Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., November 20, 2008 Cheshvan 22, 5769 | | Israel Time: 20:49 (EST+7)
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GA special report / Satisfied participants bid farewell to Jerusalem
By Sara Miller, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, Jewish World, GA

After four days, dozens of speakers, hundreds of stalls and thousands of participants from Israel and the United States, the United Jewish Communities General Assembly bid farewell to the International Convention Center in Jerusalem with an eye to next year's event in Washington D.C.

Full coverage of the 2008 GA conference

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ome 5,000 people took part in the annual conference, held every fifth year in Israel. Approximately 3,500 members of the American Jewish community flew over to network, discuss the burning issues and meet their Israeli counterparts.

For Robert Kern, head of communications for event sponsor American Friends of Magen David Adom, the event was an extremely beneficial experience.

"The GA is a great place to be seen and to get your message heard," he said. "And for us to be at the GA in Israel, where our program is located, is an added bonus."

The conference gave the organization a chance to recruit blood donors for Israel's rescue service, whose personnel are the first on the scene of many emergencies.


"We were hoping to get 100 units of blood; we collected over 90 units, which is very good. We have already collected about 1,300 [units] for the year, and we're hoping to get to 1,600, which is double last year's total."

Kern expressed satisfaction that the conference had raised the profile of the organization, and created more interest in its work among Americans visiting Israel.

"What this event did with our blood donation is make federations want to give blood when they're here," he said.

For Shlomo Juster, born in New York and a resident of Karmiel for 30 years, it was an unexpected chance to see, and hear, from Israel's leading politicians.

"I came down more or less to listen to [Bank of Israel governor] Stanley Fischer. But my bus, which left at 6.30 a.m., got struck in traffic and Bibi [Benjamin Netanyahu] was on by the time I got here."

"I heard Bibi, Tzipi [Livni] and Shari Arison," he said. "Both Tzipi and Bibi impressed me, the way they spoke, maybe because they speak English!"

Juster had high praise for Netanyahu, whom he said has "has grown tremendously, in maturity."

"He's still a politician, but he's become more of a diplomat, more of a statesman. He used to be strictly for Bibi, but I've changed my mind." But, he clarified, "it doesn't necessarily mean I'll vote for him."


Watching stallholders pack away their booths, which represented the gamut of Jewish interest groups, companies and NGOs, one Israeli participant vowed to attend next year's conference regardless of the expense.

"It's wonderful to have it here in Israel, the heart of the Jewish world," she said. "But next year, I'm looking forward to being the guest, not the host."
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