"Akharon...akharon.." - the very last day! Our delegation began the day by visiting their matched schools. Some of us spent two hours in the classroom developing a relationship with all the students. In particular, Sandy brought letters from her grade 6 class at Temple Sinai to Tzviya's grade 6 class at Idanim School. She received beautifully composed letters in return to bring back to her class. The bonus for her was watching Tzviya teach a lesson on georgraphy of Israel. Sandy is doing the same in Rochester. The two teachers decided to teach the map together on both sides of the ocean. 'Debby visited Nitzanim School where the teachers hosted a lunch in her honor, where she received as a gift a book on Jerusalem inscribed with a message of peace from the school, and a framed collage of the students' work. These quality experiences repeated themselves in each and every school.
At 10 a.m. we met at the municipality to board a bus for Pinat Shorashim at Kibbutz Gezer. All agreed that founder and educator, David Leichman, offered a brilliant, inspiring, and provocative 3 hour tour of this biblical garden aimed at educators and demonstrating the integral connections between Torah, the land of Israel, Hebrew, and the people Israel. We ate a picnic lunch and continued to enjoy the 80 degree weather.
Sad, sated and tired we returned to Modi'in and Aviva's school library to meet with our host teachers for a summary evaluation of the week in Israel. By everyone's definition we reached our goals for the week and shared how and what we will take back with us and immediately institute in our schools and classrooms. We look forward to hosting our Israeli delegation in December, many of whom were our hosts in Israel. We are committed to showing them the level of hospitality shown to us - without end!!!! We thank our hosts, we laud the itinerary, food, education, information, and profound kindnesses given to us since the moment we landed here. We especially thank Hana and my own host and adopted sister, Aviva (and her beautiful family), for their enthusiasm and persistence in making the Education Bridge work so well here in Modi'in. Toda raba!!!!!!!
Off to the airport in 2 hours (and more shopping). L'hitraot,
Jan
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Day 7 in Israel
Shalom,
Today (Monday), we settled in at Idanim School where Aviva is principal. As you can imagine, Idanim is very active in the Educational Bridge. In fact, as part of the Israeli delegation coming to Rochester this December along with Aviva is Aviva, Aviva's Vice Principal and grade 6 teacher, Ophira - grade 1 teacher, and Yisrael - teacher in the school's ecological garden. Yisrael hosted us this morning for a 2-hour workshop with a student leadership group. Yisrael led us through, along with his student leaders, a typical lesson, where we opted to engage in one of three activities: (1) making pita and firing up a dome oven, (2) clearing dead stems and foliage from harvested tomato plants and covering the soil until the next planting, and (3) spackling a mixture of sand, clay and mud on the ecological hut that has been in the making for over 7 years. These activities are all meant to put us in touch with the land, ourselves and each other in a quiet, caring way. We watched how empowered and enthusiastic these selected students behaved in the garden and we took our cues from them. We came away full of inspiration and ideas on what and how to incorporate the philosophy and reality of the "ecological garden" in Rochester.
We moved back to the library, our meeting place, for more coffee and cake and an Israel Update from Neil Lazarus of Awesomeseminars.com, who offered his expert news perspective on a variety of topics including Israel and Iran, Israel and obama, and the Goldstone Report. He provided context, answered all our questions, and engaged our interest through humor. By the end of Neil's hour and a half lecture, it was time to eat again, this time lunch of felafel, chips and salad, relaxed in the library and in the adjacent garden.
Immediately after lunch, we toured Idanim with Aviva, walking into classrooms, viewing the many bulletin boards highlighting Rabin's life anticipating the memorial ceremonies this Thursday, and even Idanim's "Pinat Chai" - live animal corner (snake, rabbits, ferrets, mice and the like) which services children with special needs in the school as animal therapy.
From 1 - 3:30 p.m. we met with principals and Israel teachers who participate in the Bridge. Our main questions for discussion included: Why is the bridge important to both sides? Why is it important for principals to be involved in the bridge? What does each side need from the other for success? How do we define success? What are the most effective strategies for the Bridge? The conversation was lively, honest, and revealing. All the participants left with enthusiasm and full of potential for following up with their matched teachers and in the classrooms.
Free few hours for shopping at Mega (Modi'in's Wegman's), Azrieli Mall, Didactika (school supply store), etc.
6:30 p.m. pot luck final dinner at Hana's house. We are indebted to Hana for hosting this sumptuous and social dinner and to all the hosts and P2K members and former delegates who brought their best dairy recipes to share. 7 of this past summer's JFI teens also joined us. This author, for one, could not get enough hugs from this precious group of young adults (see video of them singing). Each of them was plotting how to save enough money to come to Rochester next summer. Hila Hadas, P2K, Chair was there, as well as Yehuda Gohar, Israel's Education Bridge Chair, and Aviva even arranged for one of her teachers, Yifat, to come with accordion in tow to lead us in Israeli songs in Hana's yard (yes, the weather is still summer-like). Thank you 's were expressed on both sides, and three of our American colleagues - Jacqui, Sandi, and Rona - wrote, framed and read a poem of gratitude, composed of an acrostic of the word "Modi'in". A grand time was had by all.
Tomorrow is our final day. We will spend early morning in our matched schools, then a workshop at Pinat Shorashim at Kibbutz Gezer to bookend our first day at Naot Kedumim - more about that later. As Frost would write: "...and miles to go before I sleep." We have much to do to move the Education Bridge forward. We look forward to the challenge!
Today (Monday), we settled in at Idanim School where Aviva is principal. As you can imagine, Idanim is very active in the Educational Bridge. In fact, as part of the Israeli delegation coming to Rochester this December along with Aviva is Aviva, Aviva's Vice Principal and grade 6 teacher, Ophira - grade 1 teacher, and Yisrael - teacher in the school's ecological garden. Yisrael hosted us this morning for a 2-hour workshop with a student leadership group. Yisrael led us through, along with his student leaders, a typical lesson, where we opted to engage in one of three activities: (1) making pita and firing up a dome oven, (2) clearing dead stems and foliage from harvested tomato plants and covering the soil until the next planting, and (3) spackling a mixture of sand, clay and mud on the ecological hut that has been in the making for over 7 years. These activities are all meant to put us in touch with the land, ourselves and each other in a quiet, caring way. We watched how empowered and enthusiastic these selected students behaved in the garden and we took our cues from them. We came away full of inspiration and ideas on what and how to incorporate the philosophy and reality of the "ecological garden" in Rochester.
We moved back to the library, our meeting place, for more coffee and cake and an Israel Update from Neil Lazarus of Awesomeseminars.com, who offered his expert news perspective on a variety of topics including Israel and Iran, Israel and obama, and the Goldstone Report. He provided context, answered all our questions, and engaged our interest through humor. By the end of Neil's hour and a half lecture, it was time to eat again, this time lunch of felafel, chips and salad, relaxed in the library and in the adjacent garden.
Immediately after lunch, we toured Idanim with Aviva, walking into classrooms, viewing the many bulletin boards highlighting Rabin's life anticipating the memorial ceremonies this Thursday, and even Idanim's "Pinat Chai" - live animal corner (snake, rabbits, ferrets, mice and the like) which services children with special needs in the school as animal therapy.
From 1 - 3:30 p.m. we met with principals and Israel teachers who participate in the Bridge. Our main questions for discussion included: Why is the bridge important to both sides? Why is it important for principals to be involved in the bridge? What does each side need from the other for success? How do we define success? What are the most effective strategies for the Bridge? The conversation was lively, honest, and revealing. All the participants left with enthusiasm and full of potential for following up with their matched teachers and in the classrooms.
Free few hours for shopping at Mega (Modi'in's Wegman's), Azrieli Mall, Didactika (school supply store), etc.
6:30 p.m. pot luck final dinner at Hana's house. We are indebted to Hana for hosting this sumptuous and social dinner and to all the hosts and P2K members and former delegates who brought their best dairy recipes to share. 7 of this past summer's JFI teens also joined us. This author, for one, could not get enough hugs from this precious group of young adults (see video of them singing). Each of them was plotting how to save enough money to come to Rochester next summer. Hila Hadas, P2K, Chair was there, as well as Yehuda Gohar, Israel's Education Bridge Chair, and Aviva even arranged for one of her teachers, Yifat, to come with accordion in tow to lead us in Israeli songs in Hana's yard (yes, the weather is still summer-like). Thank you 's were expressed on both sides, and three of our American colleagues - Jacqui, Sandi, and Rona - wrote, framed and read a poem of gratitude, composed of an acrostic of the word "Modi'in". A grand time was had by all.
Tomorrow is our final day. We will spend early morning in our matched schools, then a workshop at Pinat Shorashim at Kibbutz Gezer to bookend our first day at Naot Kedumim - more about that later. As Frost would write: "...and miles to go before I sleep." We have much to do to move the Education Bridge forward. We look forward to the challenge!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Day 6 in Israel
Shalom,
The days are passing toooo fast! All of the teachers enjoyed every moment of Shabbat with their host families. Their experiences included attending worship services at Yozma (reform congregation) or Yachad (traditional egalitarian), taking a tiyyul (touring trip) to Caesaria, the Dead Sea, Zichron Yaacov, or just around Modiin, and of course the lovely Azrieli Mall in the evening after Shabbat. I myself attended Kabbalat services at Yozma where I met old friends and acquaintances - Beth Atar, Yuval Newman, Rabbi Nir Barkin and my Aunt Vicky. Elliot also came with his host, Gila. Aviva served no less than 10 main dishes and salads for Shabbat dinner with her whole family - sons, daughter-in-laws, and delicious grandson, Matan. I proudly earned the name of "doda (auntie) from America." Shabbat day for me - lunch at Vicky's along with cousin Natan and his three children. Later in the day Aviva and Amos took me to Herziliya, playground of the rich and famous, especially along the marina where I dined on "botz" (lit. mud - thick, black Israeli coffee) and coffee ice cream along with Aviva and Amos had cheese melton on a bagel measuring about 8 inches in diameter.
Today, Sunday was long and satisfying. We began our day with a two and a half hour ride north to Tzippori, excavated city (mostly Byzantine) with exquisite floor mosaics, including a face called "Mona Lisa." From Tzippori we traveled to Rosh Pina outdoor strip mall for "free lunch time" - meaning we all chose what and where to eat. Since our dinners are all at dairy/vegetarian restaurants, meat eaters ran for the shwarma. I dined with Debbie and Marcy and our guide at the local humus dive, highly recommended and quite authentic (although no quite up to par to Abu Shukri). From lunch we traveled to Tzfat, alway a thrill ride up through the steep hills and hair pin turns. Our guide, Benna, took us first to the Abu-av and Ari shuls (sephardic and ashkenazic respectively) and then we had an hour for guess what - shopping, including the famous Safed candle factory, which, by the way, completely burned down a year ago and was rebuilt immediately. With ample purchases we boarded our mini-bus and rode the one and a half hours to the Kinneret cemetery just in time for sunset at Rachel's and Nomi Shemer's graves. The water in the Kinneret is so low at present. Most of our Israeli friends are (or have) completely drying out the grass in their gardens to save water.
A mile or so from the cemetery is the fresh date and spice store we remembered from our last trip. Of course we stopped, sampled and bought. Viva our contributions to the Israeli economy! From this store appropriately called "Tamar ba'kfar" (date tree in the village) we drove another hour and a half to a magnificent restaurant in the ruins of Caesaria on the water. Yehuda Gohar, Education Bridge Chair in Modi'in, joined us for dinner as well as our guide and driver. We arrived back in Modi'in after 10 p.m., full of food, full from the experience of the day, and anticipating tomorrow.
Laila tov,
Jan
The days are passing toooo fast! All of the teachers enjoyed every moment of Shabbat with their host families. Their experiences included attending worship services at Yozma (reform congregation) or Yachad (traditional egalitarian), taking a tiyyul (touring trip) to Caesaria, the Dead Sea, Zichron Yaacov, or just around Modiin, and of course the lovely Azrieli Mall in the evening after Shabbat. I myself attended Kabbalat services at Yozma where I met old friends and acquaintances - Beth Atar, Yuval Newman, Rabbi Nir Barkin and my Aunt Vicky. Elliot also came with his host, Gila. Aviva served no less than 10 main dishes and salads for Shabbat dinner with her whole family - sons, daughter-in-laws, and delicious grandson, Matan. I proudly earned the name of "doda (auntie) from America." Shabbat day for me - lunch at Vicky's along with cousin Natan and his three children. Later in the day Aviva and Amos took me to Herziliya, playground of the rich and famous, especially along the marina where I dined on "botz" (lit. mud - thick, black Israeli coffee) and coffee ice cream along with Aviva and Amos had cheese melton on a bagel measuring about 8 inches in diameter.
Today, Sunday was long and satisfying. We began our day with a two and a half hour ride north to Tzippori, excavated city (mostly Byzantine) with exquisite floor mosaics, including a face called "Mona Lisa." From Tzippori we traveled to Rosh Pina outdoor strip mall for "free lunch time" - meaning we all chose what and where to eat. Since our dinners are all at dairy/vegetarian restaurants, meat eaters ran for the shwarma. I dined with Debbie and Marcy and our guide at the local humus dive, highly recommended and quite authentic (although no quite up to par to Abu Shukri). From lunch we traveled to Tzfat, alway a thrill ride up through the steep hills and hair pin turns. Our guide, Benna, took us first to the Abu-av and Ari shuls (sephardic and ashkenazic respectively) and then we had an hour for guess what - shopping, including the famous Safed candle factory, which, by the way, completely burned down a year ago and was rebuilt immediately. With ample purchases we boarded our mini-bus and rode the one and a half hours to the Kinneret cemetery just in time for sunset at Rachel's and Nomi Shemer's graves. The water in the Kinneret is so low at present. Most of our Israeli friends are (or have) completely drying out the grass in their gardens to save water.
A mile or so from the cemetery is the fresh date and spice store we remembered from our last trip. Of course we stopped, sampled and bought. Viva our contributions to the Israeli economy! From this store appropriately called "Tamar ba'kfar" (date tree in the village) we drove another hour and a half to a magnificent restaurant in the ruins of Caesaria on the water. Yehuda Gohar, Education Bridge Chair in Modi'in, joined us for dinner as well as our guide and driver. We arrived back in Modi'in after 10 p.m., full of food, full from the experience of the day, and anticipating tomorrow.
Laila tov,
Jan
Friday, October 23, 2009
Day 4 in Israel
Shabbat shalom,
Another beautiful day! Today is our teaching day. Each of the Rochester educators went to his/her matched school to spend 3 hours with his/her matched teacher. I accompanied Debby Baker to MOR (Modiin Maccabin Reut Middle and High School campus) for the morning. There we received the Red Carpet. We met with Sara, Assistant Principal of the high School (Ruti, the principal of the h.s. was in Poland with 180 seniors for the week), Batsheva and Esti, Principal and Assistant Principal of the Middle School, Eitan, teacher of a text-based values program introduced into the middle school this year, and a graduate of the high school, who an army course to be a finished a course to become an army spokesperson just yesterday. Accompanied by the omnipresent cakes and drinks, Sara presented a powerpoint on the school, giving us a complete overview of its population, program, vision, goals, etc. Afterwards we happily met up with Anat Yaeger, who had been part of a previous delegation to Rochester. Anat walked us through both schools and brought us to her 7th grade English class where the children bombarded Debby with questions. We just missed an Arabic language and culture class, but were impressed to learn that this class is required in grades 7 - 9. MOR is truly an exemplary school. Debby hopes to connect Eitan and his program with a 10th grade World Religions class at Brighton High School.
Meeting up with our colleagues at the Iriyah (municipality) at 11:30 a.m. all reported that the morning went well in other schools and classrooms. Fron here we went by car to Mini Israel and ate a picnic lunch outside the front gate. Especially those of us who have not been to Israel or visited many years ago were entirely pleased with this miniature overview of the country's highlights, and we did learn that the model is the largest of its kind in the world. For me, the highlights included all the dwarfed bonsai plants and bushes around the sites (which I had never noticed before) and our guide, Shimon. Shimon is a Jew from India who came to Israel at a young age. He served as a Mosad spy in Lebanon for 24 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He regaled us with some personal stories along with those enriching the exhibit. In addition to the exhibit area, more than a few of us were thrilled with the Ahava factory store on site.
Mini Israel closes at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, so gratefully all of us were able to return to our host homes by 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. after hugs and kisses. I had hoped to blog much earlier today, but as my host family informed me, the wireless is very, very slow on Friday as so many are "off" from work for the day causing a wireless traffic jam. I was unable to get on t0 the internet before now. At Yozma, it was a thrill for me to be greeted by Rabbi Nir Barkin by my first name and as an old friend and also for me to recognize so many congregants, including Beth Atar (wife of Sammy Atar, former P2K steering committee member in Modiin, Yuval Newman, cousin of Bruce, Helene, Ron and Karen Newman, colleague Elliot Fix and his host, Gila Miller, and my own Aunt Vicky). Back at Aviva's after services with her children and their families, we enjoyed no less than 10 dishes on the table and a dessert ("kinoo-ach" in Hebrew - a new word for me) of chocolate melted over fresh pistacchio halvah. It could not have been tastier.
We have come a long way in three days and not just in miles. We have forged strong bonds with our hosts, learned new Hebrew words and expressions each day (each hour), become acquainted with our matched schools and teachers, experienced more of Israel than thought possible in this amount of time, ate until beyond satiation, and have begun meaningful conversations about what it means to be a Jew in Israel. May we all have the strength (and photographic memory) to bring it all back with us to the U.S
Shabbat shalom,
Jan
Another beautiful day! Today is our teaching day. Each of the Rochester educators went to his/her matched school to spend 3 hours with his/her matched teacher. I accompanied Debby Baker to MOR (Modiin Maccabin Reut Middle and High School campus) for the morning. There we received the Red Carpet. We met with Sara, Assistant Principal of the high School (Ruti, the principal of the h.s. was in Poland with 180 seniors for the week), Batsheva and Esti, Principal and Assistant Principal of the Middle School, Eitan, teacher of a text-based values program introduced into the middle school this year, and a graduate of the high school, who an army course to be a finished a course to become an army spokesperson just yesterday. Accompanied by the omnipresent cakes and drinks, Sara presented a powerpoint on the school, giving us a complete overview of its population, program, vision, goals, etc. Afterwards we happily met up with Anat Yaeger, who had been part of a previous delegation to Rochester. Anat walked us through both schools and brought us to her 7th grade English class where the children bombarded Debby with questions. We just missed an Arabic language and culture class, but were impressed to learn that this class is required in grades 7 - 9. MOR is truly an exemplary school. Debby hopes to connect Eitan and his program with a 10th grade World Religions class at Brighton High School.
Meeting up with our colleagues at the Iriyah (municipality) at 11:30 a.m. all reported that the morning went well in other schools and classrooms. Fron here we went by car to Mini Israel and ate a picnic lunch outside the front gate. Especially those of us who have not been to Israel or visited many years ago were entirely pleased with this miniature overview of the country's highlights, and we did learn that the model is the largest of its kind in the world. For me, the highlights included all the dwarfed bonsai plants and bushes around the sites (which I had never noticed before) and our guide, Shimon. Shimon is a Jew from India who came to Israel at a young age. He served as a Mosad spy in Lebanon for 24 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He regaled us with some personal stories along with those enriching the exhibit. In addition to the exhibit area, more than a few of us were thrilled with the Ahava factory store on site.
Mini Israel closes at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, so gratefully all of us were able to return to our host homes by 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. after hugs and kisses. I had hoped to blog much earlier today, but as my host family informed me, the wireless is very, very slow on Friday as so many are "off" from work for the day causing a wireless traffic jam. I was unable to get on t0 the internet before now. At Yozma, it was a thrill for me to be greeted by Rabbi Nir Barkin by my first name and as an old friend and also for me to recognize so many congregants, including Beth Atar (wife of Sammy Atar, former P2K steering committee member in Modiin, Yuval Newman, cousin of Bruce, Helene, Ron and Karen Newman, colleague Elliot Fix and his host, Gila Miller, and my own Aunt Vicky). Back at Aviva's after services with her children and their families, we enjoyed no less than 10 dishes on the table and a dessert ("kinoo-ach" in Hebrew - a new word for me) of chocolate melted over fresh pistacchio halvah. It could not have been tastier.
We have come a long way in three days and not just in miles. We have forged strong bonds with our hosts, learned new Hebrew words and expressions each day (each hour), become acquainted with our matched schools and teachers, experienced more of Israel than thought possible in this amount of time, ate until beyond satiation, and have begun meaningful conversations about what it means to be a Jew in Israel. May we all have the strength (and photographic memory) to bring it all back with us to the U.S
Shabbat shalom,
Jan
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Day 3 in Israel
Shalom,
Just as there are 70 faces to the Torah, there are at least 70 ways to experience each site here in the Holyland. Writing first about the end of the day is most logical, because it is remembered best right about now. Having spent the day in Jerusalem, our group of 16 (11 Rochesterians, 4 Modi'in educators and our guide, Benna) arrived at the Old City, Jaffa Gate, at 4:00 p.m. After the group toured the usual haunts - the Jewish Quarter, including the Cardo, we found ourselves at the Kotel area filled with tens of thousands. It turns out that this evening over 200 "tzankhanim" - new paratroopers - were being officially sworn into the army. The ceremony lasted from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. The rabbi of the unit gave a charge and recited the oath of allegiance to which all the soldiers yelled out in unison "Ani nishba" - I swear. At that point, Jerusalem of Gold was played while each soldier received a Bible in one hand and a rifle in the other (only in Israel). The ceremony ended with Hatikva. None of us expected to witness such a moving display of patriotism. Aviva explained that these soldiers had been away from their families for 3 weeks and would now go home for Shabbat. We watched the faces of moms and dads as they embraced their boy-sons turned men in as many weeks. These are the true moments of connection between us Americans and Israelis.
Backtracking, we began the day at the Herzl Museum at 9:00 a.m. on a beautiful, cooler, sunny day. We proceeded to the military cemetery to view Herzl's grave, that of Yitzchak and Leah Rabin, and their "neighbor", Golda. In the area around the latter graves was a temporary fence to prepare for the annual commemoration of Rabin's assasination next Thursday. I thought that the fence was for security. Actually, it was explained to me that it was to keep all the participants off the grass and other graves (only in Israel). One of our group pointed out that written on Rabin's grave is not the usual "dating", i.e., born and died in a particular year On Rabin's grave it is written: Born 1922, Assasinated 1995 - another poignant reminder of why Israel is the Israel we know
At 11:00 a.m. we enterd Yad Vashem and remained there until 2:00 pm. Our learned and engaging guide again walked most of us through the main building, teaching us something new in every gallery. As always, the Children's Memorial at the end of our visit brought us to emotional heights. With that said, we commented that the "new" Yad Vashem leads each visitor through a process, from the beginnings of antisemitism to the horrors of the Holocaust to victory over the Nazis to the survivors and the subsequent sources of healing including the establishment of the State of Israel. The process allows each visitor to complete the virtual journey and remain whole at the end, even if jolted.
We took a long break at Machane Yehuda where this blog writer, instead of finding a place for lunch, ran to the halva stand and stocked up on several kilo to take home (chocolate, espresso, pistacchio, granola, walnut, cinnamon- yummy), and also chocolate ruggelach from the famous bakery, Marzipan on Agrippas Street to share on the bus.
Then on to the old City and so ends the circle of today's very special experience, but then again, each day here has been outstanding because it is Israel and equally because we are with our partners in Modi'in, who cannot do enough for us, who stimulate our minds with their provocative perspectives on everything from education to politics to fashion, and who give us hugs at every opportunity. We are so indebted to them and to Hana and Aviva for crafting this trip for us!!!!
Just as there are 70 faces to the Torah, there are at least 70 ways to experience each site here in the Holyland. Writing first about the end of the day is most logical, because it is remembered best right about now. Having spent the day in Jerusalem, our group of 16 (11 Rochesterians, 4 Modi'in educators and our guide, Benna) arrived at the Old City, Jaffa Gate, at 4:00 p.m. After the group toured the usual haunts - the Jewish Quarter, including the Cardo, we found ourselves at the Kotel area filled with tens of thousands. It turns out that this evening over 200 "tzankhanim" - new paratroopers - were being officially sworn into the army. The ceremony lasted from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. The rabbi of the unit gave a charge and recited the oath of allegiance to which all the soldiers yelled out in unison "Ani nishba" - I swear. At that point, Jerusalem of Gold was played while each soldier received a Bible in one hand and a rifle in the other (only in Israel). The ceremony ended with Hatikva. None of us expected to witness such a moving display of patriotism. Aviva explained that these soldiers had been away from their families for 3 weeks and would now go home for Shabbat. We watched the faces of moms and dads as they embraced their boy-sons turned men in as many weeks. These are the true moments of connection between us Americans and Israelis.
Backtracking, we began the day at the Herzl Museum at 9:00 a.m. on a beautiful, cooler, sunny day. We proceeded to the military cemetery to view Herzl's grave, that of Yitzchak and Leah Rabin, and their "neighbor", Golda. In the area around the latter graves was a temporary fence to prepare for the annual commemoration of Rabin's assasination next Thursday. I thought that the fence was for security. Actually, it was explained to me that it was to keep all the participants off the grass and other graves (only in Israel). One of our group pointed out that written on Rabin's grave is not the usual "dating", i.e., born and died in a particular year On Rabin's grave it is written: Born 1922, Assasinated 1995 - another poignant reminder of why Israel is the Israel we know
At 11:00 a.m. we enterd Yad Vashem and remained there until 2:00 pm. Our learned and engaging guide again walked most of us through the main building, teaching us something new in every gallery. As always, the Children's Memorial at the end of our visit brought us to emotional heights. With that said, we commented that the "new" Yad Vashem leads each visitor through a process, from the beginnings of antisemitism to the horrors of the Holocaust to victory over the Nazis to the survivors and the subsequent sources of healing including the establishment of the State of Israel. The process allows each visitor to complete the virtual journey and remain whole at the end, even if jolted.
We took a long break at Machane Yehuda where this blog writer, instead of finding a place for lunch, ran to the halva stand and stocked up on several kilo to take home (chocolate, espresso, pistacchio, granola, walnut, cinnamon- yummy), and also chocolate ruggelach from the famous bakery, Marzipan on Agrippas Street to share on the bus.
Then on to the old City and so ends the circle of today's very special experience, but then again, each day here has been outstanding because it is Israel and equally because we are with our partners in Modi'in, who cannot do enough for us, who stimulate our minds with their provocative perspectives on everything from education to politics to fashion, and who give us hugs at every opportunity. We are so indebted to them and to Hana and Aviva for crafting this trip for us!!!!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Day 2 in Israel
Shalom,
My apologies in advance - it is 1:15 a.m. in the Holyland and thus a long blog is not in the forecast, especially since I begin our day tomorrow at 6:30 a.m.
Today - a long day - engaged and embraced our entire range of senses and intellect. We began the day at Givanim School for children with special needs where we met and listened to many teachers who were not only great pedagogues, but also exempary human beings, who are passionately committed to their teaching and enabling their students to become the best that they can become.
Givanim School is situated on the same campus as Yachad School, the only public and religiously pluralistic school in Modi'in. Their co-existence allows for the integratiion of students from both schools throughout the school year. Lisa, principal of Yachad, spoke to us at the Givanim School and then hosted us at Yachad. More specifically, 3 lovely English speaking 5th graders gave us the tour of Yachad, which included many classroms, and their ecological garden where students learn self respect and respect of others through taking care of the earth and linking their activities to Torah and Jewish values.
From Yachad we bussed to the Ecological Farm on the outskirts of Modiin where we ate lunch in their "geodisic domed" tent, toured the farm with Yisrael Schorri (who will come to Rochester in Deceember with the Israeli teacher delegation), and even learned the secrets of compost toilets. We enjoyed the staff, volunteers and wonders of recycling, re-using, and rethinking our world for ourselves and the next generation.
From the Ecological Farm we picked up our guide for the rest of the day (and the week) and traveled to Tel Aviv, beginning our tour at Independence Hall, walking to Neve Tzedek (old Tel Aviv), hopping on our mini-bus to Jaffa for a quick overview of its long history and walking up to the top of the park for a spectacular view of the shoreline of Tel Aviv at night, and ending the day at a superb restaurant at the newly refurbished Port of Tel Aviv.
Laila tov - good night!
My apologies in advance - it is 1:15 a.m. in the Holyland and thus a long blog is not in the forecast, especially since I begin our day tomorrow at 6:30 a.m.
Today - a long day - engaged and embraced our entire range of senses and intellect. We began the day at Givanim School for children with special needs where we met and listened to many teachers who were not only great pedagogues, but also exempary human beings, who are passionately committed to their teaching and enabling their students to become the best that they can become.
Givanim School is situated on the same campus as Yachad School, the only public and religiously pluralistic school in Modi'in. Their co-existence allows for the integratiion of students from both schools throughout the school year. Lisa, principal of Yachad, spoke to us at the Givanim School and then hosted us at Yachad. More specifically, 3 lovely English speaking 5th graders gave us the tour of Yachad, which included many classroms, and their ecological garden where students learn self respect and respect of others through taking care of the earth and linking their activities to Torah and Jewish values.
From Yachad we bussed to the Ecological Farm on the outskirts of Modiin where we ate lunch in their "geodisic domed" tent, toured the farm with Yisrael Schorri (who will come to Rochester in Deceember with the Israeli teacher delegation), and even learned the secrets of compost toilets. We enjoyed the staff, volunteers and wonders of recycling, re-using, and rethinking our world for ourselves and the next generation.
From the Ecological Farm we picked up our guide for the rest of the day (and the week) and traveled to Tel Aviv, beginning our tour at Independence Hall, walking to Neve Tzedek (old Tel Aviv), hopping on our mini-bus to Jaffa for a quick overview of its long history and walking up to the top of the park for a spectacular view of the shoreline of Tel Aviv at night, and ending the day at a superb restaurant at the newly refurbished Port of Tel Aviv.
Laila tov - good night!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Day 1 in Israel
Shalom,
We arrived safe and sound at 12:30 p.m. ish today (Tuesday) to a sunny and hot (not too hot, really) day. Passport control and baggage went relatively smoothly, and then through the exit to hugs and kisses with Aviva, Hana, and Yonat (the Anderson's partner [and now family] in Modi'in). After fiddling with the ATM machine for ready shekels, we were off in our mini-bus to Naot Kedumim, the Biblical Preserve not far from Modi'in dedicated to recreating the flora and fauna of the Bible. We began with a sumptuous vegetarian lunch with all ingredients, planted on site - salads, humus, tahini, quiche, pasta, yogurt, honey and baklawa. The yogurt and honey introduced the theme for the tour. Our knowledgeable, spiritual, engaging guide, Michal taught us many lessons today:
1) "kedumim" means both back in time and advancing to the future. Modi'in from ancient times was at the crossroads, looking towards Tel Aviv in one direction and Jerusalem in the other. The preserve is there to remind us that we can not forge our future without relying on the wisdom of our past. At this moment we all stood in a circle, hands grasped, and listened to Jacqui and Elliot recite a prayer in petition and gratitude for the rain that causes the earth to bloom. We then had the opportunity to plant an oak sapling with another staff person, Zachariah. What a powerful first act for us in the Holyland! It is the hope that in the near future the huge expanse of rock and desolate hills around Modi'in will once again be covered by these beautiful and indigenous trees.
2) "Milk and honey" - the classic epithet for the land of Israel at its best, can easily become a curse. Too much of a good thing moves the heart away from its original intention and turns one into a glutton. Milk and honey is not a blessing according to our prophets.
3) The cedar of Lebanon and the Palm tree of Israel are planted adjacent to each other and reflect together in the pond below them. This symbolizes the ability of two cultures to live together in harmony.
4) The trees and plants of Naot kedumim are planted according to the design of the Bible. For example, the walnut tree is planted in the lower elevation of the Solomon's garden by the pond (cf. Song of Songs) because the story says that King Solomon went down to the walnut tree.
5) We stopped to test out an ancient (2500 years young) cistern, still full of cold water, by an ancient site where was found both Jewish, Christian and Muslim remnants
6) Ended the day with the pounding of hyssop to a finely crushed and frangrant spice to take home. Hyssop (or zata) was the branch used to smear the blood of the doorposts of the Jewish homes in Egypt to spare them from the slaying of the first born.
Please - an open invitation to other members of the delegation to add more of Michal's stories during our adventure today!
From Naot Kedumim, we rode to the Iriyah - municipality of odi'in - where Chaim Bibis, the new young (39 years) mayor of Modi'in warmly greeted us, relayed a bit of the history of Modi'in and handed out Modi'in pins before leaving for another meeting. We also heard from Chaya, Modi'in superintendent of schools. Chaya will be coming to Rochester in December.
By now, jet lag had finally reached the group and thank goodness it was 6:00 p.m. - time to meet our hosts. We walked accross the street to Idanim school, where Aviva is principal and, no suprise, drinks and cake awaited us in the library along with our smiling hosts and many of their young and beautiful children.
All is well in Modi'in as we dream of our long day tomorrow, visiting two schools, workshop at the ecological farm and a guided afternoon at the hot spots in Tel Aviv (including Independence Hall) topped off by dinner on the water. What a life - what inspiration!
We arrived safe and sound at 12:30 p.m. ish today (Tuesday) to a sunny and hot (not too hot, really) day. Passport control and baggage went relatively smoothly, and then through the exit to hugs and kisses with Aviva, Hana, and Yonat (the Anderson's partner [and now family] in Modi'in). After fiddling with the ATM machine for ready shekels, we were off in our mini-bus to Naot Kedumim, the Biblical Preserve not far from Modi'in dedicated to recreating the flora and fauna of the Bible. We began with a sumptuous vegetarian lunch with all ingredients, planted on site - salads, humus, tahini, quiche, pasta, yogurt, honey and baklawa. The yogurt and honey introduced the theme for the tour. Our knowledgeable, spiritual, engaging guide, Michal taught us many lessons today:
1) "kedumim" means both back in time and advancing to the future. Modi'in from ancient times was at the crossroads, looking towards Tel Aviv in one direction and Jerusalem in the other. The preserve is there to remind us that we can not forge our future without relying on the wisdom of our past. At this moment we all stood in a circle, hands grasped, and listened to Jacqui and Elliot recite a prayer in petition and gratitude for the rain that causes the earth to bloom. We then had the opportunity to plant an oak sapling with another staff person, Zachariah. What a powerful first act for us in the Holyland! It is the hope that in the near future the huge expanse of rock and desolate hills around Modi'in will once again be covered by these beautiful and indigenous trees.
2) "Milk and honey" - the classic epithet for the land of Israel at its best, can easily become a curse. Too much of a good thing moves the heart away from its original intention and turns one into a glutton. Milk and honey is not a blessing according to our prophets.
3) The cedar of Lebanon and the Palm tree of Israel are planted adjacent to each other and reflect together in the pond below them. This symbolizes the ability of two cultures to live together in harmony.
4) The trees and plants of Naot kedumim are planted according to the design of the Bible. For example, the walnut tree is planted in the lower elevation of the Solomon's garden by the pond (cf. Song of Songs) because the story says that King Solomon went down to the walnut tree.
5) We stopped to test out an ancient (2500 years young) cistern, still full of cold water, by an ancient site where was found both Jewish, Christian and Muslim remnants
6) Ended the day with the pounding of hyssop to a finely crushed and frangrant spice to take home. Hyssop (or zata) was the branch used to smear the blood of the doorposts of the Jewish homes in Egypt to spare them from the slaying of the first born.
Please - an open invitation to other members of the delegation to add more of Michal's stories during our adventure today!
From Naot Kedumim, we rode to the Iriyah - municipality of odi'in - where Chaim Bibis, the new young (39 years) mayor of Modi'in warmly greeted us, relayed a bit of the history of Modi'in and handed out Modi'in pins before leaving for another meeting. We also heard from Chaya, Modi'in superintendent of schools. Chaya will be coming to Rochester in December.
By now, jet lag had finally reached the group and thank goodness it was 6:00 p.m. - time to meet our hosts. We walked accross the street to Idanim school, where Aviva is principal and, no suprise, drinks and cake awaited us in the library along with our smiling hosts and many of their young and beautiful children.
All is well in Modi'in as we dream of our long day tomorrow, visiting two schools, workshop at the ecological farm and a guided afternoon at the hot spots in Tel Aviv (including Independence Hall) topped off by dinner on the water. What a life - what inspiration!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday, October 15 / 27 Tishri
Dear fellow educators and Israel trippers,
We thank Margot Cohen, Director of Communications and Marketing at the Jewish Community Federation, for setting up our blog for the upcoming trip. Please do join as soon as you can and then you will be able to blog your trip observations and impressions from any computer. Please do share the blog e-dress with your friends and relatives as they can view the blogs also. Three more days of resting and preparing for our trip - may it be calm, healthy, and full of love by those closest to you.
Shalom,
Jan
We thank Margot Cohen, Director of Communications and Marketing at the Jewish Community Federation, for setting up our blog for the upcoming trip. Please do join as soon as you can and then you will be able to blog your trip observations and impressions from any computer. Please do share the blog e-dress with your friends and relatives as they can view the blogs also. Three more days of resting and preparing for our trip - may it be calm, healthy, and full of love by those closest to you.
Shalom,
Jan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
