Fall15 composed

B U I L D I N G I S R A E L . O N E C H I L D AT A T I M E .

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CHANGING THE WAY STUDENTS LEARN

IN THIS ISSUE:

ST U D E N T S P OT L I G H T PRESIDENT’S GALA

A N C I E N T J E W I S H E D U C AT I O N

Q & A W I T H T H E WA S S E R M A N S

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2015 AMIT PRESIDENT’S GALA AND INAUGURATION On June 11, 2015, AMIT elected and installed the new Board of Directors, Regional Vice Presidents, and Members-at large

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Joan Betesh

President

Debbie Moed

Chair, Board of Directors

Suzanne Doft

Chair, Board of Governors

Hattie Dubroff

Chair, NewGen Board

Stacey Kanbar

Associate Chair, NewGen Board

Shari Safra

Treasurer

Sharon Merkin

Vice President, Financial Resource Development

Deena Shiff

Vice President, Israel Programming

Constance Kadish

Vice President, Leadership Development

Trudy Stern

Vice President, Marketing and Communication

Naomi Max

Vice President, Strategic Planning

Audrey Trachtman

Secretary, Board of Directors

Vicky Turek

Vice Chair, Israel Amutah

Yaffi Shmidman

Associate Treasurer

Randi Gelman

Chair, Donor Stewardship

Ina Tropper

Chair, Major Gifts

Brenda Kalter

PAST PRESIDENTS

Chair, Major Gifts

Barbara Rascoff

Sarah Shane

Chair, Marketing and Communication

Cara Kleiman

Chair, President’s Circle

Joyce Straus

Laurie Bryk Selma Dyckman Elaine Jacobs Michele Jacobs Danna Kalter Audrey Lookstein Zipporah Marans Elana Minkove Marilyn Moed Barbara Nordlicht Harriet Seif Robyn Price Stonehill Zahava Straus Bibsi Zuckerbrot

Daisy Berman Norma Holzer Evelyn Blachor Sondra Sokal Jan Schechter

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS New York-New Jersey-Connecticut

Francine Stein

Ilana Kahn

Debbie Isaac

Esther Press Mid-Atlantic

Donna Lawrence

Midwest

Aviva Lichtenstein

New England

Laura Eisenberg

Southeast

Sara Gottlieb

West Coast

Sandra Roklen

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PAST VICE CHAIR, ISRAEL AMUTAH Rahel Rogers Ellen Hellman

9/11/15 10:37 AM

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

fall2015

By Debbie Moed

WHAT AN EXCITING TIME AT AMIT! IN A period of unprecedented growth and impact, the scope of the AMIT Reshet has grown exponentially: we are now at over 30,000 students in 110 schools across the country.

Under the outstanding leadership of our Director General, Amnon Eldar, AMIT has been at the forefront of educational innovation, partnering with the Ministry of Education on a regular basis. GOGYA, a platform for 21st Century learning that promotes leading-edge teaching and learning methods, from the construct of the classrooms to the lesson plans, was officially unveiled recently. It has generated tremendous buzz throughout Israel, from Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett to parents and teachers; AMIT is clearly recognized as a pioneer in reshaping Israeli education.

It is a privilege and challenge to begin my tenure as President at a time of such significant progress and momentum. I come from a family that has been involved in AMIT for generations and I am passionate about AMIT’s mission of building Israel through education. Our students, who have risen beyond their life’s limitations to achieve excellence, serve as a constant source of inspiration to me. Meeting faculty, who have become lifelong role models to their students, not just teachers, because they believed in and motivated them, has affected me greatly; and seeing donors make extraordinary gestures of generosity as they were moved by the opportunity to change the trajectory of a child’s life has encouraged me to make AMIT a central, defining part of my life.

Moving forward, I will focus on these essential priorities: • Ensuring that the scale of our fundraising efforts keeps pace with the investment needed to support our groundbreaking programs.

We’re fortunate to have received a number of transformative gifts this year. Our donors have steadfastly and generously supported AMIT, recognizing that the superior education we provide is the key to success for our students, especially those who come

from challenging backgrounds. I encourage you to make AMIT a priority in your charitable giving, to maximize our impact on Israel’s youth.

• Engaging and energizing a broad base of leadership across age, denominations and geographies.

I would like to involve more people in AMIT’s mission, and look forward to getting to know our supporters throughout the country. Let’s all spread the word about AMIT’s incredible work; take friends along to the next AMIT meeting or event in your community; help us bring AMIT’s message to women and men in communities who are not yet involved; and, above all, join me on the next Leadership Mission to Israel. You will be amazed and inspired when you meet our students, faculty and staff and witness the vital role AMIT plays in Israeli life.

• Promoting a deeper understanding of AMIT’s impact on Israeli society.

AMIT has provided an educational framework and practical tools for successful living for hundreds of thousands of students; our graduates contribute deeply to the fabric of the nation. We will make certain that you hear and see the incredible success stories of our students, who come from every socio-economic group in Israel. We will clearly and directly share the outcomes of your efforts and investment.

The stakes are high. But working together as partners, we are prepared to enter a new, exciting era.

Our next chapter will be even broader and bolder in terms of AMIT’s ambition, position and impact on Israeli society.

My deep gratitude goes to Debbie Isaac, our outgoing President, who has left us poised for success. I am excited, energized and ready to tackle the hard work that builds on AMIT’s incredible accomplishments to date, with the absolute belief that, together with each of you, we can do even more.

I look forward to leading AMIT in service to the children of Israel. Shana Tova  Fall 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 3

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8

fall 2015 – stav 5776 Vol. LXXXVII No. 4

BUILDING ISRAEL. ONE CHILD AT A TIME.

8

GOGYA

The revolutionary pedagogical program established by AMIT.

By Michel Chabin

14

14

Q&A WITH ELLEN AND STANLEY WASSERMAN

Two extraordinary supporters of AMIT.

By Robert E. Sutton

22

ANCIENT JEWISH EDUCATION 64 C.E. The beginnings of organized Jewish education.

By Robert E. Sutton

22

28

PRESIDENT’S GALA

The induction of our new President and slate of officers.

About The Cover GOGYA

B U I L D I N G I S R A E L . O N E C H I L D AT A T I M E .

The Revolution of education starts with AMIT.

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CHANGING THE WAY STUDENTS LEARN

IN THIS ISSUE:

ST U D E N T S P OT L I G H T PRESIDENT’S GALA

A N C I E N T J E W I S H E D U C AT I O N

Q & A W I T H T H E WA S S E R M A N S

AMIT COUNCIL OFFICES

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National Office 817 Broadway New York, NY 10003 1-800-989-AMIT (2648) 212-477-4720 Fax: 212-353-2312 email: info@amitchildren.org Baltimore/Boston/Washington DC 2800 Stone Cliff Drive, Unit #112 Baltimore, MD 21209 410-484-2223 410-370-9411 Call for Fax: 410-484-2223 email: robbiep@amitchildren.org Chicago 3856 B West Oakton Skokie, IL 60076 847-677-3800 847-372-8702 Fax: 847-982-0057 email: amitchicago@amitchildren.org

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Cleveland 23743 Greenlawn Avenue Beachwood, OH 44122 216-382-4441 email: amitcleveland@amitchildren.org Southeast Region 2700 North 29th Ave. Suite 203 Hollywood, FL 33020 954-922-5100 Fax: 954-922-5199 email: robini@amitchildren.org Los Angeles 1122 S. Robertson Blvd., #9 Los Angeles, CA 90035 310-859-4885 Fax: 310-859-4875 email: michalt@amitchildren.org

Philadelphia P.O. Box 342 Wynnewood, PA 19096 410-484-2223 410-370-9411 Call for Fax: 410-484-2223 email: robbiep@amitchildren.org AMIT UK Friends of AMIT Women UK 152/154 Coles Green Rd. London NW2 7HD Phone: +44-208-438-6353 email: Karen.Am@amit.org.il AMIT FRANCE c/o Mrs. Carole Hannaux 18 rue du Conseil des XV 67000 Strasbourg, France phone: +33-611-487-314 email: carol.hannaux@gmail.com

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AMIT Switzerland c/o: Jennifer Osborn Unter Altstadt 10 6301 Zug, Switzerland Phone: + 41-41-729-0808 email: Jennifer.Osborn@ballag.ch AMIT Israel – Petach Tikva 28 HaMaccabim St. Petach Tikva 49220, Israel Phone: +972-3-912-3171 Fax: +972-3-912-3166 AMIT Israel – Jerusalem 21 King George St., 1st Floor P.O. Box 71075 Jerusalem, Israel 9171001 Phone: +972-2-673-8360 Fax: 972-2-673-8359 email: karenam@amit.org.il

FIND AMIT ON

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26

COLUMNS 3

:: President’s Message

7

:: Impressions

18 :: Student Spotlight 26 :: Dvar Torah 36 :: Highlights

36

President Debbie Moed

DEVELOPMENT NEWS 30 :: Philly Honors Brenda Frank 30 :: “AMIT” You at the Finish Line

31

31 :: DC Mother-in-Israel

32 :: Sugar & Spice is Nice 33 :: Cleveland Day at the Gardens 33 :: Baltimore Mother-in-Israel 34 :: LA Beach BBQ 34 :: Windy City Shiur

32

Vice President, Marketing and Communications Naomi Max Chair, Marketing and Communications Cara Kleiman Editor in Chief/Creative Director Robert Ephraim Sutton

31 :: The English Spy 32 :: Midwest Council Mother-in-Israel

34

Executive Vice President Andrew Goldsmith

34 :: Grounds for Sculpture 35 :: Spanning AMITworld

35

Design Game6Media Editor Emerita Micheline Ratzersdorfer Signed articles do not necessarily represent the opinion of the organization. Reproduction of any material requires permission and attribution.

To view us online visit www.amitchildren.org AMIT Magazine (ISSN 1085-2891) is published quarterly; Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer by AMIT. AMIT National Office: 817 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10003.

1-800-989-AMIT, 212-477-4720, Fax 212-353-2312 email: info@amitchildren.org Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AMIT: 817 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10003.

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, religious values and Zionist ideals. Some 70 percent of AMIT students live in development towns or other “peripheral” areas of the country. AMIT approaches each child as an individual, maximizing his or her potential, and enabling our students to become vital, productive members of Israeli society. The AMIT schools promote religious tolerance, service to the state and the recognition that every child is blessed with unique talents and abilities. Founded in 1925, AMIT operates 108 schools, youth villages, surrogate family residences and other programs, constituting Israel’s only government-recognized network of religious Jewish education incorporating academic and technological studies.

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AMIT, founded in 1925, has a proud history of service to Israel and the Jewish people.

Our name, in English, stands for “AMericans for Israel and Torah.” In Hebrew, AMIT is an acronym for “Irgun Mitnadvot l’ma’an Yisrael v’Torata” (Organization of Volunteers for Israel and Her Torah).

9/11/15 10:09 AM

th y e a r 8 the

it’s time t n a l p e r to

israel’s farmers still need your help. the struggle of shmitah continues.

For 2000 years we prayed to return to Israel, to cultivate the land and keep

mitzvot hatluyot ba’aretz. The vanguard of our shared vision, Israel’s farmers

feed the nation and preserve its pioneering spirit. By observing Shmitah, they sacrifice their very livelihood to fulfill our collective religious obligation.

With Rosh Hashanah 5776, many think Shmitah is over. But the farmer’s struggle

r, e m r a f a help e today D o n a t hfund.org w w w .s h m

it a

continues throughout the 8th year. Loans taken for land and equipment lease

must be repaid, infrastructure repaired, and seed purchased – all without a crop to harvest and sell.

This is where The Shmitah Fund comes in. With your help, we give Israel’s

farmers the resources they need to get back on their feet and bring forth, b’ezrat Hashem, the bounty of Eretz Yisrael.

S u p p o rt i n g t h e r est o f I s rae l

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The Shmitah Fund is a 501(c)3 charity organization.

9/11/15 10:01 AM

IMPRESSIONS

there’s a different battle with iran we can’t afford to lose

By Andrew Goldsmith, Executive Vice President

THERE’S ONE CRITICAL TAKEAWAY FROM THE IRAN issue this summer we can all agree on: Israel must become self-reliant. More and more isolated by the world each and every day, it’s evident that Israel cannot rely on traditional allies or anyone else. Given the fractures revealed over the summer in the American-Jewish community, I have heard it remarked that perhaps the day is coming that they can’t even rely on us.

A no-breakout time to a nuclear Iran is frightening. But here’s something else of great concern: a 2010 report by Canadian research firm ScienceMetrix has put Iran in the top rank globally in terms of growth in scientific productivity, with a 14.4 growth index. In terms of total output per year, Iran has already surpassed the total scientific output of countries like Sweden, Switzerland and, yes, Israel. Iran’s science and technology yearly growth rate is 25%. Those remarkable results aren’t happening in a vacuum—the Iranians are making a huge investment in education.

The Programme for International Assessment (PISA) conducts an international survey every three years to assess the competencies of 15-year-olds from 65 countries in key subject areas. It is an interesting indicator of a country’s investment in education. In 2012, some 510,000 students from all over the world between the ages of 15 years 3 months and 16 years 2 months took part.

The paper-based tests took two hours to complete and involved three primary areas: reading, science, and math.

Israel stood 39th in the rankings—with Iran not far behind at 51, and poised to close the gap.

Today Israel is a start-up nation—an economic miracle and a state more powerful than we could have imagined possible. Israel’s chief commodity has been Jewish brains.

It’s not a new theme to the Jewish people—our parents’ and grandparents’ commitment to education at almost any cost lifted immigrant American Jewry to prosperity and prominence in the course of a single generation.

We are what we are because of that investment of sweat equity.

But Israel now needs that same kind of committed investment; today’s students must be prepared to face tomorrow with confidence. At AMIT, our meaningful response to the current crisis has been the redoubling of our educational efforts and investment in order to provide 30,000 students in our schools the opportunity for academic excellence. To that end, we’ve launched GOGYA—a revolutionary educational teaching platform that equips students with the vital skill set necessary to excel in a technology driven world.

Emanating from a brand new $2,000,000 training center on our Kfar Batya, Ra’anana Campus, GOGYA is the hub of the AMIT Network’s educational innovation and collaborative learning communities.

Minister of Education Naftali Bennett recently visited the GOGYA Center in Ra’anana and met with the Network’s administration, AMIT teachers and principals participating in the GOGYA initiative. Coming this year, GOGYA is being implemented in 38 schools - with many more to follow.

AMIT is at the forefront of shifting the role of teachers from knowledge deliverers to knowledge facilitators. We’re equipping our students with a unique skill set of problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration necessary to excel in a quickly moving world. And we’re doing this while inculcating them with Jewish values and appreciation for their unique place as citizens of the State of Israel.

Iran is making enormous investments in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education from the youngest to the post-doctoral level. So what’s our response? Doubling down on our investment in Israel’s most valuable commodity—her children.

Andrew Goldsmith can be reached at andrewg@amitchildren.org. 

Fall 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 7

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FEATURE

INSPIRATION COLLABORATION INNOVATION RA’ANANA – AMIT GOGYA CENTER Ordinarily, June 23 would not be the optimal time to hold a full-day teachers’ workshop, what with final grades to input and end-of-the year activities, but for the dozens of AMIT network teachers who have spent the past year in a new, groundbreaking program called GOGYA, skipping the workshop never crossed their minds. continued on page 10

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By Michele Chabin

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continued from page 9 During the 2014-2015 school year, the participants—groups of five to seven teachers from 13 AMIT schools—traveled once a month to the impressive state-of-the-art GOGYA learning center, the network’s hub for educational innovation and collaboration, to learn how to teach in a startlingly new way.

Much of the teachers’ training took place at the learning center on AMIT’s Kfar Batya campus in Ra’anana.

Refurbished from the inside out, the GOGYA building has the look and energy of a high-tech start-up. Ultramodern, with glass-walled classrooms, an abundance of natural sunlight, creative workrooms and swiveling modular furniture, the building is the glass-and-concrete embodiment of GOGYA’s philosophy and spirit.

“This is a place to study, to collaborate, for peer study, for groups to develop new methodology and pedagogical ideas,” Eilat Deutsch, AMIT’s deputy director of research and assessment, explained as she gave

a tour of the center during the June 23 “Teachers’ Day” workshop. “It can be the R&D teams from our own 38 AMIT schools or other groups of educators.”

Deutsch said AMIT’s pedagogical and R&D teams began searching for a new teaching/learning model more than three years ago, and that GOGYA, whose name comes from the word “pedagogy,” is the result.

“The decision to change the way we teach isn’t an Israeli idea or an AMIT idea,” she emphasized. “The whole world is going through the realization that education must undergo a major change.”

The frontal-teaching mode employed by most schools since the 18th century isn’t working very well today, Deutsch said, GOGYA was developed to bring the network’s educational practices into the 21st century. As recently as a decade ago, she noted, students who wanted to learn about a subject either consulted a teacher or headed to the nearest library or encyclopedia.

Today, thanks to the electronic information revolution, the majority of information is as close as the nearest computer, smartphone or tablet. Students don’t really need teachers to impart the information they can find on the internet.

“Deutsch cautioned that students don’t know how to evaluate what they see on Google, and they lack the tools and skills to differentiate between one answer and another.

“They don’t know how to gather the information and take it to the next level. That’s where teachers come in,”she said.

What students need, she said, are teachers who encourage them to seek out information, individually or in groups, teach them the tools to interpret it, and to take this information in exciting and fun directions.

Computers can provide many of the answers, she noted, but students just don’t know how to ask the right questions.

GOGYA, Deutsch said, is built on the realization, born out by brain

Dr. Amnon Eldar with teachers and principals in conference at the GOGYA center.

The chairs they are sitting on, are being introduced in AMIT schools and allow for a more flexible classroom environment.

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to find jobs and navigate their way in the new world.”

“GOGYA, is a comprehensive cultural change,” she said. “Rather than change one piece of a puzzle, it deals with all of a school’s components, from the method of teaching and assessment to how to organize daily life at the school and which programs to teach, and how.”

Eilat Deutsch, AMIT’s deputy director of research and assessment MRIs, that “the more active students are in obtaining knowledge, the better they retain it. Instead of being passive receivers, they know how to dig it out of their minds and experiences, where they are stored.”

At the schools affiliated with GOGYA, for example, students are asked to prepare a lesson plan and teach their fellow students. In the process they hone their research and presentation skills and thoroughly learn the material.

“Without the proper tools,” Deutsch emphasized, “our kids won’t be able

PHOTOS: REBECCA KOWOLSKY

Games that are used at GOGYA to teach out-of-the-box thinking.

AMIT KAMAH YERUCHAM – GOGYA AT WORK In June, a pair of tenth-graders from the AMIT Kamah School in Yerucham stood before a dozen seventh-graders in a classroom and asked them to sit in a circle. Then one of the older girls asked the younger girls some questions: “How can we be sure the world knows about Israel and the Jewish people?” “How do others see us, and how does our behavior influence their perceptions?

One of the tenth-graders—who, like the rest of the students in her grade, was asked to deliver a lesson related to the leadership of the biblical Judge Samuel—tapped on her computer.

A moment later the PowerPoint presentation she and her “co-teacher” had prepared appeared on a wall screen.

One of the slides showed the iconic photograph of American Jewish leaders marching alongside Martin

The heart and soul of the AMIT network’s

pioneering educational reforms, the GOGYA

center is also the place where Education

Ministry officials, including Education Minister Naftali

Bennett, and non-AMIT

educators come to learn about the groundbreaking techniques AMIT is employing.

Luther King at Selma, while another showed a photo of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin with former President Bill Clinton and the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The presentation included a short video depicting Japanese supporters of Israel waving Israeli flags and singing Israeli songs on the streets of Tokyo, and a short segment showing Israeli Nadir Glued, Israel’s representative at the popular 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, singing “Golden Boy.” Glued placed in the top ten in the contest.

On another slide, the face of Menachem Mendel Schneerson, z”l, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, dominated the cover of a dated New York Times magazine.

The PowerPoint completed, one of the tenth grade student teachers asked what messages the seventh-graders understood from these images. continued on page 12

Fall 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 11

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continued from page 11 “That Jews and Israel are a light unto the world,” one of the younger girls said.

“That the Torah teaches us that bigotry and racism are prohibited,” replied another student.

“That it’s not only Jews who are interested in Chabad and religious Jews,” said a third.

When the clearly successful lesson was over, the young presenters sighed in relief. “We spent a couple of weeks working on this presentation,” Noy Asher, 16, said. “I think it went well.”

Renana Ashkenazi, the other presenter, said that preparing the presentation was “a good way to learn as well as teach. It’s much nicer to be active than to have to sit in your chair in classes all day, every day.”

Morag Amar, 14, one of the seventhgraders, thought the lesson “was really interesting. We examined what we do as Jews and Israelis that influence others and their opinions of us. It was something I’d never thought about before.”

Student-led workshops are just one of the innovations the Kamah school has introduced during the

past couple of years, thanks in part to GOGYA—one of the most ambitious initiatives the AMIT network has ever undertaken.

RA’ANANA – AMIT GOGYA CENTER Determined to change the way AMIT teachers teach and students learn, the network’s pedagogical and R&D experts started laying the groundwork needed to empower the network’s teachers back in 2012.

“To build a new way of teaching has required our teachers to be students themselves,” Deutsch explained. “We needed to give them the ability to enact change in their schools. They needed to learn how to collaborate with other teachers to teach interdisciplinary subjects. And once they learned these things, they needed to learn how to assess the results of this new type of learning without using a conventional exam. How can we measure this or that project if the project is completely new?”

When the first group of GOGYA teachers began their studies last fall, the goal was to foster leaders who, by year’s end, would be prepared to teach GOGYA’s methodology to their schools’

other teachers. And that’s exactly what has happened.

Each group of five-to-seven teachers (known as their school’s R&D team) received in-school training and ongoing mentoring from a series of experts. Once a month they traveled to the GOGYA education center, where the R&D team members broke off to attend a variety of seminars and to share experiences and ideas with members of other groups.

Unlike previous monthly meetings, the June 23 Teachers’ Day was an opportunity for each school’s R&D team members to formally reflect on how they integrated the GOGYA experience in their classrooms.

Standing before two other R&D teams, Ze’ev Levin, a high school teacher at the AMIT B’Levav Shalem in Yerucham, said his GOGYA team had spent much of the year “nurturing” teachers’ creativity and fostering cohesiveness between the students, who come from a wide range of backgrounds.

“Our goal in the coming year is to hold regularly scheduled faculty meetings with all the teachers where the emphasis, per GOGYA, will be on

Two AMIT students independently discussed, debated, decided and designed a project on urban planning - A direct result of the GOGYA process.

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sharing ideas and listening to each other,” Levin told the group, who listened carefully to his PowerPoint presentation.

In between team presentations, Tahel Dahan, an English teacher and R&D member from the AMIT Religious High School in Sderot, said GOGYA has inspired her team to make what the students learn “more relevant” to their lives.

“Before GOGYA, I would walk into classrooms every day and teach one text after the other. Now I take a poem or a story and spend more time analyzing it with the students.”

Dahan recalled how, after teaching a poem called “Grandmother” to her class, she took the class to a nearby nursing home.

“Soon after, one of my students told me he now visits his grandfather and listens to what he has to say.”

Dahan said GOGYA “makes you aware you need a change, and then facilitates that change.” The full day she and her R&D team members devote to GOGYA every week “allows us, to think, to study, to extend our knowledge and brainstorm a host of ideas.”

Reut Aflalo, one of Dahan’s fellow team members, said she was initially fearful that the school’s other teachers, many of them with much more seniority, would balk at the GOGYAinspired innovations being suggested by the mostly young R&D team members.

“I feel a sense of satisfaction that they want to learn from us,” she said.

Aflalo, also an English teacher, said GOGYA is enabling some of the educational innovations the AMIT network has been advocating for several years but without the kind of support GOGYA is now providing.

“Everyone was always telling us to teach and assess our students differently but no one really gave us the tools. Every couple of weeks we will divide up all the teachers into three working groups and teach them, work with them and provide them with the tools and skills we’ve spent the year acquiring.”

Director General of AMIT Dr. Amnon Eldar and Education Minister Naftali Bennett at the GOGYA Center in Ra’anana.

Having benefited from the many “outside” lecturers offered to them via GOGYA, the Sderot team plans on bringing in lecturers with expertise in a variety of fields.

Yehuda David, Pedagogy Coordinator at AMIT Gwen Straus, Kfar Batya, said GOGYA encourages the collaborative give-and-take.

According to David, when two teachers get together, “you’ll see A and I’ll see B because you’re looking at it from one vantage point and I’m looking at if from another. That, in a word, is GOGYA.” Although the principal will always have the final say on matters related to his or her school, David said, “We want teachers to be empowered and to share the great ideas they have.”

The principal described how, inspired by GOGYA’s goal of making each and every subject more relevant, and therefore interesting to the students, he taught a Talmud lesson about a boat that included a YouTube clip of a storm at sea.

“I asked the students their feelings when they watched the storm scene, and when I realized they didn’t understand a word central to the text, I sent them to the Internet to learn what it means. The lesson was very interactive, and the kids and I enjoyed the entire process.”

Deutsch said the R&D members share anecdotes like this all the time, and that each anecdote reflects the unique character of that particular school.

“A school, in Sderot, is focusing on

dialogue because they have a big range of students, some religious, some not religious. They’re asking themselves, how do we connect everyone?”

Meanwhile, Deutsch said, “Thanks to GOGYA the faculty at an AMIT religious girls high school in Tzfat “is connecting lessons in the Tanakh (Bible) with physics and math lessons and gender issues?”

Deutsch underscored that GOGYA is the result of trial and error by the AMIT network, which has always stayed ahead of the curve.

“Before GOGYA, we started with technology—tablets, smart boards, and project-based learning—and they accomplished things, but the focus was too narrow. The innovation came from the top down, not the bottom up.

With GOGYA, the R&D teams tell us what they need, and those needs are different. It’s not one-size-fits-all.”

Today, Deutsch said, “we’re changing the environment. Teachers are being trained in how to make the most of tablets, how to collaborate with teachers of other subjects and how to teach in an open space, where classrooms have removable dividers.”

More than anything, Deutsch said, “we’re building leadership. We don’t want to send mentors to schools forever. Eventually, we want the teachers to lead themselves.” 

NEXT ISSUE: GOGYA in the classroom.

Fall 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 13

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FEATURE

FROM A CAFETERIA IN THE BRONX

TO A KITCHEN IN KFAR BLATT This past spring, Ellen and Stanley Wasserman donated a major gift of $3,000,000 towards the renovation of the Kfar Blatt Youth Village in Petach Tikva. The money will go towards mishpachton (surrogate family) apartments and a state-of-the art industrial kitchen that will have the capacity to serve 700 meals a day.

By Robert E. Sutton

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ONE OF THE BOYS AT THE TABLE. IN THE WINTER OF 1954, ELLEN Charles sat down at an empty table in the Hunter College cafeteria with her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and proceeded to eat her lunch while reviewing the day’s assignment.

To her dismay, a group of young men sat down opposite her and immediately disturbed her concentration by talking loudly and annoyingly about a girl they thought was “weird.” One of the young men declared she was weird because she had a grade index of 3.5, and they snickered at her academic proficiency.

Exasperated because she couldn’t focus on her studies, Ellen looked up and simply stared at them. “So what’s your index?” smirked one of the boys. Ellen casually replied, “It’s 3.7, and I am a freshman.”

And ““so so what’s your index index,” one of the great pick-up lines of all time, began what was to become one of the great marriages of all time.

Ellen and Stanley Wasserman have been married for 55 years.

They have four children, Alan, Mark, Neil and Rivka. When asked about her grandchildren and two great granddaughters, Ellen rattled off 19 names and ages in less than a minute. That one-minute recital illuminates the meaning of mishpacha.

They were brought up in the Bronx. Ellen attended Ramaz, he DeWitt Clinton. Glancing at Ellen, Stanley proudly said, “She was the smart girl, she is the intellectual. I was just an average student.” “However, I have my father’s sense of business; I’m able to make a quick decision, that’s the key.” continued on page 16

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continued from page 15 AMIT: Did he ask you out right after that encounter?

Ellen Wasserman: No way! Despite his bravado, he was a little shy. I dated a few of his friends. They all asked me out. He didn’t.

Stanley Wasserman: But I got reports from them.

Ellen Wasserman: Stanley was always funny. He was so funny, I would cry from laughing. Even now, you talk to him for two minutes and I guarantee he’ll have you in stitches. He always brings a smile to people’s faces.

AMIT: So it was the laughter that got you hooked.

Ellen Wasserman: I liked him. He was so handsome, especially in his leather motorcycle jacket. He has an easy-going manner, a happy–go-lucky attitude and a quick smile. His personality was outsized. All his friends followed him .AMIT: Tell us about the early years.

Stanley Wasserman: The first year we were married I was working for my father and going to law school at night. Eventually my father sold the business. I took the federal service exam, and I began working for the Social Security Administration. I was a

fraud investigator for 18 years. While working there, I began dabbling in real estate. With the money I had I bought a four-story-up in the Bronx. I left the government job and have been in real estate ever since.

AMIT: I’m going to go a bit off subject.

I know there’s an interesting story about With their kids - Alan, Mark, Neil and Rivka in the late ‘70s your maiden name Jewish National Fund. Pennies, nickels “Charles” How did that not-so-Jewish and dimes for Israel. name come about.

Ellen Wasserman: Well, I knew that Charles was not our authentic family name, but I had no idea that our original name was on my birth certificate. At 16, I applied for a summer job at MetLife.

At the time they had a reputation for not hiring many, if any, Jews. The human resources department asked for my birth certificate in order to ascertain my age. When I asked my mom for my birth certificate and saw the name “Ellen Czazkes” staring back at me, I was convinced that I would never get the job.

Fortunately for me, they did hire me. So, I found out my original surname while applying for a job.

AMIT: Growing up in the Bronx in the mid-to-late 1940s. What was it like at the dinner table talking about the future Israel and Zionism?

Motzei Shabbat Fever

Ellen Wasserman: My father was very Zionistic. Outspoken about his Zionism and the likes of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir.

Both my parents loved Israel. It was a constant in our lives. I clearly remember when I was 12 going on the subways with a pushka and collecting money for the

Stanley Wasserman: And as a kid I was immersed in what was going on around the world. Reading the newspapers every day: the war, Palestine, the Zionist movement. It was one of the most significant parts of our lives.

AMIT: When was the first time you went to Israel?

Ellen Wasserman: It was 1957 and I went with about a thousand young people.

We went by ship - on the SS Israel. I met cousins and traveled around. It was wonderful.

AMIT: When were you first introduced to AMIT? Ellen Wasserman: Around 1974. A friend from the Bronx, Vivian Rosen, asked me if I wanted to become a member of Mizrachi Women of America. With four kids I thought I wouldn’t have the time.

But the chapter met only once a month, so I was in. It was the Dahlia Chapter in Pelham Parkway. One needs a certain type of personality who could go out and say, “Well, you’ve got to give.” That’s not me. But I love to write skits, plays, poetry. So, I became Program Chairman.

When a member was honored I put together short plays, poems about AMIT. I wrote songs for functions such as...

PENNIES IN PUSHKAS (Tune of Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head) Pennies in pushkas every day,

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substantive citizens of Israel.

We’re so proud we are able to help such wonderful schools, beautiful children and the finest educational network in Israel.

AMIT: If you are talking directly to someone who may not know AMIT, what would you say in a sentence or two.

Ellen Wasserman: The best educational system that we know about is AMIT; it delivers the best education and it cares personally about each of its students, the principals, and the teachers. The best reason to donate money is the education of the children.

That’s the future of Israel.

The Mishpacha Turn into dollars if you save them in that way.

Children’s Village. That’s when I saw with my own eyes that Mizrachi works.

Pushka, you’re for me.

Stanley Wasserman: It was unbelievable.

How the surrogate parents took care, taught and helped raise young Jewish orphans. I saw the need for money, it was obvious. We were collecting pennies and dollars, but MWOA needed “real” money.

Those pennies in pushkas, dimes and quarters in pushkas...

I also wrote a song to the tune of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” There’s no chapter like our chapter like no chapter we know.

Yesterday Mizrachi was the barest dream Today 50,000 make up our team...

Eventually, I was fortunate enough to become president of the Dahlia Chapter.

AMIT: Stanley, were you involved with MWOA at that time?

Stanley Wasserman: Sure, I went to events and functions. Most husbands attended. But the meetings, no. Those were just for women.

AMIT: When did you first visit a MWOA school?

Stanley Wasserman: It was 1971, we were in Israel with all four kids, ten years old, eight, six and three—you can only imagine what is was like, crazy and wonderful.

Ellen Wasserman: We visited Kfar Batya

We visited Beersheva two or three years ago and toured the high school.

It was beautiful to see Russian Jews, Ethiopian Jews, Sephardi and Ashkenazi all sitting together in a classroom. We talked to these remarkable teachers and the principal. They had such devotion to these kids 24/7. I was awestruck.

And, with AMIT’s professionalism and the money all of us have donated, the Bagrut scores have risen by nearly 70%.

Ellen Wasserman: We went to the school in Ma’ale Adumim and met with the principal and teachers. Their rapport with the students, their concern, it was real. I was a teacher in the New York public school system for 22 years, and I’ve rarely seen such dedication to children and with great enthusiasm.

They know how to teach a child at whatever level. Impressed? More than I can tell you.

But the beauty of it all is at the end of the day these kids graduate, go into the IDF, start a career, and become

AMIT: And what would you like to say to the 50,000+ members of AMIT Ellen Wasserman: I would say kudos to all the members who belong to AMIT and who support AMIT. You are performing a mitzvah.

Stanley Wasserman: And in these trying times, if you love Israel, you support Israel. Every Israeli child is a valuable child. We must elevate his or her full potential. They’re our greatest resource.

And when they succeed, that’s because of you…the member of AMIT. 

Besides donating funds towards the renovation at Kfar Blatt, Ellen and Stanley Wasserman are the benefactors of the AMIT Wasserman Torah, Arts and Science Junior and Senior H.S. in Ma’ale Adumim, the AMIT Junior and Senior High School in Beersheva, The Ellen and Stanley Wasserman Top Tech Initiative, and the multi-purpose courts at the Harvey Goodstein Sports Complex at Kfar Batya Youth Village.

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Student Spotlight showcases success stories in academics, arts, sciences, religious studies, sports and more. Spotlight also profiles the AMIT students who perform chesed and best reflect the Zionist spirit.

AMIT STUDENT ELECTED NATIONAL STUDENT COUNCIL CHAIR Eliav Batito, a student at AMIT Yehuda Afula Yeshiva High School, was recently elected chair of the National Student and Youth Council of Israel. Eliav, 17, will be starting twelfth grade in the fall. He previously served as chair of the Student Council of Afula and the northern region representative of the National Student Council. Because of his experience and involvement in these activities, Eliav decided to run for the top Student Council position in the country.

Dr. Amnon Eldar, Director General of the AMIT Network, congratulated Eliav. “For us, Eliav represents a generation of students dedicated to the community and Israeli society — this is how the leaders of the future are built.”

Rabbi Tzachi Blau, Rosh Yeshiva at AMIT Afula added, “We are proud of Eliav and the values he has instilled in our school, I am confident that Eliav will have a positive impact on all the students in Israel.” 

AMIT REHOVOT STUDENT WINS FIRST PLACE IN MATH COMPETITION Dotan Saliman, a student at AMIT Hammer Rehovot High School for Boys, won first prize at the International Mathematical Kangaroo Competition held recently at the Weizmann Institute. The Kangaroo competition is one of the most popular math competitions in the world, and its main objectives are to attract more students to engage in solving mathematical problems to prove that mathematics is not threatening, but instead can be challenging and fun.

According to the organizers of Kangaroo, the key competence tested by the competition is logical combination, not just pure knowledge of formulas. This year in Israel about 2,000 students in grades two through ten from schools throughout the country participated in the competition, with separate levels for each age group. Dotan was the national eighth-grade champion, impressing the judges with his exact mathematical solutions. We congratulate Dotan and wish him continued success! 

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9/12/15 4:06 PM

Buying wine for the holidays?

Looking for the perfect gift?

JOIN THE AMIT HOLIDAY WINE CLUB Join the AMIT Holiday Wine Club to enjoy some of the best kosher wines at your holiday table.

You’ll receive four bottles of Kosher wine in time for Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah, and Passover.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit AMIT’s 30,000 children in Israel.

TO ORDER YOUR WINE FOR THE HOLIDAYS GO TO WWW.AMITWINECLUB.COM .

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$1,000,000 +

Ellen, z”l, and Meyer Koplow, NY Ethel and Lester Sutker, IL Ellen and Stanley Wasserman, NY

$250,000 - $999,999 Shari and Jacob M. Safra, NY The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.

$100,000 - $249,999

Ellen and Emanuel Kronitz, Israel Barbara and Jules Nordlicht, NY Dahlia Kalter Nordlicht and Mark Nordlicht, NY Robyn Price Stonehill and David Stonehill, NY Joyce and Daniel Straus, NJ The Maurice and Viviene Wohl Philanthropic Foundation, NY

$75,000 - $99,999 ING

A TIME • AT

M I T • B UI LD

A

ISRA E

L

NE CHI LD •O

An Invitation To Join Me In

President’s Circle As a parent and a long time devoted AMIT donor, I know how important a good education is to the development of children.

Many of the 30,000 students at AMIT in Israel do not have the advantages that our own children enjoy and which we may easily take for granted.

President’s Circle gifts provide the foundation upon which our network of schools is built. These annual gifts are sustaining funds that we rely on to support our excellent programs. In order to guarantee the continuation of programs which nurture AMIT’s children and instill within them strong values and academic excellence, we rely on our members whose annual donation ensure Israel’s future by providing these opportunities.

All successful endeavors require a strong foundation. Please join me. The circle will not be complete without you.

President - Debbie Moed Chair - Joyce Straus Honorary Chairs - Audrey and Rabbi Haskel Lookstein For further information regarding President’s Circle, please contact Susan Meyers, Director of Development, at 212-477-4730, 1-800-989-AMIT or susanm@amitchildren.org.

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Laurie and Eli Bryk, NY

$50,000 - $74,999 Debbie and Michael Alpert, NY Hadassah and Marvin Bienenfeld, NY Suzanne and Jacob Doft, NY Debbie and David Isaac, NY Debbie and Samuel Moed, NJ Leon and Gloria, Edward, Sari and Howard Miller, NY Harriet and Heshe Seif, NJ Adina Straus, NY

$36,000 - $49,999 Anonymous, Israel Ike, Molly and Steven Elias Foundation, NY Amy and Jimmy Haber, NY Brenda and Albert Kalter, NY Ria and Tim Levart, NJ Sharon and Solomon Merkin, NJ Naomi Foundation, NY

$25,000 - $35,999

Joan and Shael Bellows, IL Blackman Foundation, CA Rosalyn and Ira Friedman, NJ Leelah and Joseph Gitler, Israel Mitzi Golden, NY Laura and Jonathan Heller, NY Michele and Ben Jacobs, NY Kirkland & Ellis LLP, NY Micheline and Marc Ratzersdorfer, Israel Sandra and Evan Roklen, CA Zahava and Moshael Straus, NJ Shirley and Morris Trachten, z”l, Family Foundation, Israel

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Adena and Ezra Dyckman, NY Jewel and Ted Edelman, NY Miriam and Felix Glaubach, NY Pnina and Jacob Graff, CA Mildred and Alvin Hellerstein, NY Russell Jay Hendel, MD Sarah Liron and Sheldon Kahn, CA Stacey and David Kanbar, NY Amy and Todd Kesselman, NY Gitta and Richard Koppel, Israel

$10,000 - $17,999

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Anonymous, FL Anonymous, France Anonymous, Israel Anonymous, Israel Anonymous, MA Anonymous, MD Anonymous, NY Anonymous, Switzerland Leah and Jonathan Adler, NJ Randi Schatz Allerhand and Joseph S. Allerhand, NY Sarah and Maurice Aghion, MA Nicole Schreiber Agus and Raanan Agus, NY Ann and Hy Arbesfeld, NY Asher Foundation, NY Lolly and Harris Bak, NY Rachel and Martin Balsam, NY Yael Balsam, NY Lee and Louis Benjamin, NY Tamar and Ethan Benovitz, Israel Bea Berger, NJ Phyllis and Edward Berkowitz, NY Lisa and Joseph Bernstein, NY Vivian and Stanley Bernstein, NY Laurie Bilger and Eli Epstein, NY Evelyn and Isaac Blachor, NY Devorah and Melvyn Bleiberg, NY Beth and Reuben Blumenthal, NY Sari and Stuart Braunstein, NY Adele and Jules Brody, NY Tamar and Hillel Bryk, NY Carol and Arnold Caviar, KS Margaret and Chaim Charytan, NY Michael Cleeman, NY Trina and Paul Cleeman, NY Shevi and Milton Cohen, NY Diane and Howard Cole, NY Melvin S. Cutler Foundation, MA Selma Daye, CA Sonia Diamond Family Foundation, MD Elaine and Lewis Dubroff, NY Hattie and Arthur Dubroff, NJ Susan Ederson, NY Linda and Barry Eichler, PA & NY Sherry and Aaron Eidelman, NY Vivian and Bernard Falk, NY Esther and Steven Feder, CA Iris and Stephen Feldman, NY Sheila and Kenneth Fields, NJ Shari and Jeff Fishman, CA Gabriella and David Fridman, NY Rena and Michael Friedman, IL Marisa and Andrew Gadlin, NY Shifra and Perry Garber, NY Adina and Lawrence Garbuz, NY Rita Geller, IL Deborah and Allan Gibber, MD Deborah and Elliot Gibber, NY Abigail and Ari Glass, NY Ilana and Stuart Goldberg, NJ Paulette and Max Goldberg, NY

Esther and Jack Goldman, NY Zelda and Sheldon Goldsmith, NY Anne and Sheldon Golombeck, NY Sara and Ronald Gottlieb, FL Paula Yudenfriend and Arlin Green, PA Sharon and Melvin Gross, NY Phyllis Hammer, MA Nicole and Jacques, z”l, Hanau, France Carole and Didier Hannaux, France Debbie and Robert Hartman, IL Debbie and Eddie Herbst, CA Bonnie and Herb Hirsch, FL Aviva and Fred, z”l, Hoschander, NY Peggy and Robert Insel, NY Sonia Bodenstein-Izenstark and Ira Izenstark, CA Elaine and Robert Jacobs, NY Tayla and Rafi Jacobs, NY Barbara and Manfred Joseph, NY Connie and Alan Kadish, NJ Ilana and Mitchell Kahn, NY Robin and Simon Kahn, Israel Danna and Gilad Kalter, NY Ruth and Jerome Kamerman, NY Miriam and Shopsy Kanarek, NY Ruth and William Kantrowitz, NY Harriet and Joel Kaplan, NY Karen Kaplan, IL Elissa and Michael Katz, NJ Rona and Ira Kellman, NY Rochelle Stern Kevelson, NY Diane and Barry Kirschenbaum, FL Susan Alter Klaperman and Gilbert Klaperman, NY Chani and Shimi Klein, NY The Klibanoff Family, NJ Jane Klitsner, Israel Laurie and Robert Koppel, NY Evelyn and Lawrence Kraut, NJ 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 Ruth and Robert Lewis, NY Mindy and Seymour Liebman, NY Audrey and Haskel Lookstein, NY Naomi and Carl Lopkin, MA Rita Lourie-Galena, PA & NY Manette and Louis Mayberg, MD Meira and Solomon Max, NY Benay and Ira Meisels, NY Susan and Jeffrey Meyers, NY Lois and Jonathan Mills, IL Judy and Albert Milstein, IL Leonard E. Minsky, ME Myra Mitzner, NY Gloria and Burton Nusbacher, NY Lynn and Samuel Pepper, NJ Bea and Irwin, z”l, Peyser, NY Hedy and Paul Peyser, MD Suzy and Paul Peyser, NY Vicki and Jerry Platt, NY

Pia and Stuart Pollack, PA Esther and Donald Press, NY Tzippi and Ira Press, NJ Judy and Jerry Pressner, NY Bethia Straus-Quintas and Paul Quintas, IL Barbara and Joel, z”l, Rascoff, NY Evelyn Reichenthal, TX Sheila and Sidney Rimmer, NY Shelley Rindner, NY Fritzie and Sheldon, z”l, Robinson, IL Kristina and Len Rosen, Israel Vivian and Solomon Rosen, FL Miriam and Howard Rosenblum, NJ Gayle and Eric Rothner, IL Leah and Arnold Rotter, CA Hedda Rudoff, NY Shirley and Milton Sabin, FL Marielle and Edmund Safra, NY Tammy and Kenny Schaum, NY Jan and Sheldon Schechter, NY Iris Schneider, NY Loren and Benjamin Schonbrun, CA Esther and William Schulder, NJ Debbie and Daniel Schwartz, NY Esther, z”l, and Jacques Semmelman, NJ Deanne and Leonard Shapiro, Israel Sharon and Rony Shapiro, MA Chana and Daniel Shields, NJ Deena and Adam Shiff, NY Mollie Siegel, NJ Sharon and Morris Silver, CA Lorraine and Mordy Sohn, NY Sondra and Myron Sokal, NY Sara and Gabriel Solomon, MD Mahla and Hilton Soniker, NY Nancy and Benjamin Sporn, NY Francine and Aaron Stein, NJ Deborah Stern Blumenthal and Michael Blumenthal, NJ Nechama and Howard Taber, NY Lilly Tempelsman, NY Sandra and Max Thurm, NY Bertie and Fred Tryfus, NY Vicky and Michael Turek, NY Audrey and Max Wagner, NY Paula and Leslie Walter, NY Anne and Mark Wasserman, NY Marion and William Weiss, NJ Roselyn and Walter, z”l, Weitzner, NY Janet and Stanley Weissbrot, IL Linda and Steven Weissman, NY Joyce and Jeremy Wertheimer, MA Booky and Jerome Wildes, NY Phyllis Wind, NY Florence Wolf, NY Stella and Samy Ymar, MD Hilde and Benjamin, z”l, Zauderer, NY Esther and Dov Zeidman, NY Tamar and Benjamin Zeltser, NY Helene and Gerald Zisholtz, NY

*As of August 27, 2015

Anonymous, Israel Anonymous, NY Trudy and Ted, z”l, Abramson, FL Max & Anna Baran, Ben & Sarah Baran and Milton Baran, z”l Thelma, z”l, and Harvey Berger, MA Zelda and Solomon Berger, NY Daisy Berman, NY Anne Bernstein, CA Ethlynne and Stephen Brickman, MA Lotte and Ludwig Bravmann, NY Sherry and Neil Cohen, NY Marion Crespi, NY Jone and Allen Dalezman, MA Selma and Jacob Dyckman, NY Gail and Martin Elsant, NY Trudy and Sol Englander, NY Ruth and Gene Fax, MA Lilly and Alfred Friedman, NY Joseph and Rae Gann Foundation, MA Andrea and Larry Gill, CA Harwit Charitable Trust, CA Norma and Emanuel Holzer, NY Suzanne and Norman Javitt, NY Ruth and Hillel Kellerman, CA The Kolatch Family Foundation, NJ Rochelle and Seymour, z”l, Kraut, NJ Ruth and Daniel Krasner, NY Aliza and Steven Major, NY Zipporah and Arnold Marans, NY Etella and Haim Marcovici, NY The Dorothy Phillips Michaud Charitable Trust, CA Elana and Shami Minkove, NY Marilyn and Leon Moed, NY Joan, z”l, and Leon Meyers, NY Nataly and Steve Neuwirth, NY Regina Peterseil, NY Lauren and Mitchell Presser, NY Jerald Ptashkin, CA Joyce and Stanley Raskas, NY Rita and Eugene Schwalb, FL Judy and Isaac Sherman, NY Ronnie and William Slochowsky, NY Marilyn and Herbert, z”l, Smilowitz, NJ Trudy and Stanley Stern, NY Audrey and Chaim Trachtman, NY Ina and David Tropper, NY Judy and Morry Weiss/Sapirstein-StoneWeiss Foundation, OH Robert Zeldin, France

$5,000 - $9,999

president’s circle of honor

$18,000 - $24,999

9/11/15 10:28 AM

FEATURE

ANCIENT JEWISH EDU

Hebrew alphabet tablet with ten letters, 6th century B.C.E.

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By Robert E. Sutton

DUCATION

J

ewish teaching and learning have been essential components of Jewish tradition since the earliest times. The command to “teach your children” first appeared in D’varim (Deuteronomy) as part

of what later became the Shema – the most central of Jewish prayers.

Rabbinic literature is filled with references to schools and schooling, and to teaching and learning taking place at all levels, and for all ages from the youngest children through adulthood. According to the midrash on Bereshit, the first thing that Beit Yakov did on leaving Canaan was to establish schools. It is no accident that Jews are often known as “The People of the Book.” Jewish life is lived according to texts, commentary and interpretation of those texts. The varied methods of teaching them include instructive, experiential, argument and discussion. And that methodology continues to this day.

The task of describing an educational system for any one culture is difficult, since cultures constantly change. It is likely that Jewish education underwent significant alterations during its long history.

This is especially true of educational institutions, which were no doubt affected by the vicissitudes of political history. In general, education as it was known at the time of the Shoftim or Judges (12th13th centuries B.C.E.) did not remain unchanged by the time of the Maccabees (2nd century B.C.E), who were confronted with Hellenistic culture. Moreover, education was not necessarily uniform throughout all levels of Jewish society.

Cultures absorb influences from other cultures. Built into the Jewish religious system were careful rituals, symbols, and systems intentionally created to preserve the tradition, to keep it pure and untainted by outside forces. That is, the tradition worked at keeping the tradition. Yet at the same time, traces of other civilizations, particularly those of Canaan, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece, were undoubtedly assimilated into Jewish educational practices. continued on page 24

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continued from page 23 Before the Babylonian Exile In the early period of Hebrew history, prior to the exile of 586/587 B.C.E, the primary teachers were the shevet (tribe) and the family, particularly parents, and education was focused on the children. The Jews being originally nomadic tribes, training involved participation in the various agrarian occupations, such as farming, tent-making, making of tools, and fishing. Knowledge was passed from generation to generation through stories and allegories.

As the offices of Kohanim (priests) and Nevi’im (prophets) began to emerge, written literature developed from the rich repository of oral tradition within the culture. As the need to be able to read became important; education began to focus on teachers who would teach reading and writing. It was natural for priests to be considered the teachers of the community.

Within the community, prophets were also considered teachers. They were regarded as the channel through which God could speak. And although they were visionaries, seers of the future, prophets also served as wandering, public instructors, teaching the people the word of God regarding matters of public and private religious concern.

EXILE By the time Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586/587 B.C., the family was still the primary learning center, even during the 70 years of the Exile. Children were seen as a gift from God, and a great amount of energy was given to educating them for the future. Parents were answerable for their children’s conduct and were the primary teachers. While both parents were responsible, the primary responsibility in the patriarchal culture was given to the father.

The holiday cycle provided many teachable moments for the young Jewish child. Pesach, Shavout and Sukkot were important teaching tools and provided opportunities for children

Bronze stylus writing instrument, 1st-2nd century C.E. to ask questions and to learn.

During the time of the Exile, however, more formal education began to emerge. Boys were taught to read and write. Elementary education in childhood taught the Jewish boy to learn and memorize portions of the Tanach, especially the Torah. Primary education gave him a thorough knowledge of Mosaic history. Higher education was given to the detailed study of the Law, its practice and definition.

Girls were given instruction in domestic duties, such as spinning, weaving, the preparation of food, and caring for children. Women were also formally trained in such concerns as midwifery and medicine. Other educational opportunities existed for women, especially those of the wealthier classes. There is debate in the Mishnah on the education of women, meaning that some rabbis did consider women appropriate candidates for schooling. The later stories of Beruriah (100 C.E.), the daughter of Rabbi Hananiah Ben Teradion, similarly support this view of women’s education.

SECOND TEMPLE AND THE REVOLT Preserving the nation through religious education became even more important after the return to Jerusalem, and an elaborate instructional system was fashioned .

Priests maintained a primary educator role, in addition to their ceremonial duties and administration of the Temple. In time, however, as the Temple functions became even more

complex, their functions as teacher were given over more and more to the scribes. Likewise, as the tradition strengthened in numbers and purpose, a more complex educational system developed. Where before the society’s educational needs had been served primarily by the tribe and the family, in this period education became universal for Jewish boys and men.

Two great names are associated with Jewish education. In 75 B.C.E., Shimon ben-Shetach declared elementary education compulsory.

In 64 C.E., Yehoshua ben-Gamla, the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) made the momentous decision that “teachers of young children be appointed in each district and town and that children should start school at age six or seven.

Although there was formal education before him, Gamla reformed it, making the system universal and more effective. The Talmud declares that were it not for Yehoshua ben Gamla, Torah would have become forgotten among the Jewish People.

THE TEACHER A teacher was held in high esteem.

In some cases, respect for the teacher surpassed even parental respect.

Certain qualifications were required: the teacher, even in elementary school, was to be male and married. He was not to be idle, but even-tempered and possessed of high moral standards. In fact, the moral character of the teacher was deemed more important than his academic standards. The teacher was to teach without pay—the model was that a teacher should have a trade that

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realize that different types of minds must be approached by different methods.

There were (and still are) four classes of pupils, which teachers evaluated in terms of their ability to retain the knowledge taught to them: The Sponge: retains everything, but is unable to distinguish between correct and incorrect points or significant and insignificant ones. The Funnel: lets information go in one ear and out the other, gaining nothing. The Strainer: discards significant material and retains the incorrect or insignificant points.

He remembers all sorts of trivial, useless details of the material he studied, and no more. But The Filter: retains all the significant material, and discards the trivial and inconsequential details.

reciting aloud portions of the Tanach.

The basic elements of arithmetic, geography, and history were also taught, probably in conjunction with the reading of the Tanach. As soon as the child could read, he was given parchment rolls with particular passages to memorize, including the Shema, Hallel, The Story of Creation, and the essence of Levitical Law. In addition, the boy had to find and learn a personal text, a text that began with the first letter of his name and ended with the last letter of his name. Thus if a student’s name was Benyamim Ben Moshe he would memorize the first 20 pisukim (sentences) of Bereshit (Genesis).

THE PEDAGOGY In elementary school, all young Jewish boys learned to read by

Robert Ephraim Sutton is the Editor in Chief and Creative Director of AMIT Magazine.

The Talmud declares that were it not for

Yehoshua ben Gamla, Torah would have

become forgotten among the Jewish People.

-Bava Batra 21a

would satisfy his material needs. The rabbis felt there was a certain danger in simply maintaining an academic life; everyone needed a trade or skill.

THE PUPIL Even during the early years of the common era, teachers had sufficient practical knowledge of psychology to

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK Even though the form and content of education has changed with the demands of various times and places, it has remained a constant and powerful force in Jewish homes, culture and society. Whatever the time or place, education has provided a structure for passing on valued teaching and sacred tradition, and as such it must be considered one of the most fundamental building blocks of Jewish life and faith. 

C E L E B R AT I N G 9 0 M A G I C A L Y E A R S

You are invited to join us in celebrating 90 magical years of educating, inspiring, and empowering Israel’s youth. The evening spectacular features the worldrenowned “Sorcerer’s Night” illusionists who perform weekly to sold-out crowds in Tel Aviv. Chaired by Stacee and Mark Hess, the event will include an enchanted cocktail reception with up-close magical entertainment, a full-length stage show, and a delectable dessert buffet.

W E D N E S D A Y , O C T O B E R 2 8 , 2 015 JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.amitchildren.org/israel

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9/11/15 10:25 AM

DVAR TORAH

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HE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE DESCRIBES “the pursuit of happiness” as an “inalienable right”.

Our Torah, however, describes the experience of happiness as an obligation:“V’samachta b’chagecha...v’hayita ach sameach” — “And you shall rejoice on your holiday, and you should only be happy.” Devarim 16:14,15. The formulation of this mitzvah is unusual, since Jewish law typically legislates concrete deeds and behaviors: what we eat, how we speak, how we do business. All these are definable actions, and in order to fulfill our obligations, we simply do, or refrain from doing, the act that is described: I only eat food that is kosher, I don’t gossip, I pay all of my taxes. With the requirement to be happy, however, Halacha is legislating an emotion, which by definition is subjective and unpredictable. Ask a dozen people what makes them happy and chances are you will get a dozen different answers. How are we supposed to fulfill this obligation to rejoice when it is such a personal experience? Does the philosophy of Judaism define for us what it means to be happy? How we can concretize the fulfillment of this mitzvah?

I would like to propose two approaches to understanding the Jewish notion of simcha, and how we can apply it to the celebration not just of the holidays but to all of life’s joyous occasions.

1. Maimonides, author of the Mishnah Torah, codifies simcha on the holidays as follows: a man fulfills the mitzvah of simchat yom tov by consuming meat and drinking wine, a woman by purchasing new clothing and new jewelry, and children by receiving sweets and toys. In other words, there is indeed a subjective element to the fulfillment of this commandment, and one should treat oneself to that which makes her happy in order to fully enjoy the holiday experience. But the Rambam adds one very important component based on the Torah’s goal of the holidays elaborated in Devarim 16. If one only celebrates with the members of his own household, ensuring that they

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AMIT and the d have the material goods to bring them joy, but ignores and excludes those who are poor, lonely, or needy in any way, then his simcha is not simcha of the mitzvah, rather it is “simcha of the gut.” In other words, happiness can and should be aroused by material things that appeal to us as individuals; but at the same time the Halacha teaches us that exclusive and selfish indulgence has no spiritual value. Only when we take care of others in need and include them in our celebration can we truly experience joy and fulfill our obligation to be happy.

2. While the concept of simchat yom tov applies to all holidays, it is specifically associated with the holiday of Sukkot. The Talmud describes a particular practice on the holiday of Sukkot as the grandest, most lavish celebration: “He who has not seen the rejoicing at the place of the water drawing has never seen rejoicing in his life.” Sukkot 51a. The simchat beit hashoeiva, accompanied by music, dancing and great fanfare, was celebrated night after night as water was drawn from the special pools and poured onto the altar along with the offering of sacrifices. It was common practice to offer wine libations, and naturally we associate wine with joy. Wine takes time and skill to produce, it has a rich flavor and a delicate bouquet, and when imbibed it induces a state of relaxed, uninhibited joy. In contrast to wine, water is tasteless, abundant, common and free, hardly a substance worth celebrating. Yet this ritual of the water drawing is described as the greatest experience of joy possible.

Rabbi Aharon Soloveitchik, zt”l,

9/11/15 10:40 AM

by Rabbi Steven Weil

e definition of simcha suggests that it is precisely the run-of-the-mill accessibility of the water that defines our joy. Water, while common, is the source of all life, the most basic necessity of any living thing. Rather than taking it for granted, the experience of rejoicing with abandon over something as fundamental as water teaches us to appreciate and be happy that God provides what we most need easily and abundantly. We often delude ourselves and think it is only the rare, expensive luxuries that will bring us joy: the fine wine, the exotic vacation, the newest gadget. This mitzvah reminds us that real, lasting simcha cannot come from acquiring more, bigger, costlier. In fact, numerous studies show that this mindset leads to the opposite effect—greater frustration, jealousy, enmity, and depression, as we teach ourselves to continually look at what others have and subsequently feel deprived of what we think we are lacking.

Genuine and enduring simcha comes from treasuring that which we tend to overlook, the everyday blessings that, like water, we already have.

countless ways we should put the needs and feelings of others first. Secondly, to feel an innate sense of joy and satisfaction, be grateful for and appreciate the many, many simple gifts and blessings we already have every day.

To answer our original question, yes, Judaism does define for us how to be happy, and it did so long before the psychologists, self-help gurus and even the founding fathers attempted to guide us in this area. Firstly, to experience happiness, focus less on yourself and more on others. The Torah, as both a legal and philosophical masterpiece, spells out

Rabbi Steven Weil is the chief executive officer of the Orthodox Union. Rabbi Weil resides in New Jersey with his wife and seven children.

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It is a counter-intuitive approach, but it works.

Ask anyone involved in AMIT. Ask anyone who has visited one of the scores of AMIT facilities engaged in helping those who were not born or raised with the blessings that we take for granted.

Giving to others imbues a sense of purpose and joy. And seeing the needs of others is perhaps the most jarring way to appreciate the gifts and blessings in our own lives. AMIT ‘s raison d’etre teaches us this powerful lesson. AMIT teaches us the real meaning of simcha by engaging us to bring simcha to others. As we begin to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, may we successfully fulfill our obligation to be in a state of simcha, and may the simcha we experience inspire our pursuit of meaningful happiness in this new year.

Chag Sameach! <

9/11/15 10:40 AM

FEATURE

AMIT 2015 president’s gala and inauguration

Debbie Isaac and Debbie Moed

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n Thursday, June 11, the Broad Street Ballroom was the setting for the 2015 President’s Gala and Inauguration. With a crowd of close to 300 people, the evening saluted outgoing AMIT President Debbie Isaac and welcomed incoming President Debbie Moed, the new Board of Directors, Regional Vice-Presidents and Members-at-Large.

Reviewing the past four years, AMIT saw impressive growth under Debbie Isaac’s leadership, increasing to 110 schools in 29 cities with over 30,000 students. We have opened new schools in Kedumim, Ashkelon, Ramle, Rehovot and Sderot, and the average AMIT bagrut (matriculation diploma) success rate is now 83%, compared to the national average of 64%.

In the past year, AMIT received its largest single gift to date, from Ellen and Stanley Wasserman of New Rochelle, for the Top Tech Initiative.

And, in memory of his dear departed wife Ellen, z”l, who was a longtime member of AMIT, a magnanimous donation from Meyer Koplow launched a new AMIT program, “Ellen’s Kids.”

The keynote speaker for the evening was Israeli attorney, human rights activist and the founder of Shurat HaDin Israeli Law Center, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner.

All of us wish our new President great success. Behatzlachah! 

(l-r) Francie Brinn, Debbie Moed, Debbie Offman, Chavi Tilson

Vicky Turek and Rona Kellman

28 :: Fall 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE

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(l-r) Ellen and Stanley Wasserman, Ina Tropper

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Alan and Connie Kadish

Sam and Debbie Moed, Leon and Marilyn Moed

(l-r) Andrew Goldsmith, Chairs Rona and Ira Kellman

Hattie and Arthur Dubroff

(l-r) Gabrielle Berg, Jonathan Moed, Cara Kleiman, Julia Baruch

Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, Guest Speaker and Trudy Stern

Daniel and Joyce Straus, Trudy Stern, Careena and Drew Parker, Sharon and Solomon Merkin Mark Wasserman and Richie Katz

(l-r) Cara Kleiman, Debbie Isaac, Cillia Kleiman

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Debbie Isaac and Suzanne Doft

Ilana Kahn and Esther Nussbaum

9/11/15 10:30 AM

(l-r)Linda Garfield, Hana Halper, Rita Lourie Galena, Dina Caroline

DEVELOPMENT NEWS philly honors brenda frank

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n a warm evening in June, Philadelphia Council/Shira Chapter honored Brenda Frank at their Annual Mother-in-Israel Event. Brenda spoke emotionally about her recent trip to Israel where she visited Kiryat Malachi Junior and Senior High School and Dvir Junior and Senior High School for Boys in Beit Shemesh. “AMIT makes a difference for all of these kids; strengthening and exciting our students,” said Brenda. She and Paul were impressed and understood the great need AMIT is filling in the peripheral areas. In Brenda’s words, “AMIT schools really work!”

Marguerite Werrin and Dorothy Greene

The Lower Merion Women’s Choir performed beautifully. Thanks to Hedy Cohen and Linda Garfield, who co-chaired this heart-warming event.  (l-r) Phyllis Levin, Brenda Frank, Randye Sable, Judy Margolies

Top row (l-r) Tracey Ellenbogen, Brenda Frank; Bottom row (l-r) Naomi Schimmel, Arlene Schimmel, Barbara Fineblum

(l-r) Linda Garfield, Hedy Cohen, Naomi Sved, Marguerite Werrin, Dorothy Greene Brenda Frank and Joan Betesh

“AMIT” you at the finish line

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n June, Team AMIT completed the Rugged Maniac Obstacle Race. This was the team’s second race to benefit AMIT’s Leadership Biking Program, which provides AMIT students a great lesson in important life skills (which Team AMIT also used at the race!): work hard, set goals, pick yourself up when you fall, and keep trying. 

Ellen Muss and Max Muss

Ayala Helft and Judith Goldsmith

(l-r) David Golombeck, Avi Golombeck, Yoni Ellman, David Moed, Noam Zeffren

30 :: Fall 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE

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9/11/15 10:14 AM

(l-r) Oren and Wendy Penn, Linda Garzon, Rheba Silverstein

DC mother-in-israel

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n an evening in August, AMIT Birah Chapter of Greater Washington, DC celebrated its Annual Mother-in-Israel event at the home of Wendy and Oren Penn. Wendy is a granddaughter of Marion Krakow, z”l who was an active Birah DC member. Along with her mother Donna Lawrence, Elana Stein spoke movingly about her experience on the recent AMIT Mission.

Miriam Friedman and Alana Isenberg

Elana Weinberg gave a Dvar Torah about caring for one another.

Elana is married to Rabbi Brahm Weinberg of the Kemp Mill Synagogue. Sharon Freundel gave a talk about Psalm 27, giving us all hope for faith in the New Year.  (l-r) Marion Muller, Dalia Weiss, Russell Hendel, Carol Bender-Horwitz, Nancy Karkowsky, Miriam Friedman

Elana Stein

Sved,

Stella Ymar and Rosalyn Needle

the english spy in new england

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his summer, over 250 people attended an exclusive evening with best-selling author Daniel Silva at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts. Daniel Silva was touring the U.S. to promote his new book, The English Spy; and Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, President of the college, moderated an interesting and thought-provoking Q & A with the author.

Marti Herskovitz and Jen Singer

(l-r) Allen Dalezman, Jone Dalezman, Daniel Silva

Earlier that evening, an exclusive cocktail reception and book-signing, well-attended by Chai Society, President’s Circle and new top donors to AMIT, featured Andy Goldsmith, Executive Vice President, who spoke passionately about the current world situation and the important work of AMIT.  (l-r) Carl and Naomi Lopkin, Ethlynne and Stephen Brickman, David and Laura Eisenberg

Steffi Bobbin and Jone Dalezman

Ethlynne Brickman

Daniel Silva and Rabbi Daniel Lehmann

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9/12/15 6:46 PM

midwest council mother-in-israel

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

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he AMIT Midwest Council held its annual Mother-in-Israel event at Nordstrom at the Old Orchard Center in Skokie. Attendees were treated to presentations from Nordstrom wardrobe stylists and beauty consultants on the latest trends in clothing, shoes, and skin care. 

(l-r) Hinda Rubin and Linda Simons, co-chairs of the event (l-r) Rebecca Amster, Laurie Engel, Tami Drapkin Andrea Polster.

sugar & spice is nice

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MIT SE Region celebrated SUGAR & SPICE, a two-evening opportunity, highlighting the AMIT Southeast Region cookbook, Free Your Inner Chef. All proceeds benefited the AMIT Youth Villages’ Renovation Campaign.

Edith Kass and Sara Gottlieb

SUGAR: A sweet evening featuring Miami Beach’s own dessert diva Terry Lefkowitz, who guided the attendees on the how-tos of crumb-coating, frosting and decorating their own cakes. Tips included halving a cake using dental floss, making roses, and changing your icing colors, mess-free!

SPICE: The follow-up evening, attendees were treated to cooking demonstrations by SE Region Cookbook Celebrity Chefs Helen Ciment, Arline Reinhard, and Rena Turoff. The delicious courses were prepared and served, along with helpful tips and lots of good humor. Everyone ate, laughed and left with cookbooks and new ideas for holiday cooking. 

Dr. Mona Abramowitz

Terry Lefkowitz

(l-r) Helen Ciment, Harriet Sklar, Arline Reinhard, Rena Turoff

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Helen Ciment

9/11/15 10:15 AM

cleveland day at the gardens

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n July 28, a group of AMIT Cleveland members, accompanied by visiting Midwest Regional Director Beth Gottesman, spent the morning and early afternoon at the Holden Arboretum. Attendees, transported on tram cars, enjoyed a guided tour of the park. They shared lunch together and then had free time to explore the stunning gardens on foot. 

baltimore mother-in-israel

Rabbi Shmuel Silber

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MIT Baltimore paid tribute to Sonia Diamond, z”l, beloved member of the Sarah Ribakow/Tikvah Chapter, at its annual Mother-in-Israel event in July. Rabbi Shmuel Silber spoke eloquently about Sonia’s generosity and dedication throughout the Jewish community, and Selma Mosgin told of Sonia’s long history with her chapter. A delicious buffet dinner was served, followed by a special screening of the award-winning documentary film Complicit.

Robin Isaacson, co-founder and co-owner of the SS St. Louis Legacy Society Foundation, was the special guest speaker. 

( l-r) Robin Isaacson, Selma Mosgin, Barbara Bloom, Russell Hendel, Diane Hawk, Isabel Levinson, Etta Friedman, Gail Gerstman, Sandy Willner

Marvin and Linda Diamond

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9/11/15 10:15 AM

LA beach bbq

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n Friday, July 3, AMIT hosted it’s largest BBQ event yet. What a great way to celebrate America’s Independence! Over 300 young professionals enjoyed the largest annual Jewish Beach BBQ in Los Angeles, with beer and hotdogs, views over the ocean.

PHOTOS: BRYCE EMILY MEGDAL

This year we celebrated the day at a gorgeous beach pad right on the sand! Thanks go out to Mendel from the Chai Center, Jeff Feinberg, and all the volunteers without whom this great day would not have been possible. 

windy city shiur

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he 2015 Eleanor Greenberg Memorial Shiur was a great success. Rabbi Aaron Kraft of the Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Kollel of Chicago spoke on “Teaching to the Soul.” and we were privileged to have Eleanor Greenberg’s granddaughter, in from Israel, talk about the wonderful memories she has of her grandmother.

Eudice Greenfield, spoke on AMIT’s recent 90th anniversary mission to Israel and tied her experiences to Eleanor Greenberg’s past involvement in AMIT, including her participation in AMIT’s first ever mission to Israel some 50 years ago.

All proceeds benefited the Eleanor Greenberg Tutorial Fund. 

Family of Eleanor Greenberg, z”l

grounds for sculpture

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n a beautiful July day, a group from AMIT New Jersey was guided through a hidden gem, Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. Nestled throughout this magical place where art and nature come together are 270 sculptures by renowned and emerging contemporary artists.

The sculptures are positioned among the thousands of trees and flowers to appear as if they are one with nature. 

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9/11/15 10:15 AM

spanning AMIT world

Israel - On June 29, 2015, the AMIT Chug Ayelet & Dvorah Masovetsky Chapter in Jerusalem recognized its 90-plus year old members and past presidents in honor of AMIT’s 90th year. The 30 nonagenarians and 20 past chapter presidents in attendance were asked to rise, and were presented with red roses. Among the significant 90-year-old honorees (pictured, left to right) were past U.S. National Presidents Sarah Shane and Maxine Miller. The keynote speaker, Dr. Ari Greenspan of the renowned Ari and Ari duo, captivated the audience with tales of his travels to remote Jewish communities in Africa and beyond. Here’s to the next 90 years! 

PHOTO: SHARON ALTSHUL

PHOTOS: BRYCE EMILY MEGDAL

Midwest - On Thursday, July 23, 2015, AMIT’s Midwest Council held a breakfast for past council presidents and board members at the home of Miriam Neuman. The twenty-three attendees enjoyed lox and bagels and discussed the success of past fundraising efforts, plans for upcoming Midwest events, and strategies for highlighting how AMIT schools and programs uniquely improve the lives of Israeli children. 

Israel - The Weiss and Greenwald families of Beit Shemesh (pictured) were among 100 AMIT volunteers from the U.S., Israel, and the U.K. who participated in an AMITzvah scavenger hunt this summer at the AMIT State Technological High School in Jerusalem. Participants of all ages solved clues and riddles, and completed challenges, which imparted information in a fun, entertaining way about the school’s various vocational tracks. Non-perishable food items hidden throughout the school as part of the scavenger hunt were packaged into pre-Rosh Hashanah packages for students who do not have enough to eat at home.

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9/11/15 10:15 AM

By Cheryl Shaanan and Robert E. Sutton

AMIT HIGHLIGHTS AND SUCCESSES Because of your generous donations, more than 30,000 students are being educated and nurtured within a framework of academic excellence, traditional Jewish values and Zionist ideals. Here are a few ways your gifts made a difference.

YOUNG MEDIATORS AT AMIT NACHSHON Members of the student council at Yeshivat AMIT Nachshon, Mateh Yehuda, recently completed a professional course in mediation and conflict resolution. The course, initiated by the parents’ committee and Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Noam Krigman, was implemented within the context of the Mateh Yehuda “City Without Violence” program and the local mediation center. Students learned valuable mediation and life skills, such as active listening, mediating emotionally-charged situations, identifying interests and optimal communication.

The mediation course was concurrent with the students’ study of the Sanhedrin tractate in the Talmud, which teaches about conditions that favor either a trial or a compromise, as well as the importance of compromise between parties. The students also met with a rabbinical court judge who spoke to them about the Beit Din and its significance. During the course, students identified a conflict between friends and brought it to a successful conclusion using the mediation process they had learned. Students found the course fascinating, and they feel empowered to use their newfound mediation skills to resolve conflicts among their friends, siblings and classmates. 

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9/11/15 10:27 AM

EDUCATION MINISTER NAFTALI BENNETT VISITS AMIT HIGH SCHOOL IN TZFAT

Education Minister Naftali Bennett recently met with students and faculty of AMIT Florin Junior and Senior High School for Girls in Tzfat, a winner of the Ministry’s National Education Prize. During the visit, Minister Bennett said that “meaningful learning” is the future of the education system in Israel, and he intends to continue on the path of his predecessor, Rabbi Shai Piron, in implementing programs throughout Israel that emphasize significant and consequential scholarship.

Minister Bennett was impressed by the range of educational programming at AMIT Tzfat. The minister said that he has learned during his career in high-tech that women principals and managers have emotional—and general—intelligence that in many cases is more advanced than that of male principals and managers. He is therefore not surprised that the revolution at AMIT Tzfat took place under the leadership of Principal Yaffa Farjun-Shemesh.

Minister Bennett met with a group of new Bnei Menashe immigrant girls who now attend the Evelyn Schreiber Ulpana at AMIT Tzfat. The head of the Ulpana, Rabbi Yehuda Peles, and the entire faculty and student body have taken it upon themselves to ensure that the new immigrants from northeastern India feel at home and become quickly acclimated to their new school and country.

The minister spoke with students and learned about their studies and volunteer work in the community. One of the students expressed a wish to enter politics in the future. The minister told her, with a smile, that she might want to reconsider. 

AMIT HATZOR STUDENTS ADOPT NAHAL BRIGADE BATTALION Students at AMIT Hatzor HaGlilit High School have adopted the 50th Battalion of the IDF Nahal Brigade currently patrolling the northern border of Israel. The soldiers recently visited the school so that they and the students could get to know one another. The company commander gave students an overview of the battalion’s different functions and training program, and even spoke about the company’s role in Operation Protective Edge last summer. The students asked many questions about the soldiers’ military service, and the soldiers shared personal stories of their training and combat missions, as well as how they had developed as individuals and as a group.

The AMIT students and the soldiers are planning on meeting regularly during the summer vacation and into the next school year. Avihai Golan, principal of AMIT Hatzor and himself an IDF reserve duty battalion commander, spoke about this initiative. “The connection between the combat soldiers and the students is mutually beneficial.

The soldiers will have a home away from home here at our school for as long as they are stationed at the northern border, and in return the soldiers will motivate students to seek meaningful military service after high school,” said Golan. 

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LORD RABBI JONATHAN SACKS VISITS AMIT OROT SHAUL Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the British philosopher and scholar of Judaism who served as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013, visited Yeshivat Hesder AMIT Orot Shaul in Kfar Batya last week. In Rabbi Sacks’ address to the yeshiva, he spoke about leadership and encouraged the young men to take on leadership roles in Israeli society. Rabbi Sacks stressed that “the ability to lead is contingent on immense love and respect for the public one is leading, an absence of judgment, and a desire to improve and elevate the community.”

Rabbi Sacks added that humility is an essential characteristic in a leader.

However, the Rabbi said, “Humility does not mean undervaluing yourself. It means valuing other people.”

Said Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, head of Yeshivat Hesder AMIT Orot Shaul, “Rabbi Sacks left a strong impression on students because of the integrity of his message, the truth in his words, and his non-patronizing way of addressing the issue of leadership.” Rabbi Sacks and Rabbi Cherlow collaborate on matters of spirituality and Torah in Israel and the UK. 

NEW YORK EDUCATORS VISIT AMIT TECHNOLOGICAL SCHOOLS A delegation of leading educators from New York recently visited AMIT’s two vocational high schools in Jerusalem, AMIT Nordlicht Religious Technological High School and AMIT State Technological High School. The Ministry of Education has chosen these two schools as model facilities in the fields of electricity and electronics education. In addition to vocational training, the schools introduce and connect students to the real-world electricity and computerized technology industries while they are still in high school.

AMIT Nordlicht has recently established a junior college on its campus, where students can continue their vocational studies after graduating from high school and before enlisting in the army.

The delegation from New York was headed by Mr. Diallo Shabazz, director of the Department of Technology Education in New York, and Dr. Adriana Villavicencio, a researcher and professor at New York University. The delegation met with Ofer Rimon, director of Science and Technology Education in Israel’s Ministry of Education, and Dr. Tzvi Yarblum, head of Science and Technology Education at the AMIT Network, as well as students, teachers and principals at the two schools.

The American guests were very impressed by the teaching and learning methods they witnessed and are interested in implementing them at their schools in New York. 

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9/11/15 10:27 AM

BONDING WITH MOM AND DAD AT YESHIVAT AMIT NACHSHON Seventh-graders at Yeshivat AMIT Nachshon in Mateh Yehuda have spent this year engaged in a special Bar Mitzvah year curriculum. To mark its conclusion, the yeshiva held an outdoor workshop for parents and students at the Adam Ba’teva Park in nearby Moshav Mahsiya.

The aim of the workshop was to foster deeper connections between parents and their Bar Mitzvah boys through challenging activities and dialogue. First, each parent and teen chose a difficult task to accomplish together, such as walking on stilts, wall climbing, guiding a blindfolded partner or lighting a fire. Afterward, the pairs were asked to engage in an even more challenging task: sincere and genuine dialogue. The parent was asked to tell about good decisions he or she had made, and the son had to identify the values inherent in that decision and thus important to his family. Finally, parents and sons shared with the other participants the experiences and insights they would take with them from this special day.

One student summed up the experience: “We learned that there should be trust between us and that we can always count on each other.” 

NOBEL LAUREATE ADDRESSES AMIT SHACHAR BEIT SHEMESH STUDENTS Professor Ada Yonath met with students recently at AMIT Shachar Beit Shemesh High School for Girls. Ada Yonath received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2009 and was the first Israeli woman to win such an honor. Professor Yonath told the girls that ambition, curiosity and persistence are the keys to success. She encouraged students to always strive for more and not give up on their interests.

Yonath stressed that more than anything, she sees herself as a teacher, and it is important to her to encourage excellence, especially among girls. That is why she made every effort to come to AMIT Shachar and talk with them. She spoke about her own long road to success, from the child of a poor family to a Nobel Prize winner. The professor said that she was ambitious and curious even as a young girl and spoke about the chemistry experiments she would conduct as a child.

“Research,” Yonath told the students, “is slow and gradual, and we do not always receive support and understanding from those around us regarding the pace and methods of our work. However, I always tried to be an independent thinker, to think outside the box, and it ultimately earned me the Nobel Prize.” 

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9/11/15 10:27 AM

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY BOOK A ROOM AT THE INBAL HOTEL

AND 15% OF YOUR BILL WILL BE

DONATED TO AMIT *

Please visit our AMIT “home away from home” Tourist Center at Jerusalem’s Inbal Hotel.

Receive special discounts on tours and services with our Israel tour operator, take advantage of our “virtual concierge,” arrange a visit to an AMIT school, or just enjoy a hot cup of coffee and a nosh. We’d love to see you!

* FOR AMIT TO RECEIVE THE 15% DONATION, HOTEL ROOM MUST BE

BOOKED THROUGH AMIT.

To make your Inbal hotel reservation, please contact Sara Cherny at 212.792.5690 or SaraC@amitchildren.org.

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9/11/15 10:00 AM