Inside AMT

September 2018 : Tishrei 5779

AMIT alumna revolutionizing medicine for Israeli women Three brothers muscle their way to wrestling gold Young entrepreneurs create award-winning game

2018 ANNUAL DINNER

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18 | PIER SIXTY, NYC HONORING

Anne & Sheldon Golombeck Ethlynne & Stephen Brickman Debra Speyer Peyton Katz RECOGNIZING

The Amy Haber, z�l, Heritage Experience For more information, contact Robin Rothbort at 212.477.4725 or AMITAnnualDinner@AMITChildren.org

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

BY DEBBIE MOED

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new school year is upon us, and the classrooms and hallways of our AMIT schools are brimming with excitement (and probably a little trepidation) as our more than 34,000 students get back to the business of learning, growing, and realizing their full potential.

At AMIT, we are dedicated to a holistic approach to educating children, which takes into consideration each student’s background, abilities, interests, and goals. What’s incredible and inspiring about our reshet (network) is that we apply this same approach to our principals and educators—something that I saw in real time and was fortunate to participate in while I visited Israel this summer.

Twice every year, the reshet hosts a principals’ retreat that features a different theme, with this summer’s being “personal development.” These retreats, which are made possible by your support, are unique to the AMIT network. They afford our principals the opportunity to get to know one another, participate in team-building exercises, share best practices and, most important, develop on both a personal and professional level. We understand that this investment in our principals trickles down to our teachers and, ultimately, to each student, affecting how they are taught and treated every day.

A handful of the principals in attendance were retiring, and it was inspiring to hear each one get up to thank the reshet and their colleagues, describing the immense pride they feel about being associated with AMIT and how much they gained during their time there. Just as we do with our students, AMIT works hard every day to create opportunities for our educators, and to

instill in them our unique brand of educational excellence and tolerance for the diversity that is Klal Yisrael.

That wasn’t the only example of personal and professional development in the reshet this summer. Students from the AMIT Elaine Silver Technological High School in Beersheva brought new meaning to the term “summer school.” They came to school every day, but not to study— instead they painted the classrooms, touched up the building, and took care of the gardening ahead of the new school year.

At AMIT Fred Kahane Technological High School, 50 students volunteered to spend two weeks of their summer vacation at a special English summer camp run by the school’s teachers. The principal, Yitzhak Abarjel, believes that participating in the camp will help them excel in their bagrut exams and in their future academic and work pursuits.

These are just a few examples of the life-changing initiatives that AMIT undertakes year in and year out to ensure that everyone—from our principals down to each student—feels cared for and like a part of our AMIT family. And speaking of family, I would like to welcome four new schools, two yeshiva high schools and two ulpanot—girls’ high schools—in the Binyamin and Shomron regions to the network. They join us after a highly competitive selection process, which AMIT won thanks to its professionalism and its focus on academic excellence and Jewish values. I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than with these new AMIT family members.

Shana Tova and best wishes for a fruitful year!

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“ The boys credit AMIT Hammer for enabling them to pursue wrestling while continuing to study Torah and secular subjects, maintain good grades and a social life.�

Read the full story on p. 14.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

03

President’s Message

06

Executive VP’s Impressions

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RX for Israeli women’s health

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Driven to success!

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Band of brothers

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“I won’t let my disability win”

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A voice heard around the world

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From courtroom to best-seller

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Dvar Torah by Rabbi Elie Weinstock

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AMIT highlights & successes

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Development news

Signed articles do not necessarily represent the opinion of the organization. Reproduction of any material requires permission and attribution.

President Debbie Moed Executive Vice President Andrew Goldsmith Director General Dr. Amnon Eldar Vice President, Marketing & Communications Naomi Max

Chair, Marketing & Communications Cara Kleiman Director of Marketing & Communications Shelley Labiner

AMIT enables Israel’s youth to realize their potential, and strengthens Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds within a framework of academic excellence, Jewish values and Zionist ideals.

AMIT is an acronym for “Irgun Mitnadvot L’Ma’an Yisrael V’Torata” (organization of volunteers for Israel and her Torah) Visit us online at www.amitchildren.org

Editor Anat Rosenberg

AMIT Magazine (ISSN 1085-2891) is published biannually, fall and spring, by AMIT.

Design Michael Shirey

AMIT national office: 817 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 1.800.989.AMIT or 212.477.4720 Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: AMIT 817 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

IMPRESSIONS

BY ANDREW GOLDSMITH

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dmittedly, I don’t regularly read Money magazine. While I have many blessings, my winning Powerball numbers have yet to be drawn. So, while suffering through an overly long wait at a doctor’s office, it was the last dated magazine I picked up. The article “How do you evaluate your worth?” explored gauging your financial health.

Well, it’s that time of year again when we evaluate and take stock of where we are. We will spend most of the High Holidays doing exactly that but with far greater stakes and a much broader process. We’re given hours of prayer for self-reflection and introspection all of which are geared toward answering the ancient and still relevant question that Hashem asks the first man created, “Ayekha” or literally “Where are you?”

to help the students grow. It was and always will be an extension of Jules’ unique personality—friendly to all and looking to help those most vulnerable in a meaningful way. Jules’ constant question to me was “How are my kids doing?” He saw no difference between his children and AMIT’s.

Naming an AMIT school is a legacy that will endure. But what struck me as far more eternal was the impact it had on Jules’ children and grandchildren. At his funeral, they all spoke eloquently and passionately about the gifts this family patriarch had given them—a love for someone in need, the desire to do good, and “no child left behind.” Long after the mourning ends the life lessons that Jules Nordlicht demonstrated by his actions will continue to guide his family and friends in their future and, by extension, the future of the Jewish people.

We are not always so lucky to learn by personal example from those who make our holy work possible.

So, where are we?

There’s no perfect system for self-evaluation. One measure is what legacy we strive to build during our lives and, more important, what will endure after we leave. Two recent AMIT family lifecycle events speak to this issue.

Jules Nordlicht, z”l, and his wife for over half a century, Barbara, help define AMIT. Dedicated by them over a decade ago, Jerusalem’s AMIT Nordlicht Religious Technological High School has become legendary in consistently providing over 300 students opportunity. These students haven’t been successful elsewhere but at “Nordlicht” (as it is affectionately known), they get their chance to succeed.

Jules and Barbara, who also dedicated Chamudot Junior College, became intimately involved with the school—making it a priority on their many trips to Israel and continually meeting with the school’s principal, staff, and students to seek ways

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Minnie Lieberman, z”l, spent her life distanced from many, including those closest to her. We know little about her, but living through the Depression scarred her and she lived the remainder of her life simply and quietly. While it’s not clear whether that was by choice or circumstance, what is clear is that in her heart she felt a strong connection to the children of Israel. She passed away decades ago but before doing so named AMIT in several charitable trusts, which are now being realized. Minnie designated our holy cause as her own. This September we will dedicate a major AMIT project in her memory with the participation of the Miller family who, through it all, remained her faithful link to the Jewish people.

Two opposites—an outgoing personality who defined every Jew as a friend he hadn’t yet met and a recluse who chose one stunning act of charity.

They’ve left their legacies. What will ours be?

Shana Tova U’metuka.

for Israeli women’s health

BY ANAT ROSENBERG

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our years ago, Sara Tancman experienced something no woman should ever have to go through. In the middle of her fifth month of pregnancy with twins, Tancmatn felt pangs of abdominal pain and went to her HMO’s clinic for women. The doctor on call told her to calm down, that everything was fine, and explained to her that sometimes pregnant women can get overly emotional. Tancman followed her instincts, which were telling her something was wrong, and proceeded from the clinic to a hospital emergency room, where she delivered stillborn twins.

Tancman’s tragic loss and the fact that her health concerns were dismissed by the on-call physician, unfortunately, are all too common in Israel, the United States, and elsewhere. Women take to Facebook groups to lament their treatment by doctors or ask for recommendations for clinicians who have a good bedside manner in addition to medical expertise. And just recently, at least two books were published on this phenomenon, including “Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick,” by Maya Dusenbery and

Sara Tancman, an AMIT Renanim alumna, is changing the face of medicine in Israel.

“Ask Me About My Uterus: A Quest to Make Doctors Believe in Women’s Pain,” by Abby Norman.

After her experience, Tancman started reading about pain and medicine, and learned that gender plays a big role when it comes to the intersection of the two. The indifferent medical treatment she received also prompted her to want to change the system in Israel.

An alumna of AMIT Renanim Junior and Senior Science and Technology High School for Girls in Ra’anana, Tancman always knew she wanted to do something that would benefit women. continued on page 8

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continued from page 7 “When I was in university, I was involved in different projects with women, working with religious women in the army and working with Haredi women,” she said. “I was always interested in my body and learning about it, but I was an analyst in a government office. I always knew that, at some point, I wanted to work with women, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do until my experience.”

Her AMIT education also gave her some of the tools she is using now to confront what happened to her, and to work with the Health Ministry, HMOs, and doctors to take a different approach to Israeli women’s health.

“One of the things about Renanim was that they gave us a lot of options and encouraged us to choose our own path,” she said. “We were encouraged to ask questions, and not necessarily have the answer to everything, which is not a given. I have a lot of friends that went to different ulpanot and religious schools for girls, and some of them felt like you were supposed to have an answer for everything, and that certain questions weren’t acceptable. I didn’t feel that way.”

Tancman giving a lecture about women’s health issues

needs and on ailments that affect them disproportionately—and increasing public awareness about them. Its work also recently landed Tancman on TheMarker’s list of 20 female trailblazers in medicine, a year after Globes named her one of the most promising Israelis under 40.

Since its creation, the foundation has launched several projects related to women’s health, including a survey of 6,500 women in Israel from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds to find out more about what is important to them during a gynecological examination.

The survey gave the women a voice and room to air their concerns without judgment.

“ One of the things about Renanim was that they gave us a lot of options and encouraged us to choose our own path.”

After her terrible loss, Tancman said, “I was able to ask questions and challenge the situation and see what I could do to change it.”

About a year after her harrowing experience, Tancman’s husband, Liran, sold CyActive, the startup he co-founded, to PayPal for a reported $60 million.

That windfall helped Sara establish Keren Briah in 2016 (the name in Hebrew plays on the double meaning—“healthy” and “creation”—of the word briah). It is a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing Israeli women’s health by focusing on women’s

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“When I started the project, I thought it would be focused on logistics and things like making sure that there’s a curtain in the examination room or that there was a place to hang your clothing— things that sound technical but can make a big difference,” Tancman said.

“I learned from that survey what was most important to women,” she continued. “They do want privacy, but what was most important was communication with the doctor, getting answers to questions, respecting their opinion, warning

them before the insertion of a device. That was when the project became a lot more complicated, because those things aren’t as easy to change as putting hangers in rooms and curtains.”

In order to change those bigger issues, Tancman decided to focus some of her attention on educating the next generation of doctors, specifically interns and residents in hospitals, by developing lectures and a simulation of a gynecological exam that she said “will hopefully be part of every doctor’s training.”

Tancman with Keren Briah’s Deputy Director Meital Bonchek

Tancman also partnered with several doctors, the student union at Tel Aviv University’s medical school, and the gender studies department, to create a course on gender in medicine. The subjects range from talks on sexual assault to the different medical treatment of women in the Arab, Haredi, and other sectors in Israel.

system—hospitals are understaffed, doctors and nurses are underpaid and often go on strike, and well-off Israelis are increasingly turning to private medical care. The understaffing means that patients get less time with doctors, and that time pressure leads to stereotyping that has adverse effects on the patient, Tancman said.

While the course is not officially part of the curriculum, Tancman said she was surprised by the high turnout for the evening lectures focusing on how women are perceived in medicine, how stereotypes affect their treatment, and medicine from a gender point of view.

While she and her foundation cannot fix the system singlehandedly, she believes part of Keren Briah’s success has been to encourage women to speak up. “Part of the reason that doctors are willing to listen to me is because so many women share their stories with me,” she said. “I’m coming with hard data and I’m coming with a lot of voices behind me, which may not have been possible 10 years ago, before Facebook.”

Another part of her mission is to expand what the term “women’s health” encompasses in Israel. “Israel is very focused on fertility for a lot of reasons,” she said. “That means that fertility treatments are generally pretty good [and funded by the government], but women’s health is basically fertility and pregnancy.” She added that very little attention is paid to other women’s conditions such as menopause, endometriosis and other painful diseases, or almost anything unrelated to gynecology.

“I think part of the problem is what’s considered something that deserves medical attention and what deserves research,” she said. “What’s a sickness and what is health? I think that a lot of those norms were based on the male experience.”

Another enormous problem Tancman’s foundation is up against is Israel’s broken medical

The foundation also launched what Tancman calls “an accelerator for women’s activism in women’s health,” which helps fund groups—such as a group of women who have endometriosis—dedicated to improving women’s health in Israel. For the first time ever, with the support of Tancman’s foundation, that group recently took part in a worldwide march to raise awareness about the disease.

Tancman and Keren Briah are also working on other projects related to women’s health, including heart disease and other illnesses that affect women differently than men. “Now that I’ve gotten started, I realize how much more needs to be done,” she said. For every project that we do, there are five other issues that need to be addressed.”

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Students from AMIT Atidim in Or Akiva developed a competition-winning board game about road safety.

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or years, Israel has tried different methods to increase awareness about road safety and to prevent traffic accidents, which have resulted in some 30,000 deaths since 1948 and cost the country billions of dollars annually.

In the past few months, the Israel Police and the National Road Safety Authority launched a new campaign to protect pedestrians from reckless drivers. Another initiative placed a demolished car at the center of a public square in Jerusalem to draw attention to the often-fatal consequences of car accidents.

A group of budding young entrepreneurs from AMIT Atidim Junior and Senior High School in Or Akiva recently decided to tackle the issue of Israel’s road safety as well, creating a board game called “Mind the Rules,”

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as part of their participation in a program called Young Entrepreneurs Doing Business.

The group of nine 9th-grade students formed a company called Milestones (their tag line is “Because Life Is Dear”) and worked with mentors from the business world to develop their game. They specifically chose an old-fashioned board game, and not a smartphone app, because it allows for more experiential learning and for quality time with family or friends.

“The students did market research and saw that games like this didn’t exist,” said Nelly Shikerman, a math teacher at AMIT Atidim who also supervises the young entrepreneurs project. “Many young children in Israel still don’t know the road-safety rules, and the students felt that what is taught in schools isn’t sufficient.”

The students translated the board game into Arabic, Russian, and English, and marketed and sold it at shopping malls, book fairs, and schools.

They also marketed it via a website they developed and on social media, with the aim of appealing to children so their parents will buy it. (One game costs about $14 or two for about $25.)

They raised some seed funding and began developing the game with help from their mentors and the National Road Safety Authority, which sponsored the project. They worked with graphic designers and a printing plant to design and produce the game, which has up to three players—a driver, pedestrian, and bicycle rider. The cards feature 70 questions about road rules and safety that players must answer, and the questions are geared toward children of different ages.

Then they took their initiative to the next level by competing in a regional contest for young entrepreneurs.

Not only did they come in first place in the regional competition, they won the national competition and represented Israel at the international young entrepreneurship competition in Riga, Latvia, in April. The Or Akiva team, comprising 14- and 15-year-olds, was the youngest team there—and they still came in first place in the Socially Responsible Business Award category and clinched second place overall.

“All along we said, we’re not selling a game, we’re saving lives,” said Stav, one of the young continued on page 12

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‫ח‬P ‫צומת‬ ‫צומת‬

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‫כב‬

‫בר‬

1

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‫רו‬

In fact, a study conducted by researchers from Ben-Gurion University showed that a child pedestrian’s ability to safely cross the road is hindered more during a cell-phone conversation than an adult’s. According to the study, crossing the street “demands pedestrians integrate cognitive, attentional, and motor control abilities.”

‫כב‬

entrepreneurs. “We really didn’t see that many games that teach road safety in Israel or abroad, especially ones that deal with electric bicycles and cell phones and how they relate to this issue.”

‫אבני‬

‫יים‬

‫פניי‬ ‫או‬

continued from page 11

‫דרך‬

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A Member of Ja Worldwide

‫הולך רגל‬

‫מחליטים‬ ‫בדרכים‬

The students’ victories are remarkable achievements for the town of Or Akiva, situated about 30 miles south of Haifa. Or Akiva was established in 1951 as a small development town that housed mainly immigrants from North Africa and Eastern Europe. Today, according to Israeli

‫נוס‬

‫עב‬

‫ר‬ ‫כב‬

urban insight company Madlan, only 26 percent of its residents have a complete bagrut matriculation certificate, and 60 percent of them have blue-collar jobs (and the unemployment rate stands at 21 percent).

“The experience of working on this project gave us a taste of the business world and allowed us to experience it, which doesn’t usually happen for children our age,” said Yonatan, another of the students.

“It really prepares us for the future because we know how the business world functions and how everything works—it was a really fun experience.”

Collaborative learning is part of the AMIT network’s focus on innovative learning methods that are preparing our students for the 21st century and giving them the critical skills they need to thrive not just in school, but in the army, in higher education, and in life.

“It was really cool and fun to work collaboratively because that doesn’t normally happen in school,” Yonatan said. “We had to overcome our disagreements and reach compromises. This kind of collaboration also prepares us for the future and for the workforce.”

Up until now the students worked with their mentors, but now they, as a team, are responsible for their product and for ensuring its success.

“We are working with printing plants and we are beginning to produce the game on our own and starting to sell and market it in different ways,” said team member Ben.

He went on to add, “Our main goal is that, at the end of this process, every household in Israel and many others around the world will have this game and gain knowledge about road safety. The ultimate aim of our game is that it will actually save lives.” —AR

“ The experience of working on this project gave us a taste of the business world and allowed us to experience it, which doesn’t usually happen for children our age,” said Yonatan, another of the students.

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Band of

Brothers Brothers Yacov, Yitzhak, and Moshe Fatana, all students at AMIT Hammer in Rehovot, are international wrestling champions in their respective weight categories.

BY MICHELE CHABIN

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EHOVOT – On a good day it takes Yacov, Yitzhak, and Moshe Fatana an hour, on two buses, to travel from their home in Rishon Lezion to their school in Rehovot.

“On a not great day it can take an hour and 40 minutes,” Yacov, the oldest at 17, said with a wry smile.

Although the Fatana brothers could attend a school closer to home, they’ve chosen to commute to the AMIT Hammer Junior and Senior High School for Boys because it offers them something no local religious boys’ school could offer: the opportunity to become world-class wrestlers.

Since enrolling in AMIT Hammer at the suggestion of their wrestling coach back in Rishon, all three boys have become Israel’s national wrestling champions in their respective weight categories.

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Despite a punishing training schedule and frequent competitions both in Israel and abroad, they are excelling not only athletically but also academically and socially.

Rafi Maimon, the school’s principal, said its administrators and educators are doing everything they can to help the brothers realize their dreams.

“We see what they’re doing as a kind of shlichut, a mission, and we adapt to their schedules so their studies don’t suffer. Before every competition they receive support so they can just go out there and compete,” Maimon said.

Like many Israelis, the Fatana boys, who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 2006, initially dreamed of becoming professional soccer players, not wrestlers. It took two years for Yacov’s elementary school sports teacher, Ariel Simkind, considered by many to be the top wrestling coach in Israel, to convince him to try the sport.

“My teacher started talking to me about wrestling when I was in 4th grade, but I resisted it,” Yacov acknowledged. “When I finally tried it in 6th grade I fell in love with it.”

When Yitzhak, now 14, and Moshe, now 13, saw how much Yacov enjoyed the intense workouts and wrestling competitions, they too decided to become wrestlers.

A mere five years later, the Fatana brothers dominate the Israeli youth wrestling scene.

Every day after school they head to the nearby Rehovot Wresting Club, where they train at least 15 hours a week. They rest for a short time and do their homework in a room the club has set aside for them next to the gym. Their training, which focuses on building up strength and attaining speed and flexibility, requires both natural ability and a tremendous amount of discipline.

The boys credit the administrators and teachers at AMIT Hammer for enabling them to pursue wrestling while continuing to study Torah and secular subjects, maintain good grades and a social life.

“Were it not for the school we couldn’t be doing what we’re doing,” Yacov said.

In addition to providing the brothers with assignments to complete while they’re on the road, the school helps them catch up on anything they’ve missed thanks to their teachers and a tutor funded by the AMIT network’s “excellence” program, said Assaf Siri, the program coordinator.

Mira Peretz, an English teacher at the school, said she frequently speaks to the boys’ wrestling coach, to make sure they are given the time they need to study.

“Their teammates at the wrestling club help them do their homework,” Peretz noted.

The school’s support doesn’t stop there.

Maimon recalled the time Yacov was competing in Holland – just a short while before the start of Passover.

“Yacov was worried about how he would find kosher for Passover food. Yehoshua Birman, our sports teacher and a Chabadnik, made a connection with the Chabad rabbi in Holland, who provided Yacov with kosher food and a seder.”

Yitzhak (inset), Yacov, and Moshe Fatana (Credit: Ori Madmon)

The principal said that when it was time to go up on stage to receive his medal, Yacov insisted on putting on his kippah, which he had removed for the wrestling match, and bringing an Israeli flag.

“He said, ‘I’m not just representing myself. I’m a Jew and I’m representing the State of Israel.’”

Maimon said the Fatanas’ commitment to living as observant Jews and their pride in being Israeli are the core values that AMIT Hammer tries so hard to instill in all its students. About 520 boys attend the middle school and high school, and 80 attend the school’s pre-IDF junior college program.

In April, AMIT Hammer received the Ministry of Education’s national award for academic excellence. Seven years ago, the school’s bagrut (matriculation) rate was just 45 percent. In 2016, that number was 94 percent.

Its students come from diverse backgrounds, at least 65 percent of them from homes facing socioeconomic hardships. To meet their needs the school creates individual learning plans for each continued on page 16

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continued from page 15 student. More than 70 percent participate in therapies like art, music, gardening, and dog training.

Moshe, who recently completed his first year at AMIT Hammer, said he feels safe and cared for at the school. “There are really good teachers who always help me. I feel like everyone here is my family.” Yacov agreed.

“The level of education here is very good and I appreciate the private lessons, the tutoring. It’s as if the school exists to support us.”

Yitzhak, who won a bronze medal in the European championships in Hungary the day this reporter visited the school, said in a phone interview, “everyone feels accepted for who they are.

You feel a personal connection between the staff and the students, so you feel comfortable asking for help when you need it.”

After learning about AMIT Hammer’s academic record and positive attitude toward star athletes, two boys, one a competitive swimmer, the other a competitive tennis player, decided to join the school come September.

At the Rehovot Wrestling Club, located in a rundown building not far from the school, Yacov and Moshe worked out on the wall-to-wall mat that reached every corner of the gym: exercises to limber up, acrobatic somersaults, wrestling moves with life-sized wrestling dolls. And, finally, they flipped each other on to the mat.

Moshe, who hasn’t yet experienced his adolescent growth spurt, easily flipped Yacov, who seemed delighted by his younger brother’s prowess. Rising from the mat he put an arm around Moshe’s thin shoulders.

The boys said their father is “very supportive” of their wrestling but that their mother “is a little less so, because she worries we could get hurt,” Moshe said at the end of the intense training session.

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Asked whether they feel any jealousy when one brother succeeds more than another, Yacov replied, “success for one of us is a success for all of us.”

Simkind told Ynet News that the brothers are excellent athletes but also well-rounded, good people.

“Today, thank G-d, they are learning well, they’re training well. They’re men.”

Watching the boys train, Birman praised their athleticism, but more so their character. “As much as they succeed as athletes, their real success is that they are remarkably humble,” Birman said.

As much as they love representing Israel at international tournaments, the brothers admitted that competing overseas as Israelis isn’t always pleasant.

“We encounter people, even judges, who are anti-Israel and act like we’re not as good as they are,” Yitzhak said. Yacov said a judge awarded him fewer points because he was competing for Israel. If anything, these experiences have spurred the Fatana brothers to train even harder.

Their dream? Speaking for himself and his brothers, Yacov said, “to win first place in the Olympics, to stand on the podium, put on my kippah and hear them play our national anthem, Hatikvah!”

Michele Chabin, an award-winning journalist based in Israel, is a frequent contributor to AMIT magazine.

The Fatana brothers with AMIT Hammer staff (Credit: Ori Madmon)

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‘ I Don’t Let My Disability Win’ W

hen Elad Amsalem first met the elementary-school-age children he would be teaching, they didn’t quite know what to make of him. When they laughed nervously, he saw it as an opportunity to teach them about what it means to accept someone who is different from them—and for that, Amsalem was recognized in May as teacher of the year

by Israel’s Council of Youth and Children Organizations and the Education Ministry.

Amsalem, an alumnus of Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim who currently attends the AMIT Orot Shaul Hesder Yeshiva in Ra’anana, was born a “normal” child, as he puts it. When he was about 6 months old, his parents noticed that he had trouble moving his right hand and limped when he started walking. Doctors told his parents that the entire right side of his body was paralyzed, and from a young age, “I understood that I wouldn’t be like everyone else,” he wrote recently in an Israeli newspaper.

“I have difficulty with basic things that are simple for everyone else, but for me they are a challenge,” Amsalem continued. “I can’t tie my own shoelaces, I need help with simple activities like cutting vegetables, writing, taking a book off a shelf, not to mention carrying something heavy.”

As a child, he spent a great deal of time thinking about the future and about all of the things he wouldn’t be able to do because of his “disability.”

He thought about what it means to “fit in” among other children and his peers.

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Elad Amsalem teaches young children about acceptance and disability—and just won a teaching award for that.

Amsalem’s parents, however, decided that from Day 1 he would live a “normal” life and in 1st grade they signed him up for an extracurricular activity: basketball. They insisted he believe in his ability to succeed, something that AMIT teachers and principals also work hard to instill in all their students.

Now, at age 19, Amsalem agrees with their approach. “Today I am a student at AMIT Orot Shaul Hesder Yeshiva and I also give lectures to students and youth groups about my experience in an effort to create a change in education and values,” he said. “In every lecture I devote a few minutes to describing life with a disability, and also to our obligation to integrate and accept children or young people living with disabilities as equal members of our society.”

Amsalem’s high school, Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim in Petach Tikva, lives up to this obligation on a daily basis. The school currently has about 700 students enrolled in grades 9–12; 30% of each grade consists of students considered outside of the mainstream, whether autistic or requiring other special education needs. In addition, 10% of

Shlomi Castro, director general of the Council of Youth and Children Organizations in Israel, said that Elad and his activities are an inspiration to others. “His unceasing giving and active involvement in his city demonstrate why youth organizations are so significant in the community fabric,” Castro said.

Amsalem also looked for other ways to share his story and found a website called Herzl Lectures, which are like Ted Talks for teenagers, in which they have to appear onstage for 10-12 minutes and recount their life story. Over several months, he developed his lecture, which describes the challenges, hardships, and triumphs and how he contends with them every day.

the student body at AMIT Kfar Ganim is of Ethiopian descent, more than any other high school in Petach Tikva. The school prides itself on its diversity and inclusivity.

For Amsalem, the journey toward teaching began in 10th grade, when he dreamed of becoming a Bnei Akiva youth group leader so that he could share his wisdom about accepting the “other.” He was passed over for a leadership role and took the rejection hard. But he didn’t give up.

At age 16, Amsalem joined the youth organization Yedidei Oz in the city of Shoham. The organization is a nonprofit that provides social activities, meetings, and classes to impart values and Zionism to Israeli children between ages 6 and 9.

He started as a youth counselor for elementary-school-age children and, over time, he became responsible for the organization’s branch in that city. Running the branch includes leading the training team, which comprises 15 adult instructors, and overseeing 100 children.

“I was afraid that I would not be able to handle it, but I decided to take on the challenge and soon the branch became my second home,” he told Israel Hayom.

The children listened and expressed great interest in his story. “I was so surprised, and I received such great responses from the teenagers and adults in the audience that it gave me the strength to keep lecturing,” he said.

In his lecture, Amsalem explains, “I may look different, strange, and even disabled, but my parents put the disability aside and, from a young age, they believed in me. Today, as an adult, I understand my parents’ decision not to treat me as ‘different.’

It’s true that physically I am ‘disabled,’ but I don’t let my disability win.”

He sees his encounters with youth as his mission in life. “Together with the students we are saying, ‘It is time to accept the other.’ It is time to change the public discourse, especially among young people, in order to integrate people with disabilities into Israeli society and accept them as equals,” he said.

Amsalem was awarded the teacher of the year prize at a ceremony at the Yitzhak Rabin Center. Fittingly, the person who bestowed the honor upon him was one of his pupils, a 7-year-old boy named Nachshon, who said that Elad sets a personal example for him of what a person can achieve.

—AR

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A Voice

Heard Around the World

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he opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in May was heralded by many as a historic event for Israel and Jews worldwide. Among those who saw it as a momentous occasion was Hagit Yaso, the Israeli singer and AMIT alumna who was invited to perform that day by none other than the U.S. ambassador.

“It was a historic moment for the nation and also for me,” said the 28-year-old Yaso, who performed a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and a Hebrew song called “Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu” (“Peace Will Be Upon Us Yet”). “I was so excited and moved to perform there. I saw it as a career high— the whole world was watching me—and it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

Yaso’s journey to the embassy stage began as a girl growing up in Sderot, the southern Israeli town whose schools all belong to the AMIT network.

That town, half a mile from the Gaza Strip, is usually in the headlines for being the target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Palestinian territory, but it has also gained recognition in recent years for producing a number of famous singers, composers, and musicians.

“The Qassam rockets started when I was in 6th grade and they make it very hard to live your life,” said Yaso, who was born and raised in Sderot and still lives there even after achieving international fame. “It’s something that is difficult to deal with,

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Yaso singing at the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

(Courtesy: U.S. Embassy)

Singer Hagit Yaso, a Sderot native and AMIT alumna, has become an unofficial ambassador for Israel with her unique musical style.

and music became my medicine. When things got tough, I would sing.”

Music has always been a part of Yaso’s life, even at home with her parents and four siblings. Yaso’s father, who left Ethiopia with his wife and walked nearly 250 miles through the desert to Sudan before immigrating to Israel in 1980, likes to sing as well. The family home was always filled with the sound of music, Yaso recalled fondly.

“I always knew I wanted to be a singer,” said Yaso.

“Music is my identity.”

While in elementary school, she and her two sisters joined the band Sderot Youth, and as a student at AMIT Sderot Religious Junior and Senior High School, Yaso said she was encouraged to pursue her passion. “Music was my top priority even in school and they respected that,” she said of her teachers and administrators. They were even understanding when she missed school in order to perform internationally.

Credit: Nir Slakman

Starting at age 16, Yaso was also among the musicians from Sderot to be filmed for a documentary called “Sderot: Rock in the Red Zone,” which explores the resilience of the city’s artists who strive to create music under traumatic conditions.

After high school, Yaso, like most other Israeli 18-year-olds, enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces; she joined the military band and continued to sing throughout her service. Her big break came in 2011, when she auditioned and competed on the Israeli equivalent of “American Idol,” called “Kohav Nolad” (“A Star Is Born”).

She performed songs in Hebrew, English, Amharic, and Moroccan Arabic—and, living up to the show’s name, Yaso won, clinching a $66,000 scholarship and a recording contract, and igniting her music career (she released a debut album in 2015). continued on page 22 Yaso in the army. (Credit: Courtesy)

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ter, Friedman got in touch to invite her to perform at the Jerusalem embassy opening ceremony.

“ Music was my top priority even in school and they respected that,” she said of her teachers and administrators. continued from page 21 After she won the reality show, then President Shimon Peres invited Yaso and her family to his residence and talked to them about her parents’ journey to Israel from Ethiopia and about the role music plays in their lives.

She continued building her career, and in 2013 Yaso went on a tour sponsored by the Jewish National Fund in several U.S. cities. Yaso recalls the tour warmly, saying that everyone she met in the Jewish communities across the States was so caring and welcoming, and that she enjoyed her role as an unofficial envoy.

With that unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime event behind her, Yaso remains focused on advancing her singing career and recording new singles— and also on continuing her education: She is pursuing a four-year degree in music studies in Kiryat Ono and was busy studying for her exams when she spoke with AMIT for this article.

She has also returned to her everyday life in Sderot, which at press time was once again under rocket attack and at the center of inflamed tensions between Israel and Gaza. “I’ll let you know if a siren goes off,” she said during the interview. When asked how she and her family cope, she simply said, “Well, the show must go on.”

—AR

In addition to touring the U.S., Yaso has brought her unique voice to Canada, Britain, France, Austria, and her ancestral homeland of Ethiopia.

She visited her parents’ hometown with her father, performing in front of the local Jewish community, growing more familiar with Ethiopian music and instruments, and filming a documentary about their experience.

“It is quite natural that I have become an ambassador in Jewish communities,” Yaso said. “I represent Israel and my city, Sderot, and I have a story to tell.”

So how did this unofficial ambassador for Israel meet the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman? Yaso sang at the 6th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem in March, where Ambassador Friedman was one of the many high-profile dignitaries in attendance. After her performance, Yaso said the top American diplomat told her, “We are so proud of you.” Soon af-

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Yaso and her father in Ethiopia. (Credit: Courtesy)

From Courtroom to Best-Seller Credit: Monica J. Balson

Attorney and author Ronald H. Balson blends Jewish history with suspenseful storytelling in his novels, the latest of which is being published in October.

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onald H. Balson has been a Chicago trial attorney for 47 years, and during that time, his work has led him into courtrooms across the country and to numerous cities around the world. One case, a complex telecommunications-related lawsuit, brought Balson to Poland more than a decade ago and unwittingly launched his literary career as a best-selling author of historical fiction.

“Going to Poland and getting involved in that case was just happenstance,” said Balson, who appeared at an AMIT Chicago event in the spring and recently spoke with AMIT magazine. “When you go to Poland, you’re walking on a battlefield, you’re walking in a country that ceased to be during World War II. You go there now, there are monuments and memorials everywhere.”

As a Jew and a former college history major, the experience of walking through Poland’s streets inspired Balson to want to write a story about an ordinary family living in an ordinary town in Poland during the war. That germ of an idea eventually turned into his first novel, the best-selling “Once We Were Brothers,” which is about two boys—one Jewish, one not—who grow up together and meet again decades later when one accuses the other of having been a Nazi. (That book also introduces two of Balson’s recurring characters, the attorney Catherine Lockhart and investigator Liam Taggart.)

Balson’s legal knowledge and experience have served him well in writing, as he has weaved legal plotlines into his books and used his research skills to delve into different eras in history, which his novels recount in rich detail.

Balson finished the manuscript, and then came the hard part: finding an agent, pitching it to publishers, and facing rejection after rejection. “It was certainly a lesson in naiveté,” he said. Finally, in 2011, he self-published the book and began selling copies out of his house. Sales were slow at first, but over time they took off—even without any marketing or promotion— and the book eventually sold 100,000 copies before getting picked up and published by St. Martin’s Press in 2013. Five years later, Balson is set to publish his fifth book, “The Girl from Berlin,” in October.

“Word of mouth is a very powerful thing,” said Balson. “Books are essentially sold by one person telling another, ‘Hey, I just read a really good book.’”

Balson’s travels—in this case, to Israel, where his son served in the IDF—also inspired his second novel, “Saving Sophie,” a thriller that jumps from Chicago to Hawaii to Israel and centers around a father’s attempt to save his kidnapped daughter and thwart a potential terrorist attack in Hebron. continued on page 24

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continued from page 23 While he was in the middle of working on “Saving Sophie,” Balson met an elderly, Polish-born Auschwitz survivor named Fay Scharf Waldman who was living in a Chicago suburb, and who read “Once We Were Brothers” and told the author that she felt she was reading about her own family.

Balson invited her to lunch, where Waldman shared her experiences during the Holocaust, which served as the creative stimulus for Balson’s third book, “Karolina’s Twins.”

Waldman was a “strong, remarkable, determined, brilliant, and beautiful woman,” said Balson, adding that she was going to help him write the book, but passed away before work on the novel began.

In his fictionalized account of Waldman’s story, an elderly Holocaust survivor named Lena Woodward enlists the help of lawyer-investigator team Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggart to help her fulfill her friend Karolina’s final wish—to find out if her twins survived the war.

Balson has said that he cannot write Holocaust-related novels back to back because his characters and their experiences are real to him, and he is “living with them” as he writes. That may explain why his fourth book focuses on his character Liam Taggart who returns home to Northern Ireland for his uncle’s funeral. As the thriller unfolds, Taggart confronts the mysterious circumstances of his uncle’s death as well as his own memories and family history.

To research his book and the conflict in Northern Ireland, Balson traveled there, just as he spent time in Hebron while working on “Saving Sophie” and Poland for his other books. “My books wouldn’t be as authentic if I wasn’t there, and didn’t engage historians,” he said. Just as Poland is home

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to monuments and memorials, Northern Ireland is also steeped in history and tensions that are still lurking beneath the surface, Balson added. “Going there and sitting in bars and restaurants and talking to people is what makes the book realistic.”

In addition to history and the search for justice, Balson also counts music as a passion (his grandmother was a pianist and piano teacher and helped inspire his love of classical music)— one that plays a role in his forthcoming book, “The Girl from Berlin.”

The book returns to the Holocaust, this time exploring what impact the war had on Jewish artists and musicians.

Its protagonist is Ada Baumgarten, a violin prodigy who flees Germany and settles in Italy with her mother, also a violinist. She may be connected to a modern-day property dispute in Tuscany that Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggart work to help resolve.

Like Balson’s other novels, the story moves between past and present, in this case World War II-era Germany and present-day Tuscany—and, also like Balson’s previous novels, this one was inspired by travel, this time a visit to Tuscany several years ago. While there, Balson discovered that some local wineries are owned by German companies, prompting him to delve into the subject of property that the Germans confiscated during the war and the Terezin Declaration from 2009. That agreement was signed by 47 countries vowing to establish a restitution process for looted property and assets.

Property disputes are also among the types of cases Balson has had experience with as a civil litigator, but now, he said, he gets to pick and choose which cases he will take on. “I do between 40 and 50 speaking engagements per year, and at this point, I do more writing than legal work,” he said.

His fans will surely be happy to hear that. —AR

Dvar Torah

BY RABBI ELIE WEINSTOCK

What is Rosh Hashanah all about?

T

he beginning of the Jewish New Year affords each of us with the opportunity to start fresh.

The holiday is not about repentance or fixing our mistakes. That is what the whole penitential season punctuated by Yom Kippur is for. On Rosh Hashanah, we look ahead to a clean slate. We surround ourselves with symbols and messages of sweetness and positivity as we try to “wake up” and take advantage of the year ahead.

Many see these readings for their traditional High Holiday themes of prayer, salvation, and commitment. If we look more closely, we see that at the heart of these readings are parents and children—a mother’s love, a father’s sacrifice, a son’s journey.

We need to be reminded about these themes at this very moment on Rosh Hashanah. We cannot start a new year without reinforcing our commitment to our children.

The Torah readings of the day teach us about another of our priorities at this time of year. As our children return to the classroom, these readings remind us of the critical roles of parents, educators, and children in the Jewish future—and the responsibility we each have in ensuring they succeed.

Children and their experiences lay at the very center of our national and religious experience.

From birth through the challenges of childrearing to happy times and dangerous situations to the sacrifice involved in ensuring the Jewish future, the Torah recounts how Avraham, Sarah, and Hagar raised their children, at times with heavenly guidance. The Torah readings of Rosh Hashanah teach us a lesson as parents and educators throughout the ages.

On the first day, we read of the birth of Yitzhak and Yishmael’s expulsion from Avraham’s home at Sarah’s urging. The reading opens with the expression (Bereishit 21:1), “Va-Hashem pakad et Sarah—G-d remembered Sarah.” G-d answered Sarah’s prayers and gave her what she truly desired: a child. The reading also describes G-d heeding the cry of Yishmael “ba-asher hu sham—where he was at that time.” (21:17) Even though, Yishmael was far from perfect, G-d evaluated him as he was in his moment of distress.

On the second day, we read of the awesome test of the Akeidat Yitzhak, the Binding of Isaac. We recall the length Avraham and Yitzhak went to serve Him.

While we reflect and search for renewal on Rosh Hashanah, we must remember our role in impacting our children, students, friends, and everyone we encounter.

Rabbi Elie Weinstock is a rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (KJ) in New York, NY. A veteran of formal and informal education, active in AIPAC and UJA-Federation, and a Shalom Hartman Institute Rabbinical Fellow, he is also a big fan of AMIT.

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HIGHLIGHTS & SUCCESSES More power to AMIT Kennedy students!

Students from the AMIT Kennedy school in Acco chalked up several wins with their scientific work that generated “green electricity” by using trees’ natural conductivity. They not only won the AMIT network’s national research competition, they also took first place at the international science and education program called GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to benefit the Environment). “The students demonstrated many skills required from scientists today, beyond scientific thinking and knowledge— cooperation, teamwork, and creativity,” said their principal, Etti Zabary.

4 students + 4 teachers = 8 excellence awards Four teachers and four students from AMIT schools across the country were awarded certificates of excellence at an event marking 70 years of education in Israel. President Reuven Rivlin, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, and Education Ministry Director-General Shmuel Abuav attended the festive ceremony. The teachers recognized for their outstanding devotion to teaching are Shabtai Yogev, a math teacher at AMIT Bet Ashkelon; Batsheva Roesh, pedagogical coordinator at AMIT Wasserman Torah, Arts and Sciences; Keren Bitton, English teacher at AMIT Torani Madai Netivei Am Elementary School; and Erez Naim, a special education teacher at AMIT HaElah Elementary School. The students who received the special awards are Yonatan Hamburger, from Yeshivat AMIT Nachshon; Yaakov Wovenach, a student at AMIT Dvir; Zohar Yifrach, a student at AMIT Hemed Matityahu; and Reuven Tegegne, who attends Yeshivat AMIT Eliraz.

Pre-army students No. 1 at autonomous car contest Israel held its first national competition dedicated to programming and building autonomous cars recently, and the team from the Lewis and Wolkoff Preparatory Army Program at the Gloria and Henry I. Zeisel and Family Junior College at Kfar Blatt came in first place, beating 16 other teams. They planned and built a self-driving electric car modeled on a 4×4 land rover vehicle. The AMIT team carefully planned the car and programmed the algorithms that directed it and helped it navigate the test road.

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HIGHLIGHTS & SUCCESSES Modi’in boys’ robotics team wins 2nd place in Estonia The robotics team from the Mr. and Mrs. Lester Sutker AMIT Modi’in School for Boys came in second place in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) international competition held in Estonia. The team, known as the Kipa Bots, competed against teams from more than 100 countries around the world. They won the mechanical planning category of the competition, building on the team’s prior successes at three international robotics competitions in recent years, including winning first place two years ago in South Africa.

AMIT student is No. 1 in new national cyber program Zehava Defrasha, a student at AMIT Mekif Bet Ashdod, was among the Israeli teens who recently completed a course on cyber protection and information security—and she was recognized as the No. 1 cyber student in the country.

Only six schools took part in the pilot program, which aims to train students as they enter the world of cyber studies and information security. At the end of the 150-hour course, the students received a certificate recognizing them as experts in the implementation of cyber protection.

AMIT Hammer wins Educational Ministry’s national prize AMIT Hammer Junior and Senior High School for Boys in Rehovot won the Education Ministry’s national prize for educational excellence, beating out dozens of other schools across Israel being considered for the prestigious award. Over the last seven years, AMIT Hammer, which used to be known as the Red Jail, has undergone an incredible transformation, both academically and in the school’s individualized approach to each student. The results are evident: The school’s bagrut rate jumped from 45 percent to 94 percent.

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DEVELOPMENT

Israel

Annual Spring Luncheon The Annual Spring Luncheon of the Ayelet & Dvorah Masovetsky Jerusalem Chug honored Annette Jotkowitz and Sarah Maslow, co-presidents of AMIT Chug Ayelet, and commemorated the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel. A record number of attendees came to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem to celebrate Annette and Sarah’s commitment L-R: Helene Benovitz, Marcia Witkin, Sarah Maslow, and devotion to Israel, the AMIT netAnnette Jotkowitz, and Rosalie Berman work, and the future of Israel’s youth.

Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, addressed the crowd with moving words of wisdom followed by an outstanding performance by the AMIT Kfar Blatt Choir. The luncheon was a great success and all who attended had a wonderful time thanks to Rosalie Berman, chair of the event, and co-chairs Helene Benovitz and Marcia Witkin.

L-R: Sarah Maslow, Sharon Altshul, and Stacee Hess

Comedian Benji Lovitt entertaining the crowd

Laugh4AMIT Comedy Evening Over 80 attendees were in on the fun at the first ever Laugh4Amit comedy evening. Comedian Benji Lovitt shared his humorous and insightful take on aliyah and life in Israel. The Mill, a beautiful new event hall in the heart of Jerusalem, was filled

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with longtime friends of AMIT and many first-time supporters. The crowd was treated to a beautiful array of snacks and desserts. Many thanks to Sharon Altshul and Stacee Hess, who chaired this successful event! Photographs by Sharon Altshul

DEVELOPMENT

Tri-State

Englewood Generations-in-Israel 2018

L-R: Honorees Julia Blinder, Roni Blinder, and Abigail Blinder

L-R: AMIT President Debbie Moed, Naomi Feuer, Debbie Feuer

Over 100 women gathered at East Hill Synagogue on June 6 to honor longtime AMIT supporters Roni Blinder, her daughters Julia and Abigail, and Debbie Feuer for their dedication to AMIT. Attendees enjoyed dinner and heard Rav Yoni Berlin, the head of school of AMIT Gwen Straus Junior and Senior High School for boys, speak about the “AMIT difference,” and the game-changing effect that an AMIT education can give to all students, regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location.

Roni, Abigail, and Julia represent the Blinder’s multigenerational dedication to AMIT. Abigail attended Midreshet AMIT for her gap year in 2012 and Julia is doing the same this year. Debbie Feuer is a pillar of the Shalva Chai chapter, involved for over 25 years, and beloved by the entire chapter. Mazel tov to these strong women on their incredible and well-deserved achievement!

Photographs by Michael Turek L-R: Roni Blinder and Debbie Feuer photography

Wine and Cheese in Westchester

The New Rochelle community enjoyed great wine and cheese, and hearing Rav Yoni Berlin, head of school of AMIT Gwen Straus Junior and Senior High School for Boys, speak about excellence in the AMIT network. He shared stories of a recent “hackathon” that students took part in with leading Israeli high-tech veterans. Brent, “The Cheese Guy,” provided delicious cheese and fruit pairings, while Nadav from Blue White Wines provided new and rare Israeli wines.

L-R: Debbie Moed, hosts Yael & Evan Jerome, Rav Yoni Berlin

Rav Yoni Berlin speaks to guests about the “AMIT difference”

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DEVELOPMENT

Tri-State Annual Assembly 2018

L-R: AMIT President Debbie Moed, Chair, Board of Directors, Suzanne Doft, and Rabbi Yoni Berlin

AMIT held its Annual Assembly on June 12 at Touro College. Over 100 AMIT supporters attended the event and heard from President Debbie Moed, Treasurer Sharon Merkin, and guest speaker Rabbi Yoni Berlin.

He spoke about the radical pedagogical and physical changes in his school, resulting in what he calls “students with a spark in their eyes.”

Teaneck Shabbat Tea

The annual AMIT Teaneck Tea was held on July 14 at the home of Lois Blumenfeld and Dr. Norman Sohn. The event, which is held in memory of longtime supporter, Anita Scharf, z”l, brought together close to 100 AMIT supporters and featured guest speaker Shira Schiowitz.

L-R: Chana Shields, Donna Hoenig, Shira Schiowitz, Lois Blumenfeld, Genene Kaye, Meital Teitelman

Generations-in-Israel Dinner

L-R: Event Co-chair Helene Zisholtz, honoree Paulette Goldberg, Event Co-chair Anne Golombeck

Author Franceine Klagsbrun with Judy Goldberg Ness

The Sabra and Massada Chapters held its Generations-in-Israel Dinner celebrating the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel on May 15. The event paid tribute to longtime supporter Paulette Goldberg and featured keynote speaker Francine Klagsbrun, author of “Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel.”

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DEVELOPMENT

Tri-State

Ambassador’s Club Members Go to Broadway On Thursday, June 14, a group of Ambassador’s Club members were treated to a very special evening.

Prior to attending the Tony award-winning show “The Band’s Visit,” three members of the cast, Tony award-winner Katrina Lenk, Sharone Sayegh, and John Cariani spoke about their involvement with the show and their Broadway experiences. Debbie Moed thanked all members of the Ambassador’s Club, our highest level giving society, for their ongoing support L-R: Harriet Seif L-R: Barbara Bloom, Sharone Sayegh, and Sharon Merkin Katrina Lenk, and John Cariani of our students.

Long Island Yom Iyun

L-R: Ruth Burian, Sami Schindelheim, Mona Stern, Sharon Gross

Over 125 women spent a July morning in reflection, prayer and learning at AMIT’s 19th annual Long Island Yom Iyun which took place at the Sephardic Temple. Chairwoman Rebbetzin Mimi Mehlman emphasized the importance of coming together before Tisha B’Av at an event that is “For Women, by Women”. Participants were captivated by keynote speaker Yael Axelrod’s moving message about the power of our personal and communal tears.

L-R: Miriam Glaubach, Zelda Berger, Suzy Peyser

L-R: Esther Press, Debby Gage, Mimi Mehlman, Audrey Wagner, Yael Axelrod, Zipporah Marans, Rina Schachter

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DEVELOPMENT

Tri-State

AMIT Art Excursion

AMIT art enthusiasts enjoying a tour of the Bowery

AMIT hosted a series of three walking tours in Manhattan and Brooklyn led by acclaimed art consultant Ronnit Vasserman.

The group got a behind-thescenes look as they explored the latest street art and galleries.

Thanks to chairs Shari Gluckstadt and Chani Klein.

Margolit Chapter Literary Luncheon

Iris Feldman and Gloria Kaylie hosted the final Margolit chapter Literary Luncheon of the season at Cho-Sen Village in Great Neck. Shani Frank led the group’s discussion of, “Who Will Lead Us.” Event chairs are Zelda Berger and Esther Landsman.

Photographs courtesy of Queens Book Group

Top, l-r: Zelda Berger and Esther Landsman Bottom, l-r: Gloria Kaylie and Iris Feldman

Drum Tales Children, parents, and grandparents had a great time at “Drum Tales: The Lion King of Africa,” an interactive drumming workshop held this past March in Teaneck. Participants explored the rhythm and culture of Africa and drummed up support for AMIT’s 34,000 children in Israel!

Grandparents, parents, and children enjoy the interactive show

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DEVELOPMENT

Tri-State

AFLI’s Summer Bash

AFLI’s Summer Bash drew 85 young lay leaders for a night of BBQ by the Wandering Que, games, raffles, and ice pops—all against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline! Thank you to everyone who came out and celebrated summer, and especially to our chairs, Brooke Levine and Noah Markovitch.

AMIT’s future leaders at the Summer Bash

Staten Island Yom Iyun

L-R: Miriam Jaffe, Dr. Michelle Levine, Ruth Feder and Myra Lanter

The threat of an imminent storm did not deter the women of the Golda Meir Chapter from enjoying their Yom Iyun in memory of Deena Brenner, z”l. The event, featuring Dr. Michelle Levine (niece of former Executive Director Marvin Leff), was held at the Young Israel of Staten Island. Both chairs, Ruth Feder and Myra Lanter, worked tirelessly to make this day of learning a success – and it was!

Young Leadership Gathers for Bar Trivia Night

Over 75 AMIT young professionals gathered June 11 at the Parlour Bar to take part in trivia, pizza, and ice cream. Trivia AD provided the brainteasing questions that tested everyone’s knowledge of sports, history, pop culture, and even AMIT history. The team “#LebronToMiami” took the first-place prize. We said goodbye to our devoted Chairs Elana and Mati Grauer, who are moving to Florida. We will miss them, but wish them luck in their new home!

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DEVELOPMENT

Mid-Atlantic Baltimore Celebrates Selma Mosgin

Selma Mosgin with local dancers

AMIT Sarah Ribakow/Tikvah Chapter celebrated the milestone birthday of co-president Selma Mosgin on April 16 at the Royal Kosher Restaurant in Baltimore. The guests were entertained by a local dance troupe, celebrating Selma’s prior career as a ballerina. An added inscription to the dedication plaque for the Jerusalem State Dance Studio was made after the event by our valued donor who attended the luncheon.

Boston Family-in-Israel Event

AMIT New England Council/Ra’anana Chapter gathered at Beit Sasson, the Sephardic Congregation of Newton to celebrate their annual Family-in-Israel event on May 6. Gene Fax, author of “With Their Bare Hands: General Pershing, the 79th Division, and the Battle for Montfaucon,” discussed the effects of World War I on the American Jewish community and the accelerated immigration of Jews into the U.S. in the late Author Gene Fax 1800s, continuing through their service as soldiers in France, as well as their experiences after the war. Gene described their transformation from immigrants to Americans in their own eyes and those of their non-Jewish neighbors. Rabbi Avinoam Durani introduced the event with his interesting thoughts on the importance of inclusion today in Israeli society. Everyone enjoyed a delicious and bountiful brunch from Catering by Andrew.

Rabbi Yoni Berlin In Brookline

AMIT New England Leadership with Yoni Berlin

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On a beautiful day in June, Rabbi Yoni Berlin enchanted the AMIT New England Council/Ra’anana Board and friends of AMIT at the gracious home of Laura & David Eisenberg in Brookline. Rav Yoni spoke about AMIT today and how it is making efforts to understand what the present generation needs in education. The generational differences are being intensely studied to plan for the future effectively. A lively Q & A discussion took place followed by a delicious lunch prepared by Laura Eisenberg.

DEVELOPMENT

Mid-Atlantic

Philadelphia Council Generations-in-Israel Honoring Gayle Frankel Over 90 friends and relatives celebrated Gayle Frankel on a hot summer evening in June at the Philadelphia Council’s Generations-in-Israel event. The Gayle Frankel and family traditional celebration was highlighted with presentations from Gayle’s son, Marc Frankel, daughter, Debra Frankel Goldstein, and great-granddaughter Lily Adlerstein. Gayle spoke passionately about how the friendships made at AMIT schools impact the future, including the three graduates from AMIT Ginsburg Bar Ilan who co-founded Brainsway, an Israeli company that uses deep trans-cranial stimulation to treat depression and other disorders. Russell Hendel led the bentching and everyone enjoyed each other’s company and delicious desserts prepared by Tamar Erlbaum.

Philadelphia Council/Shira Chapter Conversational English Enrichment Program

On a blustery day in February, 30 supporters gathered at Lower Merion Synagogue to enjoy Beverly Rosen’s book review featuring Francine Klagsbrun’s newest book, “Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel.” A lively Q & A followed Bev’s presentation. Proceeds for this event went toward AMIT’s Conversational English Enrichment Program in Sderot.

This unique program helps students at AMIT’s Sderot Religious Junior and Senior High School boost their confidence to master a second language through cooking, robotics, art, and dance classes taught entirely in English.

Beverly Rosen

Americans and the Holocaust in D.C.

L-R: Stella & Samy Ymar, Norma & Stacy Burdett

AMIT Birah Chapter of Greater Washington, D.C., attended a groundbreaking new exhibition at the United States Holocaust Museum, “Americans and the Holocaust,” on July 15. Michael Grunberger, director of external affairs, and Stacy Burdett, government and external relations director and daughter of longtime supporter Norma Burdett, guided AMIT Birah Chapter through the compelling displays. More than 30 dedicated members, including Samy Ymar who lived and went to school at AMIT’s Kfar Batya, enjoyed lunch and discussion.

35

DEVELOPMENT

Midwest Midwest Council’s 2018 Eleanor Greenberg, z”l, Evening of Learning

On July 12, a large group of friends and family gathered for Midwest AMIT’s Tenth Annual Eleanor Family photo from Eleanor Greenberg, z”l, evening Greenberg, z”l, Evening of Learning, with guest speaker Rabbi Yehuda Meyers of the YU Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago. This yearly event is held in memory of Eleanor Greenberg, z”l, one of the founders of the Midwest Council who worked tirelessly for many years in support of AMIT.

Midwest Council’s 2018 Mother-in-Israel Event

Ron Balson with the Midwest Council committee

The crowd at the Midwest Mother-in-Israel event

The Midwest Council of AMIT hosted its 2018 Mother-in-Israel event in April. It featured an engaging presentation by Ronald Balson (see p. 23), author of “The Trust,” “Karolina’s Twins,” “Saving Sophie,” and the international best-seller “Once We Were Brothers.” Close to 100 attendees enjoyed brunch and learned how the author uses true stories as inspiration.

Cleveland pre-Shavuot Bakesale Once again the AMIT Cleveland chapter hosted the annual pre-Shavuot bakesale. This year’s sale was the most successful ever with over $2,400 raised to support AMIT children in Israel. Thank you so much to Tamar Smith for graciously hosting the event.

36

L-R: Tamar Smith, Aviva Klein, Amy Ashkenasy

DEVELOPMENT

Southeast

Group in action

Dini Klein

IMA Chapter Mother-in-Israel Event The IMA chapter of Broward held its annual Mother-in-Israel event in April at the home of Oobie and Brian Farbman. The evening featured Shavuot dairy recipes and instruction from Dini Klein of Dini Delivers. Everyone participated in an interactive cooking demo and tasting, while learning about AMIT. Committee members included Naomi Baratz, Adina Farbman, Shani Hagler, Brenda Pritzker, Jackie Estreicher, Samantha Fischler, Marilyn Kaplan, and Nancy Zombek.

NewGen Paints it Forward

The NewGen group of Boca Raton gathered in January at Pinot’s Palette to “Paint it Forward” for the AMIT children. The evening was a fun-filled night of creativity, laughter, wine, AMIT information, and masterpieces. Thank you to the event chairs: Hena Aloof, Anna Cohen, and Rebecca Kinzbrunner, who made it a night to remember!

Group in action

L-R: Erica and Kevin Leifer

L-R: Chani Katz and Sabrina Romano

37

PLANNED GIVING

Charitable Gift Annuity Rates Have Gone Up! Increase your retirement income and shape AMIT’s future with a charitable gift annuity.

How It Works: With a charitable gift annuity, you make a donation using cash or marketable securities, and we, in turn, pay you a fixed amount for life. With this gift you can boost your retirement income and feel secure because you receive reliable, predictable payments for as long as you live.

Here’s an Example: Barbara, 72, transfers $25,000 in exchange for a charitable gift annuity.

With the old rates: Barbara received annual payments of $1,350, a rate of 5.4 percent.

With the new rates: Barbara receives annual payments of $1,450, a rate of 5.8 percent.

This is a payout rate increase of approximately 7.4 percent.

ONE RECIPIENT AGE

TWO RECIPIENTS

NEW RATE

OLD RATE

60

4.7%

4.4%

65

5.1%

70

AGE

NEW RATE

OLD RATE

60/65

4.3%

4.0%

4.7%

65/70

4.7%

4.4%

5.6%

5.1%

70/75

5.2%

4.8%

75

6.2%

5.8%

75/80

5.7%

5.3%

80

7.3%

6.8%

80/85

6.6%

6.1%

85

8.3%

7.8%

85/90

8.0%

7.3%

90+

9.5%

9.0%

90/95+

9.3%

8.8%

Request Your Personalized Illustration: We would be happy to send you a free, no-obligation illustration showing you the increased benefits you can receive from a charitable gift annuity. Your personalized illustration will include your potential income tax charitable deduction and our annual payments to you for life.

Contact Genene Kaye - Director, Planned Giving at 212.477.5465 or GeneneK@amitchildren.org to begin.

California residents: Annuities are subject to regulation by the State of California. Payments under such agreements, however, are not protected or otherwise guaranteed by any government agency or the California Life and Health Insurance Guarantee Association. Oklahoma residents: A charitable gift annuity is not regulated by the Oklahoma Insurance Department and is not protected by a guaranty association affiliated with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. South Dakota residents: Charitable gift annuities are not regulated by and are not under the jurisdiction of the South Dakota Division of Insurance.

38

$1,000,000 +

$75,000-$99,999

Ellen, z”l, and Meyer Koplow, NY

Lee and Louis Benjamin, NY

The Lewis and Wolkoff Family Legacy, CO

Laurie and Eli Bryk, NY

The Moise Y. Safra Foundation, NY

Sarena and David Koschitzky, Canada

Ellen and Stanley Wasserman, NY

Ellen and Emanuel Kronitz, Israel

Gloria Zeisel, NY

Leon and Gloria, Edward, Sari, and Howard Miller, NY

$250,000-$999,999 Shari and Jacob M. Safra, NY Ethel and Lester Sutker, IL

$100,000-$249,999 Anonymous, NY Canada Foundation, Israel Ike, Molly and Steven Elias Foundation, NY Gazit-Globe, Israel Kirsch Foundation, Israel The Barbara and Fred Kort Foundation, CA Sharon and Solomon Merkin, NJ Debbie and Samuel Moed, NJ Barbara and Jules, z”l, Nordlicht, NY Kailly Sass, z”l, PA Trudy and Stanley Stern, NY Robyn Price Stonehill and David Stonehill, NY Joyce and Daniel Straus, NJ The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., MD The Maurice and Vivienne Wohl

Philanthropic Foundation, London

As of 8/7/18. We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

Yeftah NPO, Israel

$50,000-$74,999 Anonymous, NY Hadassah and Marvin Bienenfeld, NY Barbara Bloom, MD Suzanne and Jacob Doft, NY David Goldman Charitable Trust, Israel Harvey Goodstein Foundation, PA Solange Henriot, z”l, Israel Norma and Emanuel, z”l, Holzer, NY The Kolatch Family Foundation, NJ Cheryl and Abraham Kramer, NJ Ria and Tim Levart, NJ Zachary Levi, z”l, NY Seed the Dream Foundation, PA Harriet and Heshe Seif, NJ Yedidut Toronto, Israel Howard Zeisel, NY Mary and Elliot Zeisel, NY Molly and Jack Zwanziger, IL

39





     I  

   T 

AMIT • B 

•

Price Waterhouse Cooper/

Andrew Cristinzio, FL Jerald Ptashkin, CA Marsha Roth, Israel Jennie and Avi Rothner, IL

• O  C

Ruderman Family Foundation, MA Shirley and Milton Sabin, FL

$36,000 - $49,999

Debbie and Michael Alpert, NY

Ruth and Gene Fax, MA

Blackman Foundation, CA

Grace, Shua, Jacob Ballas

Charitable Trust, Israel

Lisa Rosenbaum and

Ronald Fisher, MA

Adena and Ezra Dyckman, NY

Rosalyn and Ira Friedman, NJ

Deena and Adam Shiff, NY

Gann Foundation, MA

Paulette and Max, z”l, Goldberg, NY

Salia and Ruven Silia, Israel

Glencore Foundation, Israel

Layla and Evan Green, CA

Tamar and Eric Goldstein, NY

Paula Yudenfriend

and Arlin Green, PA

Marilyn and Herbert, z”l,

Smilowitz, NJ

Amy, z”l, and Jimmy Haber, NY Brenda and Albert Kalter, NY Evelyn and Lawrence Kraut, NJ Sharon and Morris Silver, CA Walter Silver, FL

$25,000 - $35,999 Anonymous, MA Anonymous, NY Anonymous, MA Ann and Yale Baron, NJ

Pnina and Jacob Graff, CA

Halina Hershkowitz, z”l, FL

Adina Straus, NY

Sarah Liron and Sheldon Kahn, CA

Debbie and David Isaac, NY

Ina and David Tropper, NY

Helena Inga and Marc Singer, Israel

Marilyn Isler, z”l, NY

Rita and Eugene Schwalb, FL

Judy and Morry Weiss/Sapirstein Stone-Weiss Foundation, OH

Ithaca United Jewish

Community, NY

Elaine and Mark Weitzman, NY

Edith and Herman Itzkowitz, PA

Western Wall Heritage

Foundation, Israel

Jewel and Ted Edelman, NY

Laurie Latt Wolff and Richard Wolff, NY

Harwit Charitable Trust, CA Laura and Jonathan Heller, NY Mildred, z”l, and Alvin Hellerstein, NY Russell Jay Hendel, MD Robert Kent, z”l, PA

Sondra and Myron Sokal, NY Nellie and Aharon Stavisky, Israel

Evelyn and Isaac Blachor, NY

Haotzma Technologies, Israel

Judy and Isaac Sherman, NY

Gruer Family Foundation, CA

Hamifal Education

Childrens Home, Israel

Shirley and Morris Trachten, z”l,

Family Foundation, Israel

Mitzi Golden, NY

Shemesh Foundation, Israel

$10,000 - $17,999 Anonymous, CA Anonymous, Israel Anonymous, NY Trudy and Ted, z”l, Abramson, FL Max & Anna Baran, Ben & Sarah

Baran and Milton Baran, z”l, CA

Rabbi Arthur Jacobowitz, z”l, Israel Suzanne and Norman Javitt, NY

Nazim Zilkha/Dechert LLP, NY Helene and Gerald Zisholtz, NY

Ruth and Hillel Kellerman, CA Keren HaYesod, Israel

$5,000 - $9,999

Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, Israel

Anonymous, FL

Ruth and Daniel Krasner, NY

Anonymous, Israel

Rochelle and

Seymour, z”l, Kraut, NJ

Anonymous, Israel

Anonymous, NJ

Anonymous, MD

Kirkland & Ellis LLP, NY

Debbie and Julio Berger, NY

Ruth M. Finglass and

Kevin A. Kubach, MD

Kislev Tuvla Veschar, Israel

Zelda and Solomon Berger, NY

Ruth and Robert Lewis, NY

Gitta and Richard Koppel, Israel

Daisy Berman, NY

Jennifer and Marc Lipschultz, NY

Nancy and Josh Korff, NY

Anne Bernstein, CA

Rita Lowi, CA

Shirley Liebowitz, z”l, NY

Helen and Henry Bienenfeld

Foundation, PA

Zipporah and Rabbi Arnold Marans, NY

Barbara and Joel, z”l, Rascoff, NY

Deborah Stern Blumenthal and

Michael Blumenthal, NJ

Lauren and Ezra Merkin, NY

Lisa Bellows Ablin and

Jason Ablin, CA

Micheline and Marc

Ratzersdorfer, z”l, Israel

Lotte, z”l, and

Ludwig Bravmann, NY

Lisa and Leon Meyers, NY

Sarah and Maurice Aghion, MA

Ethlynne and Stephen Brickman, MA

The Dorothy Phillips Michaud

Charitable Trust, CA

Nicole and Raanan Agus, NY

Eliyahu Maccabi Carraso, Israel

Judy and Albert Milstein, IL

Randi Schatz Allerhand and

Joseph S. Allerhand, NY

Vanessa and Raymond Chalme, NY

Marilyn and Leon Moed, NY

Susan Alter Klaperman, NY

Michael Cleeman, NY

Moskowitz Foundation, Israel

Daniel Altshuler, CA

Rosa and Isaac Cohanzad, CA

Ilan Nissan/Goodwin Procter LLP

Amdocs, Israel

Marion Crespi, NY

North American Conference

of Ethiopian Jews, Israel

Ann and Hy Arbesfeld, NY

The Joan S. and Leon Meyers

Foundation, NY

Norman and Bettina

Roberts Foundation, NJ Rose and Kurt Stanger

Charitable Trust, NY Zahava and Moshael Straus, NJ Audrey and Chaim Trachtman, NY Audrey and Max Wagner, NY

Jone and Allen Dalezman, MA

Anonymous, NJ Anonymous, NY Anonymous, NY

Etella and Haim Marcovici, NY

Anonymous, NY Anonymous, PA

Asher Foundation, Israel

Selma and Jacob Dyckman, NY

Or Peace for Children

and Youth, Israel

Brett Elias and Sean Elias, NY

Owl Rock Capital Partners LP, NY

Rachel, z”l, and Martin Balsam, NY

$18,000 - $24,999

Danielle and Ronald Ellis, Israel

Regina Peterseil, NY

Joan and Shael Bellows, IL

Judy and Kevin Abrams, FL

Trudy and Sol, z”l, Englander, NY

Lauren and Mitchell Presser, NY

Tamar and Ethan Benovitz, Israel

Ari Wexler, Israel Yoreinu Foundation, Israel

40

Lolly and Harris Bak, NY

As of 8/7/18. We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.



   T 

     I  



AMIT • B 

•

Vivian and Solomon, z”l, Rosen, FL Miriam and Howard Rosenblum, NJ Gale and Eric Rothner, IL Elizabeth and Gidon Rothstein, NY

• O  C

Leah and Arnold Rotter, CA Hedda Rudoff, NY Phyllis and Edward Berkowitz, NY

Abigail and Ari Glass, NY

Jane Klitsner, Israel

Vivian and Stanley Bernstein, NY

Miriam and Felix Glaubach, NY

Laurie and Robert Koppel, NY

Beth Chiger and

Neil Sambrowsky, NY

Andrea and Bryan Bier, NJ

Shari and Maurice Gluckstadt, NY

Ethan Kra, NJ

Tammy and Kenny Schaum, NY

Beth and Reuben Blumenthal, NY

Esther and Jack Goldman, NY

Shani and David Kramer, NJ

Jan and Sheldon Schechter, NY

Bnei Akiva, Israel

Anne and Sheldon Golombeck, NY

Mark Kristoff, NY

Esther and William Schulder, NJ

Sari and Stuart Braunstein, NY

Lucy S. Gonda, CA

Suri and David Kufeld, NY

Deanne and Leonard Shapiro, Israel

Adrianne and Leon Brum, FL

Sandra E. Goodstein and

Arthur Rosenblatt, PA

Edy and Jacob Kupietzky, IL

Pearl and Paul Caslow Foundation, IL Carol and Arnold Caviar, KS

Gorlin Family Foundation, MD

Margaret and Chaim Charytan, NY

Sara and Ronald Gottlieb, FL

Michelle Chrein, NY

Sharon and Melvin Gross, NY

Barbara and Melvyn Ciment, MD

Phyllis Hammer, MA

Trina and Paul, z”l, Cleeman, NY

Debbie and Robert Hartman, IL

Sherry and Neil Cohen, NY

Howard Heller, MA

Shevi and Milton Cohen, NY

Debbie and Eddie Herbst, CA

Diane and Howard Cole, NY

Hertz Family Foundation, CA

Karen and David Cole, NY

Aviva Hoschander-Sulzberger and

Vernon Sulzberger, NY

Steven Cooperman, NY

Donna and Jeffrey Lawrence, MD Diane and David Lent, NY Kari and Joshua Levine, NY Rose and Jacob Levine, z”l, CA Sylvia and Norman Levine, FL Dorothy and Robert Lewis, NY Mindy and Seymour Liebman, NY Audrey and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, NY Rita Lourie-Galena, PA & NY

Emily and Paul Dauber, CO

Sonia Bodenstein-Izenstark and

Ira Izenstark, CA

Caroline and Marcelo Messer, NY

Elaine and Robert Jacobs, NY

Myra Mitzner, NY

Elaine and Lewis Dubroff, NY

Debra Jakubovitz-Fletcher and

Tim Fletcher, CA

Sylvia Nadel, z”l, OH

Hattie and Arthur Dubroff, NJ

Barbara and Manfred Joseph, NY

Susan Ederson, NY

Connie and Alan Kadish, NJ

Iris and Stephen Feldman, NY Debbie and Ezra Feuer, NJ Sheila and Kenneth Fields, NJ

Ruth and Jerome Kamerman, NY Stacey and David Kanbar, NY

Nancy and Benjamin Sporn, NY Francine and Aaron Stein, NJ Blimie and Joel Strauss, NJ

Talpiot Religious

Children’s Village, Israel

Peggy and Robert Insel, NY

Hermann Kaiser, NJ

Sara and Gabriel Solomon, MD

Meira and Solomon, z”l, Max, NY

Lisa Dardashti, PA

Sherry and Aaron Eidelman, NY

Rosalyn and Richard Slifka, MA

Nechama and Howard Taber, NY

Shulamit and Joakim Isaacs, Israel

Robin and Simon Kahn, Israel

Mollie Siegel, NJ

Adama Makhteshim, Israel

Melvin S. Cutler Foundation, MA

Linda and Barry Eichler, PA & NY

Jane Shiff, NY

Randi and David Sultan, NY

Max and Sunny Howard

Memorial Fund, NY

Alan Docter, FL

Chana and Daniel Shields, NJ

Malka Lozowick, Israel

Elissa and Neil Crespi, NY

Selma Daye, CA

Ruth and Irwin Shapiro, NY

Manette and Louis Mayberg, MD Benay and Ira Meisels, NY

Gloria and Burton Nusbacher, NY Carole Nussbaum, FL

Lilly Tempelsman, NY Sandra, z”l, and Max Thurm, NY Susan and Fred Toczek, CA Marilee and Michael Tolwin, CA Bertie and Fred Tryfus, NY Amy and Jeffrey Verschleiser, NY

Bea and Irwin, z”l, Peyser, NY

Paula and Leslie Walter, NY

Hedy and Paul Peyser, MD

Anne and Mark Wasserman, NY

Suzy and Paul Peyser, NY

Marion and William Weiss, NJ

Vicki and Jerry Platt, NY

Roselyn and

Walter, z”l, Weitzner, NY

Esther and Donald Press, NY

Sylvia and Carl, z”l, Freyer, NJ

Ruth and William, z”l,

Kantrowitz, NY

Tzippi and Ira Press, NJ

Gabriella and David Fridman, NY

Harriet and Joel Kaplan, NY

Judy and Jerry Pressner, NY

Lilly and Alfred, z”l, Friedman, NY

Elissa and Michael Katz, NJ

Joyce and Stanley Raskas, NY

Marisa and Andrew Gadlin, NY

Keren Limudai Hemshech, Israel

Evelyn Reichenthal, TX

Shifra and Perry Garber, NY

Keren Roi, Israel

Reut Foundation, Israel

Stella and Samy Ymar, MD

Linda and Norman Garfield, PA

Deborah and Alan Kestenbaum, NY

Rose Rich, z’l, CA

Esther and Dov Zeidman, NY

Rita Geller, IL

Rochelle Stern Kevelson, NY

Tamar and Benjamin Zeltser, NY

Randi and Alan Gelman, Israel

Diane and Barry Kirschenbaum, FL

Fritzie and Sheldon, z”l,

Robinson, IL

Lakie Gilden, z”l, CA

Chani and Steven Klein, NY

Leelah and Joseph Gitler, Israel

The Klibanoff Family, NJ

As of 8/7/18. We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

Sandra and Evan Roklen, CA Kristina Reiko Cooper and

Len Rosen, Israel

Linda and Stanley Weissbrot, IL Linda and Steven Weissman, NY Joyce and Jeremy Wertheimer, MA Booky and Jerome Wildes, NY

Charles Zeluf, Israel Eva Zilz, NY Nathan Zussman, Israel

41

ChaiSociety AMIT

TWINCO INC., TX Faigie and Neil Isler, NY Naomi and Joel Intract, Israel Mishel 300 Investments, Israel

EDUCATING CHI LDREN FOR LIFE

Elaine and Mervin Jacobs, FL Tayla and Rafi Jacobs, NY

$1,800-$4,999

Helen and Larry Ciment, FL

Sharon and Michael Freudenstein, NY

ChaiSociety

Anonymous, FL

AMIT

Susan Julius, CA

Barbara Cohen, CA

Marsha and Thomas Friedman, NJ

Tirza and Sam Kahan, IL

Hedy and Morris Cohen, PA

Reva and Mark Friedman, Israel

Karen Kaplan, IL

Anonymous, Israel

Wendy and Sanford Cohen, FL

Sandy and Myron Friedman, Israel

Marilyn and Ed Kaplan, FL

Anonymous, MA

Pri HaGefen Company, Israel

Debby and Steven Gage, NY

Hillary Katz, NY

Rachel and David Gatenio, NY

Marissa and Dan Katz, FL

Barbara and Steve Geller, IL

Joia and Joshua Kazam, NY

Anonymous, FL

Anonymous, MA Anonymous, MA

Diane Covkin, NJ EDUCATING CHI LDREN FOR LIFE Donna Dalnekoff, Israel

Anonymous, MA

Judy and Michael Daniels, IL

Debbi and Marc Geller, IL

Judy and Abraham Keehn, NY

Anonymous, MD

Amy and Gary Davis, TX

Caron and Steven Gelles, NY

Marjorie and Steven Kellner, NY

Anonymous, MD

Elizabeth Zelster

and Michael Diamond, NY

Ruth Ilse Gerber, z”l, CA

Gloria and Sanford

Kestenbaum, Israel

Anonymous, MD Anonymous, NJ Anonymous, NY Elizabeth and Howard

Abramowitz, CA

Yaniv Dorani, Israel Stan Dorman, MD Harvey Douglen, Israel Tami and Shlomo Drapkin, IL

Sharon and Seymour Gertz, IL Janet and Gilad Gevaryahu, PA Chaili and Adam Glickman, IL Judy and Paul Goldberg, FL Naomi and Stanley Goldis, PA

Robin and Brad Klatt, NJ Sue and Jordan Klein, IL Beverly Kogut, TX Heidi and Isaac Kohane, MA

Raquela and Avi Adelsberg, NY

Kenneth Eckstein, NY

Leah and Jonathan Adler, NJ

Judith and Alan Eisenman, NY

Myrna and Charles Alpert, NY

Phyllis and Joseph Eisenman, NJ

Beth and Brad Alter, IL

Suzanne Eisenstat, NY

Daniel Altshuler, CA

Pearl Elias, PA

Estelle and Jacob Aperlberg, MD

Escope, Israel

Roberta and Alan David Aronoff, NY

Dexel Factory, Israel

Judy and Ron Aronson, Israel

Rose and Joshua Farkowits, NY

Viven and Bernard Auerbach, Israel

Thalia and Danny Federbush, NJ

Yakov Avni, Israel

Elliot Feinerman, Israel

Mizrahi Tefachot Bank, Israel

Avshalom Ferber, Israel

David Battat, NY

Sherry and Mark Fessel, NY

Goldie and Alex Gross, Israel

Fischer Becher, Israel

Naomi and Daniel Feuer, NJ

Felice and Michael Grunberger, MD

Lee and Paul Belsky, NY

Sunrise Financial, NY

Alexander Grunwald, Israel

Deborah and Barry Berg, NY

Estelle Fink, Israel

Reginetta Haboucha, NY

Sandra and Ken Berg, IL

Jeanne Finkelstein, FL

Arie Halpern, z”l, NJ

Beatrice Berger, NJ

Susie and Kalman Fishbein, NJ

Marjorie and Charles Hamaoui, NY

Diane and Noah Berkowitz, NY

Fischer Behar Chen Well Orion &

Barbara and George Hanus, IL

Sylvia Berns, Israel

Co., Israel

Laurie and Bernard Hasten, IL

Beth and Samuel Bernstein, NJ

Sharon & Jeffrey Fishman, CA

Milton Heching, NJ

BGNY Management, Israel

Ayco Charitable Foundation, NY

Ellen and John Hellman, Israel

Evelyn and Saul Bienenfeld, FL

Isaac and Doris Russo Foundation, NY

Fred Hidary, NY

Roni and Yehuda Blinder, NJ

Melvin S. Cutler Foundation, MA

Rivkie and Lance Hirt, NY

Elaine and Sy Brief, FL

Reut Foundation, Israel

Robin and Mark Hoenig, NJ

Sally Mendelsohn

and David Lowenfeld, NY

Leila and Joseph Bronner, CA

The Seligsohn Foundation, PA

Rena and Scott Hoffman, NY

Livdiam LTD, Israel

Esther Cardash, IL

The Roseman Foundation, NC

Chani and Jonathan Hornblass, NY

Melvin Lubin, NJ

Mark Chass, Israel

Shani and Sam Frank, NY

Michael Horovitz, Israel

Vered Mahani, Israel

Laura and Joseph Goldman, MD Shira and Gadi Goldress, NY Alan Goldsmith, VA Yonina and Eric Gomberg, NY Florence Goodman, OH Aviva and Justin Gordon, IL Beth and Michael Gottesman, IL Norman Green, CA Eudice Greenfield, IL Gayle and Paul Gross, FL

Miriam and Louis Kolom, IL Rachel and Bryan Koplow, NH Joyce Kosowsky, MA Susan and Saul Koss, MD Debbi and Lee Krantzow, NJ Diane Kranz, NY Cara Krashin, KS Sara and Alan Kravitz, NY Shelley and Stanley Kroll, IL Rachel and Shawn Langer, NJ Carol and Manny Lax, FL Helen Leiderman, NY Alice Levi, z”l, NY Hyla and Stuart Levine, FL Jodi and Elie Levine, NY Jane Levy, NY Robyn and Craig Lewis, CA Aviva and Nate Lichtenstein, IL Roslyn and Joel Linderman, CA KC and Leslie Littner, Israel Julie and Richard Lobel, NJ Naomi and Carl Lopkin, MA

As of 8/7/18. We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

42

ChaiSociety AMIT

Stella B. Behar- Testa, NY Orlee and Joseph Turitz, MD Sandra and Jerry Turnauer, FL

EDUCATING CHI LDREN FOR LIFE

Joy and Michael Volk, CA Marilyn and Lee Wallach, NY

Diana and David Makkabi, CA

Dana and Michael Petrover, FL

Jenny and Max Weil, Israel

Alan Sar, z”l, CO

ChaiSociety Renee and Phillip Pilevsky, NY

Matthew Schein, Israel

Yael Weinreb, CA

Pegi and Gerard Medioni, CA

Pia and Stuart Pollack, PA

Elaine and Saul Schreiber, Israel

Shirley Weinstein, NY

Shoshana Quint

and Jonathan Melmed, NY

Karen and Russ Posner, NY

Keryn and David Schreiber, IL

Barbara and Michael Weiss, NY

Epiphany Prayer, Israel

Dasi and Jeremy Schwalbe, NJ

Fegi Mauer, IL

AMIT

Dinah and Andrew Mendes, NY Jenny Michael, NY

Hymen Milgrom, Israel

Jane Quint, z”l, CA EDUCATING CHI LDREN FOR LIFE Belinda and Steve Raikin, PA

Ellen Miller, Israel Maxine Miller, Israel Renee and Leonard Minsky, FL Michael Moore, TX Vera and Robert Moreen, PA Miriam Muskin, OH Judith Goldberg and Seth Ness, NJ Miriam and Bernie Neuman, IL Marsha Nevel, FL Bernice and Oscar Novick, IL Reena and Raphael Novogrodsky, NJ Bobbie and Jerry Nussbaum, IL Simcha Okon, NY Alissa and Abraham Ossip, NY Judith Weiss

and Daniel Ottensoser, NY Careena and Drew Parker, NJ

Jacques Semmelman, NJ Susan Shapiro, NY

Cathy and Allan Weiss, NJ Lillian and Sherwyn Weiss, FL Rita and Howard Weiss, NY

Daphna and Daniel Raskas, MD

Yaffi and Yoseph Shmidman, Israel

Sylvia Ravetch, FL

Helene and Jack Shrago, NE

Susan and Max Reichenthal, TX

Aviv and Relli Siegel, CA

Marguerite and Ronald Werrin, PA

Shelley Rindner, NY

Harriet and Yaakov Sklar, FL

Mimi and Geoffrey Rochwarger, NJ

Joy and Barry Sklar, NJ

Maeira and Michel

Werthenschlag, NY

Shuli and Avi Rockoff, MA

Minoo Southgate, NY

Keren Roi, Israel

Sydelle Spero, z”l, Israel

Douglas C. Williams, CA

Ilan Rom, Israel

Rena and Bruce Spinowitz, NY

Rebecca and Daniel Wolf, NJ

Yaacov Rose, FL

Marilyn Stadtmauer, NY

Efrat Yaffa, Israel

Aliza and Yitzhak Rosenblum, NY

Naomi and Gary Stein, NY

Sherry and Aaron Yanoush, Israel

Ellen and Eric Roskes, MD

E. David Subar, Israel

Sarah and Jeff Rosner, PA

Naomi and Ira Sved, PA

Danna and Eyal Rubenstein, Israel

Esther and Henry Swieca, NY

Lena Russo, NJ

Elbit Systems, Israel

Norma and Clifton Russo, NY

Shani and Bruce Tager, NJ

Stephanie and Howard Zauderer, NY

Linda Sagman, PA

Marion Talansky, Israel

David Zuckerbrot, Israel

Sylvia Sanker, z”l, NY

Hope and David Taragin, MD

Religious Zionists of America, NY

Michelle and Mitchell Weitzner, NJ

Shlomzion Malka Wertman, Israel

Yephtah NPO, Israel Yachad Shivtei Yisrael, Israel Benco Zad, CA

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