Annual Report english pdf version 2018

Alma Center 2018

From our CEO The establishment of the Alma Center is the fulfillment of a dream I have been carrying with me ever since I was a student of Middle Eastern Studies at Ben-Gurion University. Even then, I felt that another perspective wasneeded regarding the way the events in the Middle East are told. Thisfeeling has only intensified in recent years, during which the media hasbecome very polarized, with a disproportionate emphasis on the place ofthe Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the instability of the Middle East.As a resident of the Galilee for the past 11 years, I have developed a differentperspective on the questions I dealt with as a student and later as anintelligence officer in the army. I wanted to bring this authentic butprofessional viewpoint to those who had never been exposed to it,especially outside of Israel. A few months ago, my staff and I establishedthe Alma Center, a unique center that focuses on Israel's security challengeson its northern borders. The Center's activities combine educationalcontent that the Center's team of speakers provides to diverse groups fromabroad, together with professional, qualitative and comprehensive researchthat analyzes events that are significant to the security of the State of Israel.The Alma Center is located in the Galilee, and all staff members areresidents of the Galilee and the Golan Heights.I can honestly say that in my wildest dreams I could not have imagined thatin just a few months we would establish such an impressive center, offeringan interactive and unique experience for visiting groups. At the same time,I myself underwent a personal process, I learned that even senior officialsin the US and Europe are thirsty for the knowledge we provide -professional, reasoned, spiced with a personal and authentic point of view.On a personal note, I would like to thank the team that I have by my side,for their great creativity and dedication; to the dear customers who havebelieved in me all the way; to the donors who have helped me make thisdream a reality; and to the Galila Association, which accompanied me fromthe very beginning, and has given me the tools to develop Alma as a centerof significant activity, influential in the international arena.Sarit Zehavi,Founder and CEO of Alma

Education Department We opened our visitors' centerOver 4200 people were exposed to Alma`s educational with a festivecontent in the past year! opening night2018 had been a challenging and exciting year for the staff ____of the Education Department! Alma has developed froma \"one woman show\" to a full service center that employs We added newmultiple people, all residents of the north. They all work services: panels,together to generate influence among opinion makersand political leaders from all over the world, telling the war gamestory of the northern borders from both security and simulations, andsocial/cultural perspectives. In the past year, we havestudied the needs of our clientele and developed new seminars thatservices that enrich the activities we offer, alongside the combinedevelopment and improvement of our security briefings.We were happy to discover that people from all over the geopolitics andworld are thirsty for knowledge on what is going on along culturethe northern borders of Israel. Our speakers met over4,200 people on the border including politicians, ____diplomats, senior lecturers, journalists, businessmen,families, students and youth - all of whom were exposed We expandedto the unique content of the Alma Center and learned from a \"oneabout Israel's security challenges on the northern woman show\" toborders. a full functioning center ____ ____ ‫יש כאן מקום‬ ‫לעוד נקודה‬ !‫אחת‬

Launching Alma Visitor Center In October 2017, we held a festive launch event in which we officially announced the establishment of the Alma Center. On May 15, 2018, we opened our Visitors Center at Tefen Industrial Park, Western Galilee, which is designed as a modern “situation room.” A variety of activities and lectures can be held at the Center and can be used as an option on rainy days. Many groups have already visited the Visitors Center and were impressed by our research department and the situation room we developed. In the situation room, groups are able to experience a unique interactive activity - a war game that simulates the decision-making process of the Israeli cabinet against the security challenges on the northern borders.Our Team Has ExpandedAlma's Visitors Center aroused greatcuriosity. Groups, customers and visitorshave come to see our Center and haveenjoyed what it has to offer. The demandfor our various services has increasedsignificantly, and it was therefore decidedto expand the research and educationalstaff. Today, the center employs sevenworkers and 12 fellow lecturers,representing different communities in theGalilee, who participate mainly in panelsand seminars.

New Products We added 3 new educational activities: • War game simulation in the Situation Room at the Alma Center - Participants become members of the Israeli Cabinet for one day and deal with complex decision making, in a dynamic and challenging game that simulates the complex reality of Israel's decision- making process.• A panel at the Alma Center with 2-3 speakers representing different identities,religions, ideologies and genders - The panel is interactive and combinesquestions from a panel facilitator and the audience.• Seminars that combine geopolitics and culture - The duration of the activityis 3-7 hours and combines security briefings, meetings with various speakersand visits to villages and sites in the Galilee and the Golan, according to theclient's needs and requests.

Our Activity in Social Media – tens of thousands were exposed to our daily publications.Research Department __Developing unique analysis and integrating information Our Publications - onfrom social networks and sites in Arabic, the research our home pagedepartment focuses on the security challenges of Israel'snorthern borders. We are increasing our expertise in israel-alma.org asunderstanding the developments on the border region of well as publicationsSyria and Lebanon daily, considering the everchangingrealities on the borders. in international media.Our Research Department follows media outlets and socialmedia in the region on a daily basis. This ability to follow Podcasts - Q & A styledaily events enables us to provide updated lectures and interviewsconduct relevant research products. __ Publication of translated video materials and analysis reports on YouTube. __ Production of research products and accessories.

Research topics – Lebanon: • Who is in charge in Lebanon - Hezbollah's control of the Lebanese government and the Lebanese population in south Lebanon following the results of the Lebanese parliamentary elections in May. • Hezbollah's indoctrination of the ideology of the Iranian Islamic Revolution among the population in southern Lebanon. • UNIFIL and its role in enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 - Hezbollah's use of civilians as human shields.Research topics – Syria: • The Shiite Axis' involvement, deployment and influence in the Syrian Golan Heights. • The Shiite Axis' ground corridor from Tehran to Beirut through Damascus. • The final stages of the civil war in Syria and the efforts around rehabilitation, with an emphasis on the border area with Israel. • International involvement in the Syrian Southwest - Russia, UNDOF and the question of American influence.Research Products:Infographic design products, mappings, and publicity from across the borders viasocial media.

Activities Abroad Sarit Zehavi, Alma's Founder & CEO,Over the past year, we have taken an active part in lectured on the mainimportant conferences in the United States and Europe stage in the AIPACand have held meetings with senior officials and decision annual conference inmakers abroad. Washington DC, to over 18,000 people.Our activities abroad focus mainly on increasingaccessibility to information and the formulation of __recommendations on Israel's security challenges on itsnorthern borders among public opinion leaders and ALMA participated indecision makers around the world, since they can directly conferences, seminarsor indirectly affect the security and image of the State ofIsrael. Sarit Zehavi travels several times a year to Europe and panels in theand the United States. She took an active part in various United States andevents and conferences and held meetings with senioradministration and congressional officials in raising Europeawareness, stimulating processes and offering perspectivesand ideas concerning the challenges we face on the __northern border. Senior members of the US Congress and their staff were briefed on Capitol Hill by Sarit Zehavi and learned about Israel's security challenges on the northern borders

Alma in the MediaJournalists from Europe, the United States, Australia and China learned aboutIsrael's security challenges on the northern border, from the perspective SaritZehavi, a mother of 5 living in the Galilee, a lieutenant colonel in the reservesand founder of the Alma Center.Media reports around the world are full of disinformation when it comes to coverage ofevents in the Middle East in general, and the security challenges Israel faces inparticular. Over the past year, we have met on the northern borders with dozens ofjournalists from countries around the world, such as Germany, the United States, China,Australia, Serbia and Montenegro and France. In addition, Alma's CEO, Sarit Zehavi,was interviewed by countless media outlets - newspapers, radio programs and podcasts- and described the security challenges on the northern border from the point of view ofa mother of five children living in the Western Galilee, a military lieutenant colonelwith the military and a background in research on the subject.

Looking ForwardIn the upcoming year, we intend to continue working hard and expanding ouractivities on a variety of levels:• In the field of education, we would like to expand our client base and reachdiverse audiences from all over the world. In addition, we will work to implementour prime products - the War Game Simulation and the Panels.• In the field of research, we aspire to increase our activities significantly and infact, to transform from a new \"laboratory\" research center, into a leading researchcenter. Thus, we want to be able to increase the amount of posts, infographics andaccessories we produce and become a significant and up-to-date source ofknowledge for our audience.• We are committed to continuing to operate overseas and take part in conferences,seminars and events, through which we will be able to influence decision makersand expose them to our reality.Your support is very important for the continued activities of the Alma Center.Alma is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) education and research organization.All contributions to the Alma Center are tax exempt in Israel and abroad throughthe Galila organization.DONATING BY CASH OR CHECKFROM ISRAELvia Bank Transfer: Galila – The Northern Galilee Development Foundationvia Check: Pay to: Galila – The Northern Galilee Development Foundation P.O. Box 9 , Migdat Tefen, 2495900. IsraelFROM USAvia Check: Pay to: PEF Israel Endowment Funds Inc.FROM UKvia Check: Pay to: Galila Charitable Trust UK



The North in a Glance



Understanding the Security Challenges on Israel`s Northern Borders

Contact Us:Alma's Office: www.israel-alma.org 074-7363880Sarit Zehavi, Alma's CEO and Founder: [email protected] Hen, Educational Department: [email protected] Levine, Media Depratment: [email protected] Abu Ahmad, Senior Researcher: [email protected]