Dear Mr. Jeff Seidel (and Batsheva!), I have really enjoyed attending the Monday night program, going on the Poland trip, and studying with Batsheva. All of your wonderful programs have given me the opportunity to learn more about Judaism than I ever thought I would know and I have really enjoyed learning. Every Monday I looked forward to learning about a new topic. I loved learning all about Jewish holidays, their meanings and customs. I also had the opportunity to travel to Poland, an opportunity I donÛªt think I would have ever had in my life if not for the Jeff Seidel Program. I am really grateful I had this experience. The most memorable experiences I have had were with studying Torah with Batsheva. I had never had any experience before and knew very little, and I have learned so much from her. I always looked forward to studying with Batsheva and always left each session excited and ready to learn more. I know for sure that she has opened up an entire world to me and will definitely continue to keep learning more. Thank you for all the great opportunities.
Melissa McCormack – BGU Spring 2013
17
Jun
Jun
George Deek is an Arab-Israeli diplomat. In 2018, Deek was appointed Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan. He is the first Israeli Arab Christian to become an ambassador. Deek grew up in an Eastern Orthodox Christian family in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, in a building where the other tenants included Muslims, Catholics, Jews and a Catholic priest of Jewish ancestry.[2][3] His father, who worked as a tax advisor,[3] was one of the leaders of the Christian community in Jaffa who served as chairman of the Orthodox Association, and was considered a well-known and popular figure in the city until in 2015 a square was inaugurated in his memory in Jaffa in the presence of Mayor Ron Huldai.[4] According to Deek, his grandparents fled to Lebanon for safety when the 1947–1949 Palestine war, having been told that the Jews would slaughter them if they remained in their homes, but expecting to return home once Arab armies defeated the Jews.[3] According to Deek, when the war ended, his grandparents felt that they had been “deceived”, and decided to return illegally to their home in Jaffa rather than remaining in Lebanon as refugees. Since reentering the country was illegal, Deek’s grandfather, an electrician, was arrested and jailed.
