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ISRAEL NIGHT

A night full of stories, songs and memories from Israel.

Held by Naftali Gross and Rephel Wein- the Shlichim arriving from Israel for the High Holidays.

42 years after Yom Kippur war. An evening will be held to commemorate and inspired by the Israeli war stories and miracles throughout the states 67th year of existence.

The evening will include stories remembering the heroes who fought and fell for the land of Israel, together with memories from Israel that make it such a special place.

A rare night conducted by Israeli Shlichim.

A chance to get inspired and moved by the story of Israel.

Feel free to bring a plate of kosher finger food.

The Gaza War of 2014 (otherwise known as Operation Protective Edge) was a devastating conflict between Israel and the terrorist group administrating the Gaza Strip, Hamas. The conflict resulted in a tragic number of casualties.

With both sides being accused of war crimes during that time period, AUJS hosts two Israeli soldiers sharing their own experience of the conflict.

The function will culminate in a talk for 40 minutes followed by 20 minutes of Q & A.

Whilst we understand the passion of groups advocating in various capacities pertaining to this conflict – we ask that attendees show respect due the speakers and other attendees and try to contribute to what should be a productive and learning environment.

Our recent experiences in promoting a public address by two Israeli students about their firsthand account of fighting in the 2014 Gaza War under the IDF’s rules of engagement, was our first brush with the BDS movement in New Zealand.

For many of us in New Zealand the BDS movement is something that we read about in lands far away. It was therefore intriguing to encounter it here on these shores.

We invite you to hear about the story behind the story of our efforts to promote the public address in Christchurch and Wellington and find out more about the background to this movement which seeks to isolate Israel and to pressure it into conceding even more to the Palestinian cause.

Dennis McLeod once led Hamilton-based Christian Friends of Israel and has been a staunch supporter of Israel and a strident enemy of anti-Semitism in the church. We’re pleased to have him as our guest speaker at our November meeting to talk about the church’s responsibility towards Israel and the Jewish people.  He recently published his memoir “Small Beginnings” which is available online on amazon.com.

“That weekend, we went to visit the very dear friends in the coastal town… They had visited Israel and 1991 and had attended a meeting in Hamilton on Israel before they had left. As I too was interested in Israel, I’d gone to the meeting with them and encountered my very first anti-Semitism teaching within the church. The speaker, who was from a church based in Israel, went to great lengths to tell the audience why Israel should not be there and even tried to use ancient building methods to prove his point. The Bible was not mentioned. One cannot discuss Israel without the Bible, and you cannot discuss the Bible without discussing Israel.”

– McLeod, D (2015). Small Beginnings. Balboa Press.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

DENNIS R. MCLEOD grew up on a farm in the central north Island of New Zealand and joined the Regular Force Cadets at the age of just fifteen and by the time he graduated into the Regular Force had become the head cadet. Before leaving the army at age twenty-seven he became a qualified mechanic and instructor.

McLeod was a top teacher at a local trade school, where he taught for over thirty-five years. McLeod also served as president of a local school committee and president of the Hamilton Harriers club he belonged to. He has served as a church synod representative. He and his wife, Penny, have served as missionaries in several countries, including Israel, Philippines, Benin, Malawi and America.

Along with Penny, they pastored a church in their hometown of Hamilton New Zealand. He has four grown children and nine grandchildren.

“Great things can come from small beginnings,” McLeod says. “They happened to me, and they can happen to you, too.” At some point in their lives, many people feel they have been rejected and forgotten. They may see friends and family go on to lead fulfilling lives and believe such a life will never come to them. Their lives are filled with a sense of rejection, whether real or imagined. Author Dennis R. McLeod understands that feeling and shares it in Small Beginnings. Because of the verbal abuse he suffered as a child and being told he would never amount to anything, plus a marriage and divorce at the age of thirty-three, he suffered very badly from rejection. This is the story of the journey that started at the age of fifteen when God started training him for the future and the work God had for him to do.

JIFF is the home of the most comprehensive range of Israeli and Jewish-themed films in Australia and New Zealand. The films premiere in our annual three-week film festival in November or our newly established Holocaust Film Series in March. JIFF is building on the long and proud 24-year history of Jewish film festivals in Australia.

Son of Saul (2015)

In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival upon trying to salvage from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son. 107 minutes.

Cannes Film Festival 2015

Ghent International Film Festival 2015

Hamburg Film Festival 2015

Hawaii International Film Festival 2015

London Film Festival 2015

Sarajevo Film Festival 2015

JIFF is the home of the most comprehensive range of Israeli and Jewish-themed films in Australia and New Zealand. The films premiere in our annual three-week film festival in November or our newly established Holocaust Film Series in March. JIFF is building on the long and proud 24-year history of Jewish film festivals in Australia.

The Prime Ministers (2015)

The Prime Ministers: Soldiers and Peacemakers, examines Ambassador Avner’s experiences with Prime Ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres as well as his service as Israel’s Ambassador to England. The early efforts at negotiating agreements with Egypt, the raid on Entebbe, Anwar Sadat’s historic visit to Jerusalem, the Camp David Accords, the bombing of Iraq’s nuclear facility, the war in Lebanon, the Oslo Accords and the ongoing struggle to make peace with Israel’s Arab neighbors and the Palestinians are some of the topics covered as The Prime Ministers: Soldiers and Peacemakers builds to its dramatic and emotional conclusion.

Weaving a rich tapestry of history and personal testimonies, The Prime Ministers brings some of the most important events of the 20th and 21st centuries to life. Starring the voices of Sandra Bullock as Golda Meir, Michael Douglas as Yitzhak Rabin, Leonard Nimoy as Levi Eshkol and Christoph Waltz as Menachem Begin, The Prime Ministers: The Pioneers is written, produced and directed by Academy Award winner Richard Trank and co-written and produced by two-time Academy Award winner Rabbi Marvin Hier. Grammy and Emmy winner Lee Holdridge composed and conducted the films’ original score.  115 minutes.

JIFF is the home of the most comprehensive range of Israeli and Jewish-themed films in Australia and New Zealand. The films premiere in our annual three-week film festival in November or our newly established Holocaust Film Series in March. JIFF is building on the long and proud 24-year history of Jewish film festivals in Australia.

The Kind Words (2015)

Follows three brothers who are going to discover the greatest secret of their late mother. This trip is going to change their lives.

118 minutes.

Israeli film Academy: Nominated for: this film, Best Dir, Best screenplay, Best actor, Best actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing, Best Casting, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Sound.

JIFF is the home of the most comprehensive range of Israeli and Jewish-themed films in Australia and New Zealand. The films premiere in our annual three-week film festival in November or our newly established Holocaust Film Series in March. JIFF is building on the long and proud 24-year history of Jewish film festivals in Australia.

Atomic Falafel (2015)

Two girls from nuclear towns in Israel and Iran spill their countries most valuable secrets on Facebook while trying to prevent a nuclear crisis. 100 minutes.

Awards of the Israeli Film Academy 2015