Association of graduates of naval officers

The Association of graduates of naval officers (Hebrew: עמותת בוגרי קציני ים) is an Israeli nonprofit alumni organization that brings together graduates of the Haifa Naval School and the Acre Naval Officers School, together with their families, veteran school staff and friends. Its registered office is at the Naval Officers School in Acre, and its website is bogreyam.org.il. The association was registered in June 1982 on the initiative of Ze'ev Almog (Abrutzky), then principal of the school, and is recognized under Section 46 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance, which allows donors to claim tax benefits for contributions. The association's stated purposes are to maintain ties among graduates, to preserve the memory of graduates who fell in Israel's wars, to foster relations between graduates and the school, and to serve as a channel for donations to the school. It describes itself as built on camaraderie, tradition, a pull toward the sea and alumni pride. In its early years it was headed by Master Mariner Malachi Efrat, a graduate of the first cohort, with day-to-day management by Lt. Col. (res.) Reuven Wagner, a graduate of the ninth machinery cohort. It operated for several years and assisted the school as far as it could, including running a sailing club on Saturdays using boats bought by the association or transferred by the school; the club was even registered with the Israel Sailing Association. In 2006, graduates of the third cohort, Master Mariner Zvi Maryansky and Brig. Gen. (res.) Eli Rahav, were elected to lead the association, with chief mechanic Shmuel Yaniv volunteering as treasurer. The association then adopted an operational definition of its work: advancing graduates' affairs in military and maritime service, economic success, pride in achievements, preserving values and sharing in joys and bereavements; cultivating maritime leadership by supporting the Naval Officers School and its cadets in the spirit of Hebrew maritime leadership and encouraging graduates serving at sea and commissioned as officers in the IDF; and public activity to raise the value of maritime service, maritime education and awareness of seafaring in Israel. It sought to be relevant to all graduates, abolished annual membership dues, retained its status as a recognized public institution for donations, and expanded the possibility of receiving tax-recognized donations in the United States through P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. Alumni are invited to the school twice a year through the association: on Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and at the end-of-year ceremony. Two association gatherings are held each year: a general assembly required by the Associations Law and a 'LeZikhram' (In Their Memory) meeting in the second week of November, at which graduates speak about friends who have passed away. The former association chairman, Maj. Gen. Micha Ram, attended all association meetings and was kept regularly updated by the management, his advice being accepted on many matters. To spread information to graduates, an email address was opened and a website was completed, with a cadet phoning each graduate to add his address to the mailing list; an update goes out to the entire alumni distribution at least once a month. The association's website carries permanent and updated information about the school, the association's activity and ways to contact each graduate, and hosts a 'Graduates Write' platform for expression on service and education at sea. One of the first articles on the site expressed pride in the navy against what it called exaggerated criticism of the navy's conduct in the maritime arena during the Second Lebanon War. The association also awards leadership prizes. To encourage cadets, a prize for the outstanding cadet was set according to criteria agreed with the school management.

The roots of the association go back to the first conference of the alumni organization of the Haifa Naval School, held on Wednesday, 6 July 1955 at the school in Acre. That conference decided to establish an alumni organization covering graduates of all cohorts of the naval school, to which graduates of the Naval Officers School in Acre would be added each year. The organization set itself the goal of uniting the graduates in order to continue the connection among themselves and to maintain contact with the school and its students. Commander of the Navy Col. Shmuel Tankus was elected honorary president, a committee of seven members was chosen, and Master Mariner Ze'ev Hayam, one of the naval school's teachers, was elected an honorary member. Graduates of the naval school mostly went from school to service at sea; the military service law regarded service in the Israeli merchant marine as a substitute for compulsory service in the IDF. Graduates of the Naval Officers School were in the early years all drafted into the navy, while graduates of the machinery track continued to engineering studies at the Technion. The association itself was registered in June 1982 on the initiative of the school's principal, Ze'ev Almog (Abrutzky), and is recognized under Section 46 of the Income Tax Ordinance. Its main registered purposes were to open mutual relations among the graduates, to commemorate graduates who fell in Israel's wars, to create relations between the graduates and the school, and to create a channel for transferring donations to the school. The association is a union of graduates of the Naval Officers School, the naval school and friends, founded on camaraderie, tradition, the attraction to the sea and the pride of the graduates. It was headed by Master Mariner Malachi Efrat, a graduate of the first cohort, while day-to-day management was carried out by Lt. Col. (res.) Reuven Wagner, a graduate of the ninth machinery cohort. The association operated for several years and helped the school as much as it could. It ran a sailing club on Saturdays using boats purchased by the association or transferred by the school, and the club was registered with the Sailing Association. In 2006, graduates of the third cohort, Master Mariner Zvi Maryansky and Brig. Gen. (res.) Eli Rahav, were elected to manage the association, and chief mechanic Shmuel Yaniv volunteered to serve as treasurer. They received an operational definition of the association's aims: advancing graduates' affairs in military and maritime service, economic success, pride in achievements, preserving values and participating in joys and bereavements; cultivating maritime leadership by supporting the Naval Officers School and the cadets educated there in the spirit of Hebrew maritime leadership, and encouraging graduates serving at sea and those commissioned as officers in the IDF; and public activity to increase the value of maritime service, maritime education and awareness of seafaring in Israel. As for expectations from the association and the graduates, it aspired to be relevant to all graduates and to deal with the issues special to them. Management was voluntary, the requirement to pay annual membership dues was abolished, the association retained its status as a recognized public institution for donations, and it expanded the possibility of receiving recognized donations in the United States through P.E.F. Israel Endowment Funds, Inc. Alumni were invited to the school through the association twice a year: on the Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's campaigns and at the end-of-year ceremony. During each year two association meetings were held: a 'general assembly' required by the Associations Law and a 'LeZikhram' meeting in the second week of November, at which graduates told about friends who had passed away. The previous chairman, Maj. Gen. Micha Ram, attended all association meetings; Ram was kept regularly updated by the management and his advice was accepted on many matters. To distribute information to graduates, an email address was opened and the website was completed by a cadet who phoned each graduate and added his address to the electronic mailing list. An update went out to the entire alumni distribution at least once a month. A website was opened with permanent and updated information about the school, the association's activity and the possibility of contacting each graduate, and a 'Graduates Write' platform for expression on service and education at sea. One of the first articles on the site was 'our pride in the navy' against what it described as exaggerated criticism of the navy regarding its conduct in the maritime arena in the Second Lebanon War. In the field of leadership prizes, to encourage cadets a prize for the quality cadet was set according to criteria agreed with the school management. To encourage cadets to aspire to officer rank on the one hand and to express the graduates' appreciation on the other, a prize was awarded to 'those who fulfill officer service'; the prize was usually a book with a dedication and a certificate, given to young graduates commissioned as officers in the IDF or the merchant marine. The sailing club was frozen after the association's management learned that sailing activity in sailboats on Saturdays at the school's beach, enjoyed by about 20 graduates, was uninsured and did not meet the conditions required for such activity. That same year two older sailors died in Israel. It also emerged that the graduates' activity was uninsured and the association's management was exposed to claims. The Sailing Association issued a statistical publication for 2005 detailing the achievements of the clubs registered with it; the Naval Officers Alumni Club came last in every criterion. As a body that saw unit pride as the main motif of its existence, the association's management was unwilling to appear in last place in any survey, and turned to school principal Eli Regev to hold a paid sailing course under the school's responsibility. But holding a sailing course on Saturdays required large expenditure and this was not done. 'Acre Sailing Association', whose activity bordered the school's fence, offered to hold courses for graduates and cadets, but the group of sailors was not satisfied with the proposed arrangement and the sailing activity was frozen. Over the years the association's boats were transferred to the school's ownership. In supporting cadets and young graduates, the graduates expressed identification with the cadets and young graduates. The association's management found it relatively easy to find funding and give meaning to generosity in supporting young people. The perception of the meaning of generosity was first tested when at the end of the school year the 52nd cohort, finishing its studies, asked to set up stands for parents who would come to watch the graduation ceremony. The sum required was close to 50,000 shekels, of which the cadets collected 15,000 and asked the graduates to complete it. A graduate of the fifth cohort living outside Israel, to whom the matter was presented, donated the difference. The ceremony took place in front of parents seated in the stands, with a good feeling among the young graduates. Young graduates who turned with problems and requests for support were answered in the form of the meaning of generosity from established graduates. In competitive sailing, a special talent for sailing was discovered in cadet Ofer Arnfeld of the 55th cohort. Competitive sailing was done in a Laser-class boat and required expenses. The sailing teacher Irena Pashutin, who coached Arnfeld, turned to the association for assistance. The association participated in the expenses, including renewing the sail system, which bore a sticker with the school emblem. Cadet Arnfeld succeeded in the races and posed a threat to veteran clubs, to the point that before a race they sent a weak sailor to quarrel with him and he was removed from the competition. In appreciation of Irena Pashutin's efforts in instilling sailing in the younger generation and the school's pride, the association's management found it appropriate to support her participation in Laser-class boat competitions held off the coasts of Europe and San Francisco. Ms. Pashutin competed with the 'Naval Officers School' pennant and brought first places in the competitions in which she took part. Chess: cadet Aviv Bar of the 56th cohort from a family that...

• 2006

  Zvi Maryansky and Eli Rahav elected to manage the association; Shmuel Yaniv volunteers as treasurer; operational definition of aims adopted.

• 2005

  Sailing Association statistical publication for 2005 ranks the Naval Officers Alumni Club last in every criterion.

• 1982

  Association of graduates of naval officers registered in June on the initiative of principal Ze'ev Almog (Abrutzky); recognized under Section 46 of the Income Tax Ordinance.

• 1955

  First conference of the Haifa Naval School alumni organization held on 6 July at the school in Acre; decision to establish an alumni organization.

Nonprofit alumni association and support organization for graduates of Israel's naval schools, recognized as a public institution for tax-deductible donations.

1. 1Association of graduates of naval officerswikidata.org
2. 2עמותת בוגרי קציני יםhe.wikipedia.org