Writing this article, I ask myself: What will we be talking about when this issue of the Chronicle is being read by members of our community? Will we read a print version or will it be strictly online? Will our kids be back at their schools?
As I am writing these lines, all of our planned events have been cancelled and even Aliyah is on somewhat of a hold due to COVID-19. Usually in the May issue of the Chronicle we share stories from the School Twinning delegation to Israel, where teachers meet their peers, learn from each other and plan joint activities for their pupils. This year, the delegation has been cancelled and teachers are not going to Israel BUT, and it is a huge BUT, peer learning is happening and events are still happening, albeit in different and innovative ways.
We recently celebrated Israel’s Independence Day. This tiny little country managed in its short 72 years to reach heights that many more established countries haven’t reached yet, including some groundbreaking innovations. Dov Moran, Founder of the Israeli company M-Systems, who invented the first flash drive, shared in an interview the story of his invention, which is the story of probably every good invention. He talked about that time when he was giving a presentation and his computer wouldn’t turn on. He talked about the time when he had a problem that didn’t have a solution, so he had to invent one. Israel, being where it is in the world and dealing with many issues, makes a great hub for identifying problems to be solved by creative, innovative thinking.
These last few months have made the whole world halt. In our world of programming and creating content that brings people together, social distancing brought a whole new challenge… but just like Dov Moran and just like Israel, we try to think outside the box and look at the challenge as what it can be – an opportunity. So, using technology, we didn’t celebrate Israel’s independence only with our community but we celebrated with Jewish communities all around the world. We now see that there are always new ways to do things and we can be inspired even when we are all in our own homes.
I hope that by the time you read these lines, our life will be back to normal, but even if it is not, trust that the Israel Centre will keep offering content and opportunities to connect with Israel.
By Michal Ilan
Website: Israel Centre SA, Facebook: Israel Centre Cape Town
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