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Project Interchange Home > PI News > International Alumni E-Newsletter
INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER
Project Interchange, an Institute of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), is pleased to present its first International Alumni E-Newsletter.
Chilean Journalists and Parliamentarians: January 18-27, 2007
This month, Project Interchange sponsored a seminar for prominent Chilean Journalists and Parliamentarians with AJC’s Latino and Latin American Affairs Institute and the Chilean-Jewish Community. Chile’s Ambassador to Israel hosted a welcome reception for participants, whose extensive week of travel and briefings will conclude with a dinner for seventy members of the Latin American diplomatic corps and Latin-Israeli community leaders. Details are available at www.projectinterchange.org
- Thai Military Leaders and Police Chiefs - September 2006
- Scandinavian Parliamentarians, Journalists and Policy-Makers - October 2006
- European Immigration and Integration Experts - November-December 2006
Thai Military Officials Seminar:
Thai Officials visited Israel on a seminar co-sponsored by Project Interchange (PI) and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC). Thai diplomatic officials, speaking on behalf of participants, thanked AIJAC/PI for the excellence and diversity of the seminar program, saying that delegates appreciated the opportunity to discuss security and political concerns with Israeli experts during their intensive introductory seminar.
Scandinavian Leadership Seminar:
Ole Nyeng, Foreign Affairs Editor of Denmark’s Weekendavisen: “My improved knowledge and personal observations will materialize in articles, commentaries and editorials in my newspaper – and in discussions!”
Jari Haapiainen: “I can use the information obtained in the seminar in my work when assisting the Centre Party MP’s in issues related to the Middle East and the program helps to understand better the issues concerning the Middle East. Personally, it was touching to visit Yad Vashem and religious sites in Jerusalem.”
European Integration and Immigration Seminar:
Aleksandar Tolnauer, President of the Council of Minorities of Croatia: “I am very grateful to you for giving me this wonderful opportunity to see Israel up close, and to understand much better the reality.”
Mini-Reunion in Rome
In December, Lisa Billig, PI's Rome Representative, organized a mini-reunion and de-briefing session for alumni of Project Interchange’s seminar for Immigration and Integration specialists (November 2006). Rachel Feinmesser, Press Attaché for the Israeli Embassy in Rome, offered remarks at a session attended by Father Renato Graziano Battistella, Director of the Scalabrini International Migration Institute; Franca Coen, Delegate for the Intercultural Affairs to the Mayor of Rome; and Alis Thieck, Public and Cultural Relations Representative for the Association of Moroccan Women in Italy.
Intercultural Workshop & Reunion in Berlin
On January 21, 2007, Maren Qualmann, Program Director in AJC’s Berlin Office, and the Young Israeli Forum for Cooperation and the Kreuzberg Initiative Against Anti-Semitism co-sponsored a workshop to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue. Several PI alumni were involved in this program, including Guner Balicand Elif Kay (German-Turkish Civic Leaders, Educators and Journalists, January 2006.)
• On August 6, 2006, Fredrick Federley (Scandinavian Leadership Seminar, October 2006) spoke at a peace rally in Raoul Wallenberg Square in Stockholm to demonstrate solidarity with Israel. He was one of the several prominent Swedish leaders to do so. Nearly 600 people from diverse backgrounds participated in this event, including Stockholm's Jewish community, Friends of Israel and Christian Lebanese from the Aramaic Democratic Movement in Sweden.
• Dr. Khwaja Iftikar Ahmed (Indian Leadership Seminar, July 2006) hosted Israeli Ambassador David Danieli for an October 2006 Eid celebration. Dr. Ahmed later attended the Ambassador’s Hanukkah celebration in December 2006.
• Claes Ardvisson (Scandinavian Leadership Seminar, October 2006) participated in a November 2006 panel discussion on the Middle East hosted by the NGO Svensk-Israel Information (www.si-info.org). Claes is an Editorial Writer for “Svenska Dagblade,” Sweden’s third largest daily newspaper.
• In November 2006, Ole Nyeng (Scandinavian Leadership Seminar, October 2006) the Foreign Affairs Editor of Denmark’s prestigious newsweekly “Weekendavisen” participated in a seminar sponsored by the Foreign Policy Institute of Turkey called “European Union: Challenges and Prospects.” He led the workshop entitled “Security in an Inter-connected World – Towards a Global NATO.”
• AJC Berlin hosted its fifth session of the Turkish-Jewish Young Professionals Roundtable in December 2006. Erdogan Akanli (German-Turkish Civic Leaders & Journalists, January 2006) spoke about the role of Turkey during the Nazi era. Mr. Akanli based his remarks upon interviews conducted during the course of his seminar with survivors of the Shoah.
• Priya Tandon, AJC’s India Representative, lunched in December 2006 with Parliament Minister Rajakumar Sundaramoorthy (Indian Leadership Seminar, July 2006) and his wife to discuss AJC’s role in supporting the US-India Nuclear Partnership and construction of the AJC Vocational Center in Chennai, India.
• Spanish alumni gathered in December 2006 to mark the inauguration of the Yitzhak Rabin Plaza in Madrid. Alumni also met with visiting Israeli students for a discussion program coordinated by the Israeli Embassy. Another PI alum organized interviews for visiting students with one of Spain’s most popular radio stations, COPE.
• Yahya Pallavicini(Italian Leadership Seminar, May 2006) delivered a speech to the European Parliament in December 2006, “Religious Identity in Secular Europe: Integration or Discrimination against Islam?”
• On January 9, 2007, Leon Saltiel, Senior Fellow at AJC’s Affiliate UN Watch in Geneva met with Fredrick Federley (Scandinavian Leadership Seminar, October 2006) who was recently elected to the Swedish Parliament and now represents the Liberal Party for Stockholm. Mr. Federley serves on the Committee on Social Affairs, and is a frequent spokesman for immigrants’ rights.
• Oskar Öholm (Scandinavian Leadership Seminar, October 2006) was recently elected to his first term in the Swedish Parliament. Mr. Öholm represents the Moderate Party.
Project Interchange has launched a Micro-Grant Initiative to help AJC offices fund programs for PI alumni. Please share your ideas or suggestions with Project Interchange or with your local AJC/AJC affiliate staff. Details will be available at www.projectinterchange.org by Friday, February 2.
On Israel’s vision for peace in the Middle East:
Ambassador’s Inaugural Presentation: Israel’s Strategic Challenges in a Changing Middle East
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Zack Snyder, 5 Dec 2006
On the context and consequences of the Lebanon War:
Everything You Know About the Recent Mideast War Is Wrong
Transatlantic Institute, Dr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, 5 Sep 2006
On relations between Israeli-Arabs and Jews:
Israeli Arabs and Jews: Dispelling the Myths, Narrowing the Gaps
American Jewish Committee, Amnon Rubinstein, Dec 2006
On the mischaracterization of Israeli-Palestinian Maps:
Don’t Play With Maps
The New York Times, Dennis Ross, 9 Jan 2007
On the rise of Hezbollah in Latin America:
Hezbollah America Latina: Strange Group or Real Threat?
Institute for Counter-Terrorism, Ely Karmon, 14 Nov 2006
On European views of Israel:
New Poll Shows French and Germans More Sympathetic Toward Israel
WorldPublicOpinion.org, 20 June 2006
Please tell us what you think of this newsletter and how we can improve it. An on-line survey will be available in our February issue. We’d like to share news of your latest travel, professional achievements, news articles or other activities—Please send newsletter entries to Becky Katz, PI’s E-Newsletter Editor, at katzr@projectinterchange.org.
Katrin Hatzinger, Michael Ziegelmayer, Bashy Quraishy,
Ramazan Salman, Memet Kilic and Alis Thieck
PI’s European Integration and Immigration Seminar--November 2006
Senior Col. Anuchart Bunnag, Richard Kerbaj, Col. Chaiyuth
Boonmeepornpitak, Col. Dej Rosmhod, Lt. Col. Chakorn Luxsanayotin, Group
Capt. Johm Rungswang, Group Capt. Supachai Sainghurn, Col. Pornpott Medrawutinan, AIJAC's Ted Lapkin, Pol. Maj. Tritot Ronnaritivichai, Maj. Gen. Thitinant Thanyasiri, Capt. Sakdawut Smanbut and Col. Pichit Plongisuan
PI’s Thai Military Delegation—September 2006
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