi-sory status to the emergency response victim identification organisation ZAKA.

The vote on 26 January 2016 was passed unanimous-ly, despite the membership of states hostile to Israel such as Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Sudan and Pakistan.

ZAKA Chairman Yehuda Meshi Zahav praised the rec-ognition of ZAKA, saying “It is a moral and ethical organ-isation, and its acceptance in the UN is a natural extension of its worldwide operations.” He said ZAKA was active in many countries, saving lives and maintaining the dignity of disaster victims. Meshi Zahav emphasised that the group was been recognised unanimously because of the diplomatic ma-neuvres of the Israeli embassy at the UN.

Official recognition by the UN grants ZAKA the right to participate in official hearings of all UN arms and thus influ-ence the conversation in the global union’s various commit-tees. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said: “This is a very significant victory for Israeli diplomacy. ZAKA is an organisation that reflects Israel’s moral values and its acceptance by the UN represents conclu-sive proof to the world of this fact. ZAKA received the status it deserves.”

The UN Committee on

ZAKA granted official advisory status

NGOs, which convenes twice a year, had rejected ZAKA’s ap-plication for official recognition for the past three years because of what the Israeli embassy de-fined as “numerous objections by anti-Israel actors”.

But the efforts of the em-bassy, with the help and co-operation of US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, helped remove the obstacles.ZAKA and AlManarah join two other Israeli organisations that had previously been given advi-sory status by the UN: Beit Issie Shaprio and ALUT (the Israeli Society for Autistic Children).

In 2005, ZAKA was recog-nised by the UN as an interna-tional volunteer humanitarian organisation. For the past four years, the Jerusalem-based NGO has been trying to upgrade its status and receive recogni-tion as an advisory body with official observer status. Each time, however, the request was denied. The decision is taken by a special committee made up of 19 member states, including Iran, Sudan, Venezuela, Cuba, Turkey, China, Russia, Paki-stan, Uruguay, Burundi, Greece, the US and Israel.

Professor Avi Rivkind, head of Hadassah hospital’s General Surgery and Trauma de-partments, meets the Indonesian delegation

Medical clown Shahar Horowitz at the Mercy Center, Bangkok

Yehuda Meshi Zahav

Hada

ssah

Emba

ssy o

f Isr

ael, B

angk

ok

Klang Hospital, Samitivej Sri-nakarin Hospital and Bangkok Rayong Hospital in Thailand, as well as Royal Phnom Penh Hos-pital in Cambodia.

At the Mercy Center in Bangkok, with which the Israel Embassy has a tradition of co-operation, the children received gifts and shirts decorated with the I Love Israel logo and Israeli and Thai flags. At several hos-pitals in Bangkok, the clowns brought smiles to sick children.

“Medical Clowns” visit Thailand and Cambodia Israel’s “Medical Clowns” visited Thailand and Cambo-dia in February. The Medical Clowns are regular visitors to hospitals in Asia are part of Israel’s well-known Dream Doctor Project.

They are professional clowns and stage artists who have received training in patient therapy during hospital admis-sion or ambulatory treatment. The Dream Doctor Project in-tegrates professional medical clowns into the medical servic-es provided at Israeli hospitals.

In a project sponsored by the Israel Embassy in Bangkok, medical clowns Avital Dvory and Shahar Horowitz appeared in six hospitals and shelters in Thailand and Cambodia. They put on shows, engaged the pa-tients and their families in a va-riety of activities, and lectured to local medical staff. The hos-pitals included Taksin Hospital,


Regional News

Drip irrigation technology from Israel is seen as a pos-sible solution for drought-hit farmers in Asia, especially in India and Thailand, as it could increase water usage ef-ficiency to almost 100%.

The idea was floated at a seminar hosted by the Bang-kok based National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) in January, at which agricultural researchers from Israel introduced “fertiga-tion” technology – fertilising and watering plants using drip irrigation.

Naftali Lazarovitch, an Is-raeli scientist from Ben-Guri-on University of the Negev’s French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, stated that the fer-tigation technique was a very efficient way to grow almost ev-ery kind of plant as it used less water and could increase yields.

He said the technology was developed because Israel’s arid conditions meant conventional

farming was impossible in large parts of the country. “So 70% of farmland in Israel uses drip ir-rigation and the other 30% use sprinklers. By implementing fertigation, the plant can use 95% of the water directly, com-pared to less than 50% of the water in the conventional way of watering,” he said.

Uri Yermiyahu, a researcher from the Gilat Research Centre, said: “This technique can be im-plemented on almost every kind of plant, and the fertilising via the dripping water allows the plant to use the fertiliser direct-ly. However, the nature of each plant is different, so there has to be an adjustment in the fertiga-tion technique to suit each kind of plant.”

NSTDA’s National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology technical officer, Wisara Chaisalee, had previ-ously studied Israeli agriculture techniques. Wisara said the ef-ficient use of water in Israeli farming turned deserts into food baskets, and Thai farmers could learn to implement those tech-niques.

“This is another good choice for Thai farmers planting their crops during the drought, as it uses less water and the technol-ogy is not too expensive or too complex for ordinary farmers,” Wisara said.

“However, there are some limitations of this planting method, as it is too costly to adapt to a large field or some

Technology solutions help farmers tackle drought in Asia

Naftali Lazarovitch

Drip irrigation

terrain, and it has to be adjusted to suit farming in Thailand.”

NSTDA president Thawee-sak Koanantakool said that in co-operation with Rajamangala University of Technology Lan-na, two Israeli experts would lead a field workshop on the fertigation technology in Lam-pang to show Thai academics, students and farmers how it was used and how it could be adapted to Thailand’s farming environment. The Comverse building in Ramat Hahayal, Tel Aviv

halls, laboratories, conference rooms, display rooms, an audi-torium and a dining room.

For a long time, the Chinese embassy has been looking for an office building to purchase, and was in negotiations to buy Dan Bus Company’s office building in Herzliya Pituah.

The Chinese embassy’s pur-chase of the building is an ex-ceptional event, since foreign embassies usually rent their premises in the area of the Ra-mat Gan Diamond Exchange or near Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv.

Chinese embassy purchase Tel-Aviv propertyChinese investments in Is-rael are expanding into the real estate sector. Sources from Globes report that the Chinese embassy in Israel is buying Comverse House on Habarzel Street in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood of Tel Aviv, owned by Shaul Lotan, for NIS 200 million.

The complex contains a six-storey 16,000 sqm. office building with 15,000 sqm. of underground parking and 350 parking spaces, storage space, and showers for employees. The building contains office space,

Leve

nste

in P

rope

rtie

s

In what is being described as a first for Israel, an Israeli com-pany has just sent a shipment of fresh fruit to Myanmar.

According to news released by the Israeli embassy on 8 January, Israeli export company Agroterra in co-operation with local company City Mart deliv-ered a shipment of top-quality dates, red grapefruits and pome-granates. The fruit was sold in City Mart shops in Yangon.

Israel is known for its ad-vanced agricultural methods

First Israeli shipment of fruit to Myanmarand technology, particularly its effective use of water and irri-gation, and has been co-operat-ing in this field with Myanmar.

The Israeli embassy and its Ambassador, Daniel Zohar Zonshine, have encouraged the co-operation.

Israel prides itself on pro-ducing quality agricultural products and is a world leader in agricultural technologies, de-spite the fact that its geography and climate are not naturally conducive to agriculture.

Israeli Ambassador Zonshine shows off the Israeli produce

Isra

eli E

mba

ssy


Go knowingwww.crownrelo.com/hongkong

Valuable cargoIt’s important to choose someone who’ll take extra care of the most precious things

Relocating should be exciting and rewarding for everyone.

Our experience and knowledge of worldwide relocations, is shared by all our people in more than 200 locations.

And we’ll always be there to help you get the most from your relocation.

Tel: +852 2636 [email protected]

Jewish times asia magazine_final.indd 1 24/2/2016 8:57:07 AM

Regional News

Hong Kong’s Jewish commu-nity warmly welcomed Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and his wife Valerie Mirvis for a Shabbat weekend on 29-30 January at the Ohel Leah synagogue.

This was Chief Rabbi Mir-vis’s second official visit to Hong Kong – the first was in 2014, when he was officially appointed the UK and Com-monwealth’s new Chief Rabbi from Lord Jonathan Sacks.

UK Chief Rabbi visits Hong Kong

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis

Mark Zukerberg

Zuckerberg sixth-richest person in the worldin the world, has now become the sixth-wealthiest overall.

Zuckerberg, 31, has a nett worth of US$47.5 billion, ac-cording to the Bloomberg Bil-lionaires Index, slightly ahead of the Koch brothers’ fortune valued at US$45.9 billion, Bloomberg Business reported in January.

He moved past the Kochs when his fortune rose up a fur-ther US$6 billion when Face-book reported record earnings. In October, Zuckerberg was

Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the cur-rent richest Jewish person

listed No. 8 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bill Gates, Amancio Ortega, Warren Buf-fett, Jeff Bezos and Carlos Slim are the top five on the index.

Zuckerberg is ahead of Or-acle’s Larry Ellison, a fellow Jew, who is No. 10 overall.

Last December, Zucker-berg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, announced plans to do-nate 99% of their Facebook shares to charity over their lifetimes.

Chief Rabbi comments on new Mourners Kaddish booklet for Women in the UK

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said women who would like to say the Mourner’s Kaddish “should feel comfortable and supported in doing so”. His comments came in the wake of a publication that was distributed in January by the United Synagogue, a union of British Orthodox Jewish syn-agogues, of a mourning and Kaddish booklet for women.

“It is my hope that this guide will demystify the process of saying Kad-dish, sorting the myths from the facts, and will make a real difference to the grieving process for women in our community,” Mirvis said in a state-ment on the United Synagogue website.

The booklet was sent to all United Synagogue communities, as well as to rabbis, female teachers, burial societies and cemeteries. The booklet also offers other ways to commemorate the death of loved ones, including learning Torah in their name of their loved one, helping others, praying and saying Psalms.

Jacqui Zinkin, a United Synagogue trustee and co-chair of United Synagogue Women, led the effort to prepare the booklet in the wake of her father’s death.

“I found that saying Kaddish provided a structure to my mourning, and together with additional learning and chesed projects, I began to feel my way through the initial loss,” Zinkin said in a letter to rabbis and female leaders accompanying the booklet. “The grieving process is of course dif-ferent for everyone, and there may well be women who do not wish to say Kaddish and they should feel no obligation to do so. But, for those who feel like me, it can help with mourning the loss of a loved one.”

The Mourner’s Kaddish is recited during each of the three daily prayer services in the presence of a minyan, a quorum of 10 worshippers. Un-der Jewish law, women are exempt from saying Kaddish regularly due to its time-bound nature. Women reciting Kaddish in many Orthodox syna-gogues and at public funerals has been controversial, with some saying that women should not recite the mourner’s prayer publicly or should only recite it if a man is saying it at the same time.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis was the guest of honour for the Shab-bat Dinner Eve in the Garden Room, which was well at-tended by many local com-munity members. The Chief Rabbi spoke on the topic “What Makes A Real Community?” He also addressed the commu-nity during the morning service. On Motzei Shabbat, an evening with the Chief Rabbi included a Q&A session at the home of Tara and Joe Diestel.


Regional News

India’s highest-ranking Jewish military officer dies at 92

Lt. Gen. Jacob-Farj-Rafael “JFR” Jacob, an Indian Jew who had a storied career in India’s military, has died at 92. (Some reports said he was 93.)

Jacob died on 13 January in New Delhi following a short illness, according to several In-dian media outlets. The Ameri-can Jewish Committee, which in 2013 awarded Jacob with its Global Leadership Award, said in a statement that the general was “for decades the most prom-inent member of his country’s Jewish community” and was its highest-ranking Jewish military officer. Among his countrymen,

Jacob was best known for ne-gotiating the 1971 surrender of more than 90,000 Pakistani sol-diers in Bangladesh’s struggle for independence.

According to India’s The Tribune, Jacob’s body was held in state at Brar Square in Delhi Cantonment and then handed over to “Delhi’s small Jewish community at the Judah Hyam Synagogue in central Delhi for his final rites”.

The chief general of India’s army, Dalbir Singh Suhag, said Jacob was “a pillar of military leadership and personified the best qualities of a soldier and a statesman”, according to The

in Burma and Sumatra.

Interviewed in 2012 by OpenTheMagazine, Jacob said his family originally came from Iraq, settling in India in the mid-18th century.

“I have never been a very re-ligious man,” he told the maga-zine. “I believe in God, I can say a few Jewish prayers, but that’s it. When we were young, our parents hired tutors to teach us Hebrew. Unlike my brothers, I was not bothered to learn. I re-gret that now.”

The article noted that he had been to Israel many times “and engaged in some behind-the-scenes diplomacy to foster Indo-Israeli relations”, devel-

Tribune. Jacob served as gover-nor of Punjab and administrator of Chandigarh between Novem-ber 1999 and May 2003, accord-ing to The Tribune, which said he was known “for dropping in unannounced in public offices”.

Israeli Ambassador Daniel Carmon told The Tribune that Jacob was a staunch supporter of India-Israel relations and “shall forever be remembered as a human bridge between our peoples”.

Born in Calcutta to religious Jewish parents, Jacob was in-spired by the Holocaust to en-list in the British Indian Army in 1942. He served on various fronts during WWII, including

Lt. General Jack JacobA military funeral in Delhi to honour Lt. General Jack Jacob

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) with Lt. Gen. Jack Jacob and two of Jacob’s books. He wrote Surrender at Dhaka about the Bangladesh War of 1971

oping friendships with numer-ous Israeli military and political leaders, including former Presi-dent Shimon Peres.

Asked by OpenTheMaga-zine whether he was ever tempted to move to Israel and offer the country his military expertise, he said: “Israel has outstanding military leaders of their own, they do not need me. Besides, India has always been very good to us. I am proud to be a Jew, but am Indian through and through. I was born in India and served her my whole life. This is where I want to die.”

Jason Isaacson, AJC associ-ate executive director for policy, in a statement provided by the AJC, said: “Jack Jacob’s con-tributions to peace and security in South Asia, as well as to the burgeoning and mutually bene-ficial relationship between India and Israel, are incalculable and enduring. A warrior, a man of peace, a patriot, a man of letters, and a committed Jew, he was a giant – and he will be missed.”

Jacob, who never married, retired from the military in 1978.


Students find the perfect Jewish education for free

Al l a r o u n d t h e w o r l d , p a re n t s and Jewish teens seek to balance the

need for an affordable quality education and the desire for Jewish expression. And Jewish parents look for ways to provide their children with a solid Jewish identity and a quality education.

For many, the cost of full-time Jewish education is pro-hibitive, yet a public-school ed-ucation comes at the expense of the social discomfort. For many families, Jewish education is relegated to bar/bat mitzvah les-sons, with the need for a solid academic foundation taking pri-ority. To develop and maintain a strong sense of Jewish identity becomes a challenge for many teens and young adults.

Looking beyond the tradi-tional options can hold the an-swer to all their needs. For some 1,600 Jewish students, the solu-tion to this ever-common di-lemma has an address. Though radical, these families have de-cided to invest in a non-tradi-

tional way, giving their children the adventure of a lifetime and sending them to high-school boarding programmes in Israel.

For Reeka Umardekar, of Mumbai, and hundreds of her Jewish peers enrolled in Naale Elite Academy’s 25 schools, they found the perfect fit. Naale’s programmes provide both an affordable education and great Jewish atmosphere. The tracks offer independent teens in 9th through 12th grade a top-notch Jewish education with a full scholarship.

Reeka Umardekar, 18, is having the adventure of a life-time completing her high school education in the unique Naale Elite Academy programme in Israel. While attending board-ing school in Israel might seem like a radical approach at first, Umardekar explained that for her family it was the perfect so-lution to a common problem.

It can be hard for parents to send their children overseas but the benefits far outweigh the downsides. Umardekar said, “My family is happy for me. At

home I was in public school and here I’m only with Jewish kids. It’s much better.”

Naale Elite Academy runs specialised tracks include secu-lar and religious programmes, an intensive-level science and art programmes, as well as separate groups for students from predominantly English-, French-, Spanish- and Russian- speaking backgrounds. While on the program, students are supported by a whole network of professional assistance, in-cluding dorm counsellors, so-cial workers, language special-

ists, psychologists and of course dedicated teachers.

Students take the interna-tionally recognised Israeli-high school matriculation exam, the Bagrut. While students are given assistance if they wish to make Aliyah after completing Naale, eventual Aliyah is not a requirement of the program. Although it is a three- or four- year course, completing all four years at Naale Elite Academy is not mandatory. Students are free to transfer back to their home countries at any time. The Naale full scholarship covers all tuition fees, full board in the on-campus boarding school, health insurance, extracurricular activ-ities, trips and excursions, and initial flight to Israel. (Limited registration and acceptance fees to do apply.)

Umardekar is overjoyed to be part of Naale Elite Academy programme Mosenson. She explained, “This is the perfect programme for me. It’s in Israel, everyone here is Jewish and it’s affordable.”

Umardekar would be quick

to recommend the experience to any Jewish teens looking to expand their horizons, saying “Everyone here is so helpful. The staff are amazing and if you want they will set you up with a host family. When I arrived, I couldn’t believe how warm and welcoming everyone was.”

The Naale programme of-fers students many special memories. Umardekar treasures the fun and memorable expe-riences. “I love the extra cur-ricular activities at Naale. We have social activities, trips and there’s all sorts of things to do after class. I like zoomba and the art classes,” she said.

To overcome the challenges of mounting tuition costs of Jewish schools, more and more Jewish teens are discovering that Naale Elite Academy is holds the solution to all their problems, with the added ben-efit of gaining meaningful life-long experiences, independence and skills. In the meantime, hundreds of Jewish students, like Umardekar, are having the time of their lives!

Reeka Umardekar


Business News

Elta Systems to provide air surveillance radars to the PhilippinesAccording to news sources in the Philippines, the Depart-ment of National Defense (DND) and Israeli company Elta Systems Ltd are close to forging a deal for the supply of three air surveillance ra-dars to boost the Philippines’ territorial defence capabili-ties.

The Philippines has ordered three ELM-2288 air surveil-lance radars from Israel Aero-space Industries (IAI) subsid-iary Elta Systems for US$56 million.

The first delivery is sched-uled to take place by the end of 2017, the second in May 2018 and the third in November 2018.

The ELM-2288 is an air de-fence and air traffic control ra-dar (AD-STAR), which can op-erate independently and as part of a larger air defence system.The mobile, long-range radar has ballistic missile detection and advanced electronic coun-termeasure capabilities. Its inte-grated antenna is foldable, mak-ing it convenient to transport it on standard roads, under bridg-es and inside a C-130 transport aircraft.

The long-range s-band fam-ily radar also supports early-warning and traffic-control activities. Featuring automatic tracking based on pre-pro-grammed targets parameters and digital beam, the ELM-2288 provides high-accuracy

3D data on tracked targets.

The radar comes in two con-figurations, the medium range ELM-2288-MR and the extend-ed range ELM-2288-ER.

Designed for rapid deploy-ment, the MR consists of a single container that holds the entire equipment, including the foldable antenna on the shelter. The antenna consists of 32 row elements. The ELM-2288-ER is designed for deployment to fixed sites and the antenna con-sists of 60 row elements.

The Philippine Air Force has acquired the radars as part of a recapitalisation plan, which would also include the procure-ment of fighter jets, patrol air-craft and heavy-lift helicopters.

The Philippines finalised the air defence radar system deal with Israel in 2014, to strength-en its surveillance capabilities in the South China Sea, where China is active with its infra-structure development, much to the displeasure of its neigh-

Israel’s National Cyber Bu-reau in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Trade Administration in the Minis-try of Economy and Industry have confirmed their support for a new consortium of Israe-li companies to provide cyber solutions for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

The consortium to be led by Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd, includes leading cyber security companies Check Point Soft-ware Technologies Ltd., Verint Systems Inc., Bynet, ClearSky, CyberX and ECI Telecom Ltd.

The Ministry of Economy said professional co-operation between the seven firms will allow them to prove their wide range of capabilities in end-to-end solutions for the cyber threats Japanese authorities are likely to face in the run-up to the Olympic Games in four years.

Some of the companies

have previously been involved in providing cyber solutions for sporting events of a simi-lar magnitude, including the London 2012 Summer Olym-pics and the Sochi 2014 Win-ter Olympics. The Ministry of Economy and Industry said the Japanese market is considered a challenge for Israeli companies seeking their first steps there, because it is a closed market laden with tech solutions.

The seven Israeli companies are expected to begin their ef-forts soon, starting with an ex-hibition centre to showcase the technologies they will offer the Tokyo authorities.

Cyber solutions for Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics

bours, including the Philippines and Vietnam.

Philippines Air Force spokesman Col. Enrico Cana-ya was quoted as saying: “The surveillance radars will help us monitor our territorial air-space and air defence identifi-cation zone. They are expected to be sited in Ilocos Norte (the northern tip of the Philippines), Lubang Island (Mindoro) and Palawan, which all face west-ward.”

President Shaul Shahar.

“We are looking forward to working with Hankuk Carbon, a well-established Korean com-pany decisive to enter into the aerospace business. With Han-kuk Carbon’s composite mate-rial production capability and with IAI’s 40 years of experi-ence and know-how of UAV’s, the joint venture has the poten-tial to become a leading VTOL UAV company, and to provide the best solution to our custom-ers in Korea and worldwide,” concluded Shahar.

IAI and Hankuk Carbon form JV for UAV productionIsraeli and South Korean companies signed a Memo-randum of Understanding in February to form a joint venture for the development, manufacture and marketing of vertical-takeoff-and-land-ing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s).

Under the agreement, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd (IAI) and Hankuk Carbon, a compos-ite manufacturer, will begin by developing a vehicle with the maximum takeoff weight of between 441 pounds and 661 pounds, primarily for Korea’s domestic market. IAI said add-ing a ship-borne VTOL capabil-ity to its Panther UAV is also being considered. The Panther is a 143-pound tilt-rotor UAV built by IAI.

“We see the upcoming JV as a great opportunity for both companies to expand their busi-ness,” said IAI Executive Vice

Shaul Shahar and Moonsoo Choat at the MOA Ceremony


Second from left: Israel’s Ambassador to Singapore Yael Rubinstein with other dignitaries opening the Israel Pavilion

Elbit Systems showcasing unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV)

The Singapore Airshow, Asia’s largest and one of the world’s most important aero-space and defence exhibitions, took place from 16-21 Febru-ary at the Changi Exhibition Centre.

The Singapore Airshow is a global marketplace and net-working powerhouse for the world’s aviation community at-tended by dignitaries not only from Singapore and the region but also from countries cross the globe. The latest state-of the-art systems and equipment, together with their related tech-nologies and developments, are displayed by top aerospace companies.

Well over 900 exhibiting companies from 50 countries,

274 official delegations from 70 countries and 45,000+ profes-sional visitors attend.

Israel’s Ambassador to Sin-

gapore Yael Rubinstein inaugu-rated this year’s Israel National Pavilion.

Exhibitors at the Israel Pa-vilion displayed a wide range of defense systems, including active defense, unmanned sys-tems, intelligence, command, control and communications (C4I), as well as advanced tech-nologies spanning electro-op-tics, aerostructures, microme-chanics, precision electrome-chanics, and logistical support subsystems.

In all, 12 Israeli defence companies, including Rafael, Elbit Systems and Israel Aero-space, exhibited at this year’s show.

Business News

Israel’s participation at the Singapore Airshow 2016

camera with electro-optical sen-sors, a day camera and a laser range finder.

Meanwhile, a number of airports in the USA are evalu-ating another Israeli-developed combined FOD detection and wildlife tracking system, the RunWize.

The system was installed at Sea-Tac airport in Seattle in 2015. Integration was made by prime contractor Leidos, and RunWize has successfully passed site acceptance testing.It works by using hybrid optical radar remote-sensing technol-ogy and strategic positioning of its sensors alongside the runway edge lights.

Israeli companies market debris and wildlife aviation protection systems

Israel’s Controp is teaming with Pharovision to provide adapted electro-optical/infra-red sensors for two new avia-tion safety systems.

Designed to combat the sep-arate issues of bird strikes and foreign object debris (FOD), Controp has introduced the In-terceptor automatic detection and tracking system and the Sentinel FOD detection system.

Interceptor provides auto-mated scanning and real-time warnings of potential collisions with wildlife – both in the air and on the ground – without the need for user interaction.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has evaluated Interceptor at New York’s La Guardia airport, and it is being further assessed by the agency at Whidbey Island in Washing-ton, US.

Sentinel, meanwhile, pro-vides continuous scanning of runways and taxiways to detect debris, and “exceeds all require-ments” of the FAA criteria for FOD detection. Both systems integrate a thermal imaging IAI Booth

Detection systems at airport runways


Business News

HKJMA at International Diamond Week in Israel

A delegation of diamond buy-ers organised by the Hong Kong Jewellers Manufactur-ers’ Association (HKJMA) and led by the association’s Chairman, Adam Lau, at-tended the winter edition of the International Diamond Week in Israel, which was held on the trading floor of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) from 14 to 18 February.

“We welcome the oppor-tunity given to our members to take part in this unique dia-mond marketing platform,” said HKJMA President Lau. “Hong Kong’s jewellery-manufactur-ing business community has a long-standing relationship with Israel’s diamond industry and our members regularly trade

efforts in bringing a sizable del-egation of Hong Kong diamond buyers to our exchange and congratulate him on his initia-tive to open up new horizons to his membership,” stated IDE President Yoram Dvash. “Hong Kong is one of the most diverse and multifaceted diamond mar-

with a myriad of Israel Dia-mond Exchange members, who are active in Hong Kong and exhibit at the various interna-tional trade shows held in Hong Kong,” he added.

“Adam Lau is a long-time friend of our industry and of Israel. I commend him for his

Israel Diamond Exchange President Yoram Dvash and Hong Kong Jewelry Man-ufacturers’ Association President Dr. Adam Lau upon signing the MoU

The Israeli Diamond Industry is preparing a major presence at HKTDC’s Hong Kong In-ternational Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show in March. The Israel Diamond Pavilion, or-ganised by the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI), will host 93 companies.

There will also be 10 Israeli companies exhibiting in other locations throughout the show. Among the Israeli exhibitors will be six companies that are participating in the show for the first time.

The Israel Diamond Pa-vilion will once again be lo-cated in the Diamond Hall at the AsiaWorld-Expo. Within the pavilion, IDI will host a spacious lounge with refresh-ments throughout the day, and three “Find Your Diamond” terminals. This popular system enables buyers to search a com-puterised database of all goods offered by Israeli exhibitors at the show. It will be offered in

both English and Chinese, and buyers will be now be able to access it on their smartphones as well.

The Israeli exhibitors will be presenting diamonds of all shapes, sizes and colours. Many of the exhibitors will also be showing specially designed pieces of diamond jewellery.

Hong Kong is Israel’s sec-ond-largest market for polished diamonds, representing close to 30% of total polished diamond exports. In addition to Hong

Israeli Diamond Pavilion at Hong Kong international show

Cataylst CEL Fund closes with excess of US$200 million

Shmuel Schnitzer

Shmuel Schnitzer, who re-cently completed his term as President of the Israel Dia-mond Exchange (IDE), has been elected as Chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI). He replaces Moti Ganz, who completed three terms as Chairman of IDI.

Schnitzer first served as President of IDE from 1998 to 2004, and was later granted the title of Honorary President of the exchange. He also served as President of the World Fed-eration of Diamond Bourses from 2002 to 2006, and was later made Honorary President of the organisation. He also served a fourth term as IDE President from 2013 to 2015.

IDI is a non-profit, public-interest company represent-ing all institutions involved in the Israeli Diamond Indus-try. It works to advance and strengthen the Israeli industry as one of the world’s leading diamond centres, through mar-

keting, technological innova-tion, rough diamond sourcing and the promotion of local manufacturing.

Upon being elected, Shm-uel Schnitzer said: “I am pleased to continue to serve the Israeli Diamond Industry, especially during this period of economic challenge. How-ever, I am certain that with the improvement in the economies of key markets, more balanced strategies on the part of the major rough diamond produc-ers and the co-operation of the entire industry, we will see much better results in the com-ing year.”

Schnitzer elected Chairman of IDI

ceremony.

“Acknowledging the impor-tance for both sides of the dia-mond and jewellery industries, and the desire to co-operate on the basis of reciprocity and an understanding of the needs of their members, we share the desire to strengthen the rela-tions between the parties and transactions between members: we have agreed to co-operate in mutual activities in China and Southeast Asia, to hold pe-riodic consultations in order to raise issues of common inter-est to both parties, in order to strengthen the commercial re-lationship between the parties,” the agreement said.

kets. While the Israel diamond trade’s position in Hong Kong is robust, I am confident that with the delegation’s visit we will be strengthening our suc-cessful and fruitful business relationship even further!,” he commented.

While the HKJMA del-egates were attending the event, Dvash and Lau signed a Memorandum of Understand-ing to strengthen co-operation between the HKJMA and the IDE. The signing ceremony was held in the IDE Trading Hall in the presence of members of the Hong Kong delegation and the Deputy President of the IDE, Hezi Blum, while the IDE’s CEO, Eli Avidar, moderated the

ing in April 2014, Catalyst CEL Fund has effected two suc-cessful investments, including a controlling stake in Lamina Technologies, an Israeli-found-ed, Swiss-based manufacturer of state-of-the-art, sub-micron, precision metal cutting tools. The Fund’s second investment into a cutting-edge 3D printing company was closed during the last week of January 2016.

Catalyst co-founder and managing partner Edouard Cukierman said: “We are very proud of and grateful for the support of our long-term inves-

tors who have stayed with us for many years and decided to commit their capital to our most recent and third Fund, the Cata-lyst CEL Fund. We see their commitment as a strong vote of confidence and we look forward to building on our track record and delivering superior returns to our investors.”

CEL CEO Chen Shuang said: “We are confident that there are many interesting op-portunities between the Israeli and Chinese markets. The suc-cessful closing and size of our Fund confirms our assessment

and shows the confidence our investors have in our strategy which makes us very proud.”

Catalyst CEL Fund invests in mid-to-late-stage com-panies with proven innova-tion and global presence. Its growth strategy is oriented towards activities in emerging markets, with a special focus on the Chinese market. Focus sectors for the Fund include industrials, manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, water, energy, technology, media and telecommunications.

Kong, Israel supplies polished diamonds to China, India, Thai-land, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and other Asian mar-kets.

The Israeli Diamond In-dustry is cautiously optimistic about the success of this show for Israeli exhibitors. IDI Chair-man Shmuel Schnitzer said: “Hong Kong is a very important market for us since it is the gate-way to Asia. Despite the current slowdown in China, we believe in the future of this market and we’re there to show our sup-port.” He added: “As the ‘open-ing show’ for 2016, this show is a very important place for us to be. In the past few weeks we have seen that demand is pick-ing up and we are optimistic that 2016 will be better than the previous year.” Schnitzer said that IDI would again be par-ticipating in four trade shows in Hong Kong this year – in March, June, September and November.

CEL Fund managing partner Yair Shamir jointly announced: “Our vision is to support the growth and establishment of in-novative Israeli companies as global market leaders across a variety of industries. We pro-vide an attractive alternative to Israeli entrepreneurs selling their businesses too early, and provide mature companies with the capital and support for cre-ating larger global businesses including access to capital from China and the vast China mar-ket opportunity.”

Since the Fund’s first clos-

Catalyst CEL Fund an-nounced in February that it had closed its fund with commitments in excess of US$200 million.

The Fund is the first dedi-cated Israel-China private eq-uity fund, and was established in partnership with Catalyst Private Equity, a leading Is-raeli private equity firm, and China Everbright Ltd., a lead-ing Hong Kong-based asset manager.

Catalyst co-founder and managing partner and Catalyst


The signing of the JV in Yichang, China

TravelersBox kiosk

In January, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd (IAI) formed a joint venture with Chinese state-owned aircraft main-tenance enterprise Lingyun (Yichang) Science and Tech-nology Group Co. Ltd.

This joint venture in Hubei Province will be IAI’s first lo-cal Chinese maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) enterprise. It will expand civil maintenance services and cargo conversion, and lay the groundwork for ad-ditional business.

IAI is a world leader in the provision of maintenance ser-vices for aircraft, engines and components, including heavy maintenance, modifications, upgrades, conversions and de-velopment programmes.

Co-operation between the two companies has received strong support from the Chi-nese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Coun-tries (CPAFFC), as well as from local municipal and provincial governments.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Yosi

Melamed, VP of IAI’s Bedek Aviation Group, and Sun Jian, the Chairman of Lingyun. The Chinese guests included, among others, Yichang municipal gov-ernment and CAAC leaders, as well as representatives of many airline companies.

IAI Bedek Aviation Group VP Yosi Melamed said: “This is IAI’s first MRO joint venture in China and is part of IAI’s strategy to extend our business into the growing Chinese civil aviation sector. This agreement will lead to substantial co-op-eration between our two com-panies to the mutual benefit of

Business News

IAI sets ups first Chinese aircraft maintenance programme

both parties.”

Lingyun chairman Sun Jian said: “The establishment of the joint venture demonstrates the concepts of complementary advantages and win-win co-operation. We will cherish this opportunity to co-operate, and will make full use of resources from both sides, to make our joint-venture business prosper-ous and shape the joint venture into a top-class company in China, and thereby elevate the aviation maintenance service of the joint venture to a leading in-ternational level.”

TravelersBox kiosks are currently present in Italy, Can-ada, Turkey, Georgia, Israel and the Philippines. There’s a range of currencies supported, including the US dollar, Euro, British pound, Philippines peso, Russian ruble, Turkish lira and Georgian lari.

The company is about to open kiosks in Japan, India and Hong Kong, and plans to deploy 200 new machines globally this year. “We’re pretty excited about 2016 – it’s going to be crazy,” added Zussman.

TravelersBox gets more funding and more kiosksIsrael-based TravelersBox, which provides a solution for leftover foreign currency in travellers’ pockets after a holiday or business trip, an-nounced in January that it has closed a US$10 million series A round led by Arbor Ventures.

Existing investors, includ-ing Pitango Venture Capital, IPE Ventures, Pereg Ventures, iAngels and Global Blue, also participated. The startup did not disclose post-money valuation figures.

Through the startup’s ki-osks, travellers can deposit their leftover foreign currency and redeem it for a multitude of things, such as Skype credit, Paypal or charitable donations. In Israel, it is also possible to process direct bank transfers.

“There are more than three billion international travellers every year, and our mission is to provide an easy way for those travellers to regain the lost val-ue of their unused foreign cur-rency,” said Tomer Zussman, founder and CEO of Travelers-Box.


For the first time, a new exhibition at the Israel Museum J e r u s a l e m i s

currently showcasing the only three surviving 2nd-century bronze portra i t s o f the Emperor Hadrian. The special display will be on show until June 2016.

The exhibition caps the mu-seum’s 50th anniversary cel-ebrations featuring loans from the British Museum and the Louvre, in dialogue with the Israel Museum’s own portrait bust. Publius Aelius Hadrianus, better known as the Emperor Hadrian (117 – 138 CE), was considered one of the boldest and most accomplished rul-ers of the Roman Empire. The exhibition marks a symbolic return of the Emperor to Jeru-salem – his last visit to the city was in 130 CE.

Of the many bronze por-traits of Hadrian that are known to have existed, only three survive. The Israel Museum’s bronze, which was found in a Roman legion camp near Beth Shean in the north of Israel,

depicts the emperor in military garb with beautifully preserved body armor. In exhibition, it is flanked by two other extraor-dinary examples: one from the British Museum was found in 1834 in the River Thames, and many have been created to commemorate Hadrian’s visit to Britain in 122 CE; the other, from the collection of the Lou-vre, is considered to have origi-nated in Egypt or Asia Minor. Such portraits offered an im-portant means in their time for conveying imperial authority, with statues being erected as civic and military monuments to reinforce the breadth of the Emperor Hadrian’s rule.

“As we conclude the year-long celebrations of our 50th

anniversary, we are especially grateful for our meaningful partnerships with the Louvre and the British Museum, whose loans serve as a powerful meta-phor for the international and inter-cultural connections we have fostered throughout the Museum’s history,” said James S. Snyder, Anne and Jerome Fisher Director of the Israel Museum.

“The dialogue with our own Hadrian created by the adjacen-cy of these visiting masterpiec-es is quite extraordinary, and we look forward—especially in the complex times in which we live today—to continuing this essential level of cultural collaboration with sister institu-tions internationally, illustrating

the remarkable and remarkably continuous history of world cul-ture that we preserve and share together,” added Snyder.

“Following our loan of Prin-cess Hélène of Adiabène’s sar-cophagus in 2011, which had never left France previously, the inclusion of the Louvre’s Hadri-an bronze portrait in this display signifies the co-operation be-tween the Musée du Louvre and the Israel Museum and dem-onstrates the desire to develop even stronger ties,” said Jean-Luc Martinez, President and Di-rector of the Musée du Louvre.

Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, said: “When the British Museum mounted its exhibition, Hadri-an: Empire and Conflict in 2008, the Israel Museum made outstandingly generous loans to the exhibition, which was seen by over a quarter of a million visitors. It is a great pleasure to be able to reciprocate that gen-erosity and to celebrate the Is-rael Museum’s 50th anniversary by lending this great sculpture to Jerusalem.”

Like his predecessors, Em-

peror Hadrian was immor-talised in bronze and marble statues. These statues, which were sent throughout Rome’s provinces as a demonstration of Rome’s imperial power, pos-sessed political as well as cul-tic significance, and some were venerated as the embodiment of the divine Caesar.

These three images are seemingly alike, yet each pos-sesses a unique set of character-istics that highlight the multifac-eted and contradictory character of Hadrian, known not only as an astute general and politi-cian, but also as a benevolent ruler who was well-versed in disciplines such as architecture, geometry, literature, poetry, and philosophy.

The display of the three por-traits also stimulates a discus-sion of two diametrically op-posed views of Hadrian’s rule: the accepted view of Hadrian as a scholarly peacemaker and pro-tector who built the iconic wall across northern Britain, and the contrary perception in his own time of Hadrian as “the bone grinder,” the destroyer of Judea.

Bronze portraits of the Emperor Hadrian, from the British Museum (left), the Is-rael Museum (centre) and the Louvre (right)

We are dedicated to promoting trade and development betweenHong Kong SAR and Israel for mutual benefit.

Our loyalties lie first and foremost with our members, acting as their voice in advising and sharing with Hong Kong officials, matters affecting businesses and the economy, providing members with business information and facilitating networking through a variety of chamber activities.

If all countries work together, we could overcome all difficulties on the road ahead and the risk, in promoting lasting peace and common prosperity.

Rafael AharoniChairman

The Israeli Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kongc/o The Jewish Community Centre, One Robinson Place,

70 Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, Hong KongTel. 852-2312-1111

Fax. 852-2311-6999E-mail: [email protected]

You Drive, We’ll Navigate

For more information contact Jake Ho or Claire Dimla [email protected]

Tel: (+852) 2530 2530 WhatsApp: (+852) 5323 1789

www.navigator-insurance.com

Unit 8E Golden Sun Centre 223 Wing Lok St Sheung Wan HKTel. (852) 2530 2530 Fax (852) 2530 2535Email: [email protected]

Whether it be Motor, Health, Home, Holiday or any other kind of Insurance

Israel Museum showcases bronze portraits of the Emperor Hadrian

Elie

Pos

ner, I

srae

l Mus

eum



Former Israeli President Shimon Peres celebrates Israel-China friendship with a song

“Beyond The Invisible” exhibition by Yaacov Agam

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres sent Chinese New Year greetings to the Chinese people recently by dedicating a song he wrote eulogising the friendship between the two peoples.

The song, Chinese Melody, was sung by a Chinese boy and an Israeli girl at a reception on 3 February in Tel Aviv attended by Peres and the Chinese Ambassa-dor to Israel, Zhan Yongxin.

It was based on a poem writ-ten some six years ago by Peres, who was Israeli President at the time. Twelve-year-old Meilee Tal was the Israeli singer of the song.

At the reception, Peres spoke highly of China’s achievements in the past decades and the friendship between China and Israel. “China is all the time innovating new things. Every year you are making progress, and you are offering the world a good example how to escape poverty and ignorance, and be-come one of the two major pil-lars of our time. I’m very glad the relations between China and Israel are all the time growing.”

Ambassador Yongxin ex-pressed appreciation for the efforts and contributions by Peres to promoting the relation-ship between China and Israel. “Through this beautiful song, every Chinese could sense your profound friendship towards China and savor your extra car-ing about the China-Israel rela-tions. And I strongly believe that this song will be popular in China and mark a special episode in the exchange history between the Chinese people and the Jewish people.”

The song has also become popular with the younger gen-erations, like Chinese student Feng Xiao, who is now study-

ing in Israel. “The content of this song is to eulogise the an-cient friendship between China and Israel, which started a long time ago. However, the melody is very young. It means that this friendship will continue among the new generations of our two countries.”

At the end of the reception, Peres extended his greetings to all Chinese people: “Music speaks better than words. Ev-erybody can sing it and you feel that all of us sing together. I wish each of you, and all of you, to enjoy a happy year, a happy future, for a great and a promis-ing China.”

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres (third from left) and Chinese Ambassa-dor to Israel Zhan Yongxin (second from left) watch a video of the song Chinese Melody

secular school was, apparently, out of the question). Conse-quently, Agam grew up with-out any formal education and almost without the company of other children. At home, how-ever, he absorbed the heritage of Jewish spiritual values and thought, and was particularly attracted to Jewish mystic lore and kabbalistic studies as prac-tised by his father, the learned rabbi. Agam considers himself as his father’s spiritual continu-ant in his devotion to the study of these values, and this heri-tage has remained at the core of much of his artistic philosophy throughout his career.

World-renowned Israeli contemporary artist Yaacov Agam has revolutionised the art world by pioneering a new form of art that stresses change and movement.

His work is on display at his exhibition “Beyond The In-visible”, at Apeejay Arts, New Delhi, India, until 4 March.

Agam is one of the very few living Israeli artists who have attained international status – he is the only Israeli artist included in H. H. Arnason’s voluminous “History of Modern Art” and in the recent “Dictionary of Art and Artists”, edited by Sir Da-vid Piper. As early as the mid-1950s, he was considered one of the most important artists of the post-WWII period and a leading pioneer of optic and kinetic art.

Agam (Yaakov Gipstein) was born in 1928 to an orthodox family in Rishon Lezion. His fa-ther, Rabbi Yehoshua Gipstein, who devoted his life to Jewish religious learning, meditation and fasting, refused to register his son in a school, because no place in a religious school was available (the excellent local

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

HKPHIL_BeachBoys_Ad_JewishTimes_20160126.pdf 1 28/1/16 4:32 pm

Crie

nglis

h.co

m

Yaac

ov A

gam


from the 15th century BC, is thought to have been a flourish-ing Canaanite city. The ancient Israelites later invaded the sur-rounding area and allocated the city to one of their tribes, ac-cording to the Old Testament and other documents.

Many of the unearthed arti-cles date from the 13th and 12th centuries BC, a period close to the Old Testament’s description of Anaharath.

The joint project involves Japanese archaeologists work-ing with a range of people, in-cluding Japanese students, Is-raeli scholars and Arabs.


Yoshinobu Tatsumi, a curator at Tenri University Sankokan Museum

Japanese archaeologists renew hunt for biblical city of AnaharathAn archaeological survey led by researchers from Tenri University in Japan is under-way in Israel to locate Anaha-rath, a city mentioned in the Bible.

Excavation work at Tel Rekhesh is getting into full swing after digging near the site’s central part started last summer. Experts are using ra-dio probes and other high-tech devices.

Tenri University began par-ticipating in excavation work in Israel half a century ago. Its archaeological studies at Tel Rekhesh began in 2006 and involve institutions including Rikkyo University.

The joint project has so far discovered structures that may have been a castle’s outer walls and gate, as well as an olive mill. It has also uncovered ob-jects including a mask in clay and a statue of a female divinity.

Describing Tel Rekhesh, a hilly site with a history dat-ing back over multiple periods, Yoshinobu Tatsumi, a curator at Tenri University Sankokan Mu-seum, said: “This is the likeliest place.” The site, located about 70 kms north of Jerusalem, measures 350 by 150 metres.

Anaharath, mentioned in an inscription in ancient Egypt City of Anaharath

“Writing with Light” with photographer Ziv Koren

Ziv Koren photos

which serves as tool that en-ables us to contemplate and examine human society in the global village in which we live.

Koren has been a profes-sional photojournalist for 20 years. His main interests are hu-manitarian issues – the Israeli-Arab conflict, poverty, the 2004 tsunami, the Haiti earthquake… – and these are often the subject of his documentary projects. His photographs from vari-ous projects and assignments have been published in numer-ous international publications. Koren’s award-winning photo-graphs have been included in many solo and group exhibi-tions worldwide, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Tokyo, the Memorial Museum in Spain and the War Museum in Croatia.

Israel’s embassy in Myanmar organised an exhibition of photographs by the renowned Israeli photographer Ziv Ko-ren entitled “Writing with Light” at Myanmar Deitta Gallery in Yangon from 19 to 30 January.

The exhibition focused on the importance of light as the main raw material in the art of photography, revealing a less familiar aspect of Koren. His sensitivity to the light source, and the shadows that appear be-fore his eyes, are manifested in this collection of 47 black-and-white photographs, taken over the last decade in Israel and around the world.

The exhibition documents the life of different countries throughout the continents,

Kyod

o



Philippine International Jazz Festival

The Philippine International Jazz Festival (PIJF) is an an-nual event organised by the Philippine International Jazz Festival Foundation, headed by jazz singer Sandra Lim-Viray.

The 16-day festival held in February, featuring 50 local and foreign artists, showcased 40 performances in 14 venues in and outside Metro Manila. In-ternational acts included artists from Israel, Germany, Norway, India and the US.

Israeli singer Ravid Kaha-lani presented “Yemen Blues”, an Israel-Philippines friend-ship concert. Joining him was Filipina musician Nicole Lau-

rel Asensio. Born to a Jewish-Yemeni family, singer, song-writer and producer Kahalani is well known in the Israeli music scene. His love for African-American soul and blues, roots music and traditional songs ig-nited his passion to perform.

He has performed in over 150 shows with Yemen Blues, a group that he founded in 2010 with musicians from Tel Aviv, New York and Uruguay. Yemen Blues mixes Yemenite, West African and jazz influences, and creates powerful mambo and North African rhythms with vocals reminiscent of ancient Arabic chants mixed with funk and blues.

Alongside the Jazz Festi-val, Kahalani also introduced Israel’s rhythm and blues to young Filipinos through lec-ture-workshops at the Far East-ern University, the University of the Philippines Diliman and the University of Santo Tomas.

Ravid Kahalani

The Beach Boys

Hong Kong Philharmonic in concert with The Beach Boys

Executive of the HK Phil said: “The HK Phil is excited about the upcoming crossover con-cert with The Beach Boys, and having them in Hong Kong with our orchestra. This con-cert will be a great opportunity to share their music with fans and new audiences alike.”

The group continues to have fun, fun, fun, with no end in sight. In 2012, they sched-uled a 74-concert 50th An-niversary Reunion Tour, after which the original members reunited and released That’s Why God Made the Radio. The album debuted at Number 3 on the Billboard charts, the band’s highest chart position in 37 years and an unprec-edented milestone.

The event in Hong Kong promises to be a memorable and nostalgic journey back to the sounds of the 60’s Cali-fornian youth culture and surf rock band for all ages to enjoy, from one of America’s most iconic rock bands.

The Hong Kong Philhar-monic Orchestra (HK Phil) will present The Beach Boys in concert with the HK Phil on 18-19 March at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. The legendary group, one of the world’s most influential bands, will perform many of their Number 1 hits under the baton of conductor Ge-rard Salonga.

While the group created a torrent of hit singles and their albums sold by the tens of mil-lions, more significant is the fact that this band changed the musical landscape profoundly. Fifty years on from their ex-plosive début, they continue to perform with the same imagi-nation and style – in 2013 their Capitol Records release, Sounds of Summer (RIAA-certified triple platinum with over three million in sales and climbing), and its compan-ion, The Warmth of the Sun, marked a resurgence in the band’s popularity.

Michael MacLeod, Chief

Israeli chef brings Middle Eastern cuisine to Vietnam

Hayelala (The Howl) is a soul-folk band consisting of Israeli musicians who travel togeth-er, bringing with them inspir-ing songs and poetry.

They were part of an inter-national lineup of groups that performed in Bangkok at the “Rhythm of the Earth #10” festival. The annual event took place from 17 to 21 February at Central World.

Musicians from around the world performed on a spectacu-lar stage. Guests enjoyed live music, plus delicious cooked BBQ food from many of the food stands around the venue.

Coming from a variety of

Hayelala perform at Rhythm of the Earth festival, Bangkok

ethnic backgrounds, the six members of Hayelala play their original folklore music, featuring a blend of influences from jazz, Middle Eastern and European classical music. The unique mix of all these artistic elements aims to invoke stories from the heart and inspire won-der at the poetry.

The group has performed in major festivals in Israel, in-cluding InDnegev and Yearot Menashe. In Europe they have appeared at the Fusion Festival, Rudolstadt Floating Castle, and last year they also toured ex-tensively in Germany, Slovenia and Poland.

Shahar Lubin earned his cu-linary chops in Israel, and later the US, cooking his way through more than 20 restau-rants, starting at the age of 16.

Still, it was a leap when he moved to Vietnam and opened a restaurant of his own. “I said, ‘I’ve been doing it for other people for so long, I might as well do it for myself,’” said Lubin, who operates Daluva, the first and only “Middle East-ern gastropub” in Hanoi, a city of seven million with a lively street-food culture.

Lubin, 37, grew up in the Israeli village of Hararit in the Galilee, and spent summers working as a shepherd. He said he began cooking as a social activity with boys in neighbour-ing villages. In 2000, after serv-ing in the Israeli army and liv-ing in Jerusalem, Lubin moved to Philadelphia, his father’s hometown, and began working his way up the restaurant food chain, from line cook to senior chef.

Working in a wide variety of kitchens, Lubin said he pre-pared everything from pub food to “contemporary Israeli” cui-sine. At one point he worked in the same restaurant under three different incarnations. “I was like a cat – I came with the building,” he said with a laugh.

But the long hours exac-erbated a chronic back injury and Lubin grew desperate for a long break. Southeast Asia seemed like a logical place to get “recharged”, he said, partly because he liked what he knew of the region’s food. So Lubin travelled there in 2009 for what he thought would be a one-year sabbatical. He then spent most of a year exploring Southeast Asian cities, including Bang-

ed limes instead of lemons, for example, and his taramosalata has Vietnamese fish sauce in-stead of salted fish roe.

And every few months, Lubin creates a specials menu based around whatever strikes his fancy. Previous menus have celebrated – and, to a degree, reinvented – cuisines from Greece, New Orleans, Japan and beyond. Recently, for a Cu-linary Friendship Week spon-sored by the Israeli Embassy, he created what may be the world’s first Vietnamese-Israeli fusion menu. A highlight of the menu was Lubin’s quirky reinterpreta-tion of bun cha, a Hanoi street-food medley of grilled pork, vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs – he nixed the pork and replaced it with falafel.

Lubin said he may someday move his restaurant to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s other ma-jor city, which is generally seen as more cosmopolitan and may be more receptive to his Middle Eastern gastropub concept.

“I’m happy with our prod-uct,” Lubin said. But he added that for anyone serving non-Vietnamese cuisine in Hanoi, “It’s hard, apparently, to be successful here, consistently, unless you’re an Italian or Japa-nese restaurant.”

kok in Thailand and Yangon in Myanmar.

In Hanoi, Lubin met the owners of a Vietnamese restau-rant group who were planning to open a Mexican restaurant. They offered to bring him on as a consultant. That job didn’t materialise, but Lubin stayed in Hanoi anyway, working as a restaurant consultant, English teacher and freelance writer. In 2012, when a restaurant was folding in Hanoi’s upscale West Lake district, he took it over.

Daluva’s previous owner had created a menu of Asian and Western fare that Lubin de-scribes as “nondescript”. So Lu-bin renovated the restaurant and relaunched it in 2013.

The menu now has Israeli favourites such as hummus, falafel and shakshuka alongside American burgers and rib-eye steaks. But other items, such as the Tunisian salmon stew or “fancy pants pizza” – topped with pears, blue-vein cheese and cured duck pancetta – make it difficult to neatly categorise the restaurant’s offerings.

Lubin said the vast major-ity of Daluva’s ingredients are sourced locally, and he likes to use them in unorthodox ways. His tagines use Vietnamese salt-

Shahar Lubin


The festival of Purim is celebrated every year on 14 Adar. It is one of Judaism’s most joyous and dramatic holidays with fancy dress an important criteria for both children and adults! It commemorates a time when the Jewish people were living in Persia in 4th century BCE and were saved from extermination. The festival tells the story in the Book of Esther.

The day before Purim there is a fast day on the 13 Adar, known as the Fast of Esther. It commemorates Esther’s three days of fasting in preparation for her meeting with the King and the date chosen by a lottery to order the extermination of all Jews.

The word “Purim” means “lots” and refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date for the massacre.Obligations for Purim There are four specific mitzvot: • Reading the Megillah Esther• Festivity and rejoicing

– the Purim meal• Sending food to friends

– Mishloach Manot• Giving gifts to the poor

– Matanot La’evyonimThe primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the (Megillah)

Book of Esther. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to “blot out the name of Haman.”

We are also commanded to eat, drink and be merry. According to the Talmud, a person is required to drink until he cannot tell the difference between “cursed be Haman” and “blessed be Mordechai,” though opinions differ as to exactly how drunk that is.

The Book of Esther is read on Purim night, and again the next day. Every word must be clearly heard. We read it in the synagogue, because the larger the crowd, the greater public-ity is given to the miracle of our being saved.

Traditionally a common treat is to eat hamentaschen (lit. Haman’s pockets). These tri-angular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman’s three-cornered hat. It is also customary to hold a carnival – perform plays and parodies, hold beauty contests for the children and for the whole community to dress-up in fancy costume.

We are the ONLY resource of Jewish news for Asia

www.jewishtimesasia.orgCelebrating 10 years of Jewish Times Asia

The easiest way to read the news and keep abreast with what is happening in the region

Register FREE and you can access

•Searchfunctionforallnewsstories, features, interviews

•CandlelightingtimesforShabbatinAsia

•Fullresourceofcommunitycentres and synagogue’s

In addition you can subscribeFREEtoourdigital monthlyissueandreceivebyemailaflipbookversion

You are ONE click awayGetyouremailcopy today!!

REGISTER HERE TO RECEIVE MONTHLY COPY OF JEWISH TIMES ASIA BY

EMAIL FREE!

REGISTER HERE TO ACCESS ALL CONTENT ON

OUR WEBSITE

Purim: The Festival of Laughter

Purim Is Different. Jewish festivals are certainly a time of rejoicing, yet they

all contain an element of seriousness. Surely, there is a commandment to rejoice on Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, sometimes even to extremes, but this joy has its definitions and boundaries; overall, it is a serious kind of joy.

On Purim, however, even when the festival is strictly ob-served according to all the rules and regulations - Megillah read-ing, Purim gifts, donations to the poor and Purim banquet — there is an overriding mischie-vous atmosphere, sometimes even a riotous one. Of course, its expressions differ from place to place and from one group to another, but Purim always in-volves an element of jest.

Come to think of it, this light-headedness is somewhat odd. Although Purim is a day of joy, it was preceded by an ex-tremely difficult and threatening period. The Jewish people have always faced threats, troubles and battles with those who wanted to defeat them or con-

Purim

quer their land. Most of these wars, however, were not so dif-ferent from the kinds of clashes that every nation experiences.

The event that preceded Pu-rim was far more serious: it was not a war but a genocide plan, with the aim of wiping the Jew-ish people off the face of this earth. It was the very first mani-festation of a phenomenon, which today we call anti-Semi-tism, extreme anti-Semitism. In this specific case, Haman was overcome and hanged on the tree, and all his assistants were defeated. Yet history proves that he left behind numerous descendants and disciples. Anti-Semitism may have started with Haman, but by no means did it end with him. The descendants of Amalek are still in this world, and they are sprouting, growing anew in many times, and places. It does not seem that they have disappeared yet, not even in our enlightened, cosmopolitan era.

Anti-Semitism has often been explained and even justi-fied over the course of time: the reasons given have been reli-gious, racial, and cultural. But even if there is an element of

truth in these excuses, the very proliferation of explanations points to a more basic problem, one that is not always articu-lated: the continuous existence of the Jewish people through thousands of years of suffer-ing and distress is miraculous, a mystery which defies logic. Moreover, the same is true of anti-Semitism. This hatred is as mysterious as it is real, and all the explanations for it are exter-nal, and often also temporal and haphazard.

It is possible to defend our-selves against enemies who have a reason for hating us; that defense may sometimes resolve issues and even bring about mutual reconciliation. Against anti-Semitism — because of its illogical nature — there may be means of defense, but there is no way that we know of to uproot it. Over the past several centu-ries, Jews have tried different methods to resolve this issue: from total assimilation on the one hand, to the establishment of an independent state on the other. None of these attempts has solved the problem. They have changed or shifted the rid-dle; yet anti-Semitism still re-

mains. Therefore, we have only two possible responses left. The first is to do the best we can – as we did in the days of Esther and in other generations – to defend ourselves from evil and fight it. This should be done in any case, in order to gain some respite from the outbursts of hatred.

The second option is to laugh. We laugh not only about the downfall of anti-Semitic individuals or groups, but also about anti-Semitism’s absur-dity, ridiculousness and inner contradictions. These cannot be confronted with or defeat-ed by counter-arguments, but only with laughter: laughter about them and about us. This laughter is the reflection of our intrinsic reactions. When faced with such an insoluble impasse, we can despair, disappear and abase ourselves — or we can laugh.

Laughter does not mean that there is a solution, for there is none. Instead, our laughter says – “I am not a part of this.” If we manage to laugh, it is be-cause we have succeeded in extricating ourselves from its mess.

Through laughter, we pull ourselves out of history and we become immune to the guilt, the blame game and the anxiety. Through laughter, we declare that we are free even of our ir-rational bond with Haman’s ha-tred. We laugh at Haman, Aha-suerus and all their successors because we are the ones who will endure. Our enemies will survive only as the punch line of jokes.

The day after purim, we begin thirty days of preparation for Pesach. As Judaism teaches us, elation must find expression in action. Our joy that “He has not assigned our portion as the others, nor made our destiny the same as multitudes,” 1 is expressed both in good spirits and in the serious activities that follow the laughter. Thus, we prepare for Passover. We clean the Chametz, which also purges whatever is external to us. We scour and scrub our innermost essence – our destiny assigned by the One who has “chosen us from among all the nations.” 2

1 From the Aleinu prayer.2 From the Torah Blessings.

Supplied by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

Megillah EstherHamentaschen

Children in fancy dress costume for Purim


CAMBODIAChabad Jewish CenterHouse # 32, Street 228, Phnom Penh, CambodiaTel: (855) 85 807 205 www.jewishcambodia.com

CHINABeijing Chabad House and Community centre: Fang Yuan Xi Lu, next to the south gate of Si De Park, Beijing, PR China Tel: (8610) 8470 8238 ext. 210, (86) 13910740109www.chabadbeijing.com

Chabad of Ya Bao Lu: Jian Guo Men Diplomatic Bldg, Building 3,2/F, 223 Chaoyangmennei Street, Beijing, PR ChinaTeL: (86) 1352 2016 427 Email: [email protected]

Kehillat Beijing (Reform): Capital Club Athletic Center, 3/F., Ballroom, Capital Man-sion, 6 Xinyuan Nanlu Chaoyang District, Beijing, PR China Tel: (86) 10 6467 2225 www.sinogogue.org

GuangzhouGuangzhou Chabad: 31 He Ping Lu, Overseas Village, Guangzhou, China Tel: (86) 137 1050 5049 www.chabadgz.org

ShanghaiShanghai Chabad (Shanghai Jewish Center): Shang-Mira Garden Villa #1, 1720 Hong Qiao Road, Shanghai, 200336, PR China Tel: (86) 21 6278 0225 www.chinajewish.org

Chabad of Pudong: Vila # 69, 2255 Luoshan Road, Shanghai, 200135, PR China Tel: (86) 21 5878 2008 www.chinajewish.org

Sephardi Shanghai Center: Building B. Apt. 3 (Room 103),1000 Gubei Road, Shanghai, PR China 201103Tel: (86) 21 6208 8327 Mobile: (86) 15900808733Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Kehilat Shanghai (Reform): XinTianDi – Lakeville 2 Regency Club, 168 ShunChang Lu, Shanghai, China Tel: (86) 13817825201 www.kehilatshanghai.orgEmail: [email protected], Facebook: facebook.com/KehilatShanghai

ShenzhenShenzhen Chabad: No.4, Block A, Guishan Xiaozhu Yanshan Road, Industrial Area, Shekou Nanshan District, Shenzhen, PR ChinaTel: (86) 755 8207 0712 www.chabadshenzhen.org

HONG KONG Jewish Community Centre: One Robinson Place, 70 Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2801 5440 www.jcc.org.hk

Chabad of Hong Kong: 1/F Hoover Court, 7-9 Macdonell Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2523 9770 www.chabadhk.org

Ohel Leah Synagogue: 70 Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2589 2621 www.ohelleah.org

United Jewish Congregation (Reform): Jewish Community Centre, One Robinson Place, 70 Robinson Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2523 2985 www.ujc.org.hk

Shuva Israel (Orthodox): 2/F Fortune House, 61 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2851 6300 www.shuva-israel.com

KowloonKehilat Zion (Orthodox): Unit 105, 1/F, Wing on Plaza, 62 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East, Kowloon Tel: (852) 2368 0061 www.kehilat-zion.org

Chabad of Kowloon: 11 Hart Avenue, 2/F, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Tel: (852) 2366 5770 Email: [email protected]

INDIA (MUMBAI) Magen David Synagogue: 340 Sir J.J. Rd, Byculla, Mumbai Tel: (91) 22 23006675

Kenesseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, 43 Dr V.B. Gandhi Marg, Fort, MumbaiTel: (91) 22 22831502 / 22839617

Kurla Bene Israel: 275 C.S.T. Rd, Jewish Colony, Kurla (W) Mumbai, IndiaTel: (91) 22 511-2132

JAPAN KobeOhel Shelomoh Synagogue and Community Center: 4-12-12, Kitano-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650, Japan Tel: (81) 78 221 7236 www.jcckobe.org

TokyoTokyo Chabad: 1-5-23 Takanawa, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan 108-0073 Tel: (813) 5789 2846 www.chabad.jp

JCC Japan: Tokyo Jewish Community Centre, 8-8 Hiroo 3-Chome, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo 150 0012, Japan Tel: (813) 3400 2559 www.jccjapan.or.jp

NEPAL Chabad House: GHA-2-516-4 Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: (977) 980 324 1294 [email protected]

PHILIPPINES Beth Yaacov Synagogue: 110 H.V. de la Costa cnr, Tordesillas West, Salcedo Village, Makati City, Metro Manila 1227, The Philippines Tel: (632) 815 0265 www.jewishphilippines.org

SINGAPORE Chesed-El Synagogue: 2 Oxley Rise, Singapore 238693Tel: (65) 6732 8862, (65) 9740 8109

Jacob Ballas Community Centre & Maghain Aboth Synagogue: 24-26 Waterloo Street, Singapore 187950Tel: (65) 6337 2189 www.singaporejews.org

United Hebrew Congregation (Reform): email: [email protected]

SOUTH KOREAChabad: 744-18 Hannam-Dong, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul 140-893, South KoreaTel: (82) 107 730 3770 www.jewishkorea.com

TAIWAN Taipei Jewish Center: No. 12, Lane 46, Anju St, Daan District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan Tel: (886) 9 2392 3770 email: [email protected]

Taipei Jewish Community: 16 Min Tsu East Road, Second Floor, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Tel: (886) 2 2591 3565 email:[email protected]

Taipei Jewish Community Synagogue Services: 11F, 54 Minsheng East Road, Section 4, Taipei, Taiwan email: [email protected]

THAILAND BangkokJewish Association of Thailand: 121 Soi Sai Nam Thip 2, Sukhumvit Soi 22, Bangkok, Thailand Tel: (662) 663 0244 www.jewishthailand.com

Chabad of Thailand: 96 Rambutttri St. Banglamphu, 102000 Bangkok, Thailand Tel: (662) 629 2770 www.chabadthailand.com

Bet Sefer Chabad: 221 Sukhumvit Soi 20, Bangkok, 10110 ThailandTel: (662) 258 3434

Chabad of Phuket52/32 Ratch U-thit Song Roy Pee Rd. (opposite Patong Post Office), Second row of town houses, Patong, Katu District, Phuket 83150

Chiang Mai189/15 Chang-Clan Road, Chiang Mai, Thailand, On street of Night Bazaar, 100 Meters before The Empress hotel Tel: (66) 81 870 2249

VIETNAM Chabad: 5A (villa) Nguyen Dinh Chieu St., Dakao ward, District 1,Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Tel: (84) 90 9166770 www.JewishVietnam.com

JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN ASIA

Candlelighting times are taken from Chabad.org.

March Parashas

5 March 2016 / 25 Adar-I 5776: VAYAKHELPARSHAT SHEKALIM / SHABAT MEVARECHIM

Parasha Vayakhel deals with the construction of the Tabernacle. The craftsmen selected for the various types of works involved. An explanation in detail of the specific parts of the construction including the curtains, the cover for the Tent, the colours selected, the making of the Table, the Menorah and the Coutyard.The Parsha begins with the mitzvah of Shabbat and the penalty for transgression. It then describes the talents and materials donated and the appointment of Betzal-lel and Oholiav as chief architects and artists. The outer coverings of the Mishkan and the inner tapestries are detailed. The Menorah and the inner Golden Altar are described.This shabbat is also known as Parshat Shekalim. A special section of the Torah (Exodus 30:11-16) is read. Parshat Shekalim discusses the Biblical obligation of Machatzit Hashekel, or Half shekel, which was a required annual tax to be given by every adult man during the times of the Holy Temple. The Half Shekel was due annually on the 1 Nissan, and the courts would post reminders regarding this tax a month earlier, on the 1 Adar. We commemorate this on the Shabbat beforehand by reading the portion in the Torah which discusses this commandment.

12 March 2016 / 2 Adar-II 5776: PEKUDEIParasha Pekudei, details the amounts of silver, gold and cooper contributed to the construction of the Temple. Explanation of the vestments, breastplates, tunics, head

plate to be worn by the High Priest. And the commandment to set up a tabernacle to make it holy for the glory of G-d to dwell amongst us.

19 March 2016 / 9 Adar-II 5776: VAYIKRA PARSHAT ZACHOR

The Parasha deals in details with the various offerings known as Korbon, to be bought to the Temple, such as animal offerings to during the time of the Temple. The types include; animals notably birds, sheep and goats, fire offerings, meal of-ferings, peace offerings, sin offering and the variable offering. The Parasha also deals with contamination of the sanctuary when delivering an offering.

The Shabbat before Purim is Parshat Zachor. According to many Halachic authori-ties there is a Biblical requirement for everyone to hear the Torah reading on this Shabbat. “Zachor” means to remember. On this Shabbat we take a second Torah out of the Ark and we read from the Book of Deuteronomy (25:17-19) about Amalek, a nation which always harbored an intense hatred for the Jews. Only Amalek, driven by profound hatred which defied logic, came to battle the Jews. We are commanded to constantly remember the evil deeds of Amalek and destroy them. We read this on the Shabbat before Purim because Haman was a descendant of Amalek.

26 March 2016 / 16 Adar-II 5776: TZAV The Parasha primarily describes the offerings and teaches additional laws of the offerings to Aaron the High Priest Kohen Gadol and the various descriptions of the types of offerings. The Parasha covers instructions regarding the Olah – ascent offering, and the Mincha – the special meal offering of the Kohen Gadol and the special inaugural meal offering of the regular Kohain is described. Additional laws of the sin offering, and the guilt offering are detailed.

Candle Lighting Times for MarchCities 4 March 11 March 18 March 25 March

Bangkok 6:09 6:10 6:11 6:11Beijing 5:52 5:59 6:06 6:13Guangzhou 6:14 6:17 6:19 6:22Hong Kong 6:10 6:13 6:16 6:18Kathmandu 5:48 5:52 5:56 6:00Kobe 5:40 5:46 5:51 5:57Manila 5:47 5:48 5:49 5:49Mumbai 6:27 6:29 6:31 6:33Perth 6:30 6:21 6:12 6:03Shanghai 5:36 5:41 5:46 5:51Singapore 7:01 7:00 6:58 6:56Seoul 6:11 6:18 6:24 6:31Taipei 5:39 5:43 5:46 5:49Tokyo 5:21 5:27 5:33 5:39

Rosh Chodesh:10 March 2016 (30 Adar-I 5776)11 March 2016 (1 Adar-II 5776)

Fast of Esther: 23 March 2016 (13 Adar-II 5776)Purim:24 March 2016 (14 Adar-II 5776)

HOLIDAYS/ FASTS/ ROSH CHODESH/ SPECIAL DAYS

march 2016 • volume 10 • issue 10 • adar-i / adar-ii 5776

Documents