JNF-Israel has been playing an active part in recent conferences and Durban will be no exception. JNF-SA will be providing certain support services to the Israeli delegation.
JNF-SA’s education coordinator, Benji Shulman, has been tasked with the responsibility of oversight of the local body’s COP17 activities.
READ WHAT JNF-SA & JNF-ISRAEL WILL BE DOING FOR COP17
SA will be hosting the second biggest annual United Nations (UN) conference in Durban next month. Formally known as the “Conference of the Parties” (COP 17), this is the world’s major forum on climate change. “It is just over a month before COP 17 begins,” Benji Shulman told MyShtetl today.
The conference deals with the issue of climate change and is one the UN’s largest environmental events with an expected 25,000 foreign delegates expected to attend. Included in this will be a large Israeli delegation with government representatives, NGOs and the Jewish National Fund (JNF). The South African branch of JNF will be supporting the delegation and working with other groups in the community so that everyone can be involved with the event.
Shulman says that “a key part of the JNF-SA campaign is a call for the community to plant trees during event. Planting trees is an important method of fighting global warming and specially marked JNF certificates will be issued for those wanting to plant in South Africa or Israel,” he says.
JNF-MY SHTETL JV TO KEEP COMMUNITY ‘POSTED’
The JNF “want to be able to have a conversation with SA and world Jewry on COP17,” says MyShtetl publisher Ant Katz. So Shulman and Katz have come up with an interactive communication platform that will be the biggest project of its type yet mounted by the website.
This initiative intercourse will be headed up by a dedicate page on MyShtetl that will link users through to all other COP17 content on the site. These will include:
• Regular Blogs – in the run-up to, during and post-conference – regular blogs relating to JNF activity around COP17 will be posted on the website
• JNF Branding – MyShtetl will ensure that users have easy and prominent access to the special JNF-COP17 content both on the home page and on every page on the website
• An interactive facility through which Shtetlers can post their own comments. This would allow users to chat among themselves, to engage the JNF delegation or even to request that topics be raised at conference should the opportunity present itself
• JNF-COP17 activity will feature in MyShtetl publisher Ant Katz’ weekly newsletter that is circulated to over two thousand Jewish subscribers throughout the campaign
• A dedicated JNF-COP17 ‘twitter’ account has been set up and MyShtetl will offer users the opportunity to connect directly to this should they wish to have real-time communication with the JNF team
• For those who do not want to join the twitter group but would still like to follow all the ‘tweets’ between organisers and the community, MyShtetl will display all the latest tweets prominently on the website.
“This is a huge project for us and will allow us to pilot several planned future developments planned for the website,” said Ant Katz.
EVENTS & ACTIVITES PLANNED FOR ALL SECTORS OF SA JEWRY
JNF-SA has ensured that various activities will take place in the run-up to COP17. These, explains Shulman, “have been planned so that different sectors of the community can make their voice heard.”
Youth groups, he says, will be submitting themed posters which will be compiled into a book and given to the head of the conference.
All members of the community will be able to sign a petition calling on leaders to get a fair and legally binding outcome for COP17. In addition, says benji Shulman, “Shul congregations will be able to access material to understand environmentalism from a Torah perspective.”
This is being done with help of the South African Interfaith Communities Environmental Initiative (SAFCEI) which works across different religions on “Green” issues. Paddy Meskin a veteran activist and member of SAFCEI has been instrumental in raising awareness about climate change both in the Jewish community and non-Jewish communities. Events they will be organising include bicycle rides, mass youth choirs and tree plantings.
SA- & ISRAEL-JNF TO HOST THE DURBAN JEWISH COMMUNITY
During the event itself, JNF in Durban will be hosting speaking events and tours which will highlight the work that is done by the JNF both in South Africa and Israel.
Regular updates about COP17 will be provided through all the Jewish media including radio, print and internet. The JNF will also be hosting a community dinner with the Israeli embassy where the Durban community will be able to meet members of the Israeli delegation.
Anyone wanting more information or to get involved can contact:
Benji Shulman on 084-499-6411 or email JNF@beychad.co.za or visit www.myshtetl.co.za/JNF
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011 645-2541
jnf@beyachad.co.za
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