Here is a calendar of upcoming events, up and down the country. Some are organized by us, others by like-minded organizations and groups.
How I survived the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Peter Gaspar is a Holocaust survivor and educator, who uses his experiences to help inform young people about the dangers of prejudice and discrimination. Peter was born in Bratislava in Czechoslovakia and survived the war by going into hiding. Along with his parents, Peter was hidden for three years and then during the last six months, Peter and his mother were interned in the Terezin Concentration Camp. Peter currently volunteers with the Courage to Care program in Melbourne inspiring young people to be more accepting and tolerant. This year he will also be travelling to schools throughout New Zealand, through the HOPE Project.
ISRAEL, INDIA AND INNOVATION: 7.30 pm, September 4
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Ambassador Dr Gerberg is the current Ambassador of Israel to New Zealand.
Note: There will also be a time of prayer for Israel, and New Zealand.
CHRISTCHURCH: BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS — SEMINAR ON CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACEMAKING
2pm-8.30pm, September 6
Oxford Terrace Baptist Church, 288 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch.
For catering purposes, please contact office@otbc.org.nz or ph 379 5996.
The views of Dr Awad are his own and may not represent those of NZ Friends of Israel Association Inc.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR:
Dr Sami Awad is the Executive Director of the Holy Land Trust. He is a Christian Palestinian devoted to nonviolent resistance against the continuing Israeli presence in the region
While the world treats Israel as a pariah nation, the Bible, God’s Word, reveals a future where Israel continues to be a blessing to every nation on this planet! This seminar provides a summary of key elements of God’s plan for Israel.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Murray Dixon is
an ordained Anglican minister, who served as an RNZAF chaplain for a number of years before taking up the role of Vicar of Christ Church in Jerusalem for six years. After his time in Jerusalem he joined Ellel Ministries International Training School at Pierrepont in the UK for six years, where he was part of the leadership team, as well as contributing in pastoral and teaching roles. He was an early pioneer of Prayer for Israel in New Zealand and is author of several books, including “Israel: Land of God’s Promise”.
An overview of the people of God – Jews & Christians
This in depth seminar reveals Jesus at work establishing His Kingdom as revealed in both Old and New Testaments from Genesis to Revelation, answering key questions, including: What does this mean for 21st century Christians? How does this affect NZ? Can we rely upon the Bible today as truth? What do we learn from history?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Murray Dixon is an ordained Anglican minister, who served as an RNZAF chaplain for a number of years before taking up the role of Vicar of Christ Church in Jerusalem for six years. After his time in Jerusalem he joined Ellel Ministries International Training School at Pierrepont in the UK for six years, where he was part of the leadership team, as well as contributing in pastoral and teaching roles. He was an early pioneer of Prayer for Israel in New Zealand and is author of several books, including “Israel: Land of God’s Promise”.
UN Resolution 2334 and New Zealand
At the end of 2016, NZ used its position on the UN Security Council to co-sponsor UN Resolution 2334. This resolution, among other things, undermined Israel’s historical claims to Jerusalem as its historical and cultural capital. In protest, Israel withdrew its ambassador from New Zealand.
Its reported that all but two (Bill English and Murray McCully) of the government caucus at the time, objected to New Zealand’s actions. Gerry Brownlee has led the way for relations with Israel to be restored. This will be the first time the Ambassador will be publicly speaking in Christchurch since relations were restored.
You are invited to a briefing on this controversy, and Israel’s views on how relations between our two countries can progress from here.
There will be an extensive Q&A time.
Admission is free but please bring a plate of finger food. A collection will be taken to help defray expenses.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Prior to his appointment as the Ambassador of Israel to New Zealand, Dr. Gerberg was Director of Southern Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. He also served as Ambassador to
Georgia (2007-2012) as well as Ambassador of Israel to Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana and Malawi (2002-2003).
Ambassador Dr. Gerberg is married to Shifra Gerberg
and they have three children.
Diplomatic Positions:
2007-2012: Ambassador to Georgia
2002-2003: Ambassador to Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana and Malawi
1999-2002: Ambassador to Zimbabwe
1996-1997: Consul General, Israeli Consulate General in Shanghai (China)
1992-1996: Consul General, Israeli Consulate General in Bombay (India)
1985-1989: Second Secretary, Israeli Embassy in Manila (Philippines)
Academic Positions:
2014 – 2015 – Lecturer, University of Haifa
2005-2007 – Lecturer, Tel-Aviv University
Education:
2002 -2009: Ph.D. in International Politics from University of South – Africa (UNISA)
1998-1999: M.A. in Political Science from Haifa University
1998-1999: Israeli National Defense College – National Security
1990-1991: Davis Institute- Direction in New World Order
1990-1991: Truman Institute – Pre-Negotiation in Diplomacy
1983-1984: Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Foreign Affairs Cadet’s Course
1982-1986: M.A. in Mass Communications from the Hebrew University
1979-1980: Teaching Diploma in Social Science from University of Tel-Aviv
1976-1980: B.A. in Political Science from University of Tel-Aviv
You are invited by the Zionist Federation of New Zealand, and the Christians for Israel to the Auckland premiere of the documentary “Whose Land? Part 1: Foundations”
A century after the Balfour Declaration of November 1917, the argument over the land – then known as Palestine – rages on.
Politicians, Clerics, school teachers living in the Gaza strip, the West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem, teach their children, teenagers and young adults that the Balfour Declaration was illegal, and that the whole of the land – now known as Israel – in fact belongs to the Arab people who known today as the Palestinians.
The Palestinian claim goes on to assert that the Jewish people have no historic connection with Jerusalem, that they are in fact trying to judaize the Holy City and that the Jewish presence there is illegal.
Moreover this claim is now becoming widely accepted among many in the Western world. So what historical and legal claim do the Palestinian Arabs have over Jerusalem and the Land of Israel?
Do the Jewish people have historic and legal rights? If so, when and where did they originate?
In the first of a two-part documentary “Whose Land?” Richard Kemp, together with a group of historians and international lawyers, examine the conflicting claims of the Palestinians and the Israelis through the eyes of verifiable history and international law.
Presented by Col Richard Kemp CBE (ret’d). Produced and directed by Hugh Kitson.
Following the film there will be a Q&A with Fraser Hudson (co-producer of Whose Land?) and Andrew Tucker (legal expert in International Law) who is interviewed in the movie.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Colonel Richard Kemp CBE is a retired British Army officer who served from 1977 to 2006. He was Commander of British Forces Afghanistan, an infantry battalion Commanding Officer, worked for the Joint Intelligence Committee and COBR and completed 14 operational tours of duty around the globe.
Kemp testified before the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, denying allegations that Israel engaged in war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza War in December 2008 to January 2009. Kemp based his assessment on publicly available information from both sides, press reports and his 30-year experience of counter-terrorism operations and planning.[22] In June 2009, Kemp wrote “HAMAS, THE GAZA WAR AND ACCOUNTABILITY UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW” for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. In this paper, Kemp accused Hamas of deploying women and children as suicide attackers, and wrote that “women and children are trained and equipped to fight, collect intelligence and ferry arms and ammunition between battles”.
In October 2009, Kemp made a presentation to the United Nations Human Rights Council in response to the introduction of the Goldstone report in which Israel and Hamas were accused of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the Gaza War. Kemp spoke to the UN HRC on behalf of UN Watch.[24] Kemp said: “Of course innocent civilians were killed. War is chaos and full of mistakes. There have been mistakes by the British, American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq, many of which can be put down to human error. But mistakes are not war crimes… Based on my knowledge and experience, I can say this: during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli Defense Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in the combat zones than any other army in the history of warfare.”
On 11 March 2015, Richard Kemp visited the University of Sydney in Sydney, New South Wales to deliver a lecture on “Ethical Dilemmas of Military Tactics” and the complexities in dealing with violent non-state actors like ISIL. This lecture was interrupted by a group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators led by Associate-Professor Jake Lynch, the Director of the University’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Following a heated exchange between the protesters and audience members, the pro-Palestinian protesters were evicted by security guards. In response to the incident, Richard Kemp wrote a letter to the University of Sydney criticising Lynch’s behavior and accusing the latter of anti-Semitism. The University of Sydney has since commenced an investigation into the incident.