TAMUZ | The David H Sonabend Center for Israel |Summer 2023

the power of the sun

TAMUZ

THE DAVID H. SONABEND CENTER FOR ISRAEL

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SUMMER 2023

THE DAVID H SONABE CENTER FOR ISRAEL 2

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TAMUZ The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel Quarterly Magazine | Summer 2023

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome 4 Features 6 Best of Tel Aviv The Power of the Sun—Israeli Companies and the Race for Clean Energy Opinion 19 Not Yet a Renewable Light Unto the Nations Cuisine 23 Chocolate Rugelach with Bat-Chen Diamant Inspirational Israeli 26 10 Questions with Chen Arieli

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WELCOME A year ago in July, we published our summer issue, and you, our readers, made it the most read issue of TAMUZ to date. We realized that summer was the time to plan your vacations, and we were happy to see that many planned their trips to Israel and used our recommendations. This summer, we are happy to do the same.

In this issue, we look at summer from above. When the sun is out in all its glory, we tend to think less about our planet. The power of the sun can be damaging and burning, but it can also be the key answer to one of our world's biggest problems: climate change. In this issue, we are looking at some Israeli high-tech companies that are working on developing clean energy solutions that will hopefully help to save our planet.

As promised, we also know that as summer comes, many of you will travel to visit Israel, and we are here to give you info about everything and everywhere you need to go in Israel’s most powerful city, Tel Aviv. We talked to Chen Arieli, the Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo. We look

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at the Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts and Design at MUZA, and of course, the best restaurant and shopping experience waiting for you in Tel Aviv.

We want to end this welcome letter with some comments about power; it's important to remember that as we look at the powerful side of Israel, we need to look even harder for the powerless. We need to remember to give a voice to the people who lack one, for it is only if we raise those communities up that we will be a stronger and more powerful community ourselves. As we can see these days in Israel, while the people in power are working hard on changing the status quo, the “regular” people are out in the streets making the actual change.

Have a great summer, The TAMUZ team

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BEST OF TEL AVIV 2023

FEATURE

Tel Aviv is Israel's most vibrant city.

“Tel Aviv Nonstop City” is the slogan that became a way of life. As a center of culture, technology, entertainment, and social diversity, Tel Aviv has it all. So no matter what you like to see, feel, and experience, Tel Aviv is ready for you. If you plan to visit Tel Aviv this summer, here are some stops you cannot miss.

The Best Photo to Go Viral on Social Media

The Independence Trail: The Self-Guided Tour You Must Take

David Ben-Gurion is doing a handstand on Frishman Beach—join him. Ben-Gurion was the first prime minister of Israel. He was also a well-known sports fan. One of the most famous photos of him is doing a headstand. Now, Frishman Beach in Tel Aviv has a sculpture of him doing a headstand that became a must-stop point for many.

While you’re there, don’t miss visiting David Ben-Gurion's residence nearby.

The Independence Trail takes you on a journey through the history of the founding of Tel Aviv and the State of Israel. The best way to learn about Tel Aviv history on your own, at your pace, is to arrive at Rothschild 11 and follow the trail that was organized by the Tel Aviv Municipality. You’ll see how the old and the new come together in a way only Tel Aviv can present. You can also take a break in one of the dozens of cafes along the trail.

Visit: BG House

Visit: Independence Trail

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The Must-see Exhibit of the Summer: MUZA, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv The Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts and Design The Tel Aviv Biennale of Crafts and Design offers a cutting-edge view of contemporary crafts and design in Israel today.

The Biennale’s second edition, under the theme “What Is the Measure of Man?”, focuses on the human condition at the threshold of a new age. The Biennale examines the different circles that surround us, and our power to impact the future of the place in which we live.

In the spirit of the Biennale's global theme, some 250 works by prominent Israeli artists are presented alongside a selection of craft and design works by foreign guest artists responding to ancient cultures and traditions.

Spanning most of the museum's exhibition spaces, the Biennale combines contemporary "craft" works with archaeological and ethnographic treasures from the museum's collection. Outdoor installations of sculptural or architectural nature will be displayed in the expansive gardens of the museum campus.

Visit: Eretz Museum

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Spend Your Evenings at Some Tel Aviv Cultural Performances Tel Aviv, in collaboration with the Israeli Opera House, will present their biggest performance live under the stars at Hayarkon Park. On August 3, 8:30 pm, 100,000 people are expected to arrive at the park for a live performance of Madama Butterfly.

Admission is free.

The Most Unique Store for Your Shopping Needs PULP specializes in premium stationary and designed products for your working environment. Emphasizing quality raw materials and simplicity in its urban design, PULP caters to connoisseurs of style, accuracy, organization, and comfort. PULP is built on a proud family tradition, great respect for craftsmanship, and an ongoing collaboration with local artists and artisans.

The family business, established in 1901, specializes in paper, cardboard, and fabric binding. The third and fourth generations of the family bring expertise in international marketing, product design, and trade show exhibit design for some of the world’s leading companies.

PULP designs, produces, and markets creative and inspirational products for your desktop and space. Some products are custom designed as limited editions, and others are developed for mass production.

The production processes are based on traditional manufacturing methods combined with advanced technologies and a culture of sustainability. Whenever possible, PULP uses eco-friendly and recycled materials, carefully selected for their quality and beauty.

Barzilai St 9, Tel Aviv 9

The Hottest Restaurant on the Critics' List These Days Chef Naifa Mulla has established herself in the past years as one of the most esteemed chefs in the Israeli culinary world after making significant learning process in the best restaurants in Israel and leading the L-28 culinary project for half a year.

In February 2023, Naifa opened her first restaurant, proudly bearing her name: Naifa.

The restaurant is located in the heart of Tel Aviv, in one of the historic buildings of Neve 10

Tzedek. The restaurant menu is based on the authentic culinary line with traditional cooking techniques and European touches.

Contemporary cuisine with a hint of the past, the dining experience at the restaurant is a journey between the past and present, with human warmth and refined elegance.

Naifa is the first to bring Shami cuisine to the heart of the culinary industry in Tel Aviv with a modern interpretation and with great success.

Yehieli St 4, Tel Aviv-Yafo

The Most Socially Conscious Shopping Experience iota is a lifestyle brand focusing on contemporary interior decoration and accessories. It was founded in 2014 by Tal Zur and Shula Mozes, who shared a vision of preserving the handcraft of crochet and revising its shapes and proportions to create a new aesthetic and uniquely designed pieces. Choosing crochet was both the starting point for the design and the possibility to create social change. iota’s design goal is to challenge the perception of what can be done using hand techniques.

Inspired by nature, by wandering and Nomads, iota finds new ways to make crochet cool and to bridge the gap between the old-fashioned and today’s lifestyle.

Exploring the fine lines of the ugly and the beautiful, the boring and the inspirational,

the nostalgic and the up-to-date, iota’s hand work is carried out by women working from their homes. iota’s team teaches them the skill of crochet and provides work for them.

The brand believes in women empowerment and giving back to society. iota is a social business, both ecologically and socially conscious, with a commitment to sustainability and community support.

They work within communities with high rates of unemployment and provide mentoring and training programs. In addition, the majority of profits from product sales are invested in welfare and educational programs worldwide. iota reinterprets traditional craft in new ways to contemporary innovative design.

HaZorfim St 12, Tel Aviv

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FEATURE

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The Power of the Sun—Israeli Companies and the Race for Clean Energy

By Rebecca Grossman, Program Director, The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel Every time we turn on a light, plug in our computer, use the dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, washer/dryer, or turn on the hot water, we use electricity. We pull it from the grid, our cities and towns connected by wires above or below ground. This energy comes from gas, fossil fuels, solar power, wind, and other renewable sources.

Much of the focus on climate change is a shift to renewable clean energy. Though specifically an energy island that is completely self-sufficient in relation to its neighbors, only 8% of the energy Israel produces each year is renewable, as of 2021.

Comparatively, in the United States, in 2022 renewable energy resources accounted for 13% of the primary energy consumption, and 21.5% of total utility scale electricity generation. Why does this matter? How does our electricity use feed into climate change and pollution? What can we do about it?

To answer these questions, we went to check out how Israeli companies are working to include clean energy into the fabric of our society.

What Is the Problem?

Energy is a key element of the modern world. The unit of measurement, watts, is how much energy it takes to power an item per second. “It takes about .1 watts to power a smartphone, a thousand to power your house, a million for a small town, and a billion for a mid-size city. As of 2020, it takes 3 trillion watts to power the entire world.”

Israel itself consumes 59.19 billion kWh of electric energy per year, which translates to an average per capita of 6,321 kWh. The demand for power is only going to continue to increase as more people join the grid.

As an initial source of energy, we used fossil fuels to fill our needs. They are “cheap and convenient, easy to ship, and easy to turn into electricity on demand.” However, when they are burned they release nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, causing harmful air pollution, impairing our breathing, visibility, and even altering plant growth and causing algae to grow faster, decreasing oxygen levels in water and harmfully changing the aquatic systems for our fish and water sources. These emissions come from our cars and trucks, coal-fired power plants, 13

large industrial operations, and ships and airplanes.

With an increase in demand, depletion of resources, and increased harm that befalls us when using our original sources of energy, it is crucial we find other sources.

What Is Clean Energy?

How Does It Help?

In addition to reducing our usage of energy and improving the efficiency of our appliances, it is key that we turn to clean energy.

“Clean energy is energy that comes from renewable, zero emission sources that do not pollute the atmosphere when used, as well as energy saved by energy efficiency measures.”

Some terms that are used in this space that may seem interchangeable are clean energy, green energy, and renewable energy. While similar, clean energy refers to that which is

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produced with clean air; green energy comes from natural resources; and renewable energy comes from recyclable sources. By turning to clean energy, we are able to both find new sources of energy to be able to sustain our increase in demand, as well as promote our environmental well-being. The main sources of clean energy are as follows: Solar Wind Water Geothermal—“Geothermal energy is heat energy from the earth.”

• Bioenergy • Nuclear—“Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity, provides around 6 percent of the world's energy.”

• Hydrogen and fuel cells—“Fuel cells offer a highly efficient and fuel flexible technology that cleanly produces power and heat with low or zero emissions.”

• • • •

Unfortunately, not all clean energy is without cost. For example, China’s Three Gorges Dam, which in 2018 generated 101.6 billion kilowatt-hours, enough electricity to power New York City for almost two years, was created by flooding over 600 square kilometers of land upstream, including 13 cities, hundreds of villages, and over 1,000 historical and archaeological sites. I am not sure those roughly 1.4 million people who were displaced were so pleased with this endeavor.

Israeli Innovations

Lumiweave

Israeli scientists took to this problem, pushing Israel to be a primary world leader in the clean energy ecosystem, ranking second (behind Silicon Valley) in a cleantech edition of the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) from Startup Genome. There are more than 100 companies in Israel in the energytech sector.

In 2020, product designer Anai Green was one of four inventors who won the 2nd International C40 Women4Climate Tech Challenge. The award was for her development of “the world’s first embedded solar-power harvesting and illuminating fabric.” In my conversation with her partner, Tal Parnes, he explained that Green’s inspiration was simply to combine the dual issue of the need for shade in the heat along with the need for illumination at night.

As such, she came up with a fabric that has embedded capabilities of harvesting solar power on its top side, and providing illumination on its bottom, creating a completely green, standalone, off-grid solution to outdoor needs.

The U.S. Department of Energy and Israel’s Ministry of Energy and Israel Innovation Authority teamed together to fund six clean energy projects, which received a total of $5.48 million in 2022. The projects ranged from sulfur thermal energy storage, energy and resource recovery from hazardous organic waste, to an ultra-portable turbo generator system and ways to reduce supply chain waste.

Israeli energy projects also endeavor to create opportunities for clean energy to be used by the people. The Tel Aviv solar roof project “seeks to put the roofs of residential apartments and commercial buildings to work producing solar energy to reduce the cost of living and preserve the environment.”

SOLRA uses semi-transparent cells that can be affixed to buildings as solar windows.

Many Israeli power plants are engaging in new technologies, such as BrightSource Energy, Zenith Solar, and Aora’s solar thermal gas-turbine power station.

Lumiweave’s mission is to “utilize our groundbreaking patented technology to improve human outdoor well-being through shade and light, provided when and where they are needed, while eliminating carbon footprint and light pollution.” Since there is no need to hook up to the grid, the only certifications needed are those for installing the shade element, making the process of installation much easier. Furthermore, because they use a 12 volt DC, the product is safe to exist near water sources, on beaches, and around children and playgrounds. Their mobile application allows the user to control both the time the lights go on or off, as well as the level of light, working in tandem with 15

a motion sensor and light sensor. This allows the Lumiweave shade to increase the level of light produced when there are people present.

Lumiweave already has several installations around Israel, working with the municipality for shade/light solutions in several public parks, walkways, and fitness areas, and is currently expanding to the hospitality industry. Some other industries they are exploring are the auto industry, camping gear market, and the maritime market with yachts and small boats. Individual consumers may not be too far behind!

Ignite the Spark A unique element in the Israeli industry is Ignite the Spark, a non-profit organization that holds the energy tech ecosystem network, covering around 4,000 individuals.

Through Facebook, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp groups, Ignite the Spark engages the entire ecosystem to create opportunities to share knowledge, connect knowledge, and help facilitate these opportunities.

In my conversation with Shon Dana, the CEO, he explained the variety and depth of engagement of the organization. Mainly run by volunteers, the organization spans all stages, from the academia stage to entrepreneurs, guiding through a few different stages from pre-ideation or ideation to creation.

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Not only does Ignite the Spark assist in developing initiatives in each of its eight academic cells, but it also provides the first softlab connection bridge from the Academy to industry. They participate in and lead conferences, host events, and speak in classrooms to build the network and connect researchers with real world opportunities and financing. They build events and engagements that promote cross-connection between different areas, such as energy and fintech, to allow for deeper and more creative initiatives and opportunities. They also host annual investor events, the most recent of which had 400 people in person and 300 more online, with 28 partners from 12 different countries represented.

Since Ignite the Spark covers the entire energy tech ecosystem, in addition to providing the best connections and financing, they also understand the intricacies of building up an initiative and provide specific guidance with regard to brainstorming an idea, their validation and implementation, and eventually help them to find the cofounder. Additionally, they help with a small support for a grant with investments, partners who have domain experts locally and globally, IP legal parameters, and help think through regulations and other obstacles that might need to be addressed.

Going forward, Ignite the Spark is building an energy and innovation center in Israel, providing a physical hub for the energy ecosystem to meet, hold conferences, engage, and provide an opportunity for delegations from abroad to come as well.

What Can We Do? Solar is part of building the future. Many scientists, businesses, and governments are working toward democratizing energy: scaling up these solutions so that every home and factory has its own supply of energy. Off-grid solutions like solar energy could allow over a billion people around the world to gain access to energy without the high cost of connecting to the grid.

Solar also has the potential to be beautiful.

Marjan van Aubel is creating a plethora of designs that integrate solar energy into various partnership projects: more efficient and aesthetic solar crystal chandeliers, solar power modern stained glass windows, and even a solar powered greenhouse.

All of these inventions might feel so removed from ourselves, with most of their applications occurring in the production side of the energy ecosystem. However, there are ways in which we can all choose clean energy. New York is on a positive path forward, with all of the clean energy projects already underway being able to support 66% of New York’s power needs. Clean Path is providing all New Yorkers access to renewable energy from New York State. You can purchase electric cars, get solar panels for your own home, and simply be mindful of how much energy you use.

Israelis think about it every day, living in the heat and understanding why climate change is a crucial issue now. With less friendly neighbors, Israel needed to pour its innovative capabilities into the energy tech ecosystem in order to be self-sustaining.

Unfortunately, neither the United States nor Israel are close to where we want to be in our use of clean energy. Let us work together to make the world a cleaner and greener place: the kind of power we use is itself powerful.

In the energy tech world, we see more and more emphasis on resilience and self-sustainability, with more and more companies and startups evolving, more products being distributed to shift the energy usage equation, and a shift from Cyber and Fintech entrepreneurs to be part of this. These innovations will be seen in the markets and shift the ways we consume our energy.

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OPINION

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Not Yet a Renewable Light Unto the Nations

By Yosef Israel Abramowitz When Kamala Harris was first considering a presidential run, she and her husband Doug came on a private visit to Israel, and we were privileged to host them for Shabbat dinner in our home in Jerusalem. I was very impressed with her, including her commitment to fighting climate change. She asked my opinion on what we have learned in Israel about renewables and what percentage of our energy could be supplied with green power.

I surprised her with my answer: 100%.

And very quickly.

“The first region in the world that will be 100% solar-powered during the day by 2020 will be from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea,” I explained. “And by 2025, it will be night and day.”

This was an eye-opener and helped plant the seeds of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious renewables goals, which are 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2035, which would be a revolution.

The good news is that because of what we have been able to achieve in the south of Israel with solar energy, there is hope for humanity and the climate. The bad news is that despite the leading example of 19

the Eilat and Arava region, Israel is a bad actor, I’m sorry to say, when it comes to implementation on a national level.

True, we are #1 in the world for solar thermal hot water heaters on our rooftops, and because of their proximity to Israel, the Palestinian Authority is actually #2! But when it comes to clean energy, American fossil fuel companies, like Chevron, and the polluting politics that come with their big money, have distorted the energy policies of the Jewish state.

What is remarkable is that Theodor Herzl, the founding father of the Zionist movement, imagined his future state would be powered by 100% green energy and that all the cars would be electric.

Currently, only about 8% of Israel’s power is green energy, the lowest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Where Israel does lead is not only with solar hot water and hitting 100% solar in one region, but also in climate technologies that can bring solutions from Zion to global challenges. The production of red meat is one of the most serious contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, and Israel is bursting with alternative protein start-ups— some even generating red meat from cells in the laboratory. Energy storage—taking solar energy during the day and saving it for nighttime use—is the next major challenge, and another Israeli start-up is using compressed 20

air underground to store energy and release it at night to turn a turbine to produce energy.

Solar-powered robots are cleaning the solar fields of the Arava Power Company and without water. And I have been privileged to lead a team that has taken the positive solar example from the Arava and interconnected solar fields in Rwanda and Burundi in Africa, and we are seeking additional partners so we can scale these made-in-Israel solutions to another dozen African countries.

While Prime Minister Naftali Bennet didn’t use his platform at the United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow in November 2021 to increase Israel’s renewables goals, he did promise to support climate-tech in Israel so that we can play an increased innovative role in fighting climate change worldwide. But first, he has to get his burning house in order when it comes to climate and renewables.

Those of us in Israel fighting the climate battle hope that world Jewry will ask the State of Israel to adopt the ambitious White House goals on renewables—50% by 2030 and 100% by 2025. Those goals, after all, do have their genesis in the inspiration from the Arava and around a shabbat table in Jerusalem.

Yosef Israel Abramowitz is Israel’s leading solar pioneer and serves as CEO of Energiya Global Capital, an impact investment platform to develop solar fields in Africa. He was nominated by 12 African countries for the Nobel Peace Prize for his solar work. Yossi can be followed @KaptainSunshine

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CUISINE

CHOCOLATE RUGELACH WITH BAT-CHEN DIAMANT Makes ~25 units

Dough Ingredients (prepare a day ahead): 500g bread flour 10g dried yeast 100g sugar 180ml milk (3%) 2 large eggs 100g butter, cubed Pinch of salt Our guest chef for this issue is Bat-Chen Diamant, 44, living in Moshav Ein Vered in Israel. She is married with two children, a dog, a chicken, and a vegetable garden. BatChen studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York, and then worked for several years in some of the city’s top Michelin restaurants.

After returning home to Israel, she was the sous-chef at top Israeli restaurants and owned a catering business.

Recently, she decided to bring her passion home and build a business around home and garden kitchens, where she leads cooking and baking workshops.

For the Filling: 150g melted butter 60g cocoa powder 150g light brown sugar 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Sugar syrup ingredients: 1/4 cup of water 1/4 cup sugar

Egg wash ingredients: 1 egg 1 tbsp milk Pinch of sugar

Learn more about Bat-Chen: https://batchen.cooking Instagram 23

Preparation Making the dough: Place flour, sugar, and yeast in a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix on low speed until combined. Gradually add eggs and milk, mix on medium speed; gradually add butter, a few cubes at a time, until incorporated; then add the salt. Continue mixing for 10-12 minutes on medium speed and 1 minute on high speed. The dough should be completely smooth, elastic, and shiny. Transfer the dough to a large bowl brushed with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least half a day or overnight.

Making the filling: Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl with a whisk until incorporated.

Rolling the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and shape it into a rectangle, thickness of 0.3-0.4 cm Spreading the filling: Using an offset spatula, spread about 3/4 of the filling evenly over the dough

Folding the dough: Bring one side of the rectangular dough to the center and then bring the other side on top of the dough. This creates three distinct layers of dough-chocolate spread. On a floured worktop, roll out the three-layered dough into a rectangle again. Spread the rest of the filling and repeat the folding.

Shaping: • Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough in the middle, lengthwise.

• Starting at the left side of the strip of dough, create triangles.

• Roll up each triangle, starting from the base of the triangle, to form rugelach.

• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush the rugelach with egg wash Allow the rugelach to rise once again for 30 minutes until doubled in volume.

Make the sugar syrup by heating the water and sugar together over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Allow to boil for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken just slightly Preheat the oven to 340°F / 170°C Bake the rugelach for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, and cool on the pan. Brush the sugar syrup over the rugelach.

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INSPIRATIONAL ISRAELI

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CHEN ARIELI Chen Arieli is the Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, in charge of the welfare and public health administration in the city. Arieli is the first lesbian deputy mayor in Tel Aviv-Yafo, who joined politics after 20 years of working in civil society. Arieli is also one of Israel’s most prominent social activists and leaders. Alongside her municipal commitments, Arieli serves as the chairperson of IGY - The Proud Youth Organization. IGY is a socio-educational organization working for LGBTQIA+ youth and young people (12–23) in the development of sexual/gender identity.

Furthermore, Arieli established and serves as the chairperson of Shitha, an institute for local policy that aims to promote liberal and democratic values within local authorities throughout Israel. Arieli came to national prominence through leading Israel’s LGBTQIA+ community toward equal rights in her position as the Chairperson of the LGBTQIA+ umbrella organization (known as the Aguda), a position she held for seven years. In December 2018, Arieli led a historic women's protest in Israel, calling to stop violence against women. She also led a protest of hundreds of thousands of women in a unique collaboration of Palestinian and Jewish women, demonstrating in more than 150 locations across the country.

Arieli is 47, was born and raised in Haifa, and has lived in Tel Aviv-Yafo for the past 25 years. She is married to Halite Levy, a leading film and television director, and together they live and work in the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo.

What has been the most challenging time in your life and why?

Being a queer teenager in Haifa in the ‘90s with no social support, alone and scared that I’m the only one like me, and feeling that I can't talk about my identity with anyone around me.

What is one of your proudest moments in life?

When I was the chair of the Aguda—the Israeli LGBT Task Force, I led the largest demonstration in the country's history regarding LGBT rights and the right to have a family. Over 100,000 people attended, with over 350 Israeli businesses publicly supporting the cause. I stood there on stage and couldn't believe it was me, the troubled lesbian kid from Haifa, standing there, alive and upfront, leading the fight for justice.

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What is your favorite Israeli dish?

I can't live without the Israeli fruits and vegetables I believe are the best in the world!

The kitchen is my favorite place in the house; every Friday early morning, I visit the farmer's market, meet and talk with them, and enjoy their fresh and local products.

I love to cook and have people that I love around the table. So next time you are in Tel Aviv, you are invited!

If you could meet with any famous figure, living or dead, who would it be?

Golda Meir. I would love to ask her about her being the first woman prime minister in Israel, back when local feminism wasn’t common.

What is your favorite location within Israel, and why?

I love the desert. It’s the place that gives me peace of mind and inspiration. The colors and the open sky allow me to take a deep breath and then return to the city, motivated and inspired.

Who is an Inspiration for you?

Any boy or girl who comes out inspires me.

We all have closets; we all come out of them in our lives. But young people coming out as LGBTQ are especially brave and lead the way for others to be themselves.

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What advice would you give a young person who wants to change the world?

You are not alone. You are special and significant just the way you are. If something needs to change, it's the world, so participate in changing reality. Revolution is achieved collectively. You can stand on a hill shouting your ideas and what you wish to change, but if you don't find people to shout it with you, you will just be a crazy individual screaming on a hill.

What is your biggest fear?

To lose loved ones. I lost my parents at an early age, and that made me build strong relationships with others. But it also made me want to provide safety for others.

If you could change one thing about Israel, what would it be?

Israel is a great country. But we need to continue fighting for her spirit; we need to make sure Israel will be positive for everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, or skin color.

Tell us what you are most excited about for IGY’s future.

Teenagers and young adults are the future.

We must ensure that they have all the opportunities to shine and build the future of our society. The youths at IGY inspire me, and I love that IGY continues to blossom and bring Israel over the rainbow.

Check out Chen Arieli on Instagram: @chenarieli

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CREDITS Rabbi Joanna Samuels Chief Executive Officer Megan Whitman Executive Vice President Deb Kadetsky Chief Engagement Officer Udi Urman Director The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel Rebecca Grossman Program Director The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel Bari Lovi Director, Leadership Giving The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel Shira Kaiserman Verteramo Managing Director, Marketing Amanda Schechter Director, Program Marketing Peter Hines Senior Director, Creative Services Jessica Epstein Senior Director, Marketing Operations Tzivia Ross Goldfein Senior Graphic Designer

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