Alon Gildoni - Andrew Smith/Photography Editor

Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter

Meet Alon Gildoni, a 23-year-old son of Israel, who is in Jamaica to work as a volunteer with the local Jewish com-munity and other sections of the wider society.

He is here courtesy of The Jewish Agency, an outreach of Government of Israel, which is somewhat akin to the United States Peace Corps. As a volunteer he will be based here for one year, with the possibility of his stay being extended to two.

Formally he is known as a community emissary (SHALIACH) for The Jewish Agency who is attached to the United Congregation of Israelites.

Alon stressed that he is here to serve the people of this nation, in particular the Jewish population.

In the four months since he has set foot on Jamaican soil, he has been to all 14 parishes of the island doing ministry. His three major goals are first to educate people about Judaism and Zionism; second to do advocacy on the behalf of Israel; and third to assist the local Jewish community in its services.

His strong passion is to teach children about Judaism. This he does so mainly at Hillel Academy in St. Andrew. While Hillel does have Jews in its student population, most of the students there, he stressed, are not Jews.

His work has taken him to many schools across the island where he teaches students ranging from kindergarten to the tertiary level. He and Stephen Henriques, the local spiritual leader of the Jewish community, both teach Judaism as part of the Religious Education degree programme at Shortwood Teachers' College, in St. Andrew.

In an interview with The Gleaner in 2003, Mr. Henriques estimated that there are about 300 Jews living in Jamaica, of which about 200 hold membership in Shaare Shalom, the island's only synagogue, which is located on Duke Street in Kingston. The synagogue is operated by the United Congregation of Israelites. The population of Jews in Jamaica, Mr. Henriques explained then, was in decline. He explained that, "It is not a matter of the Jews dying out but more so substantially due to migration. In my direct family, more than half live in Canada and the United States. This is just reflecting the general trend in the nation. And with the religion not really proselytising the same way that the Christian religion does, then you are not going to get that influx of people in the same way that the more apostolic types do."

(See http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20030610/mind/mind2.html)

Raised in a modern liberal Jewish family, Alon has long had a particular attachment to synagogue life. After high school he served in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) then he applied to serve as a volunteer with The Jewish Agency.

He has high praises for the Jewish Agency. Alon explained The Jewish Agency has a slogan that says "We believe Israel stands at the heart of the Jewish future." The Jewish Agency places emphasis on Aliyah (the migration of Jews in the diaspora to Israel). It offers help to Jews who wish to migrate to Israel. He is not here to encourage Jews to migrate, per se, but if someone expresses that desire, he will play a role to facilitate that.

"I am here as a servant of the people. If someone wants to know anything about migration to Israel, I can provide information. I would personally say to this person, God bless you for your will, I highly suggest that you first go for just a trip to Israel come back and we will discuss it again."

The Jewish Agency, he said is concerned with Zionist education i.e. 'connecting the next generation with Israel and Jewish peoplehood as a core part of Jewish identity'. "I personally and the organization, see Zionism - the goal of Israel - as the fulfillment of Judaism. So, therefore, the education won't be about Israel and about Judaism - instead it comes as one. There is a very strong link between Zionism and Judaism - or Israelism if you wish."

Intensive training

Noting that the local Jewish community has been lacking a rabbi for more than 30 years, Alon has been keen to encourage local Jews in their faith. He credits the intensive training offered by The Jewish Agency as having prepared satisfactorily to do this. He places emphasis on helping people to understand the significance of Jewish holidays and sacred days and the abiding relevance of such observances today. As he works with children, he seeks to do with by injecting elements of fun.

Since being in Jamaica he has fallen in love with the people, food and beauty of the island. A self-proclaimed ackee-addict, Alon declares "the (Jewish) community is amazing. I have never seen such warmth in one group in my life. And the local Jamaicans that I have met all around the island, are so welcoming it is really one of the best experiences I could ever ask for."

This Israeli volunteer is amazed at the grasp of Jamaican Christians of the Old Testament. He finds it exciting and it makes it easier for him to communicate the Judaism faith.

He believes that just his presence in the country as an Israeli volunteer makes a big difference with those with whom he makes contact. He places an emphasis on presence - just spending time with people, having casual talks, and being friends.

The political climate in Israel and the Middle East, he believes, is often distorted by the global media and that is one of the reasons why he is keen to give lectures on the state of affairs in his homeland.

"Sometimes people think that all we have is war. But that is not the case. The country is quite peaceful. Last year the amount of killings by acts of terror amounted to is less than a third of the murders committed in Jamaica annually," he stressed.

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that there is perhaps not a family in seven million persons that populate Israel that does not have link to someone who has died at the hands of terrorists.

One of his goals is to encourage people to travel Israel for he believes such a visit changes one's ill-informed perception of that nation and its Judaistic faith. Such a visit, he hinted will prove to be a memorable and meaningful spiritual experience.

He conducts tours to local sites of Jewish significance including the synagogue and a Hunts Bay cemetery in Kingston which is one of the oldest such burial grounds in the Western Hemisphere.

Among his passion is the teaching of Hebrew. He expressed amazement that many have expressed to him a desire to be taught the language. And he is particularly keen to teach it to anyone who wants to learn.

Alon Gildoni may be reached at alongi@jafi.org. Send feedback on Mind&Spirit to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com