Through Sophie's Eyes - Story Of Young Deaf Girl Overcoming Challenges

This is a story of a young deaf girl overcoming obstacles and having a positive attitude while achieving her goal of learning how to dance. 


Sophie is a girl who loves to dance. She receives a flyer in school about a new dance class being offered. When Sophie arrives to dance class, the other girls are confused when they see her talking with her hands. They immediately think that because she is deaf, she can not dance. 


To help the girls see through Sophie's eyes, the dance teacher Miss Helyn, has the girls dance without music or verbal instructions. 


The girls are surprised how hard it was to dance without sound, and embrace Sophie for her ability to dance .

=== Israel In New York ===

Cultural Highlights - December 15 - December 29

In this Issue Visual Arts - Mika Rottenberg Music - David Broza Music - Benjamin Hochman Dance - Gaga Master Classes Visit our calendar  www.israelfm.org/culture or Follow us on Twitter -@ArtseeBlog Last Chance : Mika Rottenberg 'Squeeze' Until Dec. 18 @ Mary Boone Gallery Mika Rottenberg's latest work Squeeze continues the artist's inquiry into the mechanisms by which value is generated, considering the logistics of global outsourcing and the alchemy of art production. Through moviemagic portals Rottenberg links video of her Harlem studio stage set to on-location footage of an iceberg lettuce arm in Arizona and a rubber plant in Kerala, India. This composite factory toils ceaselessly to create a single precious object, one small sculpture. The video is presented in a custom-made theater. The sculpture is inaccessible - preserved offshore, out of reach for public or private viewing. Mika Rottenberg was born in Buenos Aires in 1976, and holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts (2000) and an MFA from Columbia University (2004). She lives and works in New York. Solo exhibitions include San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; La Maison Rouge, Paris; KW Institute of Contemporary Art, Berlin; and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York. Her work has been exhibited in the 2008 Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art; the Tate Modern, London; Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao and New York); The Museum of Modern Art, New York;  Uncertain States of America: American Art in the Third Millenium(multiple venues, 2005-2006). In 2011 she will have a monographic exhibition at de Appel Arts Centre, Amsterdam. MARY BOONE GALLERY IN CONJUNCTION WITH NICOLE KLAGSBRUN GALLERY Image:   Mika Rottenberg Squeeze (film still) dimensions variable single-channel video installation 2010 David Broza in Concert Thursday, Dec. 23, 8:00pm @ 92 Street Y David Broza personifies Israel at its finest, and yet he is also a musical citizen of the world. Come hear him and his band in 92Y's annual seasonal presentation of the star for all season. "To see Broza in concert is to be mesmerized." -New York Post Price: $68 Premium Orchestra / $55 Orchestra For more information please visit www.92Y.org/Broza or call 212.415.5500   New York String Orchestra - Benjamin Hochman, Piano Friday, Dec. 24, 7:00pm @ Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall's annual presentation o the New York String Orchestra (a program of Mannes The New School for Music) is a holiday-time tradition.  Under the baton of conductor Jaime Laredo, exceptional students from across the nation (and world) come together for an intensive 10-day Seminar culminating in concerts presented by Carnegie Hall.  Mozart Cosi fan Tutti Mendelssohn Double Concerto Soloists: Jennifer Koh, violin; Benjamin Hochman, piano Mozart "Paris" Symphony Price - $9.50 - $50.00 For more information - http://www.carnegiehall.org/SiteCode/Events/3DayCalendar.aspx?selecteddate=12242010&s=c3 Gaga Master Classes with Ohad Naharin Dec. 31 - Jan. 4 @ Peridance Capezio Center Gaga is a movement language developed by Ohad Naharin in Israel to help dancers (and non dancers alike) reconnect to the way they move. Already a renowned choreographer, Ohad Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company in 1990. Single Class Peridance Students: $20 Single Class Non-Peridance Students: $25   Learn more about GAGA on our website:http://www.peridance.com/gaga.cfm Friday December 31st, 2010:2:45-4pm (GAGA Dancers)  Monday, January 3rd, 2011: 1-2:15pm (GAGA Dancers) Tuesday, January 4th: 7-8pm (GAGA People)  For more events visit -   www.israelfm.org/culture  Office of Cultural Affairs   Israeli Consulate, NY

How Facebook The Social Network Has Redefined PR, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, SEO, Jobs

How Facebook "The Social Network" Has Redefined
PR, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, SEO, Jobs

0digg

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

New York , ---- December 9, 2010 ...... There used to be a time when PR consisted of faxing out a well written news release to CNN, FOX, AP, Reuters, BBC or TIME Magazine. When print advertising consisted of front covers, inside full color bleed ads, back covers and classifieds in both trade and general media. When radio talk shows and TV late night advertising were king - dominating all media 24 / 7.

Then came the Internet. In 1995 commercial Websites started to spread and static banner ads would speak to a few.

By 2000, we were religiously using the Net to gather information and email friends. Google, Yahoo, AOL and MSN were the undisputed giants.

This has all changed. While teenagers were creating their own Websites and blogs, as mom and dad continued to watch NBC, CBS or ABC News, a quiet revolution was taking place. 

Today that revolution is known as Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 - interacting with one another on social networking sites such as Yahoo and Google groups, Twitter, Napster (RIP), MySpace, Craigslist, Amazon, Live, Tencent, Blogger, Flickr, Bebo, Baidu, DIGG, Wikipedia, YouTube, LinkedIn, Friendster, Hi5, Buzz, talkbacks on news sites and yes - Facebook.

Corporate, governmental and non-profit entities all knew that they needed a Website. From the CIA, US Army, Mossad, American Cancer Society, Alzheimer's Association, Doctors Without Borders and Greenpeace to Nestle, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, IBM, Vail, GE, Intel, Nokia, Disney, McDonalds and Victoria's Secret.

So they all hired a few HTML programming and FLASH computer geeks who know Dreamweaver and poured strong coffee for a few, creative graphic artists. The missing link had always been marketing. Then came Facebook. Born out of sex driven Harvard college boys seeking girlfriends in 2004 and exploding today capturing over 500 million global members. It was now easy to share news, photos, meetings, causes, gossip and even poke a few new people into friendship - both online and offline.

Today, not to have a Facebook account is not to exist. It overshadows every modern means of communication except for the telephone. And even the mobile phone is now under attack by Web giants Google and SKYPE offering free telephone calls.

With Hollywood producing the movie - The Social Network - came an abundance of public awareness of the inner workings of the Internet that the common man was never aware of. We now heard new nouns, terms such as hits, traffic, SEO, blogs, hacking, status updates and ROI.

Facebook co-creators Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz and Eduardo Saverin created a monster that now dictated to corporate America that you could no longer ignore social networking. It was and is the medium. One can no longer throw it off as a medium used by "young people".

Most of Facebook's advertising revenues come from advertising. Microsoft is Facebook's exclusive partner for providing banner advertising to over 500 million people from the US, Canada, UK, Spain, France and Israel to Mexico, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and Haiti.

But even with Facebook now covering the Net like a friendly nuclear cloud, the billions of other Websites keep crying out to be seen and heard. And Facebook encourages this effort by allowing users to post links to their favorite Websites. With the movie The Social Network came new awareness of search engine optimization or SEO. Without SEO a Website does not exist.

A year ago if one said the words SEO, they would think that you were saying CEO. Today almost every other job wanted ad in the high tech field is calling for SEO programmers, SEO marketing people, SEO salespeople. This was the work and awareness of The Social Network.

But still something is sorely missing. In the US where PR and ad agencies are so used to specializing - touting themselves as being consumer, B2B, B2C, entertainment, financial, sports, non-profit, crisis communications or health care, they are still missing the big picture of the new media, social media revolution.

For in this era of social networking, an effective digital PR and or advertising agency must be able to understand and integrate each and every element of the Net.

Those who create Websites are not just graphic artists and graphic artists are not copywriters and editorial staff are not SEO programmers.

One must ask the executives at both PR and ad agencies Edelman, APCO Worldwide, Ruder Finn, Text 100 Global PR, Schwartz Communications, ICR, Regan Communications Group, Gibbs & Soell, Allison & Partners, Cooney/Waters Group, Coyne PR, RF | Binder Partners, 5W Public Relations, Makovsky + Co., Zeno Group, Hunter PR, Widmeyer Communications, Kaplow, Levick Strategic Comms., SS | PR, Chicago, Acxiom, Hill & Knowlton Zenith Media, MediaCom, DraftFCB, Grey, Porter Novelli, Universal, McCann, BBDO, Ogilvy & Mather, R/GA, Arnold Worldwide, Razorfish, Publicis, OgilvyOne, MS&L, Tribal DDB, Digitas, Fleishman-Hillard, Y&R, Weber Shandwick, GSI Interactive, Leo Burnett, Cramer-Krasselt and GolinHarris just one question.

Do your ad copy writers and news release staff know SEO? Do they know how to creatively optimize their copy for Google, Yahoo, Bing, AOL and MSN? We are not just talking page titles and META tags. We are talking about optimizing each and every word of Web content and news content.

If not - your news releases and animated ads will get lost in dark cyberspace. That is unless you go off organic search and totally rely on pay per click using Google Adwords and Facebook ads.

Even these paid, sponsored advertisements cry out to be optimized.

As Mark Zuckerberg just announced plans to give away the majority of his $6.9 billion fortune to charity, you don't have to wait.

Commercial life begins today with just four words - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and SEO. Without fully embracing and integrating these four Internet marketing basics, you may as well just stay in bed - with your BlackBerry and iPhone turned off.

The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel by the Leyden Digital PR SEO New Media Group - Israel, New York.

Internet Marketing SEO Professionals ask:
Can People Find Your Website?

ISRAEL NEWS AGENCY

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Yishai refused fire truck donations for Israel
from Christian group

By GIL SHEFLER AND GIL HOFFMAN The Jerusalem Post 
12/06/2010 05:04 

Exclusive: Pro-Israel group had already provided 8 new vehicles, but says project collapsed after Shas took over Interior Ministry; rejection of contributions was based on religion, rabbi who founded charity group says.

Israeli firefighters could have received a shipment of brand new fire trucks that would have helped quell the fires that raged over the weekend on Mount Carmel, killing 41 people and turning tens of thousands of dunams into an ashen wasteland.

Instead, a charity group charged Sunday, Interior Minister Eli Yishai refused to accept donations from pro- Israel Christians and thus denied the underfunded Fire and Rescue Service muchneeded equipment.

RELATED:
The flames are out, now come the recovery and recrimination
Yishai: Ministry begged for more fire rescue funds
Opinion: There’s no excuse for the lack of preparedness

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which raises money for Israel among Christian supporters in North America, said his organization’s ties with the Interior Ministry were severed after it was taken over by the ultra-Orthodox minister two years ago.


“Since that time, under Yishai we have not received any further requests from the ministry because of the way they perceive us,” Eckstein said.

“So we could have had more trucks than those we already delivered.”

While the fellowship gives millions to Jewish, Muslim and Christian groups in Israel each year, some ultra-Orthodox Jews refuse to take its money, which comes mostly from Evangelicals, on religious grounds. According to Eckstein, Yishai would not even acknowledge the fellowship’s contribution of the eight fire trucks.

“We were told very clearly that the minister of the interior would not come to a ceremony,” he said.
“Then I said, what about a photo-op, something we can put in to show we worked on this. But they said no, and we dropped it.”

The trucks were donated to Israel as a consequence of the Second Lebanon War, when firefighters struggled to put out brush fires sparked by some of the thousands of missiles fired by Hizbullah.

Fire and rescue officials confirmed that they had received the eight trucks from Eckstein’s organization but said they were unaware that additional vehicles had been offered and refused.

Yishai’s spokesman could not confirm or deny the story.

Israel Cabinet Addresses the Carmel Forest Haifa Fire Disaster

ISRAEL CABINET COMMUNIQUE

(Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat to the Israel News Agency)

 

At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday), 5.12.10:

 

1. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks:

 

"First, I would like to say that our hearts go out to the families who are laying to rest their loved ones.  The entire nation identifies with your pain and with the heroism of those who perished.  Today, the Cabinet is meeting in Tirat Hacarmel in order to discuss providing assistance to the citizens who were evacuated from their homes and whose homes were destroyed in the massive wildfire.  We must help the evacuees, rebuild their homes and rehabilitate the infrastructures and do so as quickly as possible.  I spoke with the ministers before the meeting and it is important to say this here and now: I do not want delays.  I do not want bureaucracy.  I want processes to be shortened.  I want quick solutions.  I want all of the people – within days – to be able to return to their homes or to alternative housing, until the reconstruction work is finished."

 

"Today, we will also launch the action that will lead to a plan to rehabilitate the Carmel forests.  On this issue, I would like to thank the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Nature and Parks Authority, and the Jewish National Fund.  I know that you are doing much on this matter, especially now.  We are still in the midst of a massive forest fire.  The firefighters are doing holy work but it must be understood that this kind of wildfire can only be defeated and extinguished from the air.  On this we have been working day and night.  We have mobilized over 30 aircraft from the nations of the world.  Today, a gigantic "Supertanker" plane that we rented from an American company is due to go into action.  I believe that with these tools, it will be possible to contain and extinguish the fire."

 

"It must be understood that massive forest fires are fundamentally different from routine fires.  The only way to deal with these wildfires is to integrate not only ground forces but aerial forces as well, local and international alike.  Thus the major powers have acted.  In a massive wildfire in California a few years ago, the US received assistance from eight countries; it neither hesitated nor was ashamed to request this assistance, including from countries from which we have made similar requests.  In last summer's massive wildfire in Russia, Russia neither hesitated nor was ashamed to request assistance from Ukraine and from other countries.  We also did not hesitate, nor were we ashamed, in requesting such assistance.  This is what we did and it has led to results.  We will take control of, contain and – in the end – extinguish the fire."

 

"An additional subject is the establishment of a local aerial firefighting force.  Even if we had such a force, and we are working on it, it will not always free us of the need to mobilize international support, but it would give us the possibility of bringing an aerial 'cup of water' to fires."

 

"The issue of closing the gaps in the conventional, ground-based, not aerial, firefighting network is an important issue.  The Government has begun to deal with this issue, which has demanded a solution for 62 years.  We have started to deal with it.  We have added budgets.  We are promoting changes but this issue has always been separate from that of massive brushfires."

 

"I would like to take this opportunity to again thank both the Israel and international firefighters, police, soldiers, MDA and ZAKA personnel, the municipality employees, the voluntary organizations and Israelis who have shown exemplary conduct.  There has been a general mobilization of the entire nation in a display of mutual responsibility at this crucial time.

 

I would like to also take this opportunity to thank the heads of state and government that have extended important assistance to the State of Israel at this time.  I would like to thank Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and the people at his ministry, as well as National Security Council Chairman Uzi Arad and his people, for working day and night to create links, clarify the information and put me and the Government in contact with these people so that they could help us put out the Carmel fire."

 

2. The Cabinet discussed the issue of rehabilitation and rebuilding in the wake of the Carmel wildfire and decided as follows:

 

A. A steering committee will be established, chaired by Prime Minister's Office Director-General Eyal Gabai and with the participation of his counterparts from the Finance, Health, Public Security, Interior, Justice, Tourism, Construction and Housing, Social Welfare and Social Services, Environmental Protection and Agriculture and Rural Development ministries, along with representatives of the Defense Ministry's National Emergency Management Authority.  The committee will formulate a plan to remove impediments in the process of repairing the damages of the Carmel wildfire and restoring normal life.

 

B. Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, in cooperation with Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shalom Simhon, the Finance Ministry, the Nature and Parks Authority and the Jewish National Fund, will formulate and present to the Steering Committee, within 21 days, a plan to rehabilitate the animal and plant life that was damaged by the fire, including campgrounds, animal parks and the Carmel Farm.  The plan will include – inter alia – detailed means, costs, sources and timetables and will specify which bodies will be responsible for its implementation.

 

C. The Prime Minister's Office Division for Coordination, Follow-up and Control, in coordination with the Interior, Finance, Construction and Housing, National Infrastructures and Environmental Protection ministries, will formulate and present, to the Steering Committee, within seven days, a municipal assistance plan.  The plan will include – inter alia – compensation for the local councils for expenditures and damages that were incurred by the fire and which are not covered by any kind of insurance, as well as an aid package for the communities that were hurt.  The financial compensation and aid will provide responses to – inter alia – expenditures incurred in evacuating and absorbing populations (lodging, food, transportation, etc.), operating emergency networks, participating in the firefighting, cleaning up and repairing infrastructures (water, electricity, sewage, highways, lighting, etc.), as well as providing assistance to residents via the municipal services necessary in wake of the fire.  This assistance will apply to cases in which damage, even partial, is not covered by valid insurance policies.  In the first stage, the Finance Ministry will allocate NIS 60 million for the aid package.  The Steering Committee will consider additional budgetary allocations should these become necessary.

 

D. Transportation and Road Safety Minister Yisrael Katz will map the transportation infrastructure that has been damaged and formulate a plan for its rehabilitation.  The plan will be submitted to the Steering Committee within seven days, for approval and implementation.

 

E. The Cabinet noted the statement by Social Welfare and Social Services Minister Yitzhak Herzog regarding the reinforcement of the social welfare and social services network in the areas affected by the fire.  Minister Herzog will continue to reinforce the various social welfare and social service activities and formulate and present, to the Steering Committee, in coordination with the Health, Finance, Pensioner Affairs, Culture and Sport ministries, as well as the National Insurance Institute and the relevant local councils, a plan to rehabilitate and strengthen citizens, local councils and communities that were affected by the fire, while emphasizing the strengthening of local community leadership and assistance to special-needs populations.  The plan will be submitted within seven days and will include – inter alia – budgetary frameworks, means costs and timetables, and will specify which bodies will be responsible for its implementation.

 

The Social Welfare and Social Services Ministry will coordinate the Government's work with the voluntary organizations regarding social services.

 

F. The Finance Ministry's Government Housing Administration and the Construction and Housing Ministry will, immediately, as per the planning and building laws, station mobile structures in communities in which homes and public structures were burnt.  This is so as to facilitate the immediate return of residents, whose homes were burnt, to their communities.  The GHA will formulate and present, to the Steering Committee, within 60 days, a policy regarding the future evacuation of the mobile structures.

 

G. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz will submit, to the Steering Committee, within four days, a map of the various damages caused as a result of the fire and the relevant details regarding private, public and Government insurance coverage.  The Finance Minister will also formulate and submit, to the Steering Committee, within an additional four days, the outline of an efficient policy for providing a fair and quick response to implementing the policies, as well regarding damages that were not fully insured.

 

3. The Cabinet noted that Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided to appoint Tamir Pardo to succeed Meir Dagan as Director of the Mossad, effective 1.1.11, for a five-year term.

4. The Cabinet held a further discussion of the national plan to 'bring minds' back to Israel.

 

5. The Cabinet decided that upon the conclusion of the transfer of the responsibilities of the Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry's Unit for Foreign Workers to the Interior Ministry's Population, Migration and Border Crossings Administration, the authority of the responsible official (as per Article 1 of the 1991 Foreign Workers Law) will be vested in the Population Administration Director.

 

Jerusalem Post: Social networking sites used to gather aid for Israel fire victims

Social networking sites used to gather aid for fire victims

By RUTH EGLASHThe Jerusalem Post  
12/05/2010 04:56 

Nonprofits, gov't offices and concerned individuals all utilize Facebook, Twitter and YouTube through the weekend to appeal for help.

Within hours of realizing the size and scope of the Carmel fires, non-profit organizations and individuals turned to social networking websites to initiate and collect humanitarian aid.

Already on Thursday evening charity Lev Ahad had created the Facebook page “Fire on the Carmel, Forest Ablaze,” for people to share information, their concerns and their willingness to help out in anyway they can with this disaster. Many of those who posted messages on the page were offering to take in people who had been evacuated from their homes due to the blaze.

“I put myself in the place of those who’ve lost their homes and I decided I just had to help,” Aws Hamdan of Jit al-Muthallath near Baka el-Gharbiyya, in the center of the country, told The Jerusalem Post Saturday night just hours after posting a message on the site.

Hamdan, who also changed her Facebook profile picture to one of firefighters with the slogan “We are with the Carmel,” said she had room for up to 12 people and that did not care if those who needed shelter were Jews or Arabs.

The Carmel Mountain has a mix of Jewish, Arab and Druze villages, hundreds of people lost their homes to the fire over the weekend.

“We can take in anyone who needs a place and we don’t care who they are,” Hamdan told the Post. “We don’t ask people’s backgrounds, we only want to help.”

Hamdan was not alone in her generosity, hundreds of others heeded the advice of the authorities to stay away from the disaster zone, where the fire was still raging after three days, but came forward to do what they could in the virtual world.

Aside from Lev Ahad's page, the organization IsraelGives.org also established a Facebook page to help collect goods such as food, blankets, clothes and personal items for the evacuated families. The page also allows for donations to help provide other essential aid.

By Saturday night, that organization’s Facebook page was also advertising an event for next month called “Planting the Carmel anew,” which calls for volunteers to come forward and plant trees to replace the millions that have now burnt down.

Facebook, Twitter and even YouTube were all utilized through the weekend to appeal for help. On the video-sharing website some 40 or 50 videos showing the raging fire swallowing up one of Israel’s most renowned scenic spots were already posted by Saturday night and the Government Press Office had used the resource to show its appreciation for the international forces that have now arrived to help.

In English, the Facebook page “I support Israel – Fire Disaster 2010,” had gained more than 800 supporters by Saturday afternoon, with Jews, Israel supporters and other concerned people posting their condolences and messages of sympathy. The messages were moving, showing how distraught people are all over the world at the loss of lives and nature.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the social welfare services were active throughout the weekend to provide assistance to displaced families and individuals. Welfare and Social Services Minister of Welfare and Social Services Isaac Herzog on Friday pledged emergency aid of some NIS150,000 for social welfare services in the areas affected by the fire.

Professionals and experts from the ministry set up a situation room in region in order to coordinate all the efforts of volunteers and non-profit organizations. Social workers were also brought in from other districts to assist the local welfare departments and help relatives to who lost loved ones in the fire.

The ministry’s emergency hotline is 118.

Israel PM Netanyahu Speaks To Media On Carmel Fire Disaster

PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the Press Conference at the Haifa University Forward Command Center

(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser to the Israel News Agency)

 

Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks earlier this evening (Saturday), 4.12.10, at the Haifa University forward command center:

 

"As soon as the fire broke out, I set two goals: First, saving lives, and second, extinguishing the fire, which effectively means aerial efforts with international cooperation.  The work on the ground is the responsibility of Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Israel Police Inspector-General Dudi Cohen and the Fire and Rescue Service, with the assistance of the IDF, MDA and all the bodies that are represented here.  First of all, I would like to say that this goal has been achieved.  After the tragedy that has befallen us, the loss of 41 people, we grieve along with the families.

 

That we have not suffered additional losses is thanks to the police personnel, the firefighters, the soldiers, the pilots, the MDA personnel, the local council workers, the many volunteers and the citizens of Israel.  The Israeli people know how to come together.  The State of Israel knows how to come together and unite in moments of crisis and this is happening here very well.

 

I would like to thank all of those who are here from the various forces: Fire and Rescue Service Commissioner Shimon Romach and MDA with you, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi and the Air Force, Israel Police Insp.-Gen. Cohen and all of the Government offices and the two ministers here, Social Welfare and Social Services Minister Yitzhak Herzog and Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, in addition to Minister Aharonovitch.  There has been exceptional and impressive cooperation that has led to important results, the first of which is saving lives.  At my request, there were evacuations and now people are returning to their homes, as the situation permits.

 

The second goal is aerial extinguishing.  I would like to explain that we have a unique event here.  It does have parallels around the world, in the giant brushfires that have occurred in Russia, the US, Greece and in several other countries.  These are massive brushfires that cannot be compared to acts of arson or other fires.  In a massive brushfire, first of all, there is a need to employ unique forces.  This is not a routine event and it requires aerial activity.  Ground forces are insufficient and most cannot stop even the start.  Even the start, that oft-discussed cup of water, to put out the fire, in the event of a massive brushfire, it is almost always brought by plane or helicopter.

 

This is to say that there is a need for aerial firefighting in order to deal with such fires.  There is also a need to do this in cooperation because there is no country that I know of, and I spoke with both US President Barack Obama and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and with our friend, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who came to our aid immediately.  All of these countries, and others, which have experienced these fires, were helped by other countries.  This is no shame in this; it is part of our existence in the global village.  We live in a global village; we both receive and extend assistance.  Israel has extended assistance over the years in rescuing victims in other countries and Israel is now receiving assistance, very extensive assistance.

 

I have spoken with approximately 30 heads of state and government, presidents and prime ministers, in the past three days.  I must tell you that their mobilization, the warmth of their remarks, their willingness, the desire to help immediately, sometimes even before we have managed to request it, must warm the heart of all Israelis.  There is very great solidarity here and there is very great cooperation, of course in keeping with their abilities.  People are bringing what they have.  Governments are bringing what they have, as per the distances which are often considerable; but not even this is deterring people.

 

Over the past day, this effort has led to our being equipped with an aerial force of ten planes – four from Greece, two from Turkey, one from Cyprus and one from Russia.  These aircraft have started to operate.  They are in addition to our planes, you saw them, the sprayers that are doing exceptional work, but of course we need the massive force and this has happened.  We have also received three British planes, one from Cyprus.  These are the forces that we have succeeded in bringing immediately from not very far away.  In the coming day, I expect that we will double this force with firefighting aircraft from France and Spain.  There have been weather and other problems but as you see, we are overcoming them, and they will be welcomed.  Also, the force of helicopters is being doubled and even tripled.

 

We are also bringing a very significant plane.  You have seen the Ilyushin that has been sent from Russia.  It can carry approximately 40,000 liters.  We are also bringing a Boeing "Supertanker".  It is the largest plane of its kind in the world and we have been told that it can also operate at night, which no other plane can do.  This plane was brought to our attention by Israel Aerospace Industries Chairman Yair Shamir.  He contacted my Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Yohanan Loaker, and told him that heard about it.  Maj.-Gen. Loaker immediately checked the Internet and within 15 minutes, contacted the company.  He asked me, 'Can we approve renting this Arizona-based company?'  I approved it on the spot.  He asked me, 'Where will the budgeting come from?'  I replied, 'We will find it.'  There was a contract within an hour.

 

This plane is en route.  They have a commitment to arrive within 36 hours.  They will come here anywhere in the world.  They will arrive here tonight.  At 01:00, this plane will be here.  Its capacity is 76-80,000 liters, almost double that of the Ilyushin.  It may have the exclusive ability to operate at night.  Because what is happening here, and I just saw it on the flight here, is that during the day, the pilots and firefighters do exceptional work but night falls and the wind-fanned embers return to life, so the ability to operate at night is very significant.

 

I have asked from these countries, from US President Obama, Russian Prime Minister Putin and from others, including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, I asked to learn from their experience.  They have experience in aerial firefighting because the issue of how to use the aerial force is no less important than assembling the force.  Of course, there is nothing to do without the force but when one has it, it must be put to optimal use, because we need to ensure that we can extinguish this fire in the daytime and also at night, if need be.

 

I just spoke with the Russian Deputy Civil Defense, Emergency and Disaster Relief Minister.  They have a modus operandi but nobody has yet developed one for this plane which has only recently come on the market; therefore, we will consider this.  We are making many breakthroughs here.

 

I also intend to acquire for the State of Israel an aerial force, which we need in the era of global warming, in the era of brushfires.  We need, of course, this different ability which will completely alter our ability to deal with massive brushfires.

 

Maj.-Gen. Loaker is contact with the IDF and the Air Force, in order to submit, this week, a proposal for building such a force.  We will budget for it.  These are the two main actions that we must deal with – saving lives and extinguishing the fire.  I think that we are progressing very well.

 

I asked when to stop bringing the planes because we are bringing very many.  Today, I spoke with Swiss President Doris Leuthard and she is sending three helicopters.  I spoke with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and he is sending a plane and a helicopter.  I spoke with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and he is sending a helicopter.  

I spoke with Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and she is sending a plane.  I spoke with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte yesterday and he is sending three helicopters.  I spoke with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and he is sending another two planes, for a total of six.  I asked GOC Air Force Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan yesterday and I asked IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi today, do you want to stop?  They said that they would tell me when.  So as long as they can use these aircraft, we want safety margins.  We want to ensure that we can stop this fire because otherwise it will simply advance, endangering people, and destroying these beautiful Carmel forests.

 

We are now left with a third very major mission and we will hold tomorrow's Cabinet meeting in Tirat Hacarmel not just as an act of solidarity but also in order to make it clear that we will rehabilitate not only the people who have been injured but the homes and the forests that have been damaged as well.  We will do this in cooperation with the local mayors, via the carious ministries, with the ministers who are here and with others.

 

Tomorrow, we will also brief the Cabinet and make a decision to start a plan to rehabilitate the Carmel forests.  Something very precious has been hurt here.  We can rehabilitate it, with the assistance of other bodies such as the JNF and overseas elements, who have already expressed their willingness to volunteer among the Jewish People and among non-Jews.

 

I think that there is a very serious crisis here but from the bitter shall proceed something important, I do not want to say sweet, because very harsh things and personal tragedies have occurred but one thing is becoming clear" The Israeli people are standing together and many other peoples are standing together with us.  This is not a small thing.  This must certainly be a point of light during Chanukah.

 

Perhaps I will add one other point because I see that somebody has sent me a message.  In the framework of the countries that are aiding us, there have been very interesting things.  First, the fact that during Chanukah, Turkish pilots speaking Turkish, and pilots speaking Greek are flying together with Israeli pilots and this is important.  This will certainly have positive repercussions from Israel's point-of-view.

 

But we have also witnessed displays of admiration and assistance from Egypt, from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, from Jordanian King Abdullah, and from Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen, who volunteered to send three firefighters.  I think that these things are very important.  I had a very good and warm talk with him.  I expressed appreciation both for this step and for his solidarity in conveying his condolences, as others have also done, and I told him that we re in the same neighborhood.  

The fire is once here and once there.  We are, in effect, creating a regional network, after we purchase the planes, the planes will join a regional network that I believe we can establish here for the benefit of all of our peoples."