I n i t i a t i v e s
Understanding Israel Foundation's focus is to bridge Trinidad & Tobago and Israel at the governmental level. At the same time, however, Understanding Israel Foundation is also seeking to educate about Israel and build people-to-people ties between Trinidadians and Israelis, and we have developed a number of initiatives to do just this. Each of these initiatives are at various stages of development currently, but they each serve to deepen the people-to-people ties of the two countries and help the governments move closer toward each other..
Scroll down to learn about our various initiatives.
01
Educational Classes
Our mandate is to help people Understand Israel. We will be hosting short courses, certificate-level and diploma-level classes on topics related to Israel and Judaism.
02
I love Israel Parade
With growing membership, we would host an "I love Israel" parade to build community spirit and to let the government know that the members of Understanding Israel Foundation "love Israel"!
03
Scholarship Fund
Israel offers many educational opportunities and we would like to start a scholarship fund for Trinidad & Tobago students to pursue specific undergraduate and graduate degrees from Israeli universities.
04
Aliya Fund
Literally, "aliya" means ascent in Hebrew, and when a Jew is said to "make aliya", it means he/she has immigrated to Israel. We would like to start a fund to help the aliya process for Jews moving to Israel with two partner organizations in Israel: the Jewish Agency and Keep Olim in Israel
05
Israel Tours
For our members who have never been to Israel, we would love to do thrice annual tours to Israel. And for our members who have already been to Israel, we want to take you on a Zionist tour of Israel to show you more than the religious tours are able to.
06
Trinidad's List
During World War 2, Trinidad & Tobago was one of four places in the world which had an open visa policy. Over one thousand Jews escaped the Holocaust and found refuge on our islands. Today, their descendants number in the thousands. We would like to produce and develop a documentary to capture this proud moment in our history.
07
Project "Righteous Trinidad"
Yad Vashem - Israel's Holocaust Museum - recognizes exceptional individuals who worked at saving Jewish lives during World War 2. Fllowing from the point above, we would lobby Yad Vashem to recognize Trinidad & Tobago as a "Righteous Among the Nations."
08
Understanding Israel Award
This annual award program will reward those of our members who are doing exceptional things to help Understanding Israel Foundation achieve its mission, vision and objectives.
09
Israel Studies @ UWI
Understanding Israel Foundation would like to partner with the University of the West Indies to develop an Israel studies track for students at the Institute of International Relations, and also to develop courses on Israeli politics for the Department of Political Science.
​
10
Hebrew in Trinidad
We are starting a Hebrew-learning in-person course in Trinidad. Learners can choose between biblical Hebrew and modern Hebrew.
11
Israel Film Festival
Israel produces a number of Oscar-worthy films each year. An annual film festival in Trinidad showcasing these offerings would be a wonderful addition to Trinidad's own film industry.
12
Israel Culture Day
Building upon the Israel Film Festival, an annual day showcasing Israeli culture - food, art, literature, fashion - would help demystify Israel for our members and the general public.
13
Pro-Israel Christian Directory
Pro-Israel supporters should support local businesses which are pro-Israel. The Understanding Israel Foundation Directory of pro-Israel businesses would help us to support our own.
14
Israel Youth Group
Providing our youth with a meaningful and robust understanding of Israel and the rights of Jews to an independent homeland is of paramount importance. Our Israel Youth Group would include classes and community-building experiences, as well as the possibility of a tour for teens to Israel.
15
Retreats
We will be hosting retreats for our members throughout the year, with each retreat centered around particular biblical and Israel themes.
16
Israel-Trinidad Expo
Business-to-business connections between Israel and Trinidad & Tobago would help ease the government into investing in a stronger relationship with Israel. An Israel expo of Trinidadian businesses, and vice versa a Trinidaian expo of Israeli businesses would aid greatly in the mission.
