Menorah International Leadership Center

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Menorah International Leadership Center

1. Purpose

Create a place where people from in and around Watari Township affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake can learn about the world and enjoy new relationships and experiences in a safe and comfortable environment. To this end, we intend to invite experts from Japan and overseas in a variety of fields, make good use of the location’s close proximity to Sendai International Airport, and in so doing, create a Leadership Center for gathering information and knowledge and for promoting deeper relations with the world outside of Watari Township and Miyagi Prefecture.

2. Plan overview

(1) Planned location

  1. Address: Arahama-machi, Watari Township, Watari-gun, Miyagi Prefecture
  2. Area: Approximately 600 tsubo (1,900 m²)

(The planned location is the property of Watari Township and being leased free of charge by the local government.)　

(2) Planned facility

  1. Menorah House (Watari Township International Center)
  2. Meeting rooms
  3. Green house (vegetable garden, etc.)
  4. Auxiliary facilities (solar power generation system)
  5. Warehouse
    Regarding 2) and 5), we are currently in talks to transfer idle temporary housing facilities from Miyagi Prefecture to repurpose on site.

(3) Design work
Currently under contract with Jiro Miura, President and Representative Director of Atelier B Co., Ltd. President Miura is a professional architect and Honorary Consul General of Israel and has lent his support to the planning and design of this facility.

3. Significance of construction of facilities

Thanks solely to the understanding of the town and its residents, their warmth and willingness to challenge new things, have we been able to support the emotional well-being of the people of Watari Township after it was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Children represent the future of the town, and opening them up to the world’s music, customs, language and culture as this facility will do, will open up the future for the town.

In addition, we intend this facility to serve as a haven for residents who have moved from temporary housing to disaster public housing, by creating a place where they can feel free to drop in whenever they wish or feel the need for support.

Finally, and importantly, we intend to entrust the operation of this facility to graduates of the ongoing Leadership Training Program and local residents with overseas experience, with the aim of eventually passing management of the property over to the town in the future.

We thank you for your support and donations toward realizing this worthy undertaking.