The highlight of the 150th anniversary celebrations of "Alliance-KIAH" was a special assembly of the Israeli Knesset honoring the organization. On May 25th, the Knesset called for a special meeting of their Education Committee and conducted an honorary ceremony at the Knesset auditorium hosted by the Chairman and followed by a special assembly in honor of "Alliance". 400 people attended including the organization's directors, staff, graduates and friends. In honor of the occasion, we had distinguished guests from abroad, including a French delegation of "Alliance" Paris, representatives from Morocco and the United States and friends from around the world.

Member of Knesset Daniel Ben-Simon, graduate of "Alliance" Morocco, is behind this initiative and the Chairman, Member of Knesset Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin, sponsored the event. During the celebrations, "Alliance" honored several guests: Prof. Eliezer Shveid for his contribution in founding the Kerem Institute and helping reinforce the Jewish identity amongst the secular public in Israel; Ms. Henriette Beilis for founding the "Friends of Alliance Association” in New York and all of her efforts to help raise funds for our educational work and Prof. Ady Steg, President of "Alliance", for his contribution in developing and promoting the organization.

We also showcased our current educational activities along with performances from "Alliance" schoolchildren.

Chairman Reuven Rivlin, whose father was a teacher at an "Alliance" school in Damascus, noted that: "KIAH is not resting on the laurels of past achievements but continues to cultivate the present generation for the future. That is why the organization is still relevant and important in this day and age". In closing he wished all those involved many more years of fruitful work. An especially moving moment occurred once the Knesset Members applauded the guests in honor of "Alliance" and its achievements.

Additional celebratory events during the week of May 23rd

The city of Ashdod, headed by Mayor Dr. Yehiel Lasry, chose to celebrate the 150th anniversary by naming a town square after "Alliance" and hosting a reunion for graduates from Morocco at Beit Yad Lebanim. The reunion included performances by the Andalusia Orchestra, a local singing group, "Haroe" School Choir and a group of graduates that initiated a sing-a-long with the crowd. Additionally, at the reunion we also gave honorary certificates to: Member of the Knesset Daniel Ben-Simon for his contribution to helping resolve the social problems in Israel through his articles and public work; Mr. Eli Alaluf for his contribution to the improvement of the educational system and reducing social divides in Israel; Ms. Sarita Harois for her contribution in establishing a school system in Morocco, along with her husband, Elias Harrus (Many of those attending were former students of hers).

French Ambassador, Mr. Christophe Bigot, hosted a reception at his residence for "Alliance" management and staff as well as friends and graduates. At the event, he noted how much the organization has done through the years to help promote humanity through education and what an important job it had done with spreading the French language and culture.

At the end of the week, graduates of "Alliance" Lebanon had their own reunion where they presented pictures from their school days, shared stories and had a sing-a-long to some of their childhood songs. Additionally, at the reunion we gave honorary certificates to: Prof. Yom Tov Asis, Head of the Ben Tzvi Institute, for his contribution to the research of Judaism in Spain and Portugal and his mentoring of future researchers in the field of Sephardic Judaism; Dr. Moshe Kemchin for his work in the field of Medicine and his contribution to the development of surgery in Israel; Mr. Eli Levy for his work in advancing the Israeli Air Force and developing strategic communication systems; Ms. Rina Aked for her contribution in training future Arabic teachers and for educating generations of schoolchildren in Lebanon and Israel; Mr. Moshe Za'afrani for his unique contribution to education and the advancement of heritage research in Israel.

All of our distinguished guests from abroad saw first hand how relevant and important the educational work of "Kol Israel Haverim" is in Israel today. The first visit was at the "Bait Vagan" school in Bat Yam, along with representatives from the "Hammer" and "Kommemiyut" Schools, showcased the essential work done by the Sha'ar School Network and Morasha. They then continued to "Mikve Israel" where they toured the campus on a tractor and were exposed to the historical sites and the current educational work being accomplished at the school.

Later that day, the delegation continued to the Kerem Institute which hosted a lovely reception in their garden area. Both teachers and students explained why Kerem is so meaningful to them, and they enjoyed a special exhibition in honor of the late Prof. Andre Shuraki.

During the week they also met with students from the "Rene Cassin" high school which exemplified the importance of studying the French language. The highlight of the visit was an open forum between students and school staff.

Closing the week was a visit at a "Memizrach Shemesh" Beit Midrash led by Rabbi Yitzhak Shuraki and Rabbi David Zeno. A text from the Talmud was translated into French and the delegation conducted a social discussion while referring to the extensive work of "Memizrach Shemesh".

Lastly, we would like to thank Dr. Aharon Cohen who was in charge of the 150 celebrations, Orit Shulman, Sima Livni, Myriam Levy, Naama Azulay, Yehuda Meimaran, Amnon Karmon, Eli Bareket, Ronen Tzafrir and everyone else that helped out during our celebratory week.