Story last updated at 4/25/2012 - 11:31 am
JUNEAU - An Israeli soldier will be on a speaking tour at churches, synagogues and the community in Juneau April 27-May 1. Ran Bar-Yoshafat will share his background, experience serving in the Israeli Defense Forces and life in Israel and answer questions. His tour is sponsored by StandWithUs, a 10 year-old non-profit, international Israel education organization and Congregation Sukkat Shalom and Rabbi Dov Gartenberg.
Bar-Yoshafat grew up near Tel Aviv, Israel and was in high school when the second Intifada broke out, a wave of terror and suicide bombings that lasted five years. Military service is compulsory in Israel and Bar-Yoshafat joined at age seventeen. An Israeli national champion in martial arts, Bar-Yoshafat utilized his black belt in the elite special forces unit as a hand-to-hand combat expert pursuing terrorists. In the heart of action, he many stories to impart.
After completing service, Bar-Yoshafat entered university and has a law degree from Hebrew University. For the past six months, he was a Shaliach (emissary) at StandWithUs Northwest, addressing thousands of people. Bar-Yoshafat' objective is "to perhaps help people gain a new perspective about the state of Israel."
The following is a list of events:
April 27th: "Conflicting Visions: How Jewish Should the Jewish State Be?"
7-9 p.m., hosted by Temple Sukkat Shalom, 211 Cordova St., West Juneau.
April 28: "Growing Up in Israel: My Personal Story"
7-8 p.m., hosted by Temple Sukkat Shalom, 211 Cordova St., West Juneau.
April 29: "What Could Peace Look Like? An Israeli Perspective"
4-6 p.m., hosted by the Juneau Cooperative Church Council, Resurrection Lutheran Church, 740 West 10th Street.
April 29: "Understanding the Israeli-Arab Conflict"
7-8:30 p.m., sponsored by the Juneau World Affairs Council and Congregation Sukkat Shalom, 350 Whittier Street.
April 30: "A View from Israel: Question and answers about Israel today"
Noon-1 p.m., State Office Building.
April 30: "Becoming Human: Getting Beyond Stereotypes"
6:30-7:30 p.m., Interchurch Teen Program, sponsored by the Juneau Cooperative Church Council, hosted by Shepherd of the Valley, 4212 Mendenhall Loop Road, for teens only.
For more details visit www.sukkatshalomalaska.net
