I am in Israel as I write this I want you to know that I have not been back to Israel for 10 years and that is a long time for me not to visit.  In the past 10 years my daughter Lital got married to her husband Cole, they have 2 children, I am a Savta, I had ovarian cancer and am STILL NED, (no evidence of disease), lost my father to cancer, and still work with my congregation, Makom Solel Lakeside as Director of Lifelong Learning where I work with adults.  That is just the tip of the iceberg of what I have been doing since last being in Israel.  Now for what's happening in Israel. 

The world changed on Shabbat Simchat Torah, October 7, 2023. It seems like yesterday that we watched television news day in and day out as the war in Israel came alive on our televisions.  We couldn't believe that this was a war and there were over 250 hostages brutally taken from Israel and thousands killed, including soldiers, women and children.  Many of those Israelis murdered. When the war broke out Israel called up 220,000 reservists and the whole country came together to help where they My heart has been the East since the war began and I was looking for a way to come to Israel.  I am so fortunate to have been in Israel with The iCenter, on a Mifgash with meaning.  A Mifgash is a meeting and we were 31 participants with 4 staff from the iCenter. We were also so fortunate to work the staff of Shorashim who made our ground accommodations.  

I have so much to say about this trip, the people who were on it and how much we learned.  I know that there is not one narrative about the matzav, situation here in Israel.  I do know that the world has changed and we can only hope to help in some small way.  Our first night with our cohort we worked with the artist Henoch Piven.  His workshops allow anyone to be an artist and since October 7 he has been working with families to help them get over their trauma.  We all did a piece entitled: My Journey in Times of Turmoil.  Just a sample of my art.

I am on the right and Israel is on the left and we both have tears.  I know this activity helped us to begin processing what we were feeling.  

Have I mentioned that I was the oldest person on the trip.  I take pride in that and have great hope to know that so many of my young colleagues are dedicated to making Israel a top priority.  Tuesday we know will be a long day as we are traveling to K'far Azza.  This kibbutz had many members brutally murdered and it was indeed a very long day.  I will write more after Shabbat as I do want to share my trip with you.

My cohort, Israel 2024 Mifgash with Meaning

What happens in Vegas at ICamp should NOT stay in Vegas

Welcome to ICamp

I have been home a week from this year's Icamp sponsored by the ICenter and with the celebration of Chanukah I have not had time to collect my thoughts until now.  250 educators, including supplementary Educators, Organizational representatives,
Shilichim,(Israeli ambassadors to different communities), the dedicated staff of the ICenter and more converged upon Henderson, Nevada to come together to learn about Israel Education.  As my mother commented when I returned "It is not as easy as it once was to teach Israel and I'm no Jewish educator".  It certainly has become a much more complicated endeavor to teach Israel and to find the right place in your curriculum for this corner stone of Jewish education. Visiting Israel for the first time in 1972 on a family trip and studying in Israel in 1979 for a year means my Israel is the one of Chalutzim, (pioneers) Israel as the underdog; a picture that was easier to read. The Israel picture today is more cloudy and harder to identify the heroes and the villains.

The Aleph Bet of Israel Education

Our Icamp meetings for 3 days and 3 nights, gave us the tools and time to discuss more complex issues and to be introduced to the 2nd Aleph Bet of Teaching Israel.  This is not what you may imagine, such as concrete lesson plans on geography or Israeli politics.  The Aleph Bet of teaching Israel teaches us that you must start with the learner.  Certainly at Lakeside we teach Am Yisrael, (the people) Eretz Yisrael,(the Land) and Medinat Yisrael, (the state of Israel).  However we also add our own Israel stories, teach modern Hebrew in our school so that our students can create their own relationship with Israel.

The Aleph Bet of Israel has made me realize that I am heading in the right direction.  It provides me with the pillars of my curriculum.  After Icamp I understand that I must talk about Israel even more in the future with my parents.  I came to the conclusion that as with all my curriculum my parents are my partners.  If your parent partners are not invested in the continuation of teaching at home what you teach at school your students will not have the full benefit of the curriculum.  I can not hope to teach a full curriculum in only 2-4 hours a week; I need the reinforcement at home of all our curriculum topics.  I hope that I will be available to continue to provide the Aleph Bet of Israel education to my students and that they add their Israel story to the ongoing dialogue.