Israel Engagement CoP - Winter Solutions, Inc.

Israel Engagement CoP:
Israel @60:
New Experiences - Lessons Learned
June 12, 2008
‫ח״סשת‬
‫׳ט ןויס‬
Facilitator: Marion Gribetz
Guests: Aileen Goldstein,
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
Deb Engel-Kollin, Pressman Academy
& CoP members
Goals of the Call
• To review previous discussions regarding
creating frameworks for celebrating Israel @60.
• To explore together experiences in our schools
this year.
• To share together “learnings” from these
experiences.
• To brainstorm and plan together ways that these
reflections will impact our schools going forward.
Agenda
• Review prior sessions with Esti Moskowitz
and Eitan Eliram
• Review survey results from our members
• Share examples from two schools
• Discuss: Beyond Israel @ 60--How does
this impact our schools next year and
beyond?
• Reflect and discuss next steps
Meet our Guests
Aileen Goldstein
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School,
Washington, DC
Deb Engel-Kollin
Pressman Academy, Los Angeles
Common Elements of Holidays
from our call with Esti Moskovitz
Key Event/
Value
Action/
Ritual
Activity
Symbolism
Reflection
Self-Accounting
Historical
(Commemoration)
Emotion/ State
of Mind
Awe
Joy…
From our Conversation
with Eitan Eliram
• Worked with the MAKOM team about this issue.
• Nine days of the nation: between Yom Hashoah
and Yom Ha’atzmaut – the we and the thou. The
Holocaust did not happen inside of the State of
Israel, but people stand silent there because the
state is the organ of the people, part of the
Jewish people. The connection is not because of
the land, but because we belong.
• Yom Ha’atzmaut is not a matter of land, but of
belonging.
Survey Findings:
Israel @60 in our Schools
Examples of activities shared in the survey:
– Students from two campuses came together for activities,
dancing, Israeli food, and a concert ending with Hatikvah.
– We held a school-wide program with round-robin activity stations
involving all students, teachers, parents, and temple staff. This
was the highlight of a year-long series of educational
programming.
– We are not an up and running school yet. However, we had a
table at a community function. W e had a booth on hydroponics
and how useful it is in Israel and other places where quality land
and water are hard to come by.
– We held a ceremony at our flagpole where we raised the Israeli
flag that was at half staff from Yom Hazikaron. We sang
Hatikvah and read a prayer for State of Israel.
Survey Findings:
Israel @60 in our Schools
Examples of activities shared in the survey:
– We did Israeli folk dancing outside, around the flag pole area.
– We paraded around the school by "tribes" (our student body is
divided into the 12 shivtei yisrael). Each shevet held a banner at
the head of the group. Students sat by tribes instead of by grades
during lunch in order to continue the festive tone of the day.
– We had a special Torah reading and Hallel at a middle school
tefillot.
– The day closed with shirah b'tzibbur in the auditorium. We sang
along as songs were played on CDs and the words were
projected onto a screen on the stage. There was great
spontaneous ruach and dancing.
– We hosted the IDF singing band concert on Yom Ha’azmaut and
an end of year concert with the Friendship Israeli Scouts
Caravan.
Survey Findings:
Israel @60 in our Schools
Examples of activities shared in the survey:
– We had the 5th grade research various personalities from Israel's
history as a state and then created a “Wax Museum” for the rest
of the school. The kindergarten through 4th grade classes came
to our “exhibits”, pressed a button, and the tableau came alive as
the fifth graders became the characters they'd researched,
complete with props and costumes.
– Another highlight of our Israel @ 60 activities was an evening on
11/29/07 ( Kaf tet b’November) to show the movie “In Our Own
Hands” and have speakers from the British Air Force present who
had helped train the Haganah.
– Students for the first time felt a connection to Israel via "pen pals"
in Israel and through personal stories and pictures.
– While participating in community activities and acknowledging the
special year, we found that our intensive year-long incorporation
of Israel was more appropriate for creating a deep connection to
Israel.
Israel @ 60 in our Schools
Description from Charles E. Smith Day Jewish Day
School, Rockville, MD
•
We held monthly arts and culture programs aimed at raising the
profile of Israel within the school, enhancing the relationship of our
school body (students, parents, faculty, and staff) with Israel, and
deepening the conversation about Israel in an effort to foster more
meaningful and critical relationships between members of our school
community and the land and people of Israel.
• Tzeirei Bialik Choir- a special choir devoted to celebrating Israel
• Israel on Screen (e.g., Dag Bli Mayim – Like a Fish Out of Water)
• Israel Institute and Zimriyah
• Modern Song, Ancient Themes: The Midrash of the Idan Reichel Project
• Israeli Book Club
Israel @ 60 in our Schools
Description from Pressman Academy, Los
Angles, CA
• Museum visits
• Tekes Yom Ha’atzmaut
• Yom Ha zikharon
‫‪Israel @ 60 Highlights‬‬
‫‪Museum Visit Protocol from Pressman‬‬
‫‪:‬םש‬
‫ןֹואֵזּומַּב רּוקיִּב‬
‫?ת‪/‬רֵקָבְמ ה‪/‬תָא ֹוּב ןֹואֵזּומַה םֵש הָמ‬
‫?הֶז ןֹואֵזּומְּב םיִגיִצָמ הָמ‬
‫םיִמּוליִצ‪/‬םיִרּויִצַהְמ דַחֶא י‪/‬רחּב‬
‫‪:‬דַחּויְמִּב ךתֹוא ןיֵיְנַעֵמְש‬
‫?רּויִצַּב האֹור ה‪/‬תא הָמ‬
‫?הֶז רּויִצ תְרַחָּב ַעּודָמ‬
‫םּוליִצ‪/‬רּויִצ‪/‬הָנּומְתַל םֵש יִנְת‪/‬ןֵּת‬
‫‪Israel @ 60 Highlights‬‬
‫‪Songs by Grade Level‬‬
‫‪from Pressman‬‬
‫ןבלו לוחכ – ןג‪/‬רשג‬
‫לארשי לש לגדל – 'א‬
‫הנתמב ךל ןתנ םיקלא – 'ב‬
‫הרודמ הרוה – 'ג‬
‫םולשל יתדלונ – 'ד‬
‫םילשורי תא ושיש – 'ה‬
‫םישש תב – םירומ‬
From Pressman
From Pressman
From Pressman
Discussion
• In what ways has Israel @ 60 given your school
a new structure for celebrating Israel?
• What do you think are the contributing factors?
• What will Israel engagement look like in your
school for Israel @ 61? Israel @120?
Discussion
What are the implications for what we do in our schools
year in and year out? Did Israel @ 60 refresh our
passion? Where/what do you imagine your graduates
feeling, behaving, knowing on Yom Ha’atzmaut?
• We all agree that Jewish day schools are a place where we
can impact this change.
• Erica from Westchester Fairfield Day school: Our students
now have deeper personal connections to Israel.
• We have deepened the connection between Yom Hazikharon
and Yom Ha’atzmaut.
• Representatives from Tzahal came to the school. This is a
new program for us and will continue next year.
Discussion:
New Rituals Started at Schools
•
•
•
•
Zimriyah
Non-graded study, Torah lishma
Israel Club leads the activities
“Pretend” flight activity where students could get
upgrades to first class by answering trivia
questions
• New music programs
• Showing of current Israeli movie, Giborim
K’tanim, appropriate for all ages
Discussion:
New Rituals Started at Schools
• Visitors/performers from Israel got to know the
students personally.
• It was a transformative experience for the Israelis
as well.
• Masa will be hosting gap year in Israel fairs in
Jewish High Schools.
• We will begin to frame time in Israel as a Jewish
life passage.
• Having shlichim on campus deepens our
connections to Israeli culture.
Reflection and Next Steps
•
What are you taking away from today’s call?
–
–
•
Who do you want to share this with? How? Why?
–
•
Some members will preview the movie.
The group agreed that it is powerful to share similar
programs and ideas, but specific new ideas spark our
creativity.
Parents
What are some concrete next steps?
–
–
–
Yom Hashoah, Yom Iyun
Address changing dynamics as school grows and
presents new challenges
Working on creating solid vision for Israel Engagement
•
Looking at what will be appropriate for the W HOLE school –
integrating high school experiences into the lower school
PEJE wishes to thank the sponsors of
the Israel Engagement COP: