Wednesday, March 2, 7:30 pm, Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus
The second event in the Community Relations Council of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s annual Israel Today series features Olga Meshoe.
A South African, Meshoe will discuss her work throughout the world with her non-profit organization, DEISI (Defend, Embrace, Invest, Support Israel), a South African-based, Christian organization which speaks out in Israel’s defense, advocates for fair treatment by governments and the media, educates and empowers youth, and dispels the fallacy that Israel is an apartheid state.
Through this non-profit organization, Meshoe promotes the benefits of a strong South African-Israeli economic relationship and urges support for Israel through activism in her country and globally.
Effecting change is a Meshoe family trait. Meshoe’s father and DEISI co-founder, Rev. Kenneth Meshoe, is president and founder of the African Christian Democratic Party and a former member of Parliament. Meshoe sits on the boards as a director and trustee of numerous companies and trusts and is focused on community work and youth development. She is also the leader of Vessels of Honour, a youth arts organization that is designed to give young people who are gifted in the areas of music, drama and dance a platform to showcase their talents and opportunities be trained and mentored.
When asked why she does what she does, Meshoe says, “We know what Apartheid was because we still suffer from the scars of it and my parents were directly impacted.
“How in the world, seeing what we see, knowing what we know and being educated as to truth, can we say Israel is an apartheid state?”
Don’t miss hearing from this young powerhouse. For more information or to RSVP for this free and open to the community event, visit www.JewishVa.org/CRCIsraelToday or call 965-6107.
The 5th annual Israel Today season finale takes place on May 11 at 7:30 pm with Matti Friedman, journalist, former Jerusalem Bureau reports and editor for the Associated Press as he talks about exposing bias in the media coverage of Israel.