Issue23

Galilee Society Newsletter - Issue 23 - December, 2006 file:///Users/Chris/Documents/Work%20Files/Galilee%20Society/N...

Galilee Society Newsletter

Seasons Greetings from the Galilee Society!

In This Issue: Issue 23, December 2006

Symposium Celebrates Naqab Environmental Advocacy: Efforts
Department's 15 Years of Service to Focus on Pesticide Use Near
the Southern Bedouin Community Residential Area
HRC Hosts Follow-up Study Day for R&D Center Hosts Pioneering
HIV/AIDS Peer Educators Inventor of the "Electronic Nose"
Interview: Peer Educators Discuss Cancer Diagnostic Technology
HIV/AIDS Perceptions by Generation News in Brief
How to Support the Galilee Society

Symposium Celebrates Naqab Department's 15 Years of Service to the
Southern Bedouin Community

More than 200 dignitaries, supporters, and
media attended the Naqab Department’s
celebration of 15 years of service to
Palestinian Bedouins from the Naqab on 29
November in Beer El Sabe’.
Representatives from the local media
covered the event for radio, print, and
television, and Galilee Society General
Director Dr. Basel Ghattas was interviewed
for a local radio station.

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A student receives recognition for scholarly
The purpose of the event was to recognize research
Naqab Department supporters and funders,
to acknowledge accomplishments, and to
promote activities in the media.

Activities were launched with a speech by Mr. Wael Omari, the chairman of the Galilee
Society Board, in which he highlighted the accomplishments of the Naqab Department to the
region’s citizens. Mr. Adnan Sa'id, Director of the Naqab Department, then summarized the
activities of the Department during its 15 years. In particular, he stressed the transparency
of the Department’s work, its ability to work locally as well as in a national context, and the
role of the Department in improving the health and economic situation of the region’s
Palestinians. He also cited the success of the mobile clinic in immunizing thousands of
Naqab residents. Mr. Said then listed other accomplishments, such as health education
lectures for teachers and Arab nurses and legal advocacy compelling the State to build
health clinics.

Dr. Ilana Bellmaker of the Ministry of Health delivered a speech discussing the health
situation in the Naqab and in particular the unrecognized villages. She spoke of a region
gravely lacking in opportunities for the young and in health infrastructure. Dr. Bellmaker
then identified the successes of the Galilee Society in the Naqab to improve the basic
health services.

Mr. Hussein Arafaya, General Director of the
Regional Council for Unrecognized Villages
spoke about the region in a political context,
arguing that Ariel Sharon’s policies led to the
confiscation of Arab land and the demolition
of Arab homes.

Mr. Sheik Atia al Assam, from the
Association of 40, an organization of the 40
unrecognized villages in the Naqab, spoke
of the important role of the Galilee Society in
the region. He said that the Galilee Society
was unique in its solidarity with the Participants in the Naqab Department's 15th
Anniversary celebration
Association of 40.

Dr. Basel Ghattas spoke passionately about
the importance of the Naqab Department’s activities in the region. He outlined the goals of
the Galilee Society in the Naqab, and expressed his hopes that its successes would
continue long into the future.

Following speeches, Galilee Society staff presented awards to representatives of ACSUR,
the Naqab Department’s largest current funder. In addition, awards were presented to
Galilee Society supporters and to Arab female students with achievements in academic
research.

HRC Hosts Follow-up Study Day for HIV/AIDS Peer Educators

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More than 100 Arab high school students
selected to be trained as peer HIV/AIDS
educators participated in a Health Rights
Center study day on 21 November at the
Galilee Society headquarters. This event
constitutes a follow-up to initial trainings
conducted by the HRC that trained
motivated students to act as positive and
informed anti-AIDS advocates.

HRC staff presented a range of activities
including a filmed interview of an HIV
positive woman and a feedback session
where students shared their HIV/AIDS peer
educator successes and setbacks. This
session also provided students a forum to
solicit advice from and provide feedback to
HRC staff.

Nine high schools from Arab and Jewish
Consultant Mohammad Khatib (with
localities were represented. Originally microphone) and HRC Director Hanan Mannaa
limited to Galilee-area high schools, the at the conference
project has expanded in Fall 2006 to include
students from the Triangle and Naqab
(Negev) regions.

Beginning in 2005, the HRC has conducted
seven initial trainings for a total of 132
students, 110 of which attended the
November study day. In these trainings, the
latest of which took place in October in the
villages of Kufu Karee’ and Reina, subjects
included general health, sexually transmitted
diseases and HIV/AIDS in particular, and
methods for discussing these taboo issues.
At the end of every workshop the Galilee
Society provided every student with a
training kit containing written materials and a
Trained peer educators at the conference
PowerPoint presentation on HIV/AIDS (hard
copy and CD) in Arabic.

Participating schools included: Iben Sena High School in Nahif; Maral Ihas High School in
Ibilene; Alatine High School in Reni; El Scofia High School in Shefa-‘Amr; El Khoharismi High
School in Tamara; Ort High School in Akko; a High School in Rami; a High School in Baanni;
and Carmalite High School in Haifa.

Interview: Peer Educators Discuss HIV/AIDS Perceptions by Generation

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During the November 21 Study Day for Peer Educators at
the Galilee Society Headquarters in Shefa-‘Amr, two Arab
female Peer Educators spoke with Galilee Society staff
about HIV/AIDS perceptions in their communities and their
role in spreading awareness.

The first student, Eljam Hadad, is a student at Carmelite
High School in Haifa. The second student, Shereen
Sirhan, is a student at Iben Sena High School in Nahif, a
small village near the city of Karmi’el.

Eljam Hadad, Carmelite High
School student
Q: In your opinion, is HIV/AIDS a problem in your
community?

R1: It is a big problem, in my opinion. We should have events such as the one today to
know how to prevent diseases such as AIDS.
R2: Sure, it is a problem in my community since we don’t have enough public knowledge,
particularly in the Arab community.

Q: Do young people discuss AIDS in your community?

R1: Between friends in small groups, we get to the subject
somehow. Not everyone has the same opinion about
AIDS, and I hear many stereotypes and falsehoods about
the disease.
R2: We discuss AIDS in small groups in the village and in
the family. But we don’t find awareness of the disease.
People don’t care or want to discuss it. This study day –
being able to discuss AIDS openly – is a new experience
for me. If we share this experience with family and people
in the village, they will find it appalling that we are
discussing this issue. Shereen Sirhan, Iben Sena
High School student

Q: How is your parents’ perception of HIV/AIDS different from that of your generation?

R1: My community [Haifa] is more open; we can discuss HIV/AIDS with our families. I don’t
think there is a big difference, and I feel comfortable discussing HIV/AIDS with my family.
R2: I am not comfortable talking with my parents about HIV/AIDS. They’re conservative, so
this is not something I would discuss with them. The older generations believe that our
community is far from being affected by HIV/AIDS, so it is not an important issue for them.

Q: How do you define your role in HIV/AIDS awareness?

R1: We had a similar study day at our school, but I think that every year there’s something
new to learn – new advances or new discoveries. [When we committed to being peer

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educators with the Galilee Society] we thought we could get new info and pass it on to the
many people who were not aware.
R2: I am here as a pupil to learn, and then I hope to enrich and to educate my colleagues,
who I believe don’t have enough knowledge on the subject.

Q: Do you consider this role a positive experience in your life?

R2: It’s very positive.

Environmental Advocacy: Efforts Focus on Pesticide Use Near Residential
Area

The EJC has launched a legal advocacy
campaign to halt pesticide spraying by a
Kibbutz near a kindergarten and homes in
the Bedouin village of Arab Al Aramshy,
located near the Lebanese border. The EJC
learned of this serious health risk thanks to
a tip submitted via the Galilee Society’s
GreenLine, an online environmental
problem-reporting tool.

The EJC has sent a letter to the Ministries
of Environment and Agriculture, as well as to
the Government body in charge of nature
and gardens, and the governing body of the
Kibbutz, requesting the termination of this
practice.

In the letter, the EJC identified three
problems as a result of the spraying. First,
the odor constitutes an imposition on the
Map of Israel showing the location of Arab Al
residents’ privacy; two, the pesticide toxicity Aramshy
is a breach of residents’ right to a healthy
environment; and three, the behavior
violates a federal law forbidding the use of toxic materials within 50 meters of a residential
area.

R&D Center Hosts Pioneering Inventor of the “Electronic Nose” Cancer
Diagnostic Technology

The R&D Center hosted a lecture on 14 December by Dr. Houssam Haick on the subject of
his groundbreaking artificial olfactory system, the “Electronic Nose,” which is capable of
detecting cancerous cells by “sniffing” patients’ breath. More than 20 people, including R&D
staff and scientists, Galilee Society staff, and scientists of various organizations, attended
the event.

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Dr. Haick, a researcher at Haifa Technion University’s Russel Berrie Department for
Nanotechnology, has developed a technology that can theoretically detect lung cancer in its
initial stage of development. The “Electronic Nose” could revolutionize the early detection of
cancer, thereby improving rates of successful treatment.

As a result of demonstrated success, the European Union has awarded Dr. Haick, a native
of Nazareth, with a prestigious Marie Curie Excellence grant totaling $2.3 million, which is
part of the EU’s effort to encourage promising young scientists. This grant is the largest
ever received by an Israeli scientist.

Dr. Haick’s breakthrough technology consists of nanometer-sized sensors that work in the
same way as the human olfactory sense. In Dr. Haick’s system, the ultra-sensitive sensors
transmit signals to a program for processing, whereas in the human olfactory sense,
receptors in the nose send signals to the brain. Dr. Haick’s sensors can pick out cancerous
cells and report them to a computer processor.

The EU grant funds Dr. Haick’s project for four years, at the end of which he hopes to reach
his goal of developing a cancer detecting device suitable for commercialization.

News in Brief

HRC Hosts Conference to Review HIV/AIDS Effects on Palestinians in
Israel

The Health Rights Center, in collaboration
with the Israeli AIDS Taskforce, organized a
conference at Galilee Society headquarters
in Shefa Amr’ on 6 December to discuss the
effect of HIV/AIDS in Israel’s Palestinian
community.

Speakers included Dr. Jamaal Hassoon, a
specialist in infectious diseases at Rambam
Hospital in Haifa, Dr. Daniel Shemtov,
General Director of Cellular Disease at the
Ministry of Health, and Hanan Mannaa,
Presentation by Dr. Gamal Hasson
General Director of the HRC.

Dr. Hassoon, with the aid of a visual
presentation, gave a scientific overview of the effect of AIDS on the body. He also
stressed the importance of education to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Shemtov took the opportunity to thank the Galilee Society for its work in health
education. He presented official State statistics regarding HIV/AIDS prevalence in the Arab
community in Israel. For example, he stated that 92 cases of HIV infection have been
documented amongst Israeli Arabs, and that every year the State tests 250,000 Israelis for
HIV.

General Director Mannaa’ outlined HRC HIV/AIDS education projects, in which HRC staff
travel to high schools to discuss the facts about HIV/AIDS with students, and a project, in

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which standout students are trained to act as HIV/AIDS peer educators. Mannaa expressed
concern at the reluctance of certain high school headmasters to discuss HIV/AIDS for fear
of parent objections. However, she praised the courage of others to promote frank dialogue
about the dangers of HIV/AIDS.

Galilee Society General Director Attends London Biotechnology
Networking Conference

Galilee Society General Director Dr. Basel Ghattas attended a conference in December of
Genesis IV, a biotechnology networking organization, in London. Dr. Ghattas represented
Synthatex, a biotechnology firm associated with the R&D center that supplies unique
specialty therapeutic compounds and molecules to the global pharmaceutical industry.

In addition to representing Synthatex, the purpose of Dr. Ghattas' attendance at the
conference was to network with other biotechnology firms and other international companies
and to meet with potential investors.

Cohen Foundation Representatives Visit the Galilee Society

Three representatives from the Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation visited with Galilee
Society staff on 4 December and toured the organization's facilities.

Stuart and Diane Brown and Alison McWilliams toured the Society's headquarters in Shefa-
Amr as well its the sewage treatment pilot project, a project funded by the USAID Middle
East Regional Cooperation Program (MERC), located in the village of Sakhnin, in Northern
Israel.

The Cohen Foundation currently provides funding for the Galilee Society's Core programs.

Rikaz Staff Updates Databank with Latest Government Socio-Economic
Statistics

Rikaz staff updated the Databank in
December with the most recent Government
Labor Force Survey, thus assuring that the
Databank contains the latest comparative
data on socio-economic conditions in Israel.

The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics
(CBS) publishes their Labor Force Survey,
which compiles data on the main
socio-economic indicators for all Israelis,
annually.

The Rikaz Databank comprises both data
collected by Rikaz on the socio-economic
situation of Palestinians in Israel as well as
government data, which is critical for

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comparative analysis. The Databank Rikaz website
contains official government statistics going
back to 1989.

Galilee Society Staff Meets for Annual Planning Session

Galilee Society staff and R&D Center staff met separately on 11 December for daylong 2008
planning sessions. This year, discussion focused on improved financial monitoring and
better inter-departmental communication.

How to Support the Galilee Society

Help achieve equitable health, environmental, and socio-economic conditions and
development opportunities for Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel by supporting the Galilee
Society.

How to Donate to the Galilee Society

Tax-Exempt Donations
In order to facilitate giving, the Galilee Society has recently received tax-exempt status in
the United States, via the Friends of the Galilee Society. To donate in the United States,
please make checks payable to the Friends of the Galilee Society and send them to:

Dr. Shouki Kassis
Chair, Board of Directors
7 Lee Road, Audubon, PA 19403
United States
kassis25@comcast.net
Tel: +1 610 662 3693

Bank transfers to the Friends of the Galilee Society can be made to the following account:

Account Name: Friends of the Galilee Society
Bank Name: PNC Bank
Branch: Audubon Village Shopping Center
Account Number: 86-0943-9642

Please inform Friends of the Galilee Society of your donation:
rbarghouti@gal-soc.org.

Direct Donations
To donate to the Galilee Society directly, please send checks (in any currency) payable to
the Galilee Society at:

P.O. Box 330
Shefa-Amr, 20200
Israel

Alternatively, bank transfers (in any currency) can be made directly to the Galilee Society's
bank account:

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Account Number: 9800
Bank Name: Bank Hapoalim
Branch Number: 731
Bank Address: Jabour Street, Shefa-Amr 20200 Israel
SWIFT Code: POALILIT

Please inform us of your donation at fnassar@gal-soc.org.

The Galilee Society - The Arab National Society for Health Research and Services is a leading disk utility
community-based Arab NGO. The overriding goal of the Galilee Society is the achievement of equitable health and
socio-economic conditions for the Palestinian citizens of Israel.

The Galilee Society
P.O. Box 330, Shefa-Amr 20200, Israel
Tel.: +972 4 986 1171
Fax: +972 4 986 1173
Email: admin@gal-soc.org

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