My Jewish Spirit
Instructors and students talk about Jewish Spirit
Name: Lucilla Gleicker
Role: Coordinator for ORT Minkoff Member of selection staff for "Jewish Spirit"
I am 26 years old, married to Matt and mother to Chavi and Tali. I came to "Jewish Spirit" out of a desire to influence and reach Israeli youth. Twice a week I work as the coordinator in the ORT Minkoff School in the Malcha neighborhood, and feel that I am really involved in a very important mission.
I meet so many pupils who lack even a basic knowledge of Judaism. Through our lively activities they are surprised to discover that Judaism is not just a set of dry rules and Bible stories, but something that contains an important message for their daily lives and which touches on their private worlds. The program has contributed to me personally, both on the level of knowledge and in my feeling of mission in working in education and Judaism.
Name: Yifat Blum
Role: Coordinator, Pardes and Arazim Schools in Or Yehuda
In the "Jewish Spirit" program, we come to each school once a week in order to run activities on Judaism in the hope of interesting the students in experiencing Jewish life and culture.
The session is a bit different than the usual lesson, which creates a very positive atmosphere, making it fun to come to class and speak with the students; They show interest, ask questions, tell about themselves and much, much more.
But the greatest experience for me is the bonds I form with the children. Whether during class or in-between, they come to me to ask my advice, relate their own experiences and feel that we are part of a very interesting and important program.
Name: Yonatan Bing
Role: Coordinator, ORT Minkoff School
I am 26, married now for a year-and-a-half, and live in Alon, just outside Jerusalem.
I have been working with "Jewish Spirit" for almost a year now. Last year I worked as an instructor and this year as coordinator.
I am very pleased with my role at "Jewish Spirit" and happy to be privileged to deal with both Judaism and education among Israeli school children. The program has added value and is very serious about everything connected with the two aforementioned spheres. I feel that "Jewish Spirit's" contribution is invaluable, and even though students don't come out knowing everything about the Jewish world, the change they undergo thanks to the program is significant and tangible. Thanks to the basic knowledge they acquire and thanks to their newfound interest in Judaism, they can always broaden and expand this basis later on.
Name: Yehezkel Ben-Zaken
Role: Coordinator, the Hebrew Gymnasium School
I made aliyah from Argentina 7 years ago with most of my family. Over the past several years I have been working with youth groups from abroad in a wide range of programs, including "Birthright", The Counselors' Institute, My Israel, and many more. The situation in contemporary Israeli society awakened within me a feeling of not doing enough to improve it; I felt that I was concentrated all my efforts on foreign youth while ignoring Israeli youngsters. This was why I joined "Jewish Spirit". I am now coordinating activities in the Hebrew Gymnasium in Jerusalem. In the program's framework, the students are exposed to different strata of the life of the Jewish People, the yearly cycle and its history. The children are privileged to have highly professional and superior instructors, and really wait for us to come with baited breath. I feel that I am indeed contributing to society and that the subject of education in Israel is actually being realized, which makes me very, very happy.
Name: Liat Lipshitz
Role: Coordinator in the "Shevach Mofet" School, Tel Aviv
The school population is made up mostly of new immigrant students from the former USSR, including many who are not Jewish. At this point, "Jewish Spirit" activities concentrate mostly on the 8th grade level + one 7th grade special education class. 6 coordinators work in the school on Sundays and Thursdays.
In addition to the regular activities, the school treats us as the school's "heritage center" and has asked us to run projects in the school that relate to Judaism, like putting up a mezuzah in school, helping with Bar and Bat Mitzvah programs, etc.
My relationship with the school administration is excellent, and there is real mutual understanding and appreciation among all those involved. The teachers also praise the instructors and the subjects covered in the in-school activities.
As coordinator, I am responsible for making sure that everything is running smoothly and according to plan, whether from "Jewish Spirit" or the school's points of view. And we are always talking together about things the principal would like to see added, as well as hearing feedback and constructive criticism.
It is important for me to show initiative in the system and enrich the school with values and an affinity for Jewish heritage; I want the students to relate to the subject out of an identification and desire to learn and expand their horizons.
I sincerely hope that we can succeed in inculcating values, Judaism and tradition in the best way possible through study and expansion of horizons.
Name: Shirel Damari
Role: Coordinator, the Herzliya Gymnasium School, Tel Aviv.
I am a third-year medical student, and this is the first year I am involved in the "Jewish Spirit" program. I am very proud of taking part in this wonderful project.
The program allows educational work with small groups and devoted personal attention to each and every student- And all this in a very experiential and enjoyable manner. Children usually thought of as being weak in class suddenly acquire a forum and see how the program finds them room to grow. It is fascinating to see how interested today's youth is in acquiring basic and fundamental concepts of Judaism, and I find myself in every session trying to maintain a delicate balance between the material we are supposed to cover and the myriad questions the students ask.
This is the first time the program is running in this school, and staff and administration are already talking with us about expanding it to other classes."Jewish Spirit" is not just a place to work, but a venue where one can realize and execute a vision and ideals
Name: Ruth Meislish
Role: Coordinator, Rene Cassin School.
Besides being a coordinator, I am part of the curriculum and content writing staff for the material taught in the schools.
When I started working for the organization, I felt that I was doing very important work: Helping a wide segment of the Israeli public to acquire knowledge in a very hands-on and enriching manner about Jewish tradition and culture.
As one who studies and instructs in many educational frameworks, I feel a great gap and lacking between the Jewish heritage and today's youth.
I believe that with the knowledge that we teach these students, we are providing them with added value and meaning in defining themselves as both Jews and Israelis.
Name: Ehud Shapiro
Role: Coordinator, Municipal School No. 4, Tel Aviv
I am 27 years old and find it a great privilege to be a coordinator in this program. I learn so much from the contents we teach the children. I came to the program via the Ofek Fund, whose professionals recommended that I join "Jewish Spirit". The overall idea is in itself quite amazing – and wonderful: to learn with a study partner for 3 hours a week and then teach state high school students Judaism 3 hours a week! ("….please fill our hearts with the wisdom to understand, enlighten, listen, learn and teach…"). This is truly a mission: teaching Jewish content to students beyond the standard Bible classes in the mandatory curriculum. The students enjoy the lessons very much, are very curious and ask excellent questions. It is therefore very challenging because I must really delve deeply into the holidays and customs. The program creates a closeness and affinity for Judaism which I think is critical for Israeli society. My job is to be the liaison between the program and the instructors and school administration. I have to make sure the instructors have all they need and distribute the necessary supplies and materials to the evaluators. I must also show a sympathetic ear to comments and suggestions from instructors both before and after each evaluation, and pass on these ideas to the program coordinators.
Name: Efrat Wallenberger
Role: Coordinator in the "Havat Hanoar Hatzioni" School (Jerusalem)
"Jewish Spirit" began operating in the school this ear. The school's population is an interesting cross-section of children with a Jewish identity, children with non-Jewish identities, new immigrants and dormitory residents. Because of the school's special nature, tremendous sensitivity and careful thinking is demanded when teaching of the project's contents and material.
We try and impart to all students the basic message that the Jewish culture in which they live affects each and everyone of them as a resident of Israel, a state built on the values from Jewish tradition.
We also show them that most of the substance of content in Jewish tradition is relevant in shaping their own internal worlds and identity as a human being, regardless of national or ethnic origin, and that many Jewish values are really universal at their core.
The program's structure – regular weekly sessions – allows everyone to really connect, whether personally or socially. It inspires very productive study of Jewish culture and tradition, the idea of the ingathering of exiles and accepting the stranger and those different from us into society.
Name: Noam Elkers
Role: Coordinator for Municipal School no. 1 for Arts, Tel Aviv.
Over the past several years, there has been a feeling of unprecedented success, advancement and accomplishment in spheres of economics, society and science. On the other hand, there was also an underlying sense that much more should be done in studying Jewish culture, heritage and values, which were once part and parcel of every Jewish home. These processes filtered down into the educational system as well, and certain subjects received preference over educating ethics, values and proper conduct, which had once been the educator's traditional role. We at "Jewish Spirit" try and fill the gap created between achievement vs. value oriented education and try and "restore the original glory" of the connection between the People of Israel and its heritage. In the school where I work, together with 10 instructors from "Jewish Spirit", 190 pupils participate in 2 weekly lessons, and have the privilege of being part of a fascinating and lively experience with the heritage of their forefathers. Deep ties have formed between the instructors and students, and very interesting dialogue is created between very different and diverse worlds, opinions and beliefs that sometimes seem very far apart. I see myself as trying to bridge the gaps and dispel stereotypes. I believe with all my being that these students, having experienced Jewish tradition through "Jewish Spirit", and having conducted open and proper dialogues about issues like Jewish identity, will retain these values in adulthood and hopefully keep the fire burning for the coming generations.
Be'eri Har-Tov
Role: Coordinator, ORT Ramot
I am studying economics and the cognitive sciences at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and have been involved in informal Jewish education for many years now, especially among youth from abroad. I came to "Jewish Spirit" when I understood that I have an obligation to educate Jewish values and identity not only among youth from the Diaspora, but also among native born Israelis. Even though the students participating come from every possible stream and community, they all work together in activities that touch upon their Jewish identity and the values derived from Judaism, including laws of hospitality, an unequivocal rejection of bloodshed and more. I believe that by the end of the year, the children who participated in the program will be better connected with their Jewish identity and adopt something from the values they learned.
Name: Shirel Shaham
Role: Coordinator, Tel Aviv Area
I'll try and briefly explain why I think that it is an absolute necessity to teach Judaism in state schools all over Israel. We just celebrated 60 years of our fledgling and still young state, the "State of the Jews". Jews have come from every corner of the world to live here, with the one unifying factor among one and all being Judaism and the very fact that they belong to the Jewish People. Yet over the years, this connection has weakened, and the younger generation feels much less connected to Judaism, the Jewish heritage and Jewish history and culture. This forms the background for the founding of "Jewish Spirit". We live in our homeland but are detached from our spirit. So "Jewish Spirit" strives to return to the Jew his or her Jewish heart, meaning the Jewish spirit, affinity, connection and deeply entrenched roots. This is no passing local initiative but a huge and coordinated enterprise, with content and meaning meant to plant the seeds of Jewish heritage and tradition within the next generation. Any casual observer of the program would certainly see how our activities impart strong fundamentals and concepts of Jewish peoplehood and heritage among Israeli youth.
Name: Gido Goldberg
Role: Coordinator, Jerusalem Area
I made Aliyah from Argentina, and have been involved in instructional and counseling frameworks both here and abroad. The field of guidance and education always interested me, so I am very pleased to be part of the "Jewish Spirit" enterprise. I started out as an instructor, moved up to being a school coordinator, and now I am a regional coordinator.
I now understand the great importance of Jewish education, and feel partner to a program dealing with very important issues. The encounter with the students and strengthening Judaism in schools is extremely important to me. My work as regional coordinator demands my presence in many different schools in order to ensure that the program is running smoothly while still being responsible for everything that happens. And the encounter with the education system in Israel fascinates me. I learn a tremendous amount, better understand the importance of education and am very, very happy to be part of such a program.
Name: Shalom Ravivo
Role: Director, "Jewish Spirit"
This is my second year at "Jewish Spirit". I first heard about the program while in Europe as part of a "Jewish Soul" Mission. The program greatly interested me, as it combined several topics that I really love: education, Judaism and counseling/teaching. When I joined the program, I taught in the Liada, Gymnasium and Or Yehuda schools. After that I began coordinating the program in Or Yehuda schools and a substitute coordinator for schools in Jerusalem. At the same time, I was responsible for recruiting and selecting new instructors for "Jewish Spirit". Over the most recent years I have been dealing with both formal and informal educational topics both in Israel and abroad as an emissary and teacher of history and Hebrew.
I am very happy for having been given the privilege to be part of this wonderful program, a program which is a real mission of educational and Jewish work within the Israeli educational system.
It is a program that was founded because of the good will and understanding of what is important here and now by friends from both Israel and the Diaspora. The program has been met with solid support and enthusiasm by the educational system, the participating schools are thrilled, and the instructors' very presence in the schools brings in a refreshing spirit, helps create better dialogue and personal ties between instructors and students as well as a mutual desire to learn and become familiar with Jewish tradition, the heart and soul of the Jewish People.
Both among the "Jewish Spirit" and school staffs, one senses a real feeling of mission and commitment for the program and its goals. There is unanimous agreement that something wonderful is happening here, and I really believe that we are dealing with something very important that Israeli society craves: to understand from whence we came and where we are going, and what is Jewish identity? With all the difficulties inherent in definitions, streams and opinions, there is a real desire to open a dialogue with Jewish culture and to cherish the heritage, values, symbols and literature together with students and the system itself.
This is not a simple task, but still important and interesting, and everyone involved in the program and who cares about what is happening around him deserves a huge "Yasher Koah".
May it the program be planted and carried by every tributary of water as it provides its fruit in its season, may its leaves never whither and may everything it does succeed, Amen!
Name: Gil Alfia
Role: Coordinator, Comprehensive High School, Giloh
"Jewish Spirit" is an enrichment learning program, but first and foremost it is meant to fill a gap, a huge gap that has been created in today's educational system: Students have less and less contact with Jewish content in their educational and learning frameworks. Though the gap is somewhat narrowed by Bible lessons and certain enrichment activities, the "Jewish Spirit" Association hopes to present more Jewish content to the student. And if the students' reactions are any indication, they actually crave such material. Every day in class I feel anew how much our program is quenching the thirst for knowledge these students have. The program's uniqueness stems from how things are presented and activities conducted. The program is hands-on, lively and enriching, interactive and down-to-earth. It helps every student understand a parable's message and prepare a Torah interpretation in his own way and at his own pace, accompanied by instructors. The program has had tremendous impact and merited a warm reception by both schools and students. As one example of this, we can look at the tremendous cooperation among all parties involved and how it simply improves even more from year to year, with "Jewish Spirit" becoming a basic and critical need for the schools in which it operates.
All of us at "Jewish Spirit" express our fervent hope that the expansion and growth trend of the program will continue, because just like the teachers and pupils, "Jewish Spirit" is very close to our own hearts.