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Writers trip expands to non-Americans By Cnaan Liphshiz This year, for the first time in 20 years, participants from countries outside the United States - including Israel - took part in the World Zionist Organization's General Assembly workshop for aspiring Jewish writers. The Do the Write Thing program, launched two decades ago, at once offers an insider's view of Israel and underscores the lines that separate European, American and Israeli coreligionists. Advertisement During the five-day program, 30 journalism students and aspiring writers toured Israel and attended sessions of the United Jewish Communities General Assembly, which is taking place in Jerusalem this week. The WZO writers program coincides every year with the GA. On Monday, the participants hosted a panel discussion attended by Meretz legislator Avshalom Vilan and the Hatikvah party's Arieh Eldad. The writers later attended a lecture given by former chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon on the regional threats Israel is facing. Approximately 30 minutes after meeting with the writers, Ya'alon confirmed local rumors circulating in the media about his intention to join the Likud party. According to 24-year-old Erica Nurnberg from Washington D.C., Ya'alon's address provided a perfect example of the contribution Israeli participants had made to the program. One of the Israelis in attendance, a journalist, had asked Ya'alon about his Likud ambitions during the workshop lecture. Ya'alon, however, decided to sit on the scoop for another half an hour and declined to comment. The program, which the World Zionist Organization's Hagshama department runs in cooperation with the Jewish Agency and the American Jewish Press Association, also gave Nurnberg a chance to observe "Israeli cluelessness" about the Jewish world. People in Israel, she says, tend to be either very religious or very secular. She also noted the North Americans were far more aware of what was going on in Israel than vice versa. She added she would have liked to learn more about Israeli, rather than American, philanthropic projects. Laurent Spierer from Switzerland was struck by the differences in the focus of European Jews from their Israeli and American counterparts. "If this were a European program, there would have been much more of an emphasis on anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism," he says. "You can tell it's an American program." Spierer, 25, who lives in Geneva, noted that the participants only heard one Arab-Israeli speaker and did not meet with any Palestinians. "It was balanced in the sense that we were as exposed to the right wing as to the left wing in Israel, but only within the Zionist spectrum," Spierer said. Katya Minakova from Moscow, in her early twenties, says she found the trip to be an opportunity to educate Israelis about their "misconceptions" about Russians. "For a start, people here don't seem to know that Russia still has a large Jewish community," she said. Bookmark to del.icio.us   The King is dead Archeologists find new evidence for King Herod's tomb site. Al-Hasbara Israel launches Arabic YouTube channel to bypass Arab media.

Read & React Bradley Burston: Dividing Jerusalem, one wall at a time Responses: 42 Peres: Obama told me he was 'very impressed' with Arab peace plan Responses: 75 VIDEO / Peres speech at Oxford University disrupted by anti-Israel protesters Responses: 104 Settler rabbi: The State of Israel is an enemy of the people Responses: 69 Hamas: We're prepared to end cease-fire and confront Israel Responses: 49 More Headlines 22:25 IAEA: Syria site bombed by Israel bore features of nuclear reactor 22:05 Israel to boycott 'Durban II' anti-racism conference 21:40 Assad: Israel never asked Syria to cut ties with Hezbollah, Iran 21:42 PA negotiator: Obama told Abbas he'd spare no effort to see Mideast peace 19:26 Israel launches Arabic YouTube channel to bypass Arab media 22:02 Jewish Republican representative elected to top deputy spot in Congress 01:36 Archaeologists find new evidence for King Herod's tomb site 23:06 GA special report / Satisfied participants bid farewell to Jerusalem 00:44 U.S. FAA downgrades Israel's aviation safety ranking 19:04 Dividing Jerusalem, one wall at a time 02:09 Al-Qaida No. 2: Obama guilty of betraying Muslim roots in backing Israel 00:42 Peres speech at Oxford University disrupted by anti-Israel protesters 02:07 Warsaw completes restoration project marking Jewish Ghetto boundaries 01:50 Court sentences Boaz Yona to 7 years, doubles damages he must pay 02:40 Report: 90% of schools offer auxiliary programs not monitored by Education Min. Previous Editions Select Day 19 nov 18 nov 17 nov 16 nov 14 nov 13 nov 12 nov 11 nov 10 nov 09 nov 07 nov 06 nov

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