I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Organ

Concerts in

Jerusalem

2

Jerusalemite in

Chopin Center

in Szafarnia

2

Irrigation Sys-

tem in Ein

Areek

3

Polish Folk for

Children

3

Polish Fest in

Bethlehem

4

Greenhouses for the Area C

O R G POLISH DEVELOPMENT AID

IN PALESTINE J U N E 2 0 1 3 I S S U E V I

I N 2 0 1 3

P O L I S H A I D I N

T H E O P T

F O C U S E S O N :

Improved access

to water &

sanitation

networks

Small & Medium

Enterprise

Development in

Rural Areas

Improved Access

to Education,

incl. Vocational

Training

Of the total area of 4,123 dunums in the village of

Az Zubeidat in the Jordan Valley, more than 4000

dunums lay in what’s classified as Area C, which

according to the Oslo Agreement, is under a full

control of the Israeli authorities and was to be

gradually transferred to the Palestinians. Since

over 97% of the village residents rely on

agriculture for its substinence, restricted access

to the land and water resources proved to be

extremely problematic.

A joint project between the Representative

Office of Poland and the European Association

for Cooperation with Palestine launched on June

1st, aims to increase food security of 10 farming

families in Az Zubeidat through construction of

greenhouses. Once constructed, the greenhouses

will enable the families to plant crops that will

diversify and enrich their daily diet. The

secondary aim is to allow for a sufficient

production that will result in the sale of crops and

income generation for the targeted families. To

minimize the risk of property demolitions and to

secure a legal representation for the beneficiaries,

the implementers will work with the Norwegian

Refugee Council to select land whose owners

possess relevant ownership documents.

The six-month project will provide the

beneficiaries with a diverse training on issues

pertaining to the farming techniques such as

effective watering methods, planting and crop

rotation, or greenhouse maintenance. The

longetivity of the project will depend greatly on

the managerial and operational capabilities of the

farmers. For that reason, the implementers will

establish a cooperative among the farmers and

provide them with necessary training. Agricultural fields in the village

Landscape of Az Zubeidat

P A G E 2

Organ music fills Ecole Biblique The principal organist of the Wawel Royal Cathedral in Cracow, Witold Zalewski, played compositions

by Johann Bach, Cesar Franck, Giacomo Caccini, Camille Saint-Saens, Gabriel Foure, and others for the

audience in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem in early March. The organs were enriched by several

interpretations of Ave Maria performed by a distinguished soprano singer and a violin solo of Johann

Bach. The events were organized jointly by the Representative Office of Poland in Ramallah and the

Polish Honorary Consulate in Bethlehem in the framework of promoting the Polish culture in the

Palestinian Territories.

P O L I S H D E V E L O P M E N T A I D

Constructed cistern before the

final cementing

Notes of Chopin’s most famous mazurka and sonatas filled up the

air of Szafarnia Chopin Center between May 17th -19th, when 47

children and youth in four age groups representing 15 countries,

competed for the first prize. The 21st International Chopin Piano

Competition for Children and Youth in Szafarnia has become a

renowned international event, welcoming for the second time

participants from the Palestinian Territories. The Palestinians’

participation in the event comes as an award for winning the National Palestinian Chopin Piano

Competition held bi-annually in Bethlehem with the support of Poland’s

Representative Office in Ramallah. This year’s participant - Emanuel

Mnatzaganian, a Jerusalemite of an Armenian origin, represented the

Magnificat Music School in East Jerusalem led by the franciscans who

participated in the Palestinian Competition in Bethlehem for the first time

ever. The tradition of the Palestinian Chopin Competition has been

established just four years ago when it attracted only students of the

Bethlehem Music Academy. Each year, however, the event brought in

additional Music Schools/Academies from all over the West Bank, bringing

their count to the total of five. During their trip to Poland, the participants

have also a chance to visit places historically tied to Chopin and his

adolescence in Poland.

Jerusalemite plays Chopin in Szafarnia

P. Tarnawska’s solo of Bach W. Zalewski at the organs L. Staron singing Ave Maria

P A G E 3 I S S U E V I

Irrigating land in Ein Areek Farmers in Ein Areek, a village neighbouring with Ramallah, will soon

enjoy better-irrigated agricultural lands, thus allowing them to in-

crease their agricultural outputs for both, the domestic and commer-

cial use. As part of this year’s development portfolio sponsored by

the Representative Office of Poland in Ramallah, Caritas Jerusalem

has just kicked off a project aiming to improve the access to water

for the agricultural purposes of approximately 50 farming families.

Through a temporary employment of 15-20 local workers, Caritas

will construct two large pools collecting rain water and will install

the necessary irrigation pipes to allow for a cultivation of 30-35

dunums of currently unutilized land. The developed land will in turn

allow the 50 farmers to improve the food security and the economic

situation of their families, benefiting some 250 persons.

The project has already attracted support from the Local Council

who will participate in selecting the most needy beneficiaries. As

some of the targeted land lays in the Area C, the Council has prom-

ised to select the beneficiaries who have the land ownership papers

in order to minimize the risk of future demolitions.

The project will be completed by the end of November, right in time

to allow the villagers to collect the water of the rainy season.

Initiation of construction works

Agricultural lands of the village

Who killed Bazyliszek? Or

which Polish city has a

mermaid in its emblem?

These were just a few

questions asked of the

youngest Ramallah residents

during the event organized

by the Representative

Office of Poland. On March 28th,

with the aim to spread the Polish

culture, the Office invited the

youngest Palestinians to meet the

characters of the most popular

Polish fairytales – Bazyliszek, the

Golden Duck, and the Warsaw

Mermaid. The stories told in

Arabic were followed by a quizz

and prizes. The event initiated

a series of cultural activities for kids

which the Representative Office will

be implementing in the upcoming

months.

Currently, the Representative is in

the final stages of opening a library

with fairytales and children books

aimed for the youngest audience

(offered in the Polish language).

Polish folk for the youngest

Capital Studios Building, Floor #2

Al Maahed Street,

Masyoun, Ramallah

Phone: +972.2.297.1318

Fax: +972.2.297.1319

E-mail: aidpolrep@palnet.com

www.ramallah.msz.gov.pl

Polish Aid is provided by the

Polish Ministry of Foreign

Affairs from the budgetary

reserve. It is disbursed to the

Pol ish non-governmenta l

organizations through a public

call for proposals or to the

Representative Office of Poland

in Ramallah, which in turn

cooperates with the qualified

Palestinian civil society

organizations via small grants.

Listed below are the contacts

to the Polish NGOs operating

currently in the oPt.

Representative Office of Poland

in Ramallah

Polish Humanitarian Action

Ms. Marta Kaszubska

Mobile: +972.54.553.8928

Tel/fax: +972.2.627.4803

marta.kaszubska@pah.org.pl

www.pah.org.pl

Polish Center for International Aid

Ms. Urszula Świerczyńska

Al-Sharafa, Al-Bireh

West Bank, Palestine

Tel/fax: +972.240.6133

uswierczynska@pcpm.org.pl

Nomada

Ms. Agata Ferenc

Mobile: +972.597.881.765

Polish Cuisine Fest in Bethlehem

Pierogi, bigos, kaszanka, mushroom soup, rolady (beef roll-ups), kiełbaski,

Silesian kołocze and other delicacies of the Polish cuisine were the main

attraction of the reception held by the Representative Office of Poland on May

7th, 2013, in the Casa Nova restaurant in Bethlehem on the occasion of

Poland’s Constitution Day. Over 200 international guests plus the local Polish

Communit y, graduates of the Polish universities, and Polish clergy took part in food tasting. The rich menu of

this unprecedented event was prepared by a Polish franciscan, Severyn Lubecki, whose cooking skills went in

the history of the Casa Nova.

Welcoming speeach of the

Representative

Serving home-make Polish

sausages

The buffet with Polish dishes