Voices from the Field
Campaign Entry of the Day!
We ask you to "Show Us A Way Israel Is In Your Life." The staff pick for Entry of the Day belongs to... @Zahara3
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"Israel is in my life every morning when I get dressed, my kibbutz laundry number is still on all my tags" |
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It's super easy to enter. Here's how:
Each submission will be entered into a drawing for a 16 GB 3G iPad. Drawing takes place on June 7, and winner will be notified via e-mail.
Limit 1 entry per person. Click here to submit now!
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We Learn Most From The Ones We Love
It was 10pm on the first night of Shavuot and I was so excited to start. My mom told me it was time to go, so we began driving. I didn’t know where we were going, but that was nothing unusual for this unique night.
We showed up at a friend’s house and walked to the backyard. Set up on a gorgeous high ground overlooking Lake Michigan was a pitched tent. The sounds of the waves splashed against the rocks, and the smell of pines filled the thick spring air. We made ourselves comfortable and began our Shavu'ot.
We read poetry, we ate, we laughed, we ate, and we talked about the Torah. We laid under the stars asking questions and talking about life. Then, we ate some more. We did this until the early hours of the morning. Time both stood still and passed so effortlessly. This was my Shav'uot and I loved it.
These Shavu'ot adventures became a tradition between us. It was our version of the tradition of ‘staying up all night to pray.' In the traditional sense we didn't actually do any praying, but this time together was both an impactful learning experience and, well, holy. Whether it was hanging an Israel flag alongside an American flag on July 4, or convincing my mom that it’s not a good idea to bring in a truck full of sand to make our Passover Seder feel more authentic, these types of experiences always combined fun with "education," and made all the difference. We learn the most from the ones we love, and these small moments have a lasting impression beyond words.
My Jewish/Israel identity was formed completely in the home, and I look forward to our Shavu'ot adventure each year.
What memories from the home have left an impact on your Jewish identity? E-mail cari@theicenter.org and tell us!
A team member since 2009, Cari has held many different roles at the iCenter, primarily in Operations and Communications. Cari values the iCenter's unique culture of incredibly smart and interesting people who turn ideas into reality, daily. Cari holds a B.A in Economics and Jewish Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She lives in downtown Chicago with her husband, Danny, and treasures receiving bits of wisdom from her grandparents who are holocaust survivors. Cari feels very fortunate that Israel is both her personal passion and her profession.
Spotlight On... The Goodman Family and Yom Yerushalayim
May 8 is Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) and commemorates Jerusalem's reunification in 1967. The iCenter's Aliza Goodman tells us a story of her father travelling through Israel following the days of reunification, and the impact his story continues to have on her approach to Israel education.
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