My last trip to Israel was incredible. I led a birthright trip of young professionals from Chicago, my home city. After spending several days traveling across the country, our group arrived at Kiryat Gat, a small town in the northern part of the Negev. Chicago is partners with Kiryat Gat, a vibrant partnership that began in 1996.
Yesterday, in partnership with the Schusterman Family Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Marcus Foundation and the AVI CHAI Foundation, the iCenter hosted iThink: A New Look at Israel Education. For a full day, more than 80 organizational leaders, Jewish and Israel educators, funder representatives and scholars reflected on the emergence of the field of Israel Education and envisioned what the future could look like.
What is it about Thanksgiving and Americans? We have a visceral connection to this all-American holiday that makes celebration among American Jews almost universal, even American Jews living abroad.
Today is the first time I have seen Aviva Schalit smile. After over five years in captivity her son is coming home. A nation takes a big sigh of relief, and the woman who has become Israel’s conscience – an Israeli “every”-mother, can go back to being an actual mother.
Israel. The name conjures up countless images of our history, religion, culture and politics. But for my kashrut-observant family, visits to The Land also mean a food marathon. We race from falafel stands to food courts. Every visit to a tourist attraction ends with ice cream.
One of the most meaningful stops on my journey to Israel in 2008 was to Yemin Orde, a youth village that houses, educates, and nurtures young people that have recently immigrated to Israel alone from 20 different countries. We all lived at Yemin Orde for a week, and even after my short time there, I felt the warmth and beauty of this special place, a place that was clearly more than just a facility - it was a home.
Our friends at the Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia have had a long relationship with the Youth Village of Yemin Orde. Eigth grade students at Perelman spend a Shabbat at Yemin Orde when they visit Israel, and the Yemin Orde Youth Choir has performed for the students when they are in Philadelphia. Now, we take a look back at some of those students' reflections on Yemin Orde:
This letter was written by Jay Leberman, head of school at Perelman Jewish Day School in Philadelphia, in May 2008 on one of his trips to Israel with the 8th grade students.
Dear Families,
The Hebrew month of Kislev begins next week, and I found myself whistling Hanukah songs as the breeze blows cooler and the days grow shorter... 'Tis the season, after all, when Jewish educators are perhaps most conscious of promoting Jewish identity in a predominantly Christian country. Unlike so many generations of our ancestors, we live in a time when it is possible to visit Israel.
