Enewsletter EMBASSY of the REPUBLIC of SLOVENIA in TEL AVIV July – August 2017
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eNEWSLETTER EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA IN TEL AVIV July – August 2017 HAPPENING NOW Mrs. Miriam Steiner Aviezer - recipient of Medal for Merits of the Republic of Slovenia On July 5, 2017, Mrs. Steiner Aviezer received the Medal of Merits for her work related to the remembrance of the Slovenian righteous and their brave humanitarian acts to save Jews during the Holocaust. Mrs. Steiner Aviezer received the Medal from the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor Photo:Borut Pahor/facebook.com Change of diplomats at the Embassy Mrs. Darja Ferlež, Deputy Head of Mission, completed her term at the Embassy of Slovenia in Tel Aviv and returned to Slovenia. Mr. Blaž Masle is taking the position of the Deputy Head of Mission as of August 1, 2017. Mrs. Darja Ferlež and Mr. Blaž Masle. Photos: VTA 1 Meet Blaž Masle: Dear Friends of the Embassy, A few days ago, I joined the team of the Slovenian Embassy in Tel Aviv, replacing Mrs. Darja Ferlež upon completion of her term. Let me briefly introduce myself. I graduated and obtained my MA in international relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana. I started my career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Division for Africa, Middle East, Asia and Oceania, where I was, among other things, a desk officer for Israel during the Slovenian EU Presidency. Afterwards, I served at Slovenian embassies abroad - first in Budapest and then in Cairo. After returning to Slovenia, I worked in the Division for International Organizations, where I was responsible for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). At the Embassy of Slovenia in Tel Aviv, I will be in charge of political, consular, economic, scientific and cultural affairs and other diplomatic tasks. I will try my best to contribute to further enhance the cooperation and relations between Slovenia and Israel. I look forward to working in Israel and to our cooperation in the upcoming years. Blaž Masle SLOVENIA IN ISRAEL Signing the Agreement between Slovenia and Israel On August 16, 2017 Ambassador of Slovenia to Israel Ms Barbara Sušnik and Ambassador of Israel to Slovenia Mr Eyal Sela signed the Agreement between Slovenia and Israel on gainful activities for family members of a member of a diplomatic mission or consular post. The signed Agreement will offer possibilities for family members of diplomats to work in the receiving country. Ambassador Barbara Sušnik and Ambassador Eyal Sela. Photo: MFA, Jerusalem Role of Women in Peace Process event at Knesset On 19 July 2017, Ambassador of Slovenia Barbara Sušnik participated at the Knesset's event on The Role of Women in Peace Process, organised by Heads of the parliamentary Women's Lobby for Peace and Security MK Ksenia Svetlova and MK Michal Rozin. The event was prepared in cooperation with Women Wage Peace Movement. Ambassador Sušnik presented, as one of the speakers, what Slovenia is doing in terms of gender equality and women empowerment in peace and security. Among other 2 speakers were Ambassadors of Ireland Alison Kelly and of Cyprus Thessalia Salina Shambos, as well as many Members of Knesset, including MK Tzipi Livni, MK Yakov Perry, MK Esawi Frej, and representatives of Women Wage Peace. Ambassador of France, Ms. Helen Le Gal, Ambassador of Slovenia Ms.Barbara Sušnik and Ambassador of Ireland, Ms. Alison Kelly at Knesset. Photo: VTA Visit to Ghetto Fighters' Museum LT: Mr. Blaž Masle, DCM, Ambassador Ms. Barbara Sušnik, Mrs. Raya Kalisman and Mr. Itai Bar at Ghetto Fighters museum. Photos: VTA Ambassador Barbara Sušnik and the Deputy Head of Mission Blaž Masle visited the Ghetto Fighters' Museum on 9 August 2017. The Director of External Relations Raya Kalisman, who is also a Founder of the Center for Humanistic Education and Itai Bar explained the concept and mission of the Museum, and presented the exhibitions. The ways of possible cooperation were discussed, particularly related to life and contribution of the Slovenian righteous, as well as other educational initiatives. The Ghetto Fighters' Museum is the first Holocaust museum in the world, and the first of its kind founded by Holocaust survivors. It is located near Akko in the Western Galilee and is well-connected within the community, particularly the Ghetto Fighters' Kibbutz. MA degree in Child Development Program at Haifa University On 27 July 2017, Ambassador Barbara Sušnik attended the Master Degree Graduation Ceremony for international students at the University of Haifa. Aljoša Rudaš from Roma community in Slovenia was awarded MA degree in Child Development Program. 3 The certificates were presented by Avi Sagi- Schwartz, Professor of Psychology and Child Development, Director of Center for the Study of Child Development, and Academic Head of International MA Program in Child Development; and by Gustavo S. Mesch, Professor of Sociology and Rector of University of Haifa. MA Graduate Aljoša Rudaš with prof. Avi Sagi-Schwartz and Rector Prof. Gustavo S. Mesch, Photo: VTA Ambassador Barbara Sušnik with prof. Avi Sagi- Schwartz, Director of Child Development Program, and Rector prof. Gustavo S. Mesch. Photo: VTA SPORTS Football Champions League – fourth round Slovenia's NK Maribor and Israel's Hapoel Beersheba The first match between Slovenia's NK Maribor and Israel's Hapoel Beersheba on 16 August at Turner stadium in Israel created a strong buzz and high expectations for the city of Beersheba and its football club. The match presented an unprecedented opportunity for Israel to take part at the UEFA Champions League. The score: Hapoel Be'er Shebba B.C. - NK Maribor in BeerShebba 2:1 Photo from the first game in Beersheba. Photo: VTA The second match took place on 22 August in Maribor, Slovenia at Ljudski vrt Stadium. 600 Beersheba fans went to Maribor! The score NK Maribor – Hapoel Beersheba in Maribor 1:0 was not enough for BeerSheba to pass and NK Maribor was moving ahead in the UEFA Champions League! Good Luck! 4 Elan to make purple skis in tribute to Maribor Slovenian sports goods manufacturer Elan has decided to celebrate Maribor's progress to the UEFA Champions' League with a limited edition of slalom skis in the purple colour of the club's jersey. Designed by the Slovenian agency Gigodesign, a limited series of Elan SLX skis will be available at the start of the upcoming season. The company said the skis were a "tribute to the enviable success story that brought Maribor to the Champions League for the third time ". Source: www.sta.si ECONOMY Economic situation in Slovenia remains favorable The economic situation in Slovenia remains favorable at the start of the second half of 2017, resulting in further improvements in the labor market situation . The number of people in work has in recent months reached similar levels to those at the start of 2007. At the end of June there were 15% fewer registered unemployed than a year previously and businesses are expecting further growth in employment in the coming months. Activity is increasing in most sectors this year and Source: http://www.vlada.si 21.07.2017 prospects remain favorable. Photo: Mostphotos TOURISM The first half of 2017 predicts a record-breaking tourist season In the first six months of 2017, 15% more tourist arrivals and 12% more overnight stays were recorded in tourist accommodations than in the same period of the previous year. The number of overnight stays is nearing 5 million. The number of foreign tourist arrivals in the first half of 2017 increased by 19% (more than 1.3 million) and of their overnight stays by 17% (more than 3 million). Source: http://www.stat.si 5 Hot Tourist Attraction in the Loka Valley: A Bear Safari The Loška Valley is full of tourists from all over the world these days. They have unexpectedly discovered places at the foot of Mount Snežnik, after a local named Miha Mlakar came up with a truly special tourist feature – guided tours along bear paths. You probably remember the recent video that went viral of bears happily bathing in a pool of water. The pool was created by Mlakar for the bears to quench their thirst during periods of tremendous heat. The video hit a quarter of a million views in just a few days. In 2007 Mlakar came up with the the idea to turn his hobby, bear watching, into a business. But the mills of bureaucracy grind slowly and it was only recently that the young businessmen received all the necessary permits and hunters' permission. At first, the hunters were sceptical about the idea of tourist bear watching, saying that this happening in the wilderness and not in a zoo. But Mlakar's idea became a great success. The interest is huge, especially amongst foreigners without a bear population. Bears are watched from ten posts located across a wide area from Postojna to Delnice in Croatia. Tourists watch the bears through window slits and can take photos of them. Mlakar says that his venture is not an industry. Tours take place only a couple of times a year and there are a maximum eight people in a group. The tourists have to respect numerous instructions in order not to endanger the natural environment of approximately 500 bears. It is good if you are of a patient nature – waiting to see a bear usually takes several hours. In Europe, the brown bear in his natural habitat can be encountered only in Slovenia and the huge interest in bear photo hunting is therefore not surprising. All ten watching posts are already sold out for the next two years with the greatest interest coming from Italy, Austria, Switzerland and the UK.