Israeli poet Vaan Nguyen "one of the most interesting young poets in Israel”

Roy Arad, one of the editors of Mayaan describes Vaan Nguyen  as "one of the most interesting young poets in Israel”

From an article by Dana Kessler in  Tablet Magazine:

Vaan Nguyen is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who were among the so-called Boat People who fled Vietnam by sea in the late 1970s. After failing to find refuge in the Philippines, the family was given asylum in Israel by then Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Born in Israel in 1982, Nguyen grew up in Jaffa. Today she is an up-and-coming Israeli poet, championed by some of the country’s leading critics. 

 Her debut collection, The Truffle Eye, first saw the light of day six years ago, as a stand-alone pamphlet handed out with an issue of the literary journal Maayan. The journal is now publishing the collection—together with a handful of few new poems—as a proper book.

Nguyen was familiar to Israeli audiences before her collection was published. Her story—or at least the part of it that is connected to her past, her family, and her roots—served as the basis for director Duki Dror’s 2005 documentary, The Journey of Vaan Nguyen, in which Vaan joins her father on a journey back to Vietnam in an attempt to reclaim the family’s confiscated land.

Faces of Israel. Diversity. Democracy. Innovation

Druze historian and poet Dr. Reda Mansour appointed Israel's new Ambassador to Brazil

Israel loves and respects her poets as much as her warriors.

Druze historian and poet Dr. Reda Mansour has been appointed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman as Israel's next ambassador to Brazil. He will enter his new position in the summer.

Mansour was born in 1965 in the Druze village of Isfiya in northern Israel. He has a Ph.D from the University of Haifa's Middle East History Department and is a graduate of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Ambassador Mansour has received the Haáretz Annual Short Story Award, as well as the Haifa University Miller Award. He has published three books of Hebrew poetry and speaks 5 languages.

Mansour has been ambassador to Ecuador, deputy ambassador to Portugal and served as consul-general to the South-Eastern United States.

In an article originally  appearing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on February 5th, 200, Dr. Mansour wrote:

My grandfather, who lived to be more than 100 years old, used to say, “I’ve seen them all and there are none like the Jews.”

Our small Druze town had remained virtually the same for hundreds of years under Ottoman and later British rule. When Israel was established in 1948, rapid development ensued, and for the first time, our homes had electricity and running water and every child received a quality, free education. 

Even among all that modernity and relative luxury, my grandfather’s greatest praise for Israel came as a result of how the young state treated its less fortunate citizens. For the first time in his life, my grandfather, a retired factory worker, received a pension and had access to quality health care. He said that a society could be judged by the way it treats the elderly, sick and unemployed and that Israel had proved itself both strong and compassionate. Certainly, he would say, such a nation would prevail.

Dr. Mansour joins two other Druze diplomats: Naim Aryadi, Israel's ambassador to Norway, and Baheej Mansour, Israel's ambassador to the Dominican Republic.

Faces of Israel: Diversity. Democracy. Innovation.

First Sgt. Monaliza Abdo, Arab-Israeli Combat Soldier

From the IDF Blog:

First Sgt. Monaliza Abdo is an Arab-Israeli woman who proudly served her country as a combat soldier. She wasn’t required to enlist, but her determination to protect Israel motivated her to volunteer. As a fighter on Israel’s southern border, she rose through the ranks to become a commander, teaching soldiers how to combat terrorism and other threats. Just a few weeks ago, she honorably completed three years of service – one more than the required number for Israeli women.

Profiles in courage: Aharon Karov

Originally posted in Pro Israel bay bloggers

In 2009, Aharon Karov, a 22 year old soldier in the Israeli Paratrooper Brigade 890  reported for duty during operation Cast Lead,   just 12 hours after his wedding to Tzivia

During the fighting in Gaza, Aharon and his squad entered a house in Gaza that had been booby trapped.   The explosion blew off the left side of his face. His body was shattered by over 500 pieces of shrapnel.

Critically wounded, he was evacuated by helicopter and flown to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tivkah. Over the course of the next day,  he had 6 operations.  All of Israel watched and prayed as Aharon fought for his life

His survival is a testament to the skill and commitment of his doctors, and to his own resilience and spirit.

Photo from YNET

Aharon has done more than merely survive. He has thrived.

Tomorrow Aharon Karov will be running in the 2013  New York City Marathon.

Am Yisroel Chai

Druze Officer Now Commands Israel's Famed Golani Brigade

 From the J post

The IDF has appointed a Druse officer for the first time as commander of the Golani Brigade.

Col. Rasan Alian will take up command of the infantry brigade, as part of a series of appointments made by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz.

 

Alian’s military career blossomed in the Golani Brigade, where he was commander of Battalion 51, then the Reconnaissance Battalion, and eventually, deputy commander of the brigade.

He also served in the Kfir Brigade as commander of the Duhifat Battalion. His most recent role was commander of the 36th Division on the Golan Heights.

Other appointments include Col. Ori Gordin as commander of the Nahal infantry brigade, and Col. Y as commander of the Israel Air Force’s Active Defense Division. The appointments require approval from Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon.

From the Israel Defense Website:

Col. Rasan Alian will be appointed to command the brigade instead of Col. Yaniv Ashur, and will mark the first time a member of the Druze community has commanded the brigade.

Col. Alian served until recently as the commander of the Menashe Brigade responsible for the Jenin region, and successfully maintained the relative peace in the area. He rose from within the ranks of the Golani Brigade, and served in the past as the commander of its reconnaissance battalion and as the brigade's deputy commander. According to senior officials in the IDF, "Col. Alian was not appointed due to the fact that he is from the Druze community, but be cause of his capabilities and significant experience in the field as a fighter."

  Faces of Israel: Diversity. Democracy. Innovation.

Dr. Hossam Haick: Making miracles happen

Dr. Hossam Haick is a remarkable young man by any standard.

From the Technion website:

Prof. Haick has received several awards for his research, including a Knight of the Order of Academic Palms (Chevalier dans l'Ordres des Palmes Académiques), the list of the world’s 35 leading young scientists for 2008 of the prestigious scientific journal MIT’s Technology Review, the Horev Chair for Leaders in Science and Technology, the "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" Prize in Chemical Engineering, the Discovery Program Award of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the OXYGEN Prize, the Norman and Barbara Seiden Prize, the Israel-France Award for Academic Excellence, the Herschel Rich Innovation Award (2008, 2011), the Minerva Short-Term Research Award, the Bergmann Award for Excellent Young Scientists, the CREATE Award, the Al-Qendil Prize, and the YMCA and Rotary Honorary Decorations.  In addition, Prof. Haick was selected for the lists of “Ten Most Promising Young Israeli Scientists” of Calcalist (2010), “Young Israelis of the Year” of the Jerusalem Post” (2010), “50 Leading Israelis for 2007” and “four saluted Israeli scientists” (2007) of Yedioth Aharonot.  Other honors and awards include the Fulbright fellowship, ‘Israel Ministry of Science and Technology' awards, Prof. Avrahami prize, and CNR-IMIP prize.
 
Prof. Hossam Haick has invented a device with the capacity to identify chemical signals in the breath of cancer patients, making early diagnosis of certain cancers more likely.  This  Nanoscale Artifical Nose (NA-NOSE) contains  five gold nanoparticle sensors linked to software capable of detecting patterns of molecules found in people with cancer. Dr. Haick's  brilliant and innovative work has the potential to save thousands of lives each year, through the early detection of cancer.

Incidentally, Dr. Hossam Haick is an Israeli Arab.

Faces of Israel. Diversity. Democracy. Innovation.

Pvt. Or Meidan. A Light to Us All

From the IDF blog

.... Pvt. Or Meidan, stands out amongst the new recruits. In 2011, Pvt. Meidan immigrated to Israel from Uganda with her family. “We were living at a kibbutz, Yad Mordechi, during operation Pillar of Defense,” she recalls of her first days in the country. “Rockets were flying near us every day from the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.”

Upon arriving in Israel, Pvt. Meidan planned to finish her university studies, but her experience during the operation inspired her to take a different path. Pvt. Meidan decided to follow in the footsteps of her stepfather, a native-born Israeli, and join the IDF. “My grandfather helped me see that as an Israeli citizen, I also had a duty to serve my country,” she explained proudly.

At first, joining the army was an overwhelming decision for Pvt. Meidan. “I first went to Mikve Alon and took a Hebrew course,” she says, referring to her participation in a basic-training track for new immigrants. After improving her Hebrew, she drafted into the Air Defense Command, where she joined a group of soldiers tasked with operating the Iron Dome system. She realized that the role would allow her to protect Israeli civilians from the same rocket fire that threatened her family and friends during the operation.

“Growing up in Uganda wasn’t particularly difficult. I was very focused on my schoolwork and enjoyed learning about new things.” Pvt. Meidan explains.  “I never thought I would be so challenged and fulfilled, and I am looking forward my daily life and accomplishments in the IDF,” she adds. Her goal is to become a commander for the Iron Dome battery, and train others in the importance of being able to save lives and protect Israeli citizens.

Pvt. Meidan is not Jewish, but she intends participate in Nativ, a special track for IDF soldiers interested in converting to Judaism. “I am an Israeli citizen and I am very proud of the job I am doing in the IDF, but somehow converting to Judaism just feels right,” she says.

                                Faces Of Israel. Diversity. Democracy. Innovation