Johannesberg campaign chairman, Hugh Raichlin, and KH Emissary Micha Danieli, will be visiting Harare and Bulawayo towards the end of November. Mission leader, Paul Hammer, admits that the Jews of Zimbabwe are eagerly searching for a sense of belonging to a homeland and to an international Jewish community. Hammer speaks fluent Hebrew from having lived in Israel for 10 years before returning to Zimbabwe. At its height, the Zimbabawe Jewish community numbered only 8,000 persons. Only 100 persons in the community are under the age of 18.
Most young people leave the country for university studies abroad.
Zimbabwe's Jews mostly practice Orthodox Judaism. The main problem, according to mission participants, is within the younger generation, since Zimbabwe's Jewry is rapidly becoming an elderly community. More than 50 representatives from Israel's public and private sectors will be taking part. The purpose of the fair is to offer potential immigrants concrete aliyah and job opportunities in Israel. Between 7,000 and 12,000 people are expected to attend the fair over a three-day period.