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= Rationale =  This year we were asked to write our Bagrut English project, which has to include a research task, profile based on an interview and a creative personal part. I chose to do my research on the IDF humanitarian aid delegations because I heard about it a lot in the last few years, and I wanted to know more about it and about the people who participate in its operations. For the second part I want to interview Arik Har-Zhava, a teacher in my school, Neve Chana. Arik teaches Environmental Science; still he doesn't only teach but actually live his ideals and works very hard to achieve his goals. For the creative part I want to make a collage that reflects my Israeli identity. I like making collages, and I think that this is a good way to show my feelings and thoughts.    = Research Article = YOUR GOAL: HELP. AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. THE IDF HUMANITARIAN AID DELEGATIONS

 There are many Japanese people standing in a circle and watching. A little boy walks out of the crowd; a woman's hand is leading him to the four Israeli soldiers who are standing in the middle. The boy is holding his thanking gift to them – a paper bird; when he gives it to the soldiers, one of them picks him up, and the crowd claps their hands.  <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> These were the last minutes of the "IDF (Israel Defense Forces) humanitarian aid delegation" in Japan. They were there to help the Japanese rehabilitate their country after the earthquake and the tsunami in March 2011. This is not the first time the IDF has sent a medical delegation to a far location just to help the unfortunate people who were hurt by a natural disaster. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">The IDF humanitarian aid delegation is a unit in the IDF medical corps. Its first mission was to help 40,000 Yemenite immigrants get into Israel in 1949. Since then, the IDF has already sent tens of commissions to different places around the world. The members of the delegation are usually Yachtza (יחצ"א) soldiers, who generally do not work in the army, but for an urgent occasion, like a natural disaster, in any county around the world, they are the most helpful. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> As stated, the IDF would send its aid delegations to any country that needs help. But are those commissions really effective? What does the world think about them? <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> The Israeli field hospital was one of the most impressive field hospitals that were set up in Haiti after the destructive earthquake that killed many thousands of people in January 2010. Despite the long distance between Haiti and Israel, the IDF was one of the first organizations to open up a field hospital with full equipment. This fact impressed many international news channels, such as the CNN. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">A few days after the earthquake, CNN sent a reporter to cover the global aid that was sent to Haiti. When the reporter walked into one of the Israeli hospital's tents, she was shocked: "This is another world compared to the other hospitals," says the reporter on a live broadcast on the CNN TV channel. "They have actual operating rooms and it's just amazing!" <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> Not only were p ublic channels amazed by the Israeli humanitarian commission, but also private citizens from different countries. One of them was a Haitian woman who gave birth in the Israeli field hospital and was so thankful she named her son "Israel". Other examples are the many citizens who posted pro-Israeli articles on their websites and blogs, in which they expressed their appreciation to Israel for sending humanitarian aid and lending a hand to the Haitians  <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> But other people were not so fascinated by the IDF'S aid delegation. They believe, that Israel's purpose in sending the delegation was not to help the Haitians but to impress the world, and show them that the Israelis can be humanitarian, too (the earthquake in Haiti was right after the Goldstone Report, the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, was published). <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> In coclusion, the IDF humanitarian aid delegations will always lend a hand to anyone who needs help. The appriciation that people from different countries express makes it obvious that the delegations are truly helpful. As an Israeli citizen who read and watched a few interviews with members of the aid delegations, I believe that those people are amazing and honorable, with pure wish to help. Moreover, their operations make the world become aware of the good and humanitarian people in Israel. I think we should all learn from them how to always be ready to support everyone, doesn't matter if we know him or not.

= <span style="background-color: #000000; color: #01f301; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 24px;">Profile = <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #008000; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 26px; text-align: center;">NO TALKING BUT DOING <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">ARIK HAR ZAHAV: A PROFILE <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> Most of you mus t have used throwaway cups so many times, you cannot imagine your life without them. For Arik Har-Zahav, a Kfar-Etzion citizen, using paper cups is unacceptable. Instead of disposable cups, he uses a reusable plastic cup which he keeps in his backpack, and whenever he wants to drink, he takes it out, and then puts it back in place after he is done. Arik claims that his ideas are not so radical. According to his view of the world, using reusable cups, riding bikes instead of driving cars and recycling every piece that can be recycled should be the norm. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> The first time I met Arik was a year ago. Arik was my Environmental Science teacher as I started studying at Neve Chana. I remember one of the first classes, when he ran all around the class in order to show us how the earth circles the sun. While teaching he was and still is very enthusiastic: he shows movies, takes his students out to the small forest behind school, and once a year he holds an environmental contest which is a competition between the different classes in school. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> Arik Har-Zahav was born and raised in Givataim. When he was a boy, Givataim was still not a crowded city, having a few green areas in which Arik and the other children liked going to, for playing games or just for sitting on the grass, beneath the flowers. Arik's father remembers that when Arik was young, at the age of three or four, he used to read big atlases and topographic maps. Arik has always loved nature as well as hiking. He hiked a lot with his ex-warrior father who liked it as well. However, Arik's mother was not as connected to nature as Arik and his father. She was a Hebrew-Grammar teacher, and thanks to her, Arik has always done well in grammar class. His father was first a teacher and then became a businessman, which is his profession nowadays. In high school, Arik chose to take extra-studies in Biology, although if he had had other options, such as Eretz (Eretz students learn about the Israeli area), he thinks he might have taken it instead of Biology. In the army, Arik was in Givati corp, and reserved duty in the Negev corp. these days he volunteers to for reserve duty even though he does not have to, since he has more than five children. Arik likes his job in the army, which is to explore the enemy's area before the other soldiers come in. This job requires a good sense of navigation in addition to knowledge in nature. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">After his military service, Arik became a guide in Jerusalem. Later he studied Tanach and Eretz Israel in Hertzog Collage in Alon-Shevut and worked in the Kfar-Etzion Field School. One day he heard about a field school in Har Hanegev which was doing an operation in order to save a plant called //Caralluma negevensis//. Arik was very curious to know what makes people care about a flower. Due to his curious personality, Arik researched the subject of Environmental Science and fell in love with it. He understood that it is one of the most amazing acts that a man can do in G-d's world: care for it. Moreover, it made him get better in other fields in his life because he realized that if it is important to care for a hump of a camel, it must be very important to care about relationships with friends; moreover, if you fight for saving the planet, you must as well fight against actions that can hurt your neighbor. Since then, he has been trying to make the environment part of his Jewish character. In his words, his worship of G-d (עבודת ה')became better as he learned more about the environment. In his opinion, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (ואהבת לרעך כמוך), which is one of the main rules of Judaism,is the most ecological Mitzva since it means caring for something that is not yourself. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Arik thought that the best way that he could pass on the environmental idea is through teaching, because teaching does not require too much publicity, which he dislikes. When he first suggested teaching Environmental Science in high schools in Gush Etzion, the principals were not impressed and told him that he is "nice". Still, he insisted and finally got the job. This year he teaches the subject in three different schools: Neve Chana, Neve Shmuel and Makor Haim. He hopes that one day the subject will be taught in every school, so all teenagers will know about the environment. However, Arik cannot help it anymore because he cannot work more hours than he does today. In addition to teaching, he is also a member of the Kfar-Etzion Environment Committee. He has his own environmental class as well. It is comprised of ten-years-old youth from Kfar-Etzion and meets once a week. Every week they mix compost in composters, collect bottles for recycling and clean the area. Once every few months they have a special operation such as paving paths in Kfar-Etzion. Arik has been running this class, which is very popular and successful, for over five years already. (Not to mention the fact that it is very helpful and important to the Gush-Etzion area.) <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">Arik says that his family is his test: if he could make their lifestyle more ecological conscious, then he can teach other people how to influence their families as well. For example, the Har-Zahav family only uses paper disposable tableware, which can be recycled, in contrast to plastic goods. Arik's wife is still a bit critical about it, but she understands how important it is. His children are more used to it because they were raised in an ecological house. The eldest son took Bagrut tests in Environmental Science and Eretz, while the younger children are glad to help their father in his special operations. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">While he tries to make people around him more and more ecological aware, Arik realizes that it is going to take a while until the subject will be taught everywhere, and people will begin to adapt an ecological lifestyle. He understands that it is difficult for people who are not used to environmental living to suddenly become aware of the problems and start recycling and caring for the area. Therefore, he tries to make his suggestions to people easy for them to adapt. For instance, he advises them to buy a composter, so it will not be hard for them to throw their organic garbage into it, because it will be in their yards. Arik knows that if he asked people to give up convenience in order to save the planet, they would not do it. Moreover, they will think he is crazy. So Arik thinks that he does not exaggerate, and his suggestions are easy for anyone to apply. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">As for the future, Arik hopes that more people will be conscious of the environmental issue. He believes that awareness is the solution to most problems. Knowing about the problem and its implications is the best way to make you care about and try to solve it. Another advice that he gives is to always be curious and ask questions, because questions lead to knowledge, which – as said before – leads to answers. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">In conclusion, Arik Har-Zahav believes that talking is not enough, and he actually lives his ideals. He also tries to make other people change their habits by teaching teenagers at schools in Gush Etzion, running an Environmental class for ten-years-old kids in addition to planning and carrying out ecological operations. He believes that the environment can connect people from different countries and religions, because it is a common subject which everyone can help.

= <span style="background-color: #808000; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 24px; text-align: center;">Personal Connection = <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"The Jews were set free from Egypt because of three things: they didn't change their name, nor their clothes or their language." – This is a common Jewish proverb, which is based on different sources. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">True, the Hebrew language saved the Jews many times during the two thousand years that they were living in different places all over the world. But all those years Hebrew was kept as a holy language, which was used mostly for praying and not for daily speech. However, in the last two hundred years, the idea of spoken Hebrew was first suggested. In the beginning it seemed impossible that one day every Jewish child in Israel will speak Hebrew. But thanks to many people, such as Eliezer Ben Yehuda, who spent a lifelong period working for the revival of the Hebrew language, today it is obvious that Hebrew is the main language of Israel. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I chose to make a collage because I like the way that it expresses thoughts and ideas, in addition to the fact that I like making collages. In my collage I put the Hebrew alphabet which represents the Hebrew language.

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= = = <span style="background-color: #931a40; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 26px; text-align: center;">Reflection = <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">For over a month I have been working on my English Bagrut project. Now, that I have finished writing it, I feel proud of what I have done. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">First, I wrote my research part about the IDF humanitarian aid delegations. I liked the subject; therefore, despite the fact that it was hard for me to find sources, I liked reading the articles that I happened to find (even if I didn't use them for my project at the end). From my research I learned how many amazingly kind people we have in our country, people who always want to lend a hand, no matter who needs their help. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Afterwards, I interviewed Arik Har-Zahav. The interview went quite well since Arik is very friendly and likes talking about Environmental Science, which is the subject that I interviewed him about. While writing Arik's profile I learned how people can be extremely connected to what they do, and really believe in their ideals. <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">For the last part, the personal connection, I wanted to express my appreciation to people who dedicated their life so as to help the revival of the Hebrew language. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm happy with the final version of my project, and I hope to succeed in passing down the message that if you believe in an ideal, you should work hard in order to turn it into reality. Even if you can't see the results right now, someone might be able to see them one day in the future.

= <span style="background-color: #98c4ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 26px; text-align: center;">Bibliography =

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"CNN: Israel AID to Haitie earthquake help mission, field hospital set up", __YouTube__, 24/1/10, 15/11/11 <[]> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"CNN TV: Israeli Most Sophisticated Hospital in Haiti", __YouTube__, 18/1/10, 21/11/11, <[]> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Har Zahav, Arik, Environmental Science teacher and environmental activist. __<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Personal interview __<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">. Alon Shevut, November 23 2011.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Reich, Yaniv. "Goldberg and Burnston (and my aunt) misunderstand the criticism of Israel’s Haiti mission", __Hybrid States__, 21/1/10, 29/11/11, <http://www.hybridstates.com/2010/01/goldberg-and-burnston-and-my-aunt-misunderstand-the-criticism-of-israels-haiti-mission/> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Tuvyah Ben Eliezer, __Midrash Lekach Tov__, Jerusalem, 5740, pg 31, 56. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"משלחתצה"לליפן - ממריאהלישראלIDF Japan Aid Delegation", __YouTube__, 4/11/11, 11/6/11 []  <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">"חיל הרפואה",ו__<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">ויקיפדיה <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">, <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">האנציקלופדיההחופשית __ . 26/11/11, 29/11/11<[].>