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AUTO April 2019 : Nisan 5779

AMIT vocational schools provide tools for life Are you an AMIT Founder? AMIT alumna trains Israelâ€™s future cyber warriors

from the children of

AMIT

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE BY DEBBIE MOED

hat Comes Next? This is a question I’m often asked, and certainly something I think about—a lot. The last four years have been tremendously rewarding. It’s fair to say I’ve spent the better part of my days engaged in AMIT-related activities. I’ve been so proud to see the AMIT network grow to encompass 110 schools serving 35,000 students, representing every stripe of Israeli society. The breadth and depth of AMIT’s impact on Israel’s educational landscape has been well documented. Our students and educators consistently win top academic and social justice prizes-proving that academic excellence coupled with Jewish values, especially giving back to the community, are the core tenets of an AMIT education. I’m particularly proud of the Academy of Entrepreneurship and Innovation recently opened on our Kfar Batya campus. High schoolers from Ra’anana and surrounding towns come weekly to the innovation hub and maker’s space, taking projects from inception to virtual, and sometimes actual (!) market. Real-life high-tech entrepreneurs work on site, serving as the students’ mentors, coaching collaborative teams in critical thinking, conflict resolution, project management and public speaking—21st century skills that set them up for success in the army, university, and, ultimately, in their careers. Ours is the first high school in Israel to adopt this model, addressing every type of learner, in every segment of Israeli society: girls and boys, religious and secular, from the center of the country to the geographic and socioeconomic periphery. AMIT invests in a level of professional and person-

al staff development not seen in other institutions in Israel. Over the course of my presidency, I’ve had the pleasure to spend a considerable amount of time with our principals and teachers. In addition to the benefits of getting to know them, adding to our “AMIT family” vibe, I’ve had the singular experience of joining teams of principals on their annual mission to the U.S. We’ve toured leading-edge high schools around the country, viewing open classrooms, observing small group, project-based learning in action. As a result, in 75 of our schools, with more to come, the walls of traditional classrooms have literally come down. Our teachers have embraced the latest pedagogic methods, championing student-led instruction in bright, colorful learning spaces. At our Gogya teacher-training center in Ra’anana, nearly 40,000 educators and business people have come to learn. The Ministry of Education regularly sends educators and professionals—from outside the AMIT network—to train at the center. I’ve been blessed to be a central part of all this exciting innovation. It’s been a privilege collaborating with exceptional lay leaders and professionals all around the U.S. and in Israel over the years, and I am deeply grateful for their partnership. From my first experience meeting a single AMIT student, forging a relationship with her and so many others throughout the years, I’ve come to recognize that our large network is made up of individual children. AMIT is literally changing the course of their lives and I can’t think of a more compelling mission than giving each of them the opportunity to thrive and succeed. There’s still much work to be done, and I intend to remain actively involved. Join me in continuing to shape the lives of Israel’s youth.

Team AMIT participants get pumped for the Jerusalem Marathon: Find out how much our runners raised for the children of Frisch Beit Hayeled on p. 31. 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

President’s Message

Executive VP’s Impressions

Education for life

Cyber warriors of the future

Herstory in the making

From AMIT to the mayor’s seat

On the ball

24 T he unsung heroes

of Israel’s creation

29 Dvar Torah by Rabbanit Dr. Jennie Rosenfeld

AMIT highlights & successes

Development news

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

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

Chair, Marketing & Communications Cara Kleiman Director of Marketing & Communications Shelley Labiner Editor Anat Rosenberg Design Michael Shirey

AMIT enables Israel’s youth to realize their potential, and strengthens Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds within a framework of academic excellence, Jewish values and Zionist ideals. AMIT is an acronym for “Irgun Mitnadvot L’Ma’an Yisrael V’Torata” (organization of volunteers for Israel and her Torah) Visit us online at www.amitchildren.org AMIT Magazine (ISSN 1085-2891) is published biannually, fall and spring, by AMIT. AMIT national office: 817 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 1.800.989.AMIT or 212.477.4720 Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: AMIT 817 Broadway, New York, NY 10003

IMPRESSIONS BY ANDREW GOLDSMITH

ealthy organizations evolve, and evolution demands change.

This isn’t simply a business mantra—it is the very DNA of AMIT’s culture. AMIT’s lay leadership is a dynamic entity that’s designed to change. Our constitution mandates strict term limits, giving new blood the chance to blossom into senior leadership roles and letting them mentor with hard-earned wisdom. Unlike other organizations that imitate banana republics (“president for life”) or play a cynical game of “leadership musical chairs” without creating genuine opportunities for newcomers, AMIT’s current leaders continually seek out those who have the desire, motivation, and skill to lead. Our nominating committee is painstakingly creating a new leadership slate–our future. If you cannot join us at our annual assembly on June 18 (and you should because it is a celebration of many wonderful things) let me give you a preview: We will transition to a new president and chair, officers and board members—and we’ll graciously welcome them all. It will be a time for thanks, acknowledgement, and excitement for what we have done and what we will do. While many have served over the last four years in varied roles, the most critical lay position is that of president – it is a highly demanding role, requiring significant sacrifice on many levels. In this month’s column, outgoing President Debbie Moed adroitly asks and outlines “what’s next”— but I’d like to reflect on what was. Every AMIT president imbues the organization with the best part of themselves. Debbie’s genuine warmth and sincere concern for the well-being of everyone in our organization—supporter,

colleague, student, principal, teacher, staff member—was felt network-wide and moved us all to be a more caring organization. One of the dangers of our growth is losing a sensitivity to the individual. Whether it be an AMIT student dealing with personal tragedy, a colleague celebrating a simcha, or an important issue with a major Israeli political figure, Debbie carefully considered not only what message to give but how to deliver it in the most sensitive and meaningful way. Good leaders strengthen others and Debbie’s manner subtly influenced us as an organization to be better as we relate to each other on every level. She lost countless nights of sleep worrying over the best course of action in varied situations not to preserve her own honor but rather to make sure that others were honored, felt included, and gratified. On many occasions, I witnessed her quietly and in her modest self-effacing manner take the high road as she always put AMIT first– to Debbie, the “I” in AMIT always stood for what was best for the organization. As our “ambassador in chief,” she met with thousands of our supporters, spoke passionately to groups nationwide, propelled us forward on the international Jewish leadership scene, and always remained grounded to her core values of selfless devotion to our holy cause. It is a rare quality and one I have learned from under her leadership. As for tomorrow, well, AMIT doesn’t rest on our well-deserved laurels. Being the No. 1 educational network in Israel is what we have accomplished today, but tomorrow’s challenges abound. We face them enthusiastically and with confidence in our abilities to exceed even lofty expectations. To take a lesson from Debbie Moed, we’ll do so as we always have done—together. Chag Kasher V’Sameach.

Education

for Life AMIT’s technological and vocational schools are changing individual lives for the better, and also spearheading a growing national trend. BY WENDY ELLIMAN

t 16, Naor G. believed he had no way forward. He was unhappy in his ultraOrthodox yeshiva but lacked the secular education of a traditional school. Three years on, he has found his place: He is studying information technology at an AMIT vocational school, which will gain him entry into the IDF’s prestigious Computer & IT Directorate for his three years of military service, after which he plans to make this his lifetime profession. Fifteen-year-old Malka R., too, felt she had run out of options. The eighth of 12 children in an Ethiopian-Israeli family, her deficient high school record had stripped her of every shred of self-confidence. Two years later, the once-despairing teen is an enthusiastic graphic design student, taught by an art therapist who builds

self-esteem, communal responsibility, and a sense of purpose in her pupils. Malka plans to be an officer in the IDF and go on to study law. Eviatar Levi’s story is similar, except that he is now 26 and realizing the plans he made as a teen. Transferred from a Beit Shemesh school where he was failing, he studied electronics at an AMIT vocational school, matriculated, and served in the IDF as a robotics engineer. Today, he is the founding CEO of Israsmart, an electrical-engineering company that manages electrical systems in schools and hotels, and he is soon to complete a BSc in math and computer science. What turned life around for these three youngsters, and is doing so for thousands more, are the technological high schools and junior colleges within the AMIT network — named last August as the country’s highest achieving educational network by Israel’s Education Ministry. AMIT’s technological education frameworks are changing not only individual lives, but also spearheading a growing national trend. Israel is one of the most educated nations in the world, but growing numbers of college graduates cannot find work, while industry faces a shortage of some 15,000 engineers. For 30 years, what was known as “vocational education” was solely for those from weak backgrounds. Only now are the country’s

technological high schools receiving recognition and support. Today, around 40 percent of Israel’s high school students study one of 25 vocationaltechnological trends—from engineering and robotics to hairstyling and cosmetics — most of them graduating with marketable skills. “Being put in the technological high school in Jerusalem was the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Eviatar. “The school gave me the tools for life. It understood my needs and my problems, it knew how to develop my potential and my strengths, and it taught me how to learn and how to succeed. It supported me at every stage. I am where I am today because of what it gave me.” Eviatar’s alma mater, the AMIT State Technological High School in Jerusalem, is one of six such schools among the network’s 110 educational frameworks countrywide, reaching out primarily to youngsters who are disadvantaged and at risk. It teaches 10th to 12th grades, with many of its 160 pupils among Jerusalem’s poorest and most vulnerable adolescents, well known to the welfare authorities, and often arriving at the school with undiagnosed learning disabilities or behavioral problems. Eviatar, born late in life to parents from Morocco, had been a difficult youngster, ejected from school after school. “We offer our pupils a second chance,” said Deputy Principal Batsheva Segavi. “With us, they acquire workplace skills — auto-technology, electronics, graphic design or hairstyling — and are supported by our social worker and psychologist. Our dropout rate is negligible, over half our students graduate with a technological diploma or matriculation, and virtually all are accepted for IDF or national service.” The school’s flagship program is its state-ofthe-art Auto-Tech Tools for Success. “Its graduates are at the forefront of advanced automotive diagnostic and technological studies,” said Ilan Israelov, who teaches the three-year course. “Theoretical and hands-on instruction teaches students to solve mechanical and technological

8 8

(Top to bottom): Malka R., Eviatar Levi, and Naor G.

“ Being put in the technological high school in Jerusalem was the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Eviatar. “The school gave me the tools for life. It supported me at every stage. I am where I am today because of what it gave me.”

problems in high-tech cars, from hybrid to autonomous. The IDF takes our graduates to look after its tanks. From there, they earn engineering degrees or are snapped up by high-tech.” The auto-tech tools program enables participants to defer IDF service and stay on for 13th and 14th grades—pre-army junior college—to study automotive systems engineering in the school. Rami B., 18, the son of an Armenian mother and an unknown father, is among the 17 boys and one girl in this class. “It’s right for me,” he said bluntly. “I like cars. I need to do well in my final exam, so I can help my mother.” Malka and Naor come from southern Israel, and both study at AMIT’s Elaine Silver Technological

School in Beersheva, where many students are recent immigrants, come from dysfunctional families, or from distressed socioeconomic backgrounds. Malka is one of 115 teens in its 10th-to12th-grade high school, and Naor among 16 students in 13th grade in the junior college—where several ultra-Orthodox students are integrated with peers from observant, traditional, and secular backgrounds. The school offers tracks in information technology, automotive electronics, and design, graduating students with skills and practical experience in these high-demand professions. Most complete school with either full matriculation or a technological diploma, opening doors to higher education and service in specialized IDF units.

AMIT VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS AMIT Technological High School, Ashdod AMIT Fred Kahane Technological High School, Ashkelon AMIT Junior College, Ashkelon AMIT Elaine Silver Technological High School, Beersheva AMIT Junior College at Elaine Silver, Beersheva AMIT Nordlicht Religious Technological High School, Jerusalem AMIT State Technological High School, Jerusalem AMIT Chamudot Junior College, Jerusalem AMIT HaOfek Technological High School, Or Akiva The Gloria & Henry I. Zeisel and Family Junior College at Kfar Blatt, Petach Tikva AMIT Wurzweiler Agricultural & Technological High School, Petach Tikva AMIT Ramle Technological High School AMIT Tiferet Gur Arye Junior College, Rehovot

“I really enjoy what I’m studying,” said Malka, “but more important is how everyone, from the principal onward, reached out to me and was there to help. They convinced me that I’m worth something and can succeed — and it turns out that they’re right!” Naor is in the inaugural class of the school’s junior technological college, which opened last October. Approved by the Education Ministry and the IDF, it allows young men and women to defer IDF enlistment for two years while training as engineers and computer technicians who will maintain the IDF’s advanced computer systems during their military service.

“ The school took me in with love, put me back on my feet when I was failing, and made me strong,” said Naor. “It’s a win-win,” said college director Dr. Yaron Naim. “The IDF gets soldiers qualified to fill specialist jobs, and the recruits have an interesting and meaningful military service, rather than three years as army cooks or drivers. And it’s a powerful social mobility tool.” Prestigious IDF service and high-status career prospects impact not only the students, but also their families and communities. “The school took me in with love, put me back on my feet when I was failing, and made me strong,” said Naor. “I have five brothers and sisters, and very hardworking parents — mom’s a classroom assistant, and dad’s a car mechanic. I’ll soon be able to help them all.” College is not for everyone, but in today’s highly technical specialized world almost every job needs some form of advanced training. The concept of AMIT’s schools is to create educational and vocational opportunities for Israeli students from all backgrounds, from everywhere in the country—in other words, to put technology in the pocket of every student.

Cyber Warriors of the Future BY ANAT ROSENBERG

hen Kinneret Fensterheim reflects on her time at AMIT Renanim Science and Technology Jr. and Sr. High School, in Ra’anana, she feels fortunate that as a young religious woman she was given the opportunity to pursue high-level studies in computers and chemistry. Years after completing high school, while working on research about young observant women and technology, she would discover that only about 10 percent of ulpanot (religious girls’ schools) in Israel offer computer studies to their students. She understood that this lack of access to computer studies creates a cycle that is difficult to break later on: Young women who aren’t exposed to computer studies early on are unlikely to pursue them as they age, which in turn prevents them from entering technology-related fields in the army, national service, and in the workforce. “In retrospect, I can say that the fact that AMIT Renanim, where I studied from 7th to 12th grade, allowed me to pursue two scientific tracks, especially computers, really opened many doors for me for the future,” said Fensterheim. She debated between national service, which is often more encouraged among religious Zionist parents, and army service, and with the reassurance of her Renanim teacher decided to enlist. “My mechanechet [teacher] listened, tried to understand what I want, and supported my decision to choose army service,” she said.

Kinneret Fensterheim (Credit: Studio Redares)

AMIT alumna Kinneret Fensterheim was fortunate to have studied computers in high school, and now she’s helping give young religious women the same opportunity. 11

Fensterheim (far right) with the young women of Mamriot

After graduating, she spent a little more than a year at Midreshet Lindenbaum’s Hadas project, which encourages idealistic religious young women in Israel to enlist in the IDF by combining intensive Torah study with army service. Fensterheim, who already had a strong foundation in computers thanks to AMIT Renanim, went on to enlist in the elite Unit 8200 of the army’s Intelligence Corps, where she was in the minority as a young woman with a head covering. “My service in 8200 ended up turning into 12 years in the army,” said Fensterheim. “I stayed on year after year, because it was extremely interesting and challenging. I became an officer and developed a great deal.” During her service, she specialized in intelligence, technology, and cyber, and she also studied engineering at the same time. “My service was extremely intensive in terms of technology and cyber in the realm of security,” she said, adding that she finally decided to leave the army about a year and a half ago, after reaching the rank of major. While she considered her next steps, Fensterheim was approached by Israel’s Cyber Education Center, an offshoot of the Rashi Foundation that promotes cyber and technology

studies among disadvantaged populations in Israel. They asked her to research why so few young religious women are found in the world of technology. That research ultimately turned into the groundwork for Mamriot (Hebrew for “taking off” or “soaring”), an informal cybereducation program for girls from the religious Zionist sector, which she now heads. “My research was fascinating, and it turned into a program that encourages young women, and particularly religious young women, to pursue computer and cyber studies, to convey to them that it is for them, and that it is possible for them to pursue these fields and perform significant service,” she said. Run in cooperation with the National Cyber Directorate at the Prime Minister’s Office, Mamriot, which is now in its first year, is a three-year program running from 10th to 12th grades. It includes one-on-one study sessions with experienced staff, technological enrichment days, cyber conferences, and even summer camp for participants— all in an effort to prepare these young women to make a significant contribution to Israel and then to open doors for them in the future, much like Fensterheim’s technological studies at AMIT Renanim did for her.

“ The fact that AMIT Renanim allowed me to pursue two scientific tracks, especially computers, really opened many doors for me for the future,” said Fensterheim. “What’s so nice about Mamriot is that beyond the extremely professional learning and training with a focus on significant service, there is also an environment that is very aware of the girls’ backgrounds, a feminine and religious one that empowers them, speaks their language, and is also technological,” said Fensterheim. There are currently 30 young women enrolled in the program. In the first year, they learn high-level coding; in the second year, they specialize in cyber security and complete projects on the subject; and in the third year, they continue focusing on cyber security while preparing for significant national service. “At first, they are really in shock from the difficulty of the program,” said Fensterheim, adding that participation in the program requires a great investment on the girls’ part. “Part of our work is to teach them to manage their time and their assignments, to invest in these challenges and search for solutions, not to despair when something doesn’t work the first time, and to ask for help when they need it. Those skills are a gift for life.” Beyond serving as a launching pad to success for these young women, Fensterheim sees a higher mission in Mamriot. For her, having served at the forefront of Israel’s cyber-security defense system, she also sees the program as critical to Israel’s future. “The State of Israel is saying, ‘We need cyber security and people who will take that on and

defend the country,’” Fensterheim said. “One of the objectives of Mamriot is to explain to these girls, their families, and their communities the importance of technology for the State of Israel and to impress upon them that there is value in this pursuit.” It is also to impress upon them that technology and Jewish family values are not mutually exclusive. As a married mother of four (her husband, Rabbi Gedalia, teaches at AMIT Ginsburg Bar Ilan), Fensterheim is a living, breathing example that young religious women in Israel can successfully balance family and work. “That’s why we work so hard to introduce them to role models, to women who are religious and are mothers and are technological; we show them how to combine all of these things,” she said. “There is nothing in the halacha against studying technology, quite the opposite. It’s just about creating the right environment, and that’s part of the transformation that Mamriot is trying to bring about.” She added that they are empowering the girls and presenting them with various options so that they will be able to choose the path that suits them from a place of strength. “They can choose to work full-time and bring home great salaries. They can choose to work part-time from home. They can choose to do significant things for the state.” While the program has just gotten off the ground, Fensterheim said the hope is that it will expand from its two existing sites in Petach Tikva, where the girls come to learn, to four next year, and hopefully even more down the line. “We aspire to bring this to as many girls in the country as possible,” she said. “We want to open this option to anyone whom G-d gave the tools and who is willing to invest. I always tell the girls, ‘G-d gave you brains and talent – now use them to do good in the world.’”

Shoshana Dolgin-Be’er has been an active AMIT member for more than 70 years, during which she has celebrated many of its milestones and, as its historian, recorded them as well. BY MICHELE CHABIN

ERUSALEM–Not long after Israel declared statehood on May 14, 1948, Shoshana Dolgin-Be’er was attending the national convention of the junior division of Mizrachi Women’s Organization of America—today known as AMIT. At the time, the 20-year-old was a member of the New York Junior Mizrachi Women chapter and worked as a secretary to the director of the Jewish National Fund. Although the entire convention was magical, coming so soon after Israel’s Declaration of Independence, Dolgin-Be’er said, the highlight was hearing Bessie Gotsfeld, founder of MWOA/ AMIT, deliver an impassioned speech about the importance of educating Israeli children and strengthening the fledgling Jewish state. “I’m not sure I understood the significance of this

historic speech at the time, but I remember that everyone there was exalted that we had a country of our own,” she said. “We were in a state of euphoria.” Raised in small Jewish communities in the United States, attending the New York event with hundreds of other young religious Zionist women “was more uplifting than anything I had ever experienced,” Dolgin-Be’er said. She was particularly moved by Gotsfeld’s selflessness. “She was a modest, gentle, quiet person. She called her associates ‘co-workers’ and made them feel they were an integral part of everything AMIT was doing for the Jewish people,” Dolgin-Beer said. Gotsfeld’s spirit and determination to help transform Israel into a modern, nurturing Jewish homeland motivated Dolgin-Be’er to co-found a Junior Mizrachi chapter when she moved to Los Angeles in 1950. Dolgin-Be’er has been an active AMIT member for more than 70 years. She has celebrated and, while serving as the organization’s historian, recorded many of its milestones. In 1999, when she headed the Jerusalem chapter, she was honored as Woman of the Year at AMIT’s annual scholarship dinner. She has witnessed the organization and its schools grow into a large and respected network with thousands of passionate members all over the world.

Dolgin-Be’er’s leadership came naturally, having been raised in a family deeply involved in MWOA/ AMIT. Dolgin-Beer’s mother, Rebecca Braver, founded a MWOA chapter in Kansas City, Missouri in 1938, where her family lived for a time. Her father, Rabbi Yehudah Braver, who was a rabbi in Akron, Ohio, from 1913-1923, and then in Kansas City, Missouri, for 21 years, was also an ardent member of the Mizrachi Men’s Organization. In Los Angeles, the young activist discovered that religious Zionist women were yearning for ways to contribute to Jewish life in Israel and the diaspora. “We were all young marrieds and wanted to express our Yiddishkeit and support Eretz Yisrael,” Dolgin-Be’er said. “We didn’t have much money in those days, but we were active culturally and religiously.”

A gathering of Mizrachi Women in Tel Aviv, 1956. Founder Bessie Gotsfeld is fourth from right

Dolgin-Be’er (left) at the Jerusalem chapter luncheon in 2000

The group’s members also embraced projects to build Israeli society. “We knew what Bessie was doing, bringing young children, the remnants of the Shoah, to Eretz Yisrael and establishing homes for them. We wanted to help them and also help the women in Israel who most needed support,” Dolgin-Be’er said. “They needed housing and employment.” Many of these young, idealistic Israeli women became the backbone of Israel’s religious Zionist education system.

Dolgin-Be’er speaking at an AMIT event in 2014

In 1950, she and her husband, the late Rabbi Hyman Yeheskel Dolgin, an educator, visited Israel and got to see firsthand the impact that Mizrachi Women was having on the ground.

“When we arrived, the children were polishing their shoes in anticipation of Shabbat. We weren’t an affluent organization, but Bessie believed in making Shabbat feel special.

“We were invited to spend a Shabbat at Kfar Batya,” the organization’s first youth village. “The place appealed to us so much. It wasn’t very developed in terms of infrastructure, but the children, who were orphans, were being raised to love Torah and learn a vocation so they would be able to support themselves and contribute to Israel.”

“In the dining room there were white tablecloths and the children wore white shirts and blue pants or skirts. There were 10 children to a table with a madrich. They served the children their meals. They sang Shabbat songs, davened together. Bessie gave these children a home and raised them with Torah.”

One particular image from that weekend at Kfar Batya remains with Dolgin-Be’er until today.

Soon after the 1967 Six-Day War, Dolgin-Beer, her husband, and their four young children im-

“ We were very motivated to encourage bright children who needed to progress,” said Dolgin-Be’er. “It was wonderful to see the results of the hard work we invested.” migrated to Israel, a move she had anticipated for some time. While acclimating to their country and food shortages, she became a core member of MWOA/AMIT’s Jerusalem chapter, in which she remains active today. “We were all women who found an outlet for our love of Yiddishkeit to support our schools,” she recalled. “We were very motivated to encourage bright children who needed to progress. It was wonderful to see the results of the hard work we invested.”

Realizing from the start that the organization was making history, Dolgin-Be’er took it upon herself to collect decades’ worth of MWOA/ AMIT documents. They include photos and articles of Bessie Gotsfeld and photos of Kfar Batya, including one of former U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt visiting the youth village and another of the village’s first class of students. She also collected the organization’s internal publications—including AMIT magazines—a “songster,” calendars, and a wealth of historic newspaper clippings related to the organization. During a moving ceremony in 2000, Dolgin-Be’er was present when AMIT donated these documents to Bar-Ilan University’s Jona Kirschenbaum Archives for the Research of Religious Zionism.

The women raised money to equip the library of the local AMIT school and sponsored much-needed scholarships to needy students. As the AMIT network grew, so did the group’s fundraising efforts.

Shirley Schein, who serves on AMIT’s executive board in Israel, is grateful for these documents and Dolgin-Be’er’s efforts to preserve them. “The documents give you a sense of history, to see what these hard-working women have done,” said Schein. Many young people “don’t have a clue.”

Some of the chapter members also took it upon themselves to visit with new immigrants, especially from the former Soviet Union. “They didn’t speak Hebrew yet, but I could speak to them in Yiddish,” Dolgin-Be’er said. “I remember a boy who was very gifted in music. He had brought a keyboard with him. I persuaded someone to rent him a piano so he could develop his talent.”

Although Dolgin-Be’er is thrilled to see younger members of AMIT taking up the work she and others have been doing for decades, she bemoans their reliance on social media. “I’m very worried about it. People don’t talk to one another the way they used to,” she said.

New immigrants, even from North America, faced many challenges in Israel in the 1960s, she said, but the friendships the members of MWOA/AMIT formed was like a built-in support system. “We didn’t have large apartments, but people were very hospitable. Welcoming guests was very important. As olim ourselves, we realized how vital it was to help people feel welcome and that they had a purpose for moving to Israel.”

While she sometimes reminisces about the past, Dolgin-Be’er’s sights are focused on the future. “A lot of our children are winning prizes, distinguishing themselves in the army and at university. They need our continued support.” Dolgin-Be’er hopes she will be able to attend the 100th anniversary in 2025. “The organization has been such an integral part of my life. I can’t imagine my life without it.”

Introducing AMIT’s Founders’ Circle, a new giving society recognizing devoted supporters who have donated more than $100,000 in their lifetime. Over the years, this elite group of donors has filled a critical role standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel’s children. Their partnership in AMIT’s mission provides the foundation for AMIT’s continued expansion and excellence. Becoming a member of our Founders’ Circle makes a strong statement; you are an integral part of the AMIT family—a distinctive group of leaders who understand the value of an excellent Jewish values-based education. Our Founders’ Circle members are vested in meeting the needs of Israeli children from diverse geographic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds, ensuring that Israel will remain a strong and self-reliant nation.

Members of the Founders’ Circle are entitled to special benefits. For further information about becoming a member of the Founders’ Circle, please contact Liz Klibanoff at 212-477-4737 or lizk@amitchildren.org. 17

Boro Park and Tova Brooklyn Chapter, NY

Chaiki and Ziel Feldman, NY

Harwit Charitable Trust, CA

Ethlynne and Stephen Brickman, MA

Jack Fink, z”l, NY

Havtacha Chapter, NJ

Adele and Jules Brody, NY

Myrna and Eli Fishbein, z”l, NJ

Laura and Jonathan Heller, NY

Elaine Brown, z”l, NY

Theresa and Michael, z”l, Foley, NY

Mildred, z”l, and Alvin Hellerstein, NY

Beverly Brown, z”l, Israel

Ruth Friedlander, z”l, NY

Russell Jay Hendel, MD

Laurie and Eli Bryk, NY

Lilly and Alfred, z”l, Friedman, NY

Barbara Hirschhorn, z”l, MD

Anonymous, FL

Lois and Michael Burak, NY

Sylvia K. Friedman, NY

Marcia and Philip, z”l, Holzer, NJ

Anonymous, MA

Goldie Bursten, MO

Clara T. Friedman, z”l, NY

Norma and Emanuel, z”l, Holzer, NY

Anonymous, NY

Canada Foundation, Canada

Florence Furedi, z”l, FL

Ima Hollywood Chapter, FL

Anonymous, NY

Celia Carson, z”l, CA

Marisa and Andrew Gadlin, NY

Peggy and Robert Insel, NY

Goldie Abers, z”l, CA

Centennial Bank, NY

Galil-Moorings-Simcha Chapter, FL

Debbie and David Isaac, NY

Trudy and Ted, z”l, Abramson, FL

Chai Chapter, FL

Rose Garfin, z”l, FL

Israeli Brooklyn Chapter, NY

Nicole Schreiber Agus and Raanan Agus, NY

Margaret and Chaim Charytan, NY

Gayl Shechter Chapter, NY*

Elaine and Robert Jacobs, NY

AMIT Chicago Council, IL

The Gazit-Globe, Israel

Michele and Ben-Zion Jacobs, NY

Edith H. and Haim Agus, z”l, NY

Julia Chosner, z”l, NY

Suzanne and Norman Javitt, NY

Alisa West Orange-Essex Chapter, NJ

Joan and Norman Ciment, FL

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*Indicates all donors of lifetime cumulative giving of $1 million or more.

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Rose Tapp, z”l, IL

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Anna Teich, z”l, FL

Seed the Dream Foundation, PA

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Margate Chapter, NJ Margolit Queens Chapter, NJ Matanel, Israel Meira and Solomon, z”l, Max, NY Sema Menora, z”l, IL Sharon and Solomon Merkin, NJ Shirley Mesirow, z”l, IL* The Joan S. and Leon Meyers Foundation, NY Lisa and Leon Meyers, NY* Leon and Gloria, Edward, Sari and Howard Miller, NY

We greatly appreciate all of our Founders’ Circle members and have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this listing. Please notify Liz Klibanoff, Director of Financial Resource Development, of any inaccuracies or omissions at 212-477-4737 (LizK@amitchildren.org). We regret any errors.

From AMIT to the

Mayor’s Seat Petach Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg (Credit: Petach Tikva Spokesperson’s Office)

Petach Tikva Mayor and AMIT alumnus Rami Greenberg has felt a calling to help others and contribute to society since 1st grade. Now he has big plans to reimagine his city.

BY HELGA ABRAHAM

hen 40-year-old Rami Greenberg defeated the incumbent mayor of Petach Tikva in last December’s local elections, few people were surprised. For over a decade, the super-energetic Greenberg had been an almost permanent figure in Petach Tikva’s City Hall, working as assistant to a former mayor and, in recent years, as a member of the city council. But his meteoric rise to the mayoralty of Petach Tikva began much earlier—politics and social involvement have long flowed in Greenberg’s veins. “From 1st grade, I felt a calling to help others and contribute to society,” he said. At the unbelievable age of 6, little Rami Greenberg decided to join the Likud party. When he turned up at the office of the local party branch, he recalled being sent away with a few chuckles and a gentle pat on the back. But the little boy persisted. He managed to get a hold of the party’s logo, printed it himself on a T-shirt, and began standing on street corners distributing flyers. The local branch had no choice but to take him seriously. So how did a 6-year-old child know what party to join? Did he come from a family of Likud supporters? “No,” he said. “My parents were more affiliated with religious parties. I simply liked the ideology of the Likud and wanted to be part of a big party that had influence.” When asked who his idols were, he unhesitatingly answered: “Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir and, now, Benjamin Netanyahu.”

Rami Greenberg was born close to Petach Tikva, in a small moshav called Neve Yarak, which his father helped found together with other immigrants from Romania. Greenberg’s father had escaped the clutches of the Nazis by jumping off a deportation train and joining the partisans at the age of 8. In Israel, with hardly any training, he helped build many of the country’s major roads. Greenberg’s mother came from Morocco and worked as a nurse. For his high school studies, his parents chose AMIT Ginsburg Bar Ilan Gush Dan, in Ramat Gan, because of its high academic reputation and the fact that it was a religious school. As an above-average student, he also attended after-school enrichment classes three times a week in science subjects – first at Tel Aviv University during elementary school, then at Bar Ilan University during high school. Living in an outlying rural area, where there was little public transport, Greenberg often had to travel on foot or hitch rides to his places of study. At AMIT, he chose to major in biotechnology. “I loved the school, the teachers, the atmosphere, and the emphasis on community work,” he recalled. He credits AMIT with instilling in him the values that have been his credo ever since: “love of ones’ country, love your neighbor as yourself, give to others, strive for excellence.” While at school, Greenberg continued to pursue his political activities. At 14, he was elected head of the local Likud youth branch and, at 16, he became head of the national Likud youth organization. During his military service, he served as a commander in the elite Duvdevan unit, which is renowned for its high-risk undercover operations.

After the army, he joined the Tel Aviv police, where he served in a special force tasked with eradicating criminal gangs. He then pursued law studies, but law was never more than a means to enable him to achieve his political ambitions. When asked why he preferred to focus on local politics rather than become a member of Knesset, Greenberg replies: “I wanted to work on the ground and I knew that I would be able to achieve more in local politics than in the Knesset. City Hall is a very professional place. I have enormous influence, more than an MK and even more than a minister.” As Greenberg sits in his office, a flow of assistants stream in and out with papers to sign and projects to approve. There is buzz and excitement in the air, for the young new mayor is busy overseeing a massive transformation of one of Israel’s oldest cities. Known as em hamoshavot (the mother of the moshavot), Petach Tikva was the first modern Jewish agricultural settlement in Eretz Yisrael. Founded in 1878 by religious pioneers from Europe, it went on to absorb every wave of immigrants in the history of Israel, from the very first aliyah in 1882 to the waves of immigrants who arrived from Yemen, Morocco, Iraq, the Former Soviet Union, and Ethiopia.

“Petach Tikva is a real microcosm of Israel,” he said. Signs of the traditional character of the city are still apparent in the old downtown’s narrow streets, but on the outskirts huge high-rises dot the skyline and construction cranes can be seen everywhere. There is a sense that, with Greenberg at its helm, this 140-year-old city is jumping headlong into the 21st century. “I want to turn Petach Tikva into Israel’s No. 1 city for industry and trade, and I want to see it grow from a city of 260,00 to a city of 400,000,” he said confidently. In addition to attracting industry and high-tech, Greenberg has plans for a huge new park covering 2.7 sq. miles, a light-rail system, and entertainment hubs. Greenberg also has plans to bring a branch of his alma mater, AMIT Ginsburg Bar Ilan, to Petach Tikva. The school will serve the growing number of students who wish to pursue religious studies while also acquiring a high level of technological and scientific proficiency. These responsibilities and the demanding hours of his job do not frazzle the young mayor. “From an early age, I believed I had a mission in life,” he said, “and where I can be of influence, that is where I want to be.”

Rami Greenberg’s mother, Varda, is also an AMIT alumna. Her family immigrated to Israel in 1948 and lived for several years in a ma’abara (transit camp). She received a scholarship to study at AMIT’s Kfar Blatt Youth Village, then known as a mossad aliyah (an “aliyah institution”) where she was able to graduate with a high school certificate. “I received an excellent education at AMIT. I boarded there and sang in a choir and I was able to go on from there to study nursing,” she said. Varda had four children before becoming pregnant with Rami. “It was a very difficult pregnancy,” she recalled, “so much so that the doctors recommended I abort. But I adamantly refused. I had to be on bed rest during the entire pregnancy but, in the end, I gave birth to a healthy baby.” One could even say a super-baby, for from the time he was a toddler Rami stood out as highly gifted and ambitious. “I am very proud that he is now mayor of Petach Tikva,” said Varda. “I always knew he would go far.”

had Edelstein started playing soccer at age 11, and since then has had to contend with reconciling his love for the sport with his religious beliefs. “It’s not easy to integrate this sport with being observant,” Edelstein, now 26, said. “It requires making sacrifices and painstaking efforts that not everyone is prepared to make.” Edelstein, however, was willing to work hard and make sacrifices, and he had some help along the way from his family and also from his alma mater, AMIT Ginsburg Bar Ilan Gush Dan, in Ramat Gan. With their support and encouragement, Edelstein was able to continue pursuing the sport and today he plays professionally in Israel’s soccer league. Edelstein grew up as one of six children in a religiously observant family in Kiryat Ono (his two brothers currently attend AMIT Bar Ilan). When it came time to select a high school, he chose to

Credit: Oz Moalem, Yedioth Ahronoth

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attend the AMIT school. “I had a gut feeling about the school, and I’m glad I followed my instincts.” Edelstein praises the school and his teachers for helping him get to where he is now, playing as a midfielder for the No. 1 team in his league, Kfar Qasim. In his time off the pitch, he also runs his own personal-training business. “Ohad is smart, sweet, and talented,” said AMIT Bar Ilan Principal Tomer Schupper. “In addition to being a skilled soccer player, he keeps mitzvot and is a truly unique individual.” Even in the youth leagues, most soccer games in Israel are held on Saturdays. For Edelstein that meant spending every other Shabbat outside of his home and often away from his family. “I would have games on Shabbat, and I don’t travel on Shabbat, so the school would help me find a place to stay and sometimes teachers even let me

stay at their homes – they went above and beyond,” he said. “The school really helped me integrate playing soccer and my training with my studies.” The school and teachers were also flexible when it came to Edelstein’s practice sessions, allowing him to leave school early or skip a class and helping him make up what he missed. “They really helped me academically,” he said. He began his professional career playing for his home team, Hapoel Kiryat Ono, then went on to play for Hapoel Petach Tikva before moving on to Kfar Qasim, his home for the last three seasons. (The team is part of liga alef, Israel’s third-tier league.) Kfar Qasim is a largely Muslim Israeli-Arab city located about 12 miles east of Tel Aviv. Its soccer club has garnered attention not only for being the best in its league, but also for its Arab-Jewish team members who are a beacon for co-existence. Edelstein said that, as an observant Jew, he feels completely at home on the team, whose players—50 percent of whom are Jewish and 50 percent of whom are Arab—respect one another on and off the field. “Kfar Qasim takes into consideration everything I need, whether it’s getting kosher food or ending games before Shabbat,” he said. “I’ve played for other teams and in different leagues, and I’ve always found solutions [to religious quandaries], but I’m enjoying myself more now than before and am truly respected here.”

Ohad Edelstein (Credit: Oz Moalem, Yedioth Ahronoth)

Ohad Edelstein, a graduate of AMIT Bar Ilan and a professional soccer player, reflects on reconciling sports and religious observance. player, but most importantly I’d like to continue having fun doing this.” That’s also what Edelstein would say to young observant Israelis who want to play soccer: Play for the fun.

Edelstein adds that the mutual respect found in the locker room has helped propel Kfar Qasim to its No. 1 spot on the league’s charts. “We are where we are thanks to the connection between the players and the unity in the locker room.”

“It’s a shame the games aren’t switched to a different day so that everyone who keeps Shabbat can play and enjoy the sport,” he said, reflecting on the challenges of becoming a professional player.

Now that the current season is about two-thirds finished, Edelstein and his teammates are hoping to advance to the national league. “My goal is to be the best both personally and as a team

The loss isn’t just for the players, Edelstein said. “The teams are also missing out on young religious players who are talented and have a lot to contribute to the sport.” —AR

The Unsung Heroes Isaac Shoshan and Gamliel Cohen. (Credit: Courtesy the Palmach Archives)

even years ago, author and journalist Matti Friedman published his award-winning true-life detective story, “The Aleppo Codex,” about how a precious ancient manuscript of the Hebrew Bible made its way from Aleppo, Syria, to Israel. Little did he know then that his research for that book would lead him to a man named Isaac Shoshan—one of the four men whose fascinating stories he tells in his new book, “Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel.” Shoshan and his comrades (Gamliel Cohen, Havakuk Cohen, and Yakuba Cohen) were part of the Arab Section— spies trained during World War II by the British who were later recruited to work for Jewish militia leaders in pre-state Israel. Friedman pieces together the time these men spent gathering intelligence, planning sabotage and assassinations, as well as the personal sacrifices they made—all on behalf of the nascent Jewish state. He spoke with AMIT magazine about these unsung heroes and about what they can teach us about modern-day Israel.

of Israel’s Creation

AMIT: How did you decide to tell the story of the Arab Section and why now? Matti Friedman: It started when I met Isaac Shoshan, one of the four characters. I was introduced to him by a character from my first book, “The Aleppo Codex.” In that book there’s an old Mossad guy, an old spy from Aleppo. He introduced me to his friend Isaac, who told me this story about 1948 and about the founding of the state that was just so radically different from anything I’d ever heard that it struck me as being something worth writing about. At the same time, I’ve been thinking a lot over the past couple of years about the role in Israel and Israeli history of the Jews who came here from the Islamic world. We all have these very European stories that we tell about Israel, which is Herzl and the Holocaust and socialism and the kibbutz. That’s the Israeli story that most people know, and that’s the kind of official narrative of the country, but half of the Jews in Israel don’t have very much

to do with that story. They come from the Islamic world, mostly from the Arab world, and their presence in the country is not a footnote. I was looking for a story that would illustrate that, and I realized that Isaac’s story and the story of a few of his comrades makes that point, that it’s kind of a creation story, an Israeli creation story, the main characters of which are Jews from the Arab world. There are no main characters in this story who are Ashkenazim. And it’s a story about how this looked through the eyes of people who came from a different place and saw it very differently, and hopefully it will allow the reader not just to get a new angle on 1948, but also to understand the present-day country in a different way. AMIT: That seems to dovetail nicely with the reckoning happening in Israel in recent years about how Mizrahim were treated when they first got there and some of the injustices done to them—the fact that they were pushed to the periphery, literally and figuratively. MF: People are grappling with that much more now, so in that way I think it’s a story whose time has come. I see the Jews who came here from the Islamic world as active in the Zionist story. They built the country. They were treated very poorly in many cases, but the Israel that we have in 2019 is a product of their efforts as much as it is a product of anyone else’s efforts, so I wanted a story in which they are actors. The four spies at the center of the story, they’re kind of marginal in Israel at the time. They’re marginal in the Zionist movement. But these guys are fighters. They’re at the heart of the Zionist movement, which is the Palmach, and they’re playing an active role in creating the country. When they’re founding the country, Mizrahim are just a tiny percentage of the Jews here and no one really takes them seriously, but within a year or two after 1948, they’re maybe half of the country, maybe more. And the country that emerges is a very different country than the Zionist leadership had envisioned, largely because of their arrival.

Matti Friedman (Credit: Mary Anderson)

Matti Friedman’s new book, “Spies of No Country,” tells the fascinating story of Jewish spies from Arab countries who fought to build a Jewish homeland. AMIT: You do get a sense throughout the book that they have agency. But the heartbreaking part of their story is, they are the heroes, but at what cost? MF: The events are so vast, and they’re being pushed from place to place, and they’re pushed out of their homes and they come to this new place, which they don’t really understand. And then these great events start taking place, and they’re caught up in the events, and they’re sent back in some other direction, and yes, it’s kind of lonely. There’s a helplessness in the story. We have these myths about spies or myths about soldiers, that one person makes a decision and changes history, but most of the time it doesn’t work like that. AMIT: To some extent, your books [“The Aleppo Codex” and “Pumpkinflowers”] all seem to touch on the notion of creating or living up to a certain Israeli identity. What draws you to that concept?

MF: I came here when I was 17 from Toronto, and I had a simple idea about the place, and in that simple idea the kibbutz movement loomed very large. I went to a kibbutz. That’s how I ended up in the country. But very quickly I found myself in a military outpost inside Lebanon, and I kind of became Israeli in Lebanon. The guys who were with me in the army, many of them were just completely different from what I had imagined. They were very non-ideological, and came from completely different backgrounds than I do, and I just realized that I was in a country that is much more complicated than I had understood. What I’ve been doing since then, more or less, is trying to figure it out. So I went to university, and I studied Islamic studies. I became a journalist and started reporting. ‘The Aleppo Codex’ and my second book, ‘Pumpkinflowers,’ were my attempts to grapple with the complexities of the country. The real country. I’ve been here for 23 years, and I’m still trying to figure out exactly how this society works. But if I try to put my finger on the main thing that people outside don’t get, it’s the fact that this country is, in fact, a Middle Eastern country that tells a kind of Western story about itself. But Israel’s story in the 21st century really has very little to do with the Warsaw ghetto. It has a lot more to do with Aleppo and Baghdad, because half of the Jews here, half of the Israeli Jewish population, comes from Aleppo and Baghdad and similar places, and came here with a certain kind of Judaism and certain ideas and a certain way of life that really shaped this place. If you’re trying to understand this place through stories about the halutzim [pioneers], or if you’re trying to understand it through the two-state solution, or if you’re trying to see it through a Western lens, it’s not going to make any sense. AMIT: Going back to the four spies, part of the book is also about how they perceive themselves and their identity and their ability to merge seamlessly from being Arabs to being Israelis or Jews. You discuss the idea of double identity in Jewish history, and how it’s been a blessing and a curse.

From your conversations with at least some of them, did they see it that way? MF: I think they did. The most eloquent of them is Gamliel, whom I never met because he died in 2001 or 2002, but I was working with some of these long oral recollections that he left. He was conflicted about it. He came to a kibbutz in the ‘40s and wanted to be a pioneer like everyone else and wasn’t really accepted by the kibbutznikim. His culture was different. He has one part where he says, ‘My music is Umm Kulthum and here there are only records of European symphonies.’ He didn’t want to be like an Arab. He’d had enough of that in Damascus. Now he wanted to be a new Jew, like the Zionist movement was picturing, and it wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped. Then, around the end of the Second World War, after he had been in the country for a fairly short time, the Arab Section picks him up because of the characteristics that he’s trying to escape. They need him to be like an Arab. They need him to be able to pass under an Arab identity so he can be sent back into the Arab world. And in that way it’s a blessing, because that ends up being his ticket into the Holy of Holies of this new society. That’s the irony of their story, which is that the thing they’re trying to escape ends up defining them and gaining them entrance into the Palmach, which is really the nerve center of the whole operation.

AMIT: People have compared your book to John le Carré novels, but for me it brought to mind ‘Fauda,’ both in terms of what they’re doing, and in terms of the psychological toll that their work has on them. MF: The agents in ‘Fauda,’ they have a state. They have a strong country behind them. These guys didn’t have a country. There was no one coming to help them at first. The state that they were agents of was kind of a figment of their imagination in some ways at the beginning. And no one knew if the state was going to survive this war, so all of this effort could have been for nothing. Their mental angst must have been a few levels greater than that of the guys in ‘Fauda.’ AMIT: In the book, you write that the Palmach actually explains little about Israel today, but these guys’ story does. Could you elaborate? MF: A lot of people are still approaching Israel with the old stories. The Palmach is a really good example of those great, old stories. The Palmach is a radical socialist organization of almost entirely Eastern European olim pioneers. It’s a kind of a new generation. They’re brash, and they’re confident, and they’re no longer on their knees in the diaspora, but they’re part of the rebirth of the Jewish nation and part of the global workers’ revolution. That was really the way they thought.

It’s hard to remember, but they saw the State of Israel as part of the global proletarian revolution. If you come at the state that we have now with stories about Europe and socialism and a utopian workers’ society, the country in 2019 doesn’t make any sense. The country does make sense, though, if you come at it from the direction of Alexandria. It’s a port city in Egypt, a cosmopolitan city with a big Jewish community. It had a very deep, tribal Judaism that’s not particularly stringent, but it’s very deep and natural. And if you come at it from that direction, then the country makes a lot of sense, because that feels a lot like Tel Aviv in 2019. Or if you come at the country from the direction of Aleppo, where Isaac is from, a metropolis in the Middle East with all kinds of people living there and a traditional kind of Judaism, which is very much the dominant kind of Judaism here, certainly socialism does not have a lot to do with it. If you come at this country from the lives of these spies, it actually makes a lot of sense. AMIT: On the flip side, it was also interesting how Gamliel wrote in 1949 from Jordan that the refugees—today’s Palestinian refugees—were not going to move on and were not going to forget what they lost in the war. MF: These guys were among the first people to understand what that meant, and they could understand it because they are Middle Eastern. They picked up immediately that (a) these people are not just going to move on and pretend it never happened, and (b) they understood, I think, that the Islamic world is not going to ever come to terms with the reversal of the hierarchy of the region. The hierarchy of this region is that Islam is the sovereign religion and that everyone else accepts the sovereignty of Islam. And if you are willing to live with that, then you can live as Jews did for many centuries here. Jews ruling a Muslim population, it just doesn’t compute in the traditional hierarchy of this region. I think these spies understood that that wasn’t going to go away. AMIT: I would imagine that the fact that the spies

knew that they weren’t ever going back to their homes in Arab countries probably colored their view to some extent as well. MF: The Palmach thought that the population would be happy to be liberated from Arab feudalism and British imperialism, and these guys did not think that, because they’re from here and they understood that that’s not the way this part of the world works, that this is not a region that just sits back and lets you change things in that way. AMIT: On a somewhat related note, most of your recent journalistic work, including your opinion pieces for the New York Times, has aimed to re-contextualize the perception of Israel. How hard is it to shift the conversation about Israel? Do you feel like you’re just preaching to the choir, or people will really take it in and say, ‘Oh, I haven’t thought about it in this way.’? MF: It’s hard to know. I hope that there are still people reading with an open mind, and I know that there are some. It’s certainly true that people kind of have an opinion, and they’ll just consume information that’s consistent with those opinions. There are a lot of sane people out there, and they’re not well served by much of what they get in the media these days. It’s worthwhile to put out information that makes sane people feel better about being sane, and maybe helps them not be dragged into very extreme positions on the left or on the right. There’s not that many places doing that, and if those people are interested in a realistic take on the country and in actually grappling with the reality of the country, they can read my books or read my articles. My goal is to explain the country. AMIT: How do you think the spies would feel about modern-day Israel? MF: The only one I could really ask is Isaac, although I have stuff that Gamliel and Yakuba wrote at the end of their lives. I think that they thought the country was a miracle. They were

A training camp for Jewish spies of Syrian descent at Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek. (Credit: Courtesy the Palmach Archives)

kids, basically street kids in some ways—certainly that’s true of Isaac and Yakuba—from the fringes of a minority community inside the Islamic world, and they lived to see the birth of a sovereign Jewish state in which they were citizens and they were at the center of events. They had children who spoke Hebrew as their mother tongue, something that we take for granted now, but when you think about it, it’s sort of mind-blowing. Isaac lives in Bat Yam, and he looks out his window and there’s a country, a Jewish country, that he helped to create. I spoke to him about it, and he said several times that he just feels incredibly blessed to have been given the opportunity to play a role in creating the state. And when you remember how hard it was for him and all the kind of crazy stuff he had to go through, it’s an amazing statement, but he meant it 100%. They have the perspective, which some of us don’t, of having been born without the State of Israel. They remember when it wasn’t there, and they remember what the state of the Jews was without this country. Although I’m sure that they have a lot of criticism of it now, in Beirut in 1948, when they were 22 years old, had someone come to them and said, ‘Okay, listen, this is what Tel Aviv looks like in 2019; This is Jerusalem,’ I think that would have been beyond their wildest dreams. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For an expanded version of this story, go to www.amitchildren.org —AR

Dvar Torah BY RABBANIT DR. JENNIE ROSENFELD

The Redemption of Pesach

asidic thinkers write about the exile of Egypt as an exile of speech, an exile of the word. This exile was personified in Moshe who calls himself both “kevad peh u’kevad lashon” as well as “aral sefatayim.” Hasidic writers view Moshe’s speech impediment as reflecting a wider phenomenon – the exile of speech. Redemption, correspondingly, is a redemption of speech. The Rambam codifies the obligation of each and every one of us today to feel as if we personally have been redeemed from Egypt. We are, therefore, forced to ask ourselves what this redemption of speech means on a practical level and what it could look like for us today. Rav Shimon Gershon Rosenberg, z”l (1949-2007), better known as Rav Shagar, writes about this in his book “Zman Shel Cherut: Drashot l’Chag haPesach” (“A Time of Freedom: Sermons for Pesach”). Redemption for Rav Shagar is found in human interaction and connection – in conversation between people rather than between man and G-d. Rav Shagar writes movingly that the essence of the redemption we experience on Pesach is communal, rather than personal. We experience a widening of our own boundaries that enables us to make space for guests in a way that doesn’t hinder us. Both the welcoming of guests (“Kol dichfin yetei veyeichol”—”Let all who are hungry come and eat”) and conversation with others are hallmarks of the Seder night. Conversation is so essential that the Rambam even obligates the person who is alone at their own Seder to recite the Haggadah in question-and-answer form, so that he is in dialogue with himself! The challenge inherent in Rav Shagar’s teaching

is indeed trying, particularly over Pesach – will we open our homes to those in need of hospitality? And will we also open our hearts? How will the conversation at the Seder look – will we simply act out the same conversations and clashes as last year? Or will we enter with an open mind and heart, striving to find redemption this year, even if we have not succeeded in past years? Are we open to letting in the new and the unexpected? Rav Shagar presents a model of what true conversation can look like – a speaking between subjects, where each person truly listens to the other, thus allowing the conversation to develop in an organic way. In true conversation, no matter how well one knows the other person, neither side knows in advance what the other or even the self will say. Redemption, for Rav Shagar, is the ability to open ourselves up to the possibilities that can emerge when we truly speak to the other, without fear. May each and every one of us merit a Pesach of redemption, a Pesach in which we experience the verse in Psalms (118:5) (“Min hameitzar, karati y-ah, annani bamerchav y-ah”), a Pesach in which those areas that are currently narrow, and in which we experience only tunnel vision, should be widened into the broader perspective of redemption – both in our personal lives in prayer and Torah study, as well as in our wider relationships with family and friends. Rabbanit Dr. Jennie Rosenfeld serves as Manhiga Ruchanit in Efrat, Israel. She received a heter hora’ah from the Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute for Halakhic Leadership at Midreshet Lindenbaum and a Ph.D. in English from the CUNY Graduate Center. She co-authored “Et Le’ehov: The Newlywed’s Guide to Physical Intimacy.”

HIGHLIGHTS & SUCCESSES Elaine Silver helped Malka turn her life around Malka T. just completed the last three of her 21 bagrut (matriculation) exams and is now studying information and communications technology at the AMIT junior college at Elaine Silver, both extraordinary achievements for the young woman who dropped out of school from 10th grade until the middle of 12th grade. Starting in 9th grade, Malka, who is now 19 years old, attended an ulpana (religious girls’ school) in Beersheva, but was unhappy there. “I didn’t connect to it,” she said, “so I just stopped going.” Malka’s mother, a single mother to seven children, was disappointed but had little power over her headstrong youngest daughter. Then one day, Malka’s sister suggested she try Elaine Silver, where she enrolled in the art track. Now she’s set to go into the army as an officer.

AMIT opens innovation hub in Ra’anana Just after the Jewish High Holy Days, AMIT opened its “Academy of Entrepreneurship & Innovation,” located at AMIT’s Gogya teachertraining center in Ra’anana. The program comprises two parts: an innovation hub and a maker’s space. Students from schools across the network come to the center and learn directly from established entrepreneurs who work on site. They develop 21st-century skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, project management, public speaking, and conflict resolution while coming up with ideas for their own startups. The maker’s space is suited to students who like to work with their hands to build what they and the budding entrepreneurs in the innovation hub conceive together. It is outfitted with a 3D printer, wood, paper, plastic—all materials that the students can use to turn their ideas into actual working models. Keep your eyes out for award-winning innovations that will come out of there!

Special needs students nab 14 medals at Olympics Special needs students from Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim swept the first ever Olympics for children with impaired communication skills, which included children on the autism spectrum from eight different schools. The AMIT students won 14 medals individually and as a group: eight gold medals, five silver medals, and one bronze. Rabbi Nitzan Berger, the school’s principal, said that these boys are an inextricable part of his school. “We learn from these unique students every day about will power, facing challenges, and setting goals for oneself.”

HIGHLIGHTS & SUCCESSES 5 AMIT robotics teams headed to national competition Five robotics teams from AMIT schools have advanced to the national round of the FIRST LEGO League competition after excelling at the regional stage. The team from the AMIT Mr. & Mrs. Lester Sutker Art and Sciences Jr. and Sr. High School for Boys in Modi’in advanced to the nationals for the sixth year in a row. They are joined by the Tigers (9th grade) and the Panthers (7th and 8th grades), two teams from AMIT Midreshet Art and Sciences Jr. and Sr. High School for Girls in Modi’in, the team from AMIT Gould Hallel Jr. and Sr. High School for Girls, and the team from AMIT Gwen Straus Jr. and Sr. Science High School for Boys in Ra’anana. The theme of this year’s competition is “Into Orbit,” which asks students to “explore, challenge, and innovate in the vast expanse of space.”

Team AMIT raises $50K for Beit Hayeled at Jerusalem Marathon More than 400 AMIT students, faculty members, and supporters got an early start to the day and hit the ground running at the Jerusalem Marathon in March, raising more than $50,000 for AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled, a surrogate family residence serving close to 200 children from difficult and disadvantaged homes. After two stormy days, the sun finally came out to shine on the runners, including AMIT students from Petach Tikva, Jerusalem, Ma’ale Adumim, Mateh Yehuda, and Beersheva. Midreshet AMIT students, who spend their gap year in Israel and volunteer with the Beit Hayeled children, also ran with Team AMIT. There was great energy and excitement among the runners and AMIT supporters—all of whom came out with the mission of improving the lives of the children at Beit Hayeled. AMIT also had an official marathon tent for the first time this year, joining other notable charities and organizations.

For AMIT students and senior citizens, the sky’s the limit Throughout the year, AMIT students take part in various activities with senior citizens from their communities, but that bond reached new heights—literally—as young women from the AMIT high school in Tel Aviv and their elder counterparts assembled and flew drones together. The unique program is part of a project that the AMIT Reishit Tel Aviv High School for Girls launched several years ago, in which seniors come to the school to study for two full days per week. Part of the school’s curriculum includes a drone-building project, in which the students build a drone using recycled materials and program it to fly. The seniors took part in that as well, with the entire group learning the fundamentals about drones and how to operate them. They then went out to the schoolyard to test out their creations. Everyone had a blast.

This Passover, What Will Be Your Legacy? As you sit down at the Seder with your family and loved ones to remember our exodus from slavery to freedom, remember this question…You can ensure a strong Jewish future for Israel. Education is the key to creating a self-reliant and successful nation and AMIT is leading an educational revolution in Israel. YOU hold that key!

Their Future. Your Legacy. Let us know if you have included AMIT in your will, trust, or other planned gifts. We want to honor you with membership in our Legacy Society and, more importantly, to thank you today and ensure that your legacy is honored.

Create your AMIT legacy by including AMIT in your estate plans. Contact Genene Kaye today by calling 212.477.5465 or emailing genenek@amitchildren.org. Let her know that you are one of our valued Legacy Society members!

AMIT is thankful for the generosity and foresight of our supporters who have remembered the children of AMIT through a bequest. BEQUESTS 2017 – 2019 Greta Bayer, z”l

Sylvia Holder, z”l

Zachary Levy, z”l

Harriet M. Rivkin, z”l

Ann Birulin, z”l

Kitty Hoory, z”l

Minnie Lieberman, z”l

Florence Sakolsky, z”l

Rickey Bloom, z”l

Marilyn Isler, z”l

Shirley Liebowitz, z”l

Alan Sar, z”l

Elaine Brimer, z”l

Faye Kotin, z”l

Esther Loveman, z”l

Edith Schreiber, z”l

Yetta Bugatz, z”l

Bess Krivitsky, z”l

Eva Miller, z”l

Alice Schuster, z”l

Lillie Chalfin, z”l

Dina Kuperman, z”l

Esther & Sidney Mochan, z”l

Alan Selevan, z”l

Irmgard Deutsch, z”l

Adele Lassar, z”l

Jerry J. Nadel, z”l

Renee Silverstein, z”l

Evelyn Engelberg, z”l

Hortley Leblang, z”l

Betty Narotsky, z”l

Mamie & Oscar Wasserman, z”l

Beate Frank, z”l

Miriam Leifer, z”l

Lillian Pozefsky, z”l

Thelma Weisberger, z”l

Ruth Ilse Gerber, z”l

Alice Levi, z”l

Jane Quint, z”l

Bertha Winitz, z”l

Halina Hershkowitz, z”l

DEVELOPMENT Minnie Lieberman’s AMIT Legacy Minnie Lieberman, z”l, was the oldest of the seven children of Rose and Andrew Miller, z”l. The Millers were heavily involved in Jewish causes throughout their lives and instilled the same values-being charitable and supporting Jewish education-in their children. “My grandfather gave all his money away to Jewish education, Jewish hospitals,” said Edward Miller, the son of Leon Miller, who is 96 and is Minnie Lieberman’s youngest brother. Minnie Lieberman got to know about AMIT through Leon’s first wife, Symma, z”l—whose extended family has a long history of involvement with AMIT—and would attend functions on occasion.

Minnie Lieberman (back row, third from right) at the wedding of her brother Leon and his first wife, Symma, z”l

Throughout her life, Lieberman lived frugally. She had studied accounting and had helped her father with the books at his real estate business. “She was very sharp,” said Miller, “and her stock market acumen was really unusual.” Lieberman had an inherent gift for picking stocks, like Disney or Apple, that would increase in value, and she slowly amassed a small fortune, the bulk of which she bequeathed to AMIT in her estate plans. “Minnie was a talented businessperson and she loved giving to charity,” said Miller. “AMIT spoke to her— she liked its mission.” Lieberman’s legacy gift will have a life-changing impact on AMIT’s children in Israel and will help ensure that they continue to receive the most innovative Jewish values–based education. In recognition of her extraordinarily generous gift, AMIT is dedicating a building in honor of Minnie Lieberman, her parents, and siblings at the Kfar Blatt Youth Village in Petach Tikva. “Minnie really wanted to continue her parents’ legacy,” said Miller. “She would have liked to know that her parents were recognized, because they were really just incredible role models for her and our family.”

DEVELOPMENT AMIT Dreisinger Fellowship for Excellence in Education Dr. Albert Dreisinger’s mantra and goal in life has always been to help and empower others—and he has done exactly that by establishing the AMIT Dreisinger Fellowship for Excellence in Education. This program bolsters AMIT’s teachers and pedagogical staff throughout the network by providing them with ongoing intensive professional training and mentoring that develops 21st-century educational skills. Done under the Gogya Initiative, it enables the AMIT network to invest in our teachers and faculty who then raise the bar for academic excellence among our students. Born in New York City, Dr. Dreisinger began his professional life as a teacher. He subsequently studied medicine, specialized in psychiatry, and established a thriving practice in the Bronx geared toward couples and young children. He and his wife, Florence, z”l, have two daughters, Malka and Aviva. Florence was always involved in AMIT, and the Dreisingers always felt it was imperative to maintain a strong Israel and that it was incumbent upon them to do their utmost to support it. After many years, Dr. Dreisinger made aliyah and lives near his daughter Malka and her family. Dr. Dreisinger receives ongoing nachas from his grandchildren as he watches them grow and succeed. He continues to practice and has phone appointments with his longtime patients from the States. Dr. Dreisinger looks forward to visiting both students and teachers who have benefited from this fellowship, a magnificent gift that brings him full circle to his days as an educator.

Dr. Dreisinger (seated) with his family

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DEVELOPMENT Dedication of The Lewis and Wolkoff Preparatory Army and Air Force Programs Alan Lewis of Jupiter, Florida, considers education to be the cornerstone of success. His parents and grandparents permanently instilled in him the value of education as the foundation for a productive and rewarding life. As a tribute to them, Lewis channeled his generosity and vision for improving the lives of children in Israel into two AMIT pre-military preparatory programs: The Lewis and Wolkoff Preparatory Army Program at the Gloria and Henry I. Zeisel and Family Junior College at Kfar Blatt and The Lewis and Wolkoff Preparatory Air Force Program at the AMIT Tiferet Gur Arye Junior College in Rehovot. Both of these programs combine state-of-the-art technical education with Jewish studies and values-based leadership training. They enable their students, most of whom come from disadvantaged backgrounds, to gain the knowledge and skills they need to be accepted to top positions in the army and air force, which in turn serve as a launching pad to higher education and gainful employment—critical components for a successful adult life. “My attraction to these programs is best captured by the expression ‘Building Lives – Defending Israel,’ which is inscribed onto the programs’ dedication plaques,” said Lewis. “They are equipping young people with the education and values they need to succeed in life, and to contribute to the qualitative edge of the Israel Defense Forces.” Lewis is proud that these programs bear his family’s names, honoring his parents and grandparents whose efforts and sacrifices provided opportunities to the generations that followed. “The fruits of their legacy now contribute to enabling the foundations upon which young Israelis can build meaningful lives of their own and become role models for others,” he said.

DEVELOPMENT

Tri-State 2018 Annual Dinner – AMIT’s Got Talent

L.-R.: Shera Chubak, Esther Weinstein, and Debbie Moed

AMIT’s 2018 Annual Dinner shined a spotlight on our talented students as hundreds of AMIT supporters came to Pier Sixty in New York City on November 18 to pay tribute to honorees Anne and Sheldon Golombeck, Ethlynne and Steve Brickman, Debra Speyer, and Peyton Katz. In addition we recognized the Amy Haber, z”l, Heritage Experience. This program enables special need students at Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim n Petah Tikva to experience the powerful trip to Poland with their peers..

Anne & Sheldon Golombeck (far right) and family

The evening started with a sumptuous buffet dinner in the elegant dining room overlooking the Hudson River, but the real treat was the program that recognized the hard work and dedication of the honorees. In addition, attendees got to meet and hear the talents of five real-life AMIT starsBoaz Avami, Lior Cohen, Nadav Kauffman, Adi Hubara, and Shahaf Mesika-who embody the organizations core values of academic excellence, Jewish values, and person self-fulfillment.

L.-R.: AMIT students Adi Hubara, Nadav Kauffman, Shahaf Mesika, Boaz Avami, and Lior Cohen

Peyton Katz and family

Ethlynne & Steve Brickman and family

L.-R.: Debra Speyer and Robbie Pearlstein

Jimmy Haber (third from left) and family with Broadway star and childhood friend Norm Lewis (center)

DEVELOPMENT

Tri-State

It Was a Full House for AMIT! AMIT of Greater Teaneck’s Monte AMIT supporters getting Carlo Night was L.-R.: Chairs Howie & Meital Teitelman, Abby & Elad Cnaan, their game on Annie & Yale Baron, Rachel Langer, Dan & Chana Shields a huge success, bringing together over 130 supporters and raising more than $32,000 to benefit our students in Israel. The event was graciously hosted by Annie and Yale Baron (who also chaired the event), Chana and Dan Shields, Abby and Elad Cnaan, Rachel and Shawn Langer, and Meital and Howie Teitelman. The stakes were high as guests competed for top earners at blackjack, craps, roulette, and Texas hold ’em. The winner’s circle included Etan Merwis, Ellie Kinches, and Yehuda Feldman.

LI Gala — A Wonderful Evening for AMIT AMIT supporters on Long Island came out in force to pay tribute to a distinguished group of local residents who have been trailblazers in supporting AMIT’s mission of building Israel through education. Over 330 AMIT supporters gathered at the Sephardic Temple to honor seven special women at AMIT’s Annual Greater LI Gala: Shevi Cohen of West Hempstead, Marilyn Grossman of Merrick, Laura and Amanda Kornblum of Woodmere, Beverly Skolnick of Long Beach, and Rochelle Sroka of Plainview. Zelda Berger, from Great Neck, received the Marvin Leff, z”l, Leadership Award. Event co-chair Sami Schindelheim emceed the evening’s program, which included a moving Dvar Torah by honoree L-R: Zelda Berger, Shevi Cohen, Amanda Kornblum, a Rochelle Sroka, Beverly Skolnick, member of the Midreshet Amanda Kornblum, Laura Kornblum, Marilyn Grossman AMIT class of 2016.

Zelda Berger (center), recipient of the Marvin Leff, z”l, Leadership Award, and family

Amanda Kornblum (center) and friends

DEVELOPMENT

Mid-Atlantic

L.-R. (back): Diane Hawk, Sybil Barer, Isabel Levinson, Sema Shaffer, Selma Mosgin, Sandy Willner, Adi Hubara, Ellen Avraham (front) Nadav Kauffman, Lior Cohen

L.-R.: Nadav Kauffman, Lior Cohen, Adi Hubara, Ellen Avraham, Gail Gerstman

Talented AMIT Students Visit Baltimore Longtime AMIT supporters gathered in November for an intimate brunch to meet and greet AMIT’s exceptional students, Adi Hubara, Nadav Kauffman, and Lior Cohen, who were accompanied by Ellen Avraham. Adi and Lior entertained the group with their songs and Nadav’s animation film about a day in the life of an AMIT student was viewed and enjoyed by all.

Silver Spring Generations-in-Israel On an October evening, over 70 supporters from AMIT Birah Chapter of Greater Washington, D.C., celebrated Generations-in-Israel in appreciation of Ginger Pinchot and Orlee Turitz for their many years of leadership. Mother and daughter each spoke passionately about AMIT’s mission and the importance of their commitment to investing in the future generations of Israel.

Orlee Turitz and Ginger Pinchot

AMIT Students Meet Birah Chapter

L.-R.: Adi Hubara, Lior Cohen, and Nadav Kauffman

AMIT Birah Chapter of Greater Washington, D.C., dined at the home of Donna and Jeff Lawrence and heard from Adi Hubara, Nadav Kauffman, and Lior Cohen about their lives as AMIT students in a panel discussion led by Ellen Avraham. The group was treated to musical entertainment and a video created by Nadav.

DEVELOPMENT

Mid-Atlantic

Philadelphia Gala

Sara & Josh Bleier, Syvia Eisenberg

Over 130 people from the Philadelphia Council/Shira Chapter came out in November to celebrate honorees Sara and Josh Bleier, Rene Rothstein Rubin, and Seth Zwillenberg at the annual Philly Gala. AMIT students Nadav Kauffman, Lior Cohen, and Adi Hubara charmed the audience with their performances and expressed gratitude to AMIT for their accomplishments.

Honoree Rene Rothstein Rubin was a lone teenager at the time her mother introduced her to the AMIT organization. AMIT was the perfect fit for Rene because of our work with Jewish issues especially as it relates to children. Honoree Sara Bleier spoke passionately about her long family history with AMIT. The evening was a resounding success!

Rene Rubin Rothstein and family

Conversational English Enrichment Program On a blustery day in January, Philadelphia Council/Shira Chapter hosted a book review led by Beverly Rosen of “Doña Gracia of the House of Nasi” by Cecil Roth. This event was the second of a three-part series that will support the Conversational English Enrichment Program at AMIT Sderot Religious Junior and Senior High School. The Philadelphia Council/Shira Chapter is committed to funding this important program.

Lisa Dardashti

Boston Gala

L.-R.: Sarah Aghion, Ethlynne & Steve Brickman, Beverly Bavly

Ethlynne and Steve Brickman were the deserving honorees at the AMIT New England Council/Ra’anana Chapter Gala on November 14 at Temple Emanuel in Newton, MA. AMIT students Adi Hubara, Nadav Kauffman, and Lior Cohen charmed the audience, while AMIT President Debbie Moed followed as the keynote AMIT speaker. A special tribute to Leonard Bernstein, z”l, and other Jewish composers was presented by Jonathan Sarna, followed by a compelling presentation by the Zamir Chorale of Boston led by Josh Jacobson. This emotionally charged evening was enjoyed by 100 AMIT supporters.

DEVELOPMENT

Midwest

Chicago 2018 Annual Gala Dinner

Aviva Lichtenstein with her husband, Nate, three of her four children, and several grandchildren

Esther Cardash with her children

More than 160 guests gathered to honor Aviva Lichtenstein and Esther Cardash at the Midwest Council’s annual gala dinner on November 13. Aviva Lichtenstein was presented with the Nina Bellows Leadership Award in honor of her 37 years of work with AMIT. She has served as chapter president, council president, and legal advisor and she currently serves as a member of the National Board representing the Midwest. Esther Cardash received the Bessie Gotsfeld Award, given to a member who embodies the spirit of AMIT’s founder. Esther’s decades-long dedication to AMIT is rooted in her many years as an educator. Committee chairs for the 2018 gala dinner were Barbara and Steve Geller, Julie and George Lennon, and Rachelle Rosenfeld.

L.-R.: Midwest Council President Tami Drapkin, AMIT student Shahaf Mesika, gala committee co-chair Julie Lennon, honorees Aviva Lichtenstein and Esther Cardash, gala committee co-chairs Barbara Geller and Rachelle Rosenfeld, and AMIT student Boaz Avami

DEVELOPMENT

Southeast

AMIT Southeast Annual Dinner Over 130 AMIT supporters attended the Southeast Region Annual Dinner held at the Aventura-Turnberry Jewish Center in November. The event, whose theme was “Lead Today and Ensure Tomorrow: Celebrate Israel at 70,” recognized honorees Dr. Trudy Abramson, Lillian Weiss, Terry Lefkowitz, and Dorothy Raul for their lifetime of leadership, dedication, and support for AMIT and the commitment to academic excellence, Jewish values and Zionist ideals. AMIT students Boaz Avami and Shahaf Mesika were our special guests. Boaz shared his musical talent, while Shahaf spoke passionately of her experiences and aspirations. The attendees were inspired and pleased to hear about how their continuous support contributes to the future of Israel and its society.

Boaz Avami and Shahaf Mesika

Dorothy Raul receives the Arline Reinhart, z”l, Leadership Award from AMIT’s Joel Silberman

L.-R.: Michael & Terry Lefkowitz and Lillian & Sherwyn Weiss

L.-R.: Bruce Abramson, Lee Seligman, Dr. Trudy Abramson, Michelle Goodman, Laurie Gross

Sy & Elaine Brief

DEVELOPMENT

Western

LA Launches AMIT NewGen Community

L.-R.: Shari Safra, Rachel Cohn, Briana Benaron, Leslie Schapira, Dafna Landau, and Liron Yadin

Nearly 40 young professionals celebrated the launch of Los Angeles AMIT NewGen on the SIXTY Beverly Hills Hotel rooftop in October and learned about AMIT’s educational approach and its national NewGen community. Shari Safra, of New York, chair of AMIT NewGen, was among the attendees. Los Angeles AMIT NewGen is a network of local young professionals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s who support AMIT’s mission and seek opportunities to make a direct impact on Israel, network with others, and inspire the next generation of Jewish philanthropic leaders.

LA Leaders Welcome AMIT Students The Los Angeles Leadership Council held an event in November featuring AMIT students from Israel that drew more than 30 community L.-R.: Evan & Sandra Roklen, Evan Green, AMIT students members to the home of Shari and Jeff FishShahaf, Nadav, and Boaz, and Joel Levine man. During the evening, the Israeli students shared their stories and highlighted their experiences at AMIT schools, particularly the impact the organization’s staff, students, and curriculum have had on their lives. “You could tell that everyone in the room was touched and inspired by the work AMIT is doing to create the future leaders of Israel,” said Evan Green, chair of the AMIT L.A. Leadership Council.

LA NewGen Gets “Happy” with Jessica Abo

L.-R.: Michael Roklen, Jessica Abo, Dafna Landau, Briana Benaron, Leslie Schapira

Nearly 50 AMIT LA NewGen guests gathered at the home of Phyllis and Jay Schapira for a thought-provoking and inspiring evening with award-winning journalist and social entrepreneur Jessica Abo. The growing NewGen community came together to discuss ways to navigate social media while staying true to one’s self and finding happiness. Abo’s new book, “Unfiltered: How to Be As Happy As You Look On Social Media,” highlights the importance of reaching one’s fullest potential through self-empowerment, a key goal of AMIT’s work in ensuring the success of its students across Israel.

DEVELOPMENT

Emerging Leaders

Washington, D.C., Newgen Happy Hour

Miriam Cleeman and friends

Aaron Baumgarten and Aryeh Schwartz

A NewGen initiative led by Miriam Cleeman launched on December 19. Over 20 young Jewish professionals met at the Hawthorne in Washington, D.C., for conversation and networking opportunities. Aryeh Photography graciously captured these memories of the night for AMIT. Aryeh’s grandmother is a longtime AMIT supporter. Miriam is currently planning a Spring NewGen meet-up for April.

Boston NewGen BBQ On a hot summer evening in August, the Boston NewGen Chapter hosted a Summer BBQ for young Jewish professionals and their families. Over 70 people attended. The kids laughed and jumped in a bouncy castle, the BBQ smoked over a hot fire, and the adults mingled and relaxed with old friends while new friendships were forged.

L.-R.: Josh & Beth Sydney, Orah & Aaron Greenberg, James & Caryn Wolfe

Cleveland Leaders Become AMIT Ninjas

AMIT supporters at Adrenaline Monkey

A group of women from the AMIT Cleveland community spent an exciting evening in November climbing, jumping, and navigating through a ninja warrior course. They pushed themselves to the limit while checking off a box from their bucket list. Everyone discovered their inner ninja warrior.

OBITUARY

Daisy Berman, z”l The AMIT family was profounly saddened by the loss of our former National President Daisy Berman, z”l, who passed away on December 23, 2018, and left an indelible mark on our organization and the tens of thousands of Israeli children whose lives she enriched through her caring, dedication, philanthropy, and tireless work. Born Daisy Koenig on August 21, 1923, she married Herbert Berman in 1952. Throughout their 46 years of marriage, the Bermans were active in numerous Jewish and Zionist organizations and civic causes, leaving behind a rich legacy of tzedakah and good deeds on behalf of the Jewish people.

A decades-long life member of AMIT, Daisy served the organization in numerous capacities over the years. She became AMIT’s 16th president in 1987, serving for four years over a period of tremendous change in the world, and in Israel. In those four years, Israel not only faced threats from its enemies, including Scud missiles during the Gulf War, it also embraced hundreds of thousands of new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia with instrumental help from AMIT. “Within Israel, AMIT Women has stepped forward to embrace the young, because they are Israel’s future,” Berman wrote at the time. “We act as care-takers and educators, and as mentors for young people at the critical points in their lives, in their choice-making years, the make-or-break years. As mentors, we guide them not only toward economic self-sufficiency but toward religious and ethical strength. As Israel has grown, so too have our mandate and our responsibilities.” During Berman’s tenure, AMIT expanded to include the entire religious school system in Beersheva, as well as schools across the country, especially in the periphery; AMIT schools partnered with the Technion, the Weizmann Institute and other universities, a trend that continues today; AMIT initiated the surrogate-family residence for high school students at the Kfar Blatt Youth Village, the first and only program of its kind in Israel at the time; and AMIT expanded in the United States as well. After her presidency, Berman served on the board of governors and board of directors. Berman and her family left a lasting legacy for Israeli children when they dedicated the AMIT Daisy Berman Yeshiva in Beersheva in 1989. She later also dedicated the Herbert Berman Synagogue at the school in memory of her beloved husband, who passed away in 1998. The AMIT school named after Daisy Berman was on the Israeli Education Ministry’s list of “outstanding schools” for 2018, and its students regularly win robotics and physics competitions, as well as garner recognition for their chesed initiatives.

$50,000-$74,999 Anonymous, NY Anonymous, NY Hadassah and Marvin Bienenfeld, NY

$1,000,000 +

$100,000-$249,999

Ellen, z”l, and Meyer Koplow, NY

Gail and Martin Elsant, NY

Barbara Bloom, MD

The Lewis and Wolkoff Family Legacy, CO

Layla and Evan Green, CA

Freda and Elliot Braha, NJ

Minnie Lieberman, z”l, NY

The Barbara and Fred Kort Foundation, CA

Suzanne and Jacob Doft, NY

The Moise Y. Safra Foundation, NY

Ellen and Emanuel Kronitz, Israel

David Goldman Charitable Trust, Israel

Ellen and Stanley Wasserman, NY

Kailly Sass, z”l, PA

Harvey Goodstein Foundation, PA

Joyce and Daniel Straus, NJ

Amy, z”l, and James Haber, NY

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

Norma and Emanuel, z”l, Holzer, NY

$75,000-$99,999

The Kolatch Family Foundation, NJ

Lee and Louis Benjamin, NY

Ria and Tim Levart, NJ

Sarena and David Koschitzky, Canada

Zachary Levy, z”l, NY Debbie and Samuel Moed, NJ

Leon and Gloria, Edward,

Robyn Price Stonehill and David Stonehill, NY

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$18,000 - $24,999 Adena and Ezra Dyckman, NY Tamar and Eric Goldstein, NY Anne and Sheldon Golombeck, NY

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Pnina and Jacob Graff, CA

$36,000 - $49,999

Blackman Foundation, CA

Nancy and Josh Korff, NY

Hamifal Education Childrens Home, Israel

Ann and Yale Baron, NJ

Rosa and Isaac Cohanzad, CA

Shirley Liebowitz, z”l, NY

Debbie and David Isaac, NY

Brenda and Albert Kalter, NY

Jewel and Ted Edelman, NY Laura and David Eisenberg, MA

The Joan S. and Leon Meyers Foundation, NY

Sarah Liron and Sheldon Kahn, CA

Sydelle and Robert Kleiman, NY Evelyn and Lawrence Kraut, NJ Sharon and Morris Silver, CA Walter Silver, FL

Ike, Molly and Steven Elias Foundation, NY Mitzi Golden, NY Harwit Charitable Trust, CA

$25,000 - $35,999

Laura and Jonathan Heller, NY

Anonymous, FL

Mildred, z”l, and Alvin Hellerstein, NY

Anonymous, MA

Russell Jay Hendel, MD

Anonymous, NY

Kirkland & Ellis LLP, NY

Evelyn and Isaac Blachor, NY

Kislev Tuvla Veschar, Israel

Barbara and Joel, z”l, Rascoff, NY Norman and Bettina Roberts Foundation, NJ Seed the Dream, PA Harriet and Heshe Seif, NJ The Stone Family, NJ Zahava and Moshael Straus, NJ

Eleanor M. and Herbert D. Katz Family Foundation, FL Gitta and Richard Koppel, Israel Marilyn and Leon Moed, NY Sandra and Evan Roklen, CA Helena Inga and Marc Singer, Israel Rita and Eugene Schwalb, FL

Audrey and Chaim Trachtman, NY

Sylvia and Morris Trachten, z”l, Family Foundation, Israel

Laurie Latt Wolff and Richard Wolff, NY

Audrey and Max Wagner, NY

Yoreinu Foundation, Israel As of 3/20/19. We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

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Leelah and Joseph Gitler, Israel

$10,000 - $17,999

Ruth and Robert Lewis, NY

Randi Schatz Allerhand and

Abigail and Ari Glass, NY

Anonymous, CA

Jennifer and Marc Lipschultz, NY

Joseph S. Allerhand, NY

Miriam and Felix Glaubach, NY

Anonymous, NY

Rita Lowi, CA

Susan Alter Klaperman, NY

Shari and Maurice Gluckstadt, NY

Trudy and Ted, z”l, Abramson, FL

Zipporah and Arnold Marans, NY

Ann and Hy Arbesfeld, NY

Esther and Jack Goldman, NY

Amdocs, Israel

Etella and Haim Marcovici, NY

Asher Foundation, Israel

Aviva and Zev Golombeck, NY

Max & Anna Baran, Ben & Sarah Baran and Milton Baran, z”l, CA

Lisa and Leon Meyers, NY

Lolly and Harris Bak, NY Rachel, z”l, and Martin Balsam, NY

Sandra E. Goodstein and Arthur Rosenblatt, PA

Debbie and Julio Berger, NY

The Dorothy Phillips Michaud Charitable Trust, CA

Zelda and Solomon Berger, NY

Judy and Albert Milstein, IL

Daisy Berman, z”l, NY

Ilan Nissan/Goodwin Procter LLP

Anne Bernstein, CA

Barbara and Jules, z”l Nordlicht, NY

Helen and Henry Bienenfeld Foundation, PA

North American Conference

Deborah Stern Blumenthal and Michael Blumenthal, NJ Lotte, z”l, and Ludwig Bravmann, NY Ethlynne and Stephen Brickman, MA Vanessa and Raymond Chalme, NY Michael Cleeman, NY Marion Crespi, NY Jone and Allen Dalezman, MA Adina and Marc Dolfman, NY Selma and Jacob Dyckman, NY Danielle and Ronald Ellis, Israel Ruth and Gene Fax, MA Lisa Rosenbaum and Ronald Fisher, MA Rosalyn and Ira Friedman, NJ Paulette and Max, z”l, Goldberg, NY Paula Yudenfriend and Arlin Green, PA Howard Heller, MA Max and Sunny Howard Memorial Fund, NY Ithaca United Jewish Community, NY

Owl Rock Capital Partners LP, NY Regina Peterseil, NY Lauren and Mitchell Presser, NY Price Waterhouse Cooper/ Andrew Cristinzio, FL Jerald Ptashkin, CA Jennie and Avi Rothner, IL Shirley and Milton Sabin, FL David Shapira Services, Israel Shemesh Foundation, Israel Celia and Reuven Sherwin, Israel Judy and Isaac Sherman, NY Deena and Adam Shiff, NY Marilyn and Herbert, z”l, Smilowitz, NJ Sondra and Myron Sokal, NY Adina Straus, NY Judith and Mike Teitelbaum, MD Ina and David Tropper, NY Judy and Morry Weiss/SapirsteinStone-Weiss Foundation, OH Helene and Gerald Zisholtz, NY

Edith and Herman Itzkowitz, PA Suzanne and Norman Javitt, NY

$5,000 - $9,999

Elissa and Thomas Katz, FL

Anonymous, Israel

Ruth and Hillel Kellerman, CA

Anonymous, Israel

Keren HaYesod, Israel

Anonymous, NY

Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek, Israel

Anonymous, NY

Ruth and Daniel Krasner, NY

Anonymous, MD

Rochelle and Seymour, z”l, Kraut, NJ

Raquela and Avi Adelsberg, NY

Ruth M. Finglass and Kevin A. Kubach, MD

Sarah and Maurice Aghion, MA

Nicole and Raanan Agus, NY

Jodi and Zvi Benhaim, NY

Gorlin Family Foundation, MD

Tamar and Ethan Benovitz, Israel

Ruth and Sandy Gottesman Foundation, NY

Phyllis and Edward Berkowitz, NY

Sara and Ronald Gottlieb, FL

Ellen and Morris Bienenfeld, NJ

Sharon and Melvin Gross, NY

Andrea and Bryan Bier, NJ Beth and Reuben Blumenthal, NY

Samantha and Bobby Harary Phyllis Hammer, MA

Sari and Stuart Braunstein, NY

Debbie and Eddie Herbst, CA

Adrianne and Leon Brum, FL

Aviva Hoschander-Sulzberger and Vernon Sulzberger, NY

Laurie and Eli Bryk, NY Yvette Bugatz, z”l, NY Pearl Caslow, IL

Shulamit and Joakim Isaacs, Israel Peggy and Robert Insel, NY

Carol and Arnold Caviar, KS

Sonia Bodenstein-Izenstark and Ira Izenstark, CA

Margaret and Chaim Charytan, NY

Elaine and Robert Jacobs, NY

Beth Chiger and Neil Sambrowsky, NY Michelle Chrein, NY

Debra Jakubovitz-Fletcher and Tim Fletcher, CA

Barbara and Melvyn Ciment, MD

Barbara and Manfred Joseph, NY

Trina and Paul, z”l, Cleeman, NY

Connie and Alan Kadish, NJ

Sherry and Neil Cohen, NY

Hermann Kaiser, NJ

Shevi and Milton Cohen, NY

Ruth and Jerome Kamerman, NY

Diane and Howard Cole, NY

Ruth and William, z”l, Kantrowitz, NY

Karen and David Cole, NY

Harriet and Joel Kaplan, NY

Steven Cooperman, NY

Elissa and Michael Katz, NJ

Lisa Dardashti, PA

Rona and Ira Kellman, NY

Arlene and Avrom Doft, NY

Keren Roi, Israel

Renee and Harvey Douglen, Israel

Rochelle Stern Kevelson, NY

Elaine and Lewis Dubroff, NY

Diane and Barry Kirschenbaum, FL

Hattie and Arthur Dubroff, NJ

Chani and Steven Klein, NY

Susan Ederson, NY

The Klibanoff Family, NJ

Linda and Barry Eichler, PA & NY

Jane Klitsner, Israel

Sherry and Aaron Eidelman, NY

Laurie and Robert Koppel, NY

Sheila and Kenneth Fields, NJ

Ethan and Ruth Kra, NJ

Gabriella and David Fridman, NY

Mark Kristoff, NY

Lilly and Alfred, z”l, Friedman, NY

Edy and Jacob Kupietzky, IL

Debbie and Ezra Feuer, NJ

Bryna and Joshua Landes, NY

Vanessa and Joseph Gad, NY

Donna and Jeffrey Lawrence, MD

As of 3/20/19. We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

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Hedy and Paul Peyser, MD

Jan and Sheldon Schechter, NY

Marilee and Michael Tolwin, CA

Kari and Joshua Levine, NY

Suzy and Paul Peyser, NY

Esther and William Schulder, NJ

Sandra, z”l, and Max Thurm, NY

Sylvia and Norman Levine, FL

Vicki and Jerry Platt, NY

Seligsohn Foundation, PA

Bertie and Fred Tryfus, NY

Dorothy and Robert Lewis, NY

Esther and Donald Press, NY

Deanne and Leonard Shapiro, Israel

Marilyn and Lee Wallach, NY

Mindy and Seymour Liebman, NY

Tzippi and Ira Press, NJ

Ruth and Irwin Shapiro, NY

Paula and Leslie Walter, NY

Audrey and Haskel Lookstein, NY

Judy and Jerry Pressner, NY

Chana and Daniel Shields, NJ

Anne and Mark Wasserman, NY

Rita Lourie-Galena, PA & NY

Joyce and Stanley Raskas, NY

Jane Shiff, NJ

Marion and William Weiss, NJ

Adama Makhteshim, Israel

Evelyn Reichenthal, TX

Mollie Siegel, NJ

Roselyn and Walter, z”l, Weitzner, NY

Meira and Solomon, z”l, Max, NY

Reut Foundation, Israel

Sara and Gabriel Solomon, MD

Manette and Louis Mayberg, MD

Fritzie and Sheldon, z”l, Robinson, IL

Nancy and Benjamin Sporn, NY

Benay and Ira Meisels, NY

Kristina Reiko Cooper and Len Rosen, Israel

Francine and Aaron Stein, NJ

Caroline and Marcelo Messer, NY Elana and Shami Minkove, NY Myra Mitzner, NY Michael Moore, TX Gloria and Burton Nusbacher, NY Reva and Martin Oliner, NY Bea and Irwin, z”l, Peyser, NY

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

Linda and Stanley Weissbrot, IL Linda and Steven Weissman, NY Booky and Jerome Wildes, NY Stella and Samy Ymar, MD

Naomi and Gary Stein, NY

Esther and Dov Zeidman, NY

Trudy and Stanley Stern, NY

Tamar and Benjamin Zeltser, NY

Randi and David Sultan, NY

Nazim Zilkha/Dechert LLP, NY

Nechama and Howard Taber, NY

Hedda Rudoff, NY

Talpiot Religious Children’s Village, Israel

Tammy and Kenny Schaum, NY

Lilly Tempelsman, NY

Eva Zilz, NY

As of 3/20/19. We apologize if your name was inadvertently left off this list.

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Did you know?

AMIT was named the #1 Education Network by Israel’s Education Ministry

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