The IAI Israel Institute for Mainline Protestant Leaders returned on Tuesday, December 12, 2006. Fourteen participants from across the United States, ten leaders from various mainline Protestant denominations and four Jewish community representatives, experienced the spiritual significance of Israel, learned more about Christian life in the Holy Land, and cultivated an understanding of some of the political and social complexities that confront Israel. Since the Institute returned, many of the mainline Protestant leaders have articulated their new appreciation for the complexity of the situation in Israel, as well as the opportunities for hope in the region, and commended the IAI for designing a thorough and balanced program.

The IAI Fact-Finding Institute in Israel returned on Friday, September 15, 2006. Twelve participants from cities across the United States, including nine non-Jewish community leaders, explored the strategic, diplomatic and political implications of the recent crisis on Israel, the Middle East, and the international community. Institute participants gained a timely and in-depth perspective of the impact of the war on both Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel as they traveled through Jerusalem, Haifa, Nahariya, and Tel Aviv. Institute participants met with Israeli and Palestinian government officials; community leaders; doctors at the Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, which kept operations running during the war in an underground facility despite suffering a katyusha attack; scholars from the Terrorism and Information Center and the Tel Aviv University; journalists; and citizens affected by the events, including a Bedouin man in the village of Arab El Aramshe who lost his wife and two daughters in a katyusha attack. This Institute was an incredible success. Participants plan to take their experiences back to their communities through media interviews and presentations to churches, various community boards, and interfaith dialogue groups.

Eleven Hispanic American leaders from across the United States traveled to Israel on a week-long trip intended to give participants an in-depth view of the country. This Institute was the last of three trips planned by the IAI in 2005. Earlier this year, the IAI hosted two separate trips for university and college presidents and mainline Protestant leaders. These Institutes are unique in that they lay the foundation for a long-term relationship between the local Federation/CRC and the participant from their community. Since the launch of the UJC/JCPA Israel Institutes program this past July, twenty five communities took advantage of this opportunity. These trips are made possible by the IAI and funding from the participating communities.

The Institute for University Presidents and Provosts in Israel was the IAI’s inaugural Institute. The IAI hosted seven university and college presidents along with one provost. At the Institute’s wrap-up session on Saturday night, the university leaders reported on the transformative impact the visit had on them and how impressed they were by the quality of the program.