HaZak, our Solomon Schechter Award-winning program, is dedicated to serving
the social, educational, and religious needs of our members aged 55
and over. The word HaZaK,
which means "strength" in Hebrew, also stands for Hokhma (Wisdom), Ziknah (Maturity)
and Kadimah (Looking
Forward).
On Wednesday, April 17th, we enjoyed a delicious pasta and salad lunch prepared by Carol Hershenson, followed by Birkat HaMazon, Grace after a Meal, led by Rabbi George Barnard. Then, Sarah Barnard introduced our guest speaker, new Cincinnati Shaliach (Emissary) Amnon Maggid. His presentation explained to us the differences between American and Israeli elections, methods and results, and their political party system.
Amnon started his talk by asking a question: Should a Jew who visits Israel for at least 2 weeks have the right to vote in their elections? The consensus was "Absolutely not! Only someone who makes aliyah or is born in Israel should have the right to vote."
Israelis must vote with a paper ballot, in person, as absentee ballots are not allowed (unless one is out of the country on official government business).
One of the biggest differencesis in voting in Israel is that people vote for the party they like, not an individual. There were 11 parties that won seats in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, so no one party has a majority. The largest party must make a coalition with other parties in order to form the government.
Amnon closed his talk by telling us about his initiative to bring author Yossi Klein Halevy to the Mayerson JCC on October 29, 2019. Halevy's best-seller, "Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor" is available for free to Jewish book clubs from the JCC.
Sonia Milrod and Jeff Bassin sign up for other events at NHS.
Bobbi Handwerger is there to accept donations for the Hazak lunch. |
Carol Hershonson brings out the pasta with vegetables. |
Ron Richards and Rabbi Barnard get some food. |
Pam Simowitz-Weber gets some pasta. |
Rabbi Barnard leads Birkat HaMazon. |
Birkat HaMazon. |
Birkat HaMazon. |
Birkat HaMazon. |
Sarah Barnard introduces Amnon Maggid. |
Israeli Elections: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. |
Amnon Maggid asks us if anyone who has been in Israel for
at least 2 weeks should have the right to vote. |
Political Party Systems in the world's largest democracies. |
Why is it so confusing? |
Why is it so confusing? |
The results of the 2019 election. |
A Map of Blocks showing which parties are to the Left or to the Right,
as well as the number of seats in the Knesset that they won. |
This map shows a coalition with Blue & White, Kulanu and Likud. |
 Engage in open & honest discussions about Israel. |
Amnon invited us to meet the author, Yossi Klein Halevy, on October 29th. |
Contact information for Amnon Maggid. |
Elaine Hordes held up a book, "Where the Crawdads Sing",
for the next NHS Book Club meeting. |
Bobbi Handwerger made some announcements before everyone went home. |
