On a sunny morning in the steamy Israeli month of July, Shalom
Magazine's
reporter visited the Beit Berl Campus near the city of Kfar
Saba,
some 25
minutes away from metropolitan Tel Aviv. Behind the pastoral
atmosphere
that radiates from the red-tiled buildings, surrounded by neat
grass
and
trees, is a singular academic world: the International
Institute
-
Histadrut. It has existed for barely two years, although its
educational
potential came about from the fusion of three veteran Israeli
institutes
of international cooperation: the Centre for Cooperative and
Labour
Studies for Latin America (CECLAL), the Afro-Asian Institute
(ILDEC), and
the Institute for Central and Eastern Europe, all created and
sponsored by
the Histadrut (Israel's General Federation of Labour) and
working
in
conjunction with MASHAV, the Centre for international
Cooperation
of
the
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
There were 18 Latin American participants from 11 nations
attending
the
International Course on Management and Auditing in Agricultural
Cooperatives, and another 26 participants from 14 nations in
the
Course on
Organizational Aspects of Agricultural Cooperatives. Both
courses,
of one
month's duration, were taught in Spanish, under the watchful
eye
of
Sergio
Gryn, course coordinator. For the first time, the courses
included
a
representative from Ecuatorial Guinea. Given Latin American
cordiality and
gift for conversation, it was not difficult to immediately
begin
a
dialogue.
What motivated you to participate
in this
course on
cooperative
development in Israel?
Agricultural Engineer Guillermo Mace Casal,
from
Uruguay,
works in the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fishing of
his
country: "From an early age I heard about cooperativism, and to
a
lesser
degree about Israel. My search for information on these two
subjects
led
me to this course. Many aspects of Israeli cooperativism can be
adapted,
not copied, to the specific Uruguayan socio-economic reality.
What
intrigues me most about Israel is the management-administrative
organization and the spirit of wanting to push forward its
realization in
spite of the need to survive in an arid region."
Alvaro Rojas Mendez, from Costa Rica,
represents
the
Agro-Industrial Sugar Cane Cooperative of San Ramon: "With my
17
years of
experience in agrarian cooperativism, what impressed me most is
the
agricultural produce marketing system developed within the
Israeli
cooperative system. I observed that in Israel secondary
cooperatives
are
highly efficient. In the course at the International Institute,
in
addition to theoretical and academic aspects, we were able to
connect with
the Israeli reality on its own terms and were able to get
acquainted
with
this singular social creation, the collective community called
the
'kibbutz,' and were introduced to all the stages of marketing
that
primary
cooperatives (individual, i.e., kibbutz, moshav) realize via
Tnuva
Dairy
Cooperative - a secondary (group) cooperative."
Agronomist Nicolas H. Akapo, from the Republic
of
Ecuatorial Guinea, is an official at the Ministry of
Agriculture,
Livestock and Fishing of his country and founding member of one
of
the
only two credit cooperatives existing in this African nation:
"I
was
particularly eager to learn about the Israeli cooperative
process,
the
production of primary cooperatives, especially those in the
rural
settlements called 'moshav shitufi,' because in Ecuatorial
Guinea
this
system is nonexistent and completely unknown."
What expectations and
apprehensions did
you have before
visiting
Israel for the first time?
Nicolas H. Akapo (Ecuatorial Guinea) notes: "I was curious to
observe how
a new country is born and built, especially when this country
is
geographically close to the African continent." "Costa Rica has
a
long
tradition of friendship with Israel," says Alvaro Rojas Mendez,
"so
I came
with great expectations. What impressed me most is the speed
with
which
the country is being built and developed... I was somewhat
preoccupied
with our personal safety during our stay in Israel, and I
remain
truly
enthusiastic because I went everywhere and at all hours and
felt
completely secure."
More prompt in his reply was Uruguayan Guillermo Mace Casal: "I
had
no
notion about the real Israel. The one I am getting to know now
bears
no
resemblance to what I learned from the press."
For Esther Chirago de Aguilar, representative
from
the
Agricultural Cooperative for Multiple Services "La union" in
Cocle,
Panama, her first visit to Israel has fulfilled not only her
professional
expectations, but also many personal ones: "My encounter with
Jerusalem
was very emotional, it was incredible to believe that I was
touching
with
my own hand the place where the Saviour had been... places we
feel
so much
devotion for."
Pedro Antonio Bacca Lanza from Honduras, a
rural
cooperative educator in the border region between the Do-
minican
Republic
and Haiti, sees in the international course "a complement to my
professional training and an actualization on the level of
administrative
accounts management that provides a more comprehensive view of
the
cooperative scene, in particular because the cooperative
educational
project that I am developing in my country suffers from
problems
in
the
administrative manage- ment of these issues." He thinks that it
is
possible to adapt comptrollership and supervision systems based
on
the
Israeli global cooperative model: "I believe the more
compatible
with our
national reality is the rural cooperative settlement called
'moshav
shitufi. When I return to my country I will try to develop,
based
on
Israeli assistance and experience, an educational campaign
regarding
efficient cooperative comptrollership and administration
systems."
Silvestre F. Aquino Mora from Paraguay
believes
that "the
advanced systems of marketing and market research used by the
Israeli
cooperatives should without doubt be incorporated into the
Latin
American
reality. Israeli technology can be adapted as well to the field
of
ccoperative marketing in Paraguay, and I believe this need is
present in
the majority of the Latin American countries." This Paraguayan
cooperativist explains how relevant he feels the complement of
scientific
research and advanced technologies is within the area of
agricultural
production, as obser-v,ed in the AGREXCO model to which the
participants
were introduced.
As an educator, Pedro Antonio Bacca Lanza likes "the
educational
and
informational tour received in Israel. Another important aspect
is
the
informality with which the classes are held - very serious
academically
and professionally, but informal about the way you dress for
class.
Moreover, the classes encourage more participation than in our country,
and a democratic atmosphere of respect for others' opinions
prevails. I
will try to apply part of this new didactic methodology to my
specific
work in the Dominican Republic, particularly the workshops
where
issues of
conflict are discussed. Thanks to this method, collective
consensus
may
finally be achieved. I believe this can be a very important
area
of
cooperation between Israel and our countries: the formation of
boards of
Latin American educators, using Israeli technology and a
participatory
educational system."
The enthusiasm shown by these Latin American participants is a
result in
part of those in charge of this singular educational
enterprise:
Dov
Orian, Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Division of
the
International Institute Histadrut, and especially course
coordinator
Sergio Gryn, who summarizes our dialogue by saying that "the
final
goal of
these courses is to achieve, by way of direct contact with the
Israeli
reality, participants' ability to recognize the issues
developed
in
their
own specific field and, if possible, to adapt them to the needs
of
their
respective countries".