Vision to Reality: The Reut Blog

Approximately one hundred representatives from the business sector and civil society attended Beit NATAL at Tel Aviv on March 25 in order to participate in a roundtable meeting dealing with implementing a ‘Culture of Preparedness’ in the Civil Resilience Network.

The participants included: representatives of business corporations such as Cellcom, Bank Leumi, Strauss, and Fishman Group; representatives of vital non-profit organizations such as ELEM, WIZO, Akim, and Yad Sarah; representatives of academic institutions; representatives of philanthropic funds; and representatives of volunteer organizations and youth movements.

The meeting was organized as a cooperative initiative of the Home Front Command, the Israel Trauma Coalition, and the Reut Institute. It results from a conceptual framework, written by the Reut Institute and the Israel Trauma Coalition,  thanks to the generous support of UJA Federation of NY, which identified that in the case of a national crisis there will be a dramatic gap between the needs and the expectations of the population, on the one hand, and the capacities and resources of the emergency authorities, on the other hand. Therefore, along with the measures taken by the government to strengthen the state’s emergency institutions, it is necessary to organize individuals and households, corporations, organizations, and public institutions into a Civil Resilience Network that is founded on a culture of preparedness.

The participants were divided into six separate tables by sector and discussed draft guidelines aimed at implementing a culture of preparedness within civil society, with an emphasis on ways to enhance cooperation among different sectors. In addition, the participants discussed the actions they can take in preparing for the national emergency drill ‘Turning Point 4,’ planned to take place May 23 in order to promote the civil resilience network’s consolidation. The participants’ comments on the draft guidelines are currently being processed and a final version of the guidelines will be distributed shortly.

Participants included MK Zeev Bielski, acting chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s Subcommittee to evaluate home front preparedness. MK Bielski, a former mayor and chairman of the Jewish Agency during the Second Lebanon War, emphasized the importance of civilian recruitment for local and national resilience.

Mr. Erez Meltzer, executive vice chairman and CEO of Gadot Chemical Tankers and Terminals Ltd. and chairman of the board of the Reut Institute, noted that a “network of individuals and organizations already exists within civil society – a network that, if strengthened and consolidated, doesn’t require many resources, but effective harnessing of the people.”

This meeting was just the beginning of a wider process promoted by the Home Front Command, Israel Trauma Coalition, and the Reut Institute, in order to strengthen Israel’s local and national resilience.

We hope this meeting gave the participants the tools and inspiration with which to act within their organizations in advance of the national emergency drill, and catalyze the implementation of a civil resilience network founded on a culture of preparedness.

For the presentation ‘Civil Resilience Network’, click here.
For photos from the event, click here.
To join the Facebook group ‘Civil Resilience Network,’ click here.