Emunah, the National Religious Women´s Movement, means what it says when it promotes Zionism. That may explain why so many of its members have moved to Israel.

However, Emunah women don´t stop working for the ever-expanding family-oriented welfare and educational organization with daycare centres, family counseling centres, children´s homes, high schools and a prize-winning Teachers College when they make aliyah. If anything, they simply add the ability to volunteer hands-on to their previous supportive activities, as can be proven by the prevalence of successful English speaking Emunah groups in Israel.

The National Council of English Speaking Emunah Chapters is the moving force behind injecting an extra dose of love for Israel into their volunteers´ hearts. This year, the council decided that the story of the State of Israel, the heroism of its IDF soldiers and the central importance of Jerusalem, in addition to Emunah projects (always an enlightening subject) , should be the theme of their annual seminar - expressing all this by calling the seminar "Jerusalem - the Focus of Our Lives".

Seminar Planners Emunah

And what more suitable place to have this kind of event, right before Jerusalem Day, than Ammunition Hill (Giv´at Hatachmoshet) in Jerusalem, where a decisive, heroic and, unfortunately, bloody battle was fought for control of the strategic hill opening the way to Mount Scopus and control of the city during the 1967 War. This year, after all, marks 45 years since the miraculous Six Day War that brought about the reunification of the city.

At Ammunition Hill Emunah

The seminar succeeded way beyond its planner´s expectations as close to two hundred people signed up for the program. They had to be divided into many groups, each with a different colored sticker and led by professional guides, in perfectly planned cross-scheduling, were taken through an emotionally-wrenching film on the Battle for Jerusalem, an inspiring talk on some of the heroes of the battle, a close hand look at the Jordanian built trenches that fill the area and the on-site museum.

Ammunition Hill Trenches Emunah

Well known lecturer, Rabbi Anthony Manning, gave the entire group the Torah view of Jerusalem and after a - what else - bagel and salad lunch, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, native English speaker Naomi Tsur, gave a talk on the municipal plans to develop the city, answering questions from the audience, who also heard a summary of Emunah´s varied contributions to the Holy City. (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 05/13/12)