AMIT Magazine Summer 2015

IN THIS ISSUE: 90TH AN N IVERSARY MISSION MY Y E A R AT M I D R E S H E T A M I T PLANNED GIVING H IGH LIGHTS AN D SUCC ESSES

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

AMIT CODEBREAKERS Studying The Sefer and Cipher

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Marvin Leff, z”l

A Mentor and a Mensch

Rabbi Marvin Leff, z”l, former Executive Director of AMIT, passed away on Shabbat Parshat Korach, 3 Tamuz, 5775/June 20, 2015

RABBI MARVIN LEFF BECAME THE THIRD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AMIT IN 1977.

For the 28 years that followed, Marvin was a unique leader, who had the incredible ability to

maintain a teamwork atmosphere, while also implementing a “genuine family experience” at

the office. He was more than the head of this organization; he was a teacher, a rabbi, a mentor, and a friend, who never lost sight of the importance of Jewish communal service. He will be most remembered for his warm heart, quick wit, and extreme love of pretzels.

When Marvin took command, AMIT (formerly Mizrachi Women) had nine schools with

an enrollment of 2,000 students. During his tenure, our Reshet expanded to 65 schools and

programs with an enrollment of 16,000 students from kindergarten through junior college.

Marvin made AMIT his life, and it was evident in everything he did. Arriving at a time when members would stand outside Woolworth’s Department Store with pushkes and raise funds with bake sales, Marvin was instrumental in helping build the organization into a multimillion dollar operation.

On December 7, 2005, Marvin received the AMIT Lifetime Achievement Award at the 80th

Anniversary Scholarship Fund Dinner, held at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City. At his side was his wife, Judi, z”l, also a teacher, who had steadfast commitment to Jewish education. Anyone who has ever met this special couple has been blessed.

Marvin Leff will be sorely missed by all of us. May the entire family be comforted among

the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. <

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

summer2015

By Debbie Isaac

TIME HAS CERTAINLY FLOWN BY. IT SEEMS LIKE just yesterday I began my first term as President of AMIT, yet four years later, the end of my two terms draws near. I am proud of the tremendous growth and success AMIT has achieved in recent years - adding 10,000 more students and 25 new schools and programs, producing over 800 fundraising events, achieving a 58% increase in annual contributions since 2011, opening our new Gogya teacher training process and center and so much more. All this could not have been achieved without you - our dedicated leaders and donors from around the world.

Many of our achievements were evident during the AMIT 90th Year Anniversary Celebration in Israel (see article on page 16) which I recently attended along with over 100 devoted members of the extended AMIT family. The exciting program included appearances by Israeli leaders including President Reuven Rivlin, Education Minister MK Naftali Bennett, AMIT Alumnus and recently-elected MK Rachel Azaria, along with fascinating visits to AMIT schools and facilities and cultural events, concluding with an exhilarating AMIT birthday bash and concert. What a joy to witness students and staff from over 50 AMIT schools along with AMIT’s administration and friends gathered together to recount AMIT’s history and celebrate through song and fun educational activities all beautifully arranged at Binyanei Hauma in Jerusalem.

Our celebratory trip even caught the attention of the Jerusalem Post, which published two articles about AMIT during the course of the visit (see article on page 22). The article described AMIT’s unique, dynamic and innovative approach towards education that is leading the way in modernizing education in Israel. Also covered was AMIT’s commitment to an inclusive learning experience for students of all backgrounds.

During the celebration’s visits to AMIT schools and programs, participants learned about many of the newest tracks and studies that are preparing our students for successful futures.

Besides the cutting-edge programs being offered at AMIT schools, we continue to provide nurturing care at facilities such as Kfar Blatt and the AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled youth village. Visits to these facilities are always meaningful and our entire delegation was visibly moved by the stories recounted and gratitude shown by our former students who have benefitted from the care received at AMIT. Young American and British students witness the AMIT magic first hand during the Midreshet AMIT gap year program where they serve as “big sisters” to the children at Beit Hayeled. You can read accounts of how this year’s Midreshet AMIT students were impacted by their experience in this edition (see article on page 26). We are very proud of Midreshet AMIT’s unique program that combines learning with chesed.

As is our custom at AMIT, every four years we elect new officers and directors. This is a sign of a healthy organizational structure and has ensured our continued vibrancy for 90 years. As this is again the end of a fouryear cycle, new officers were elected and inducted at the AMIT President’s Gala and Inauguration at New York City’s Broad Street Ballroom, which provided a fun alternative to our traditional Annual Assembly. It was a moving evening for me to experience the formal conclusion of my presidency and the proverbial ‘passing of the torch’ to our next President, Debbie Moed. I wish Debbie and the new slate of officers at AMIT the utmost success and I look forward to continuing my active involvement with AMIT as a board member.

It has been an honor and privilege to serve this organization as President these last four years. I have met so many wonderful people and learned so much from all of you. It has been gratifying to see all the good that can be and has been done for the children of Israel. May we all see another 90 years of continued success and achievement for AMIT, the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy summer.  Summer 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 3

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summer 2015 – kayitz 5775 Vol. LXXXVII No. 3

BUILDING ISRAEL. ONE CHILD AT A TIME.

8

8

THE CODE BREAKERS OF AMIT

A program at AMIT Sderot Religious High School where students learn to break codes and create cyphers.

By Helga Abraham

12

12

JEWISH ARTISTS OF THE 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY Artists who smashed the glass ceiling.

By Robert E. Sutton

16

AMIT 90TH ANNIVERSARY MISSION

Over 120 AMIT members participate in a four-day whirlwind visit to Israel and the AMIT Network.

By Liz Klibanoff

16

22

MIDRESHET AMIT

26

PLANNED GIVING

Four young women and their year at Midreshet AMIT.

The AMIT Legacy Society. Assuring the future of AMIT.

By Robert E. Sutton IN THIS ISSUE: 90TH AN N IVERSARY MISSION MY Y E A R AT M I D R E S H E T A M I T PLANNED GIVING H IGH LIGHTS AN D SUCC ESSES

About The Cover The Code Breakers of AMIT

AMIT NATIONAL COUNCIL OFFICES

AMIT students learning to become the best in the cyber security field. See article on page 8.

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

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

Philadelphia P.O. Box 342 Wynnewood, PA 19096 410-484-2223 410-370-9411 Call for Fax: 410-484-2223 email: robbiep@amitchildren.org AMIT UK Friends of AMIT Women UK 152/154 Coles Green Rd. London NW2 7HD Phone: +44-208-438-6353 email: Karen.Am@amit.org.il AMIT FRANCE c/o: Mrs. Carole Hannaux 20 Chemin des Brasseurs, 57500 Saint-Avold, France phone: +33-611-487-314 email: carol.hannaux@gmail.com

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

AMIT CODEBREAKERS Studying The Sefer and Cypher

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

FIND AMIT ON

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24

5775

COLUMNS

30

3

:: President’s Message

7

:: Impressions

22 :: AMIT in the Jerusalem Post 24 :: Dvar Torah 36 :: Highlights

Executive Vice President Andrew Goldsmith

DEVELOPMENT NEWS 30 :: March Madness

31

30 :: AFLI Celebrates Israel 31 :: Pre-Matzo Burn!

31 :: Ringing in the Spring 32 :: Boston Mother-in-Israel 32 :: Philly Dinner for Beit Hayeled

32

33 :: Family Fitness Fun 33 :: DC Dinner for Beit Hayeled 34 :: Spanning AMIT World

32

President Debbie Isaac

34

Vice President, Marketing and Communications Chana Shields Editor in Chief/Creative Director Robert Ephraim Sutton Director of Marketing and Communications Ethan M. Segal Design Game6Media Editor Emerita Micheline Ratzersdorfer Signed articles do not necessarily represent the opinion of the organization. Reproduction of any material requires permission and attribution.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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IMPRESSIONS “Without continual growth and progress, such words as

improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

-Benjamin Franklin

90 years of achievement

By Andrew Goldsmith, Executive Vice President

BY PURPOSEFUL DESIGN, EVERY FOUR YEARS AMIT is given the gift to look back, evaluate and, if the circumstances warrant, celebrate. This year we are doubly blessed–we also marked 90 years of achievement. And we have much to celebrate.

Take a look around. AMIT is one of a handful-a very small handful of ninetyyear old organizations that are not only still relevant but absolutely vibrant. We are serving more students across Israel (30,000, the most ever in our history) with better measurable outcomes (83% Bagrut pass rate vs. national average of 64%) with the highest degree of efficiency. We’ve earned and maintained four-star status (the highest possible rating) with Charity Navigator and Gold status with Guidestar Exchange. These fully independent organizations carefully evaluate AMIT in comparison to thousands of other charities based on our efficient use of charitable dollars–and we were judged worthy of their highest rating.

We can’t take it for granted-there are important ingredients that contribute to our formula of success.

The first is our constant evolution. AMIT is not afraid of new challenges, new ideas and new leadership. As Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett recently said at our fantastic end-of-mission 90th anniversary celebration at Jerusalem’s Binyanei Hauma “AMIT is not afraid of what’s hard; whenever there is a challenge to be faced, AMIT stands up and says I am here.” We’re proud to always look for what’s next–looking to the future and never standing on our laurels. While our Bagrut pass rate is the envy of many, we are still working hard and long to make sure that no child is left behind regardless of academic background, scholastic ability and social challenges–all the while instilling Jewish and Zionist values. We are slowly introducing Gogya–our

revolutionary educational platform–to our network of schools and, hopefully, to greater Israel. We evolve because evolution makes us stronger and better.

Part of this evolution is changing leadership. Other organizations remain static with the same officers remaining for decades while occasionally playing musical chairs with leadership positions. Not so with AMIT – we recognize the crucial component new leadership plays in revitalizing our mission. So by culture and design, every four years AMIT elects new officers, vice-presidents and boards.

This exercise expands our horizons, provides organizational invigoration and fresh perspectives – all critical to a healthy evolution.

Exceptional things happen because of exceptional people. So our gratitude to all of those exceptional people who led us so ably and well. Debbie Isaac, our outgoing president, has earned that most rare property that a true leader can acquire the universal respect and admiration of her colleagues. She earned it by being tough in the best sense of the word - raising the AMIT bar towards excellence in all aspects. Debbie demanded much of herself and in turn inspired the AMIT leadership, staff and supporters to do more and give more. She has brought us to a better place and we are most grateful.

Debbie Moed, our President-elect, will begin her term in September. With years of inspired service in various leadership roles of increasing responsibility, Debbie has distinguished herself among her colleagues with her warmth, earnest passion and deep commitment to the State of Israel. Under her leadership, the hard work of our executive committee, boards, and the support of our 50,000 members across the United States and Europe, we eagerly look forward to what lies ahead.

Have a wonderful summer.  SUMMER 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 7

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FEATURE

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By Helga Abraham

MEET THE CODEBREAKERS OF AMIT AMIT Sderot Religious Junior and Senior High School is one of the first schools in Israel to implement an innovative cyber-program aimed at

preparing the youth of Israel for the important tasks they will to have to fulfill when they enter the army.

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continued from page 9 When all the other students have already left for the day, a group of ninth-grade girls make their way to their school’s computer lab, where they will spend the next three hours attempting to master sophisticated computer language as part of a challenging new cyber-program. The building they study in is completely fortified against missile attacks – the walls and ceilings are reinforced with concrete and the windows shatter proofed. This, after all, is Sderot, the southern Israeli city, which has been under constant rocket attack in recent years and took the brunt of the sixweek-long war waged last year with Hamas.

Arriving in Sderot, one is struck first by its pleasant tree-lined boulevards (its name in fact derives from the Hebrew word for boulevard) and then by the strange bus stops that resemble concrete slabs lining the streets. On closer inspection, one discovers that each “bus stop” is a mini-bomb-shelter

with an internal security room in which to shelter during an attack. Separated by just 900 yards from Gaza, Sderot citizens barely receive a ten-second warning of an impending missile attack — hence the need for immediately accessible shelters. Today, every home in Sderot has been equipped with a security room, and every school and classroom has been made missile-proof.

In the case of AMIT Sderot Religious Jr. and Sr. High School, the school premises have been entirely rebuilt.

Before all these defensive measures were implemented, the sense of vulnerability was enormous among students and staff. Yaakov Ben Shoshan, head of social programs, recalls an incident eight years ago when a kassam rocket landed directly on a classroom.

“The room was entirely destroyed,” he recounts, “but fortunately the attack took place in the morning when the students were in synagogue taking part in the shacharit prayer service, and no one was hurt.” Ben Shoshan’s son was one of those students. But

even today, despite the strengthened security, living in a state of war is still hard to handle, particularly for young people. Principal Motti Arbel recalls how last summer a twelfth-grader was caught in an attack as she was on her way to school to take her bagrut (matriculation) exams. “The girl arrived in a state of hysteria and could not stop crying. It took me 40 minutes to calm her down.”

During the long summer war of 2014, AMIT students spent their vacation volunteering in day care facilities, old age homes and cultural centers.

When the academic year resumed in September 2014, Arbel gave them the entire month off, arranging trips and outside-school activities to compensate for the lost summer holiday and get them to a place of normalcy. AMIT Sderot is the only religious high school in the city, and its 500 students are divided into an ulpana for girls and a yeshiva high school for boys. In the past few years, 100% of the boys and 40% of the girls have entered the army. The

The Codebreakers

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remaining students serve in Sherut Leumi (National Service).

The school’s new Cyber Program is an initiative of the IDF. Acutely aware of the growing importance of cyber-defense and the need for cyber-specialists in the army, the IDF recently inaugurated two programs to train senior-level high school students in cyber-skills, Gvahim (Heights), a program for high school students in the center of the country and Magshimim (Realizing Dreams) for students in the periphery. In Sderot, Magshimim – a three-year program for grades 10-12 students – is taught at Sapir College and requires students to pass a stringent entrance examination.

Last year, eight AMIT Sderot students took the exam. Unfortunately, not one passed. This year, the students will have a better chance. They are now learning basic cyber-skills in a new preparatory program for ninth-graders, also initiated by the IDF, called Nitzanei Magshimim (Magshimim Buds).

Arbel, who himself served in intelligence during his military service, was a moving force in introducing the program to AMIT Sderot. “I feel that our students have the ability to succeed in every domain, and the fact that they live in Sderot and are on the front line gives them added motivation and strength.” To emphasize the importance accorded today by the IDF to cyberdefense, he quotes an intelligence chief as saying that “cyber-warfare is going to have a greater impact in the future than nuclear warfare.” Surprisingly, intelligence-gathering units are considered even more important today than elite combat units.

At AMIT Sderot, eight girls and six boys study in the Nitzanei Magshimim program. In the session I attended, Victoria Bachman Serce was teaching the intricacies of cryptography to the girls’ group. Every session in the program is divided in two parts: (a) the students first learn about a specific subject associated with information technology; and (b) they study basic programming and java script. In the course of the year, they have learned about DNS (domain name service),

Victoria Bachman Serce teaching the Vigenère cipher. social networks, cloud computing, GPS, and animation. After cryptography, they will grapple with artificial intelligence.

As an introduction to the complex subject of cryptography, Victoria described its long history, explained the various cryptographic methods and showed the students a clip from the film “The Imitation Game” (which recounts the story of how British intelligence broke the German Enigma code in WWII). “Cryptography is important,” she told them, “because it is the basis of all cyber-security systems and cyber-warfare.” She then gave the students a six-line paragraph, each line written in a different code. Fourteenyear-old Na’ama Ben David succeeded in decrypting three lines in six minutes, incredibly fast for an adult, let alone a ninth-grader. Na’ama said that she chose to take part in the cyber-program “because it represents the future and enables her to understand the language of computers.”

In the second part of the session, the students learned about While and For Loops, programming languages which are used for repeating simple computer operations. Ninth-grader Koral Khouri says that she found computers and computing very difficult at first. “I would often get frustrated and despair,” she recalls, “but then I realized that

there is a solution to every problem; and now I approach the subject with more confidence.”

Hadas Trabelsi admits she too found the course difficult but is happy with the proficiency she has acquired. She shows me with pride an animation drawing, which she created for a recent assignment. Hadas Elezra, for her part, says she likes the practical side of cyber and proceeds to explain to me how an intricate GPS system works. As the girls lean over a computer screen, Victoria emphasizes that the cyber-course also has a social aspect. “Working with computers is usually solitary, but here we encourage the girls to work together and solve problems together.”

Asked if the fact of living in a war zone has added greater meaning to their studies, Hadas Elezra answers that “knowledge is strength” while Na’ama Ben David notes that “without the Iron Dome defense system there would have been many more fatalities in the last war.”

A keen proponent of cyber, Principal Arbel is very satisfied with the progress of the girls. “Even if they do not go onto the more advanced course,” he says, “they have acquired knowledge for life, and they now have a greater understanding of programming, the Internet and the cyber-world in general.” < Summer 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 11

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PHOTOGRAPH: REBECCA KOWALSKY

FEATURE

8 :: Fall 2014 :: AMIT MAGAZINE

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Gottlieb Day of Atonement (1878)

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By Robert E. Sutton

THE JEWISH ARTIST 19th and Early 20th Century

J

ews have always expressed themselves in a rich array of art forms that reflect the vernacular culture of the time and place in which

they live. While a passage in the Torah (Ex. 15:2) decrees that beautiful implements be made to adorn the Torah, another decree prohib-

its the making of any image or likeness of man or beast. It is presumed

that this prohibition refers to objects made for use in worship—but it undoubtedly also restricted the development of visual arts among the Jews.

Yet, the Biblical Bezalel–whose name literally means, “in the shadow or

protection of G-d”— was the Jewish artisan appointed specifically by G-d to build the Tabernacle. So if one defines Jewish art as the works of Jew-

Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879)

ish artists, one of the earliest works of Jewish art was ordained by G-d’s

Jews Praying in the Synagogue on the Day of Atonement (1878)

command to Bezalel regarding the construction of the Tabernacle.

The Artist: A student of Jan Matejko, Po-

cent frescoes of the Dura-Europos Synagogue in Syria (3rd century C.E.)

land’s most celebrated nineteenth-century painter, Maurycy Gottlieb aspired to be

both a Polish and a Jewish artist. His many works on Jewish themes include portraits of Jewish notables, as well as depictions

of Shylock and Jessica from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.

The Achievement: Located in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Jews Praying in the Synagogue on the Day of Atonement (1878) is

the artist’s most famous work. A portrayal of Eastern European Jewish spiritual life,

the painting includes an image of the artist himself, looking out from the painting and

situated amid fellow residents of his hometown, Drohobych.

Most scholars agree that this commandment did (and does) not pro-

hibit painting or sculpture except for purposes of idolatry. The magnifidepict biblical scenes; the famous mosaic in the Beth Alpha Synagogue in the Jezreel Valley (6th century C.E.) represents the sacrifice of Isaac and

the hand of God reaching down from heaven; mazalots (the Zodiac signs) adorned the walls of Eastern European synagogues. Many illuminated

Haggadot, such as the famous examples from Amsterdam and Prague, depict human beings in period dress, as well as animals and birds.

During the 18th Century, Jewish painters emerged in several Euro-

pean countries. Itinerant German-Jewish craftsmen made seals and

engravings, and then graduated to other conventional artistic media.

English-Jewish silversmiths came to the fine arts along the same route.

It is believed that the secularization of European art allowed for Jew-

ish participation. Assimilated Jewish families desired portraits in their

homes such as their Christian neighbors had; thus, Jewish artists served both Jewish and non-Jewish patrons. By the beginning of the 19th

century, Europe and Russia were beginning to take serious notice of

Jewish artists and their talents. Here are but a few of those 19th and early 20th Century Jewish artists.

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Oppenheim The Conclusion of the Shabbat (1866)

Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800-1882)

Scenes from Traditional Jewish Family Life (1865) The Artist: Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, who

was born and raised in the Jewish ghetto of Hanau, is known as the “first Jewish painter.” Praised by Goethe himself, Oppenheim focused on portraiture of the German-

Jewish bourgeoisie, biblical imagery, and scenes of contemporary Jewish life.

The Achievement: Scenes from Traditional Jewish Family Life (1865), Oppenheim’s

famed series, which portrayed different stages of the Jewish lifecycle, includes

The Conclusion of the Shabbat. Oppenheim developed an idealized image of ghetto

existence devoid of anti-Semitic stereo-

types. Issued as a bound volume, the cycle became, in one scholar’s view, the most popular Jewish book ever published in Germany at the time.

Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874-1925) Postcard for the Fifth Zionist Congress (1901)

The Artist: Ephraim Moses Lilien (1874-1925)

is known as the father of Zionist iconography.

In 1899 he became involved in the Zionist

movement. He was the master of the Jewish

motif and fashioned a national Jewish art by blending traditional Jewish symbols within contemporary styles, such as the Jugendstil

(German art nouveau). Lilien helped to establish the Bezalel Art School.

The Achievement: Ephraim Moses Lilien

designed this image for the Fifth Zionist Congress in Basel in 1901. The angel points the

Postcard for the Fifth Zionist Congress (1901)

oppressed Jew to a sun rising over a new life in a new land.

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Reading a Newspaper (1910)

Yehuda Pen (1854-1937)

Reading a Newspaper (1910) The Artist: Yehuda Pen founded the first Jewish art school in the Russian Empire, the School of Drawing and Painting in Vitebsk (1897-1918). The school’s students included such future avant-garde luminaries as Marc Chagall and El Lissitzky.

The Achievement: Pen created detailed, positive depictions of shtetl life, including a famous series of portraits of Jewish artisans. They include Reading a Newspaper (1910).

The Son of the Ancient People (1889)

Jozef Israëls (1824-1911)

Son of the Ancient People (1889) The Artist: The Dutch painter Jozef Israëls was hailed as a

modern-day Rembrandt and regarded as one of the founders of the “Hague School” of painting. His achievement brought him to the attention of none other than the founder of the

Zionist movement, Theodor Herzl, who visited him in 1895.

The Achievement: One of Israëls’s most celebrated works is Son of the Ancient People (1889), an image of an old Jewish

salesman perhaps partly inspired by Rembrandt and Gustave Courbet. Acclaimed for the dignified portrayal of its subject amid changing ghetto life and the diaspora, the painting

instantly became famous, later entering the collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

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FEATURE

In front of AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled

AFTER PARTICIPATING IN AMIT’S 90th anniversary mission, I understood what it means to be a part of a winning team. Over 130 people from the U.S. and Israel celebrated AMIT’s contributions to Israel, and we saw what AMIT has in store for the next 90! AMIT’s values of academic excellence, contributions to the state and impact on Israel’s future were evident throughout the trip.

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By Liz Klibanoff, Director, Financial Resource Development

90th anniversary celebration in israel – the mission of all missions ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: LOOKING FORWARD We visited Gogya, the new teacher training institute that is revolutioning education in the AMIT schools. Derived from the Latin word, “pedagogical,” AMIT teachers learn to implement best practices and are exposed to new ways of thinking, as Gogya inspires them to encourage students to use both critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Gogya embodies and enhances the pioneering spirit that is driving AMIT to create an enriching educational experience that will transform the educational landscape in Israel.

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR ALL Our visits to The AMIT Ginsburg Bar-Ilan Gush Dan Junior and Senior High School and The AMIT Fred Kahane Technological High School in Ashkelon revealed the breadth of the spectrum of population that AMIT is educating. Whether they are from strong educational backgrounds or from challenged educational (and social and economic) ones, AMIT offers all of its students exceptional academic opportunities that enable them to reach their individual potential. In Gush Dan, we learned how continued on page 18

“Today I am an AMIT student.”

Naftali Bennett, Minister of Education

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continued from page 17 students are combating cyber-threats and are recruited to the army. At Ashkelon, we saw students trained in the culinary arts and cosmetology—one day they may well own their own businesses.

We also met Or Assouline, a 17-year-old young woman who is a student at AMIT Acco. Or is the CEO of a company called “Hotbox” and she represents AMIT’s contributions to the future “start-up nation” that is emerging in Israel. Clearly, AMIT is striving to address the educational needs of all strata of society and to foster future leaders in a wealth of callings.

COMMITMENT AND SELF-SACRIFICE One of the most inspirational moments of the mission occurred when we met with Ido Aharonvitz, principal of AMIT Ashdod Yud. Ido shared the story Ben Vanounu, z”l, an AMIT graduate and member of the Golani Brigade who was killed in Operation Protective Edge. Heartbroken at hearing the news, Ido worked to ensure that Ben’s family received his Bagrut certificate posthumously. Ron, Ben’s younger sister and a current student at AMIT, told us that she would enter Golani next year to finish her brother’s work. We were struck with her courage and sense of duty.

It was clear that this is an underlying tenet of AMIT’s philosophy: to think beyond oneself and to give back to Israel. All of us felt sadness for Ben’s fate, but also a sense of pride in how AMIT was empowering these young students. Ido, like every dynamic AMIT principal we met, saw himself not only as an educator, but also as a catalyst for change, helping these young men and women on a trajectory of success for the future. Ido’s commitment and care for his students and their families made an impression on us all.

LIKE DREAMERS – UNDER THE STARS ON YOM YERUSHALYIM AND BEYOND We felt as if we were dreaming as we entered the old city of Jerusalem to the sounds of singing and cheering on the evening on Yom Yerushalyim. Author and journalist Yossi Klein Halevy brought us back to the mythical time of the Six-Day War through his unique storytelling talents; we could almost hear the legendary words of “The Temple Mount is in our Hands.” That night we were united as members of AMIT and of the Jewish people, and we felt the awesome responsibility of continuing this weighty legacy through our support of AMIT. OUR PARTNERSHIP IN BUILDING THE FUTURE President Reuven Rivlin hosted us in his home and praised AMIT for engaging “the highest levels of teachers.” We heard from newly elected MK Rachel Azaria, an AMIT graduate, who recalled how the schools had taught her to always aim for the greatest goals and the loftiest ideals. And then, as we left to enjoy AMIT’s 90th birthday celebration at Binyani Hauma, we were greeted with a festive street fair where we joined with thousands of AMIT students. Together we danced, sang, played music and celebrated AMIT’s success. The smiles and laughter of these young students, we realized, were

a testament to the relevance and vitality of AMIT’s mission. And then, less than two hours after being sworn in as newly elected Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett proclaimed, “Today, I am an AMIT student” to the deafening cheers of the audience. Bennett riveted the crowd, declaring “AMIT is always there for the challenge and is always ready to answer the call by saying we are here.” He praised AMIT’s creative and innovative spirit, suggesting that “AMIT is sort of the Google of education,” always tinkering and experimenting to find the right balance in education.

Hearing those words from the Minister of Education only confirmed our feelings that AMIT is a leader, a pioneer, and a valued partner by the State of Israel.

Other highlights of our AMIT adventure included a delightful cocktail reception and dinner overlooking the Judean Hills at sunset with Dr. Daniel Gordis, Shabbat with Rav Yuval Cherlow of the AMIT Orot Shaul Yeshiva in Ra’anana, and we heard from Mayor Nir Barkat, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Gil Hoffman of the Jerusalem Post, and Mark Weitzman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. We also visited AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled, met with Mayor Zeev Bielski, Mayor of Ra’anana, took in the Israel Museum and had a frenzied scavenger hunt in the Shuk. And, we had the opportunity to take an exclusive tour of the Palmachim Air Force Base to meet with young pilots who discussed their roles in Operation Protective Edge.

KFAR BLATT – A TRUE HOMECOMING FOR ALL At Kfar Blatt, we were reunited with Miri and Moshe Uziel, Tal Avitan and Yaffa Rotman, AMIT graduates who seemed to have grown up before our eyes. No longer teenagers, they were mature and accomplished young people, some of whom had married, had children and actualized their dreams and goals. All of them credited AMIT with helping them to carve out a path for the future. Moshe, a commander in the IDF, had obtained his university degree and recently gotten married. He excitedly told us that he was returning to the Kfar to help young teenagers as the Kfar had helped him.

All of us felt immense pride as a part of their success; all of us felt the ripple effect of an AMIT education. Together, how many lives had we changed for the better? We could feel the impact of AMIT’s education on these proud young men and women, and we knew that our efforts had helped produce these talented young graduates who were contributing to Israel.

What is it like to be a part of a winning team? Just ask anyone who is involved with AMIT. We know what it feels like, and we will continue to do everything to keep Team AMIT in the lead. 

18 :: Summer 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE

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Dr. Amnon Eldar, President Reuven Rivlin, Debbie Isaac

Dassie and Marvin Bienenfeld and members of the Bienenfeld Chevrutah Band Shari Safra and Deena Shiff

Deanne Shapiro, Brenda Kalter, Esther Landsman, Barbara Nordlicht

Liz Klibanoff, Ilana Kahn, Aliza Frank, Tamar Meiselman, Ariel Glaubach, Elana Stein, Donna Lawrence, Elana Minkove, Susan Meyers, Vicky Turek

Anne and Shelley Golombeck, Marilyn and Leon Moed, Debbie and Sam Moed

Layla Green, Marilyn Moed, Debbie Moed, Evan Green

At the Kotel on the evening of Yom Yerushalyim

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Ilana Gottlieb and Barbara Rascoff

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$1,000,000 +

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

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

$100,000 - $249,999

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

$75,000 - $99,999 Laurie and Eli Bryk, NY

ING

A TIME • AT

M I T • B UI LD

A

ISRA E

L

NE CHI LD •O

An Invitation To Join Me In

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

$25,000 - $35,999

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

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

$10,000 - $17,999

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

Esther and Jack Goldman, NY Pia and Stuart Pollack, PA Zelda and Sheldon Goldsmith, NY Esther and Donald Press, NY Anne and Sheldon Golombeck, NY Tzippi and Ira Press, NJ Sara and Ronald Gottlieb, FL Judy and Jerry Pressner, NY Paula Yudenfriend and Arlin Green, PA Bethia Straus-Quintas and Paul Quintas, IL Sharon and Melvin Gross, NY Barbara and Joel, z”l, Rascoff, NY Phyllis Hammer, MA Evelyn Reichenthal, TX Nicole and Jacques, z”l, Hanau, France Sheila and Sidney Rimmer, NY Carole and Didier Hannaux, France Shelley Rindner, NY Debbie and Robert Hartman, IL Fritzie and Sheldon, z”l, Robinson, IL Debbie and Eddie Herbst, CA Kristina and Len Rosen, Israel Bonnie and Herb Hirsch, FL Vivian and Solomon Rosen, FL Aviva and Fred, z”l, Hoschander, NY Miriam and Howard Rosenblum, NJ Peggy and Robert Insel, NY Gayle and Eric Rothner, IL Sonia Bodenstein-Izenstark and Ira Izenstark, CA Leah and Arnold Rotter, CA Elaine and Robert Jacobs, NY Hedda Rudoff, NY Tayla and Rafi Jacobs, NY Shirley and Milton Sabin, FL Barbara and Manfred Joseph, NY Marielle and Edmund Safra, NY Connie and Alan Kadish, NJ Tammy and Kenny Schaum, NY Ilana and Mitchell Kahn, NY Jan and Sheldon Schechter, NY Robin and Simon Kahn, Israel Iris Schneider, NY Danna and Gilad Kalter, NY Loren and Benjamin Schonbrun, CA Ruth and Jerome Kamerman, NY Esther and William Schulder, NJ Miriam and Shopsy Kanarek, NY Debbie and Daniel Schwartz, NY Ruth and William Kantrowitz, NY Esther, z”l, and Jacques Semmelman, NJ Harriet and Joel Kaplan, NY Deanne and Leonard Shapiro, Israel Karen Kaplan, IL Sharon and Rony Shapiro, MA Elissa and Michael Katz, NJ Chana and Daniel Shields, NJ Rona and Ira Kellman, NY Deena and Adam Shiff, NY Rochelle Stern Kevelson, NY Mollie Siegel, NJ Diane and Barry Kirschenbaum, FL Sharon and Morris Silver, CA Susan Alter Klaperman and Gilbert Klaperman, NY Lorraine and Mordy Sohn, NY Chani and Shimi Klein, NY Sondra and Myron Sokal, NY The Klibanoff Family, NJ Sara and Gabriel Solomon, MD Jane Klitsner, Israel Mahla and Hilton Soniker, NY Laurie and Robert Koppel, NY Nancy and Benjamin Sporn, NY Evelyn and Lawrence Kraut, NJ Francine and Aaron Stein, NJ Donna and Jeffrey Lawrence, MD Deborah Stern Blumenthal and Michael Blumenthal, NJ Diane and David Lent, NY Nechama and Howard Taber, NY Kari and Joshua Levine, NY Lilly Tempelsman, NY Rose and Jacob Levine, z”l, CA Sandra and Max Thurm, NY Sylvia and Norman Levine, FL Bertie and Fred Tryfus, NY Dorothy and Robert Lewis, NY Vicky and Michael Turek, NY Ruth and Robert Lewis, NY Joseph Walder, IL Mindy and Seymour Liebman, NY Audrey and Max Wagner, NY Audrey and Haskel Lookstein, NY Paula and Leslie Walter, NY Naomi and Carl Lopkin, MA Anne and Mark Wasserman, NY Rita Lourie-Galena, PA & NY Marion and William Weiss, NJ Manette and Louis Mayberg, MD Roselyn and Walter, z”l, Weitzner, NY Meira and Solomon Max, NY Linda and Steven Weissman, NY Benay and Ira Meisels, NY Joyce and Jeremy Wertheimer, MA Susan and Jeffrey Meyers, NY Booky and Jerome Wildes, NY Lois and Jonathan Mills, IL Phyllis Wind, NY Judy and Albert Milstein, IL Florence Wolf, NY Leonard E. Minsky, ME Stella and Samy Ymar, MD Myra Mitzner, NY Hilde and Benjamin, z”l, Zauderer, NY Gloria and Burton Nusbacher, NY Esther and Dov Zeidman, NY Lynn and Samuel Pepper, NY Tamar and Benjamin Zeltser, NY Bea and Irwin, z”l, Peyser, NY Helene and Gerald Zisholtz, NY Hedy and Paul Peyser, MD Suzy and Paul Peyser, NY Vicki and Jerry Platt, NY

*As of June 7, 2015

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

$5,000 - $9,999

president’s circle of honor

$18,000 - $24,999

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AS APPEARED IN THE JERUSALEM POST – MAY 18, 2015

AMIT Schools Celebrate 90 Years of Education

Interdisciplinary, experiential and game-theory techniques let students take learning to a new level.

By Hayah Goldlist Eichler

T

his year, the AMIT school system, consisting of 110 schools teaching 30,000 students across the country, celebrates 90 years of educational.

Celebrations included a visit to the President’s residence Tuesday morning and a birthday party at the Jerusalem International Convention Center with guest of honor, newly sworn-in Education Minister Naftali Bennett, and interactive booths run by students of the AMIT schools in the afternoon.

“We want every student, wherever they’re coming from and whatever their needs are, to have the best opportunities to reach their fullest potential and no tool they need should be out of their reach,” AMIT President Debbie Isaac, who was in Israel for the celebrations, told The Jerusalem Post.

The concept of the schools, Isaac said, is to create educational and vocational opportunities for Israeli students from all backgrounds, across the country.

One of the focuses is to lead the education industry in classroom innovation.

“Education is evolving,” Isaac said, claiming AMIT schools stay ahead of the curve by “changing very drastically and very dramatically how we educate in our schools.”

Technology, she said, rests in the pockets of every student, even those from Israel’s lowest socio-economic strata.

“Information is available readily to everyone. The question

today is what do you do with that information? How do you use it effectively.”

Today, she explained, teachers are no longer imparters of information, but rather facilitators.

AMIT schools have started using “flipped classrooms,” a teaching method that has students learn basic concepts on their own at home and then come into the classroom “to utilize those basic concepts.”

This, she said is the opposite of how education systems used to work, by teaching basic concepts at school and expecting students to learn how to apply them on their own.

She lists interdisciplinary learning, experiential learning and game-theory learning as some of the techniques used to allow students to utilize information they have learned at home and take that learning to a new level in the classroom.

As an example, she cited an English class that opted to blog and tweet in English rather than using traditional methods of learning the language. The feedback from students, she said, has been very positive. They are “much happier in class, they enjoy attending school more,” she stated.

Parents, who sometimes worry when they initially hear of the new teaching techniques, have been very happy with the school’s educational approach, she said.

While the network boasts an over 80 percent overall

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PHOTO: KEREN-OR AZULAY

AMIT President Debbie Isaac (second from right) with students from the AMIT Fred Kahane Technological High School in Ashkelon.

matriculation pass rate among its students, the schools don’t all focus on traditional subjects; some emphasize vocational training, such as automotive care, catering and even hair styling.

These schools, she said, build students’ self-esteem by allowing them to succeed in less-traditional subjects and this self-esteem spills over into traditional subjects.

One of the schools has a track for scouting and many of the graduates become sought-after trackers in the army. “It gives them a real sense of success,” Isaac said.

Another aspect of pride for the school system is its immigration- integration policy.

Each new wave of immigration to Israel brings new challenges and the school rises to meet them all, she said, indicating that the AMIT schools are taking in one or two new students from the current wave of French immigrants each week and integrating them into the system.

In light of the recent demonstrations in the Ethiopian- Israeli community, Isaac spoke about the high number of EthiopianIsraelis in the AMIT school system, most of whom matriculate.

Although many schools had very low quotas for Ethiopian immigrants when they came to Israel – as low as 10 percent – the AMIT school system was happy to take them in, she said.

Due to AMIT’s success at teaching different segments of society and their “excellent track record educating in the

Ethiopian population and educating in a way that did not segregate Ethiopian communities out of the rest of the population,” Isaac said the organization was approached by the government to take over schools in Netanya.

The ultra-orthodox community also has been integrated into AMIT’s school system, she said, indicating that they were approached, along with some 20 other educational organizations, to design a program for the sector. Of those, she said, AMIT is the only one still operating two facilities.

AMIT’s success, she said, lies in the holistic approach it took not just devising an educational plan, but in addressing the psychological issues involved; keeping parents and community rabbis involved in the process; and never forcing the students to change their religious beliefs.

“The issue of integrating the haredi community into the economic life of the country is very important,” Isaac said, stressing the significance of secular subjects being part of the curriculum.

Finally, Isaac emphasized the importance of women’s empowerment in a school system that was founded by a woman who broke away from the male-led Mizrachi organization. Bessie Gotsfeld decided that if she was raising money, there was no reason she shouldn’t decide where the money went, so she started Mizrachi Women, which later changed its name to AMIT. < Summer 2015 :: AMIT MAGAZINE :: 23

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DVAR TORAH

N

ostalgia is a powerful force in our religious lives.

While we may perform rituals with a sense of Halachic obligation and spiritual uplift, the manner in which we perform them often reveals a more personal side to the mitzvot. How many of us can hear the haunting melodies of Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur or taste the matzo ball soup at the Seder without longing to connect with our own past and to be transported to an earlier time in our lives?

There is probably no time of year when this longing is felt more keenly than Tisha B’Av, and nowhere is this sentiment expressed so clearly as in the penultimate verse of Megillat Eicha, which is repeated at the conclusion of the reading of that book: Hashiveinu Hashem eilecha venashuva, chadeish yameinu kekedem: Bring us back to You, O Lord, and we will return, renew our days as of old. This pasuk is invoked in our liturgy throughout the year. When the Torah is returned to the ark on Shabbat and holidays (and for that matter on any other day on which the Torah is read), and at a climactic moment in the Selichot penitential service, we repeat those stirring words.

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However, this seemingly simple plea, an appeal for personal repentance and national redemption rooted in a nostalgic yearning for the past, is formulated in an ironic way. When we proclaim Chadeish yameinu kekedem – renew our days as of old – we are asking G-d to restore a glorious past, kekedem, while simultaneously asking G-d to create a reality that is chadash, new. How is it possible to request both of these?

Moreover, how do these words give expression to our hopes on Tisha B’Av? A Midrashic commentary on the Torah portion that is read on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av may give us another perspective on nostalgia. In the opening chapter of the book of Devarim, we are told that Moshe began to teach the Torah to the Children of Israel. Moshe begins his address with the following statement: “The Lord, our God, spoke to us at Horeb saying, you have stayed long enough [rav lachem] at this mountain.” This statement is genuinely anti-climactic. After building up our expectation for a statement of grand religious significance, what is delivered instead is, “You have been at Mt.

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By Rabbi Uri Goldstein

look back but don’t stare legal level with the giving of the Torah and on the political level with appointment of leaders. It is only natural to have developed an affinity for and connection to that place, and to want to remain there as long as possible. However, had the Jewish people remained at Mt. Sinai, they would never have progressed towards their destination in the Land of Israel, and toward their destiny of being an autonomous nation in its own land. The Torah that they had learned would never be implemented and their newly appointed leaders would have no role. Therefore, the Sifrei says, “Ra lachem, it is bad for you to remain at this mountain. It is time to move on, and to allow the next stage of your history to begin.”

Sinai long enough, and it is now time to travel.” Based on the commentary of the Midrash Sifrei, we discover that this verse does, in fact, contain a fundamental lesson.

The Sifrei offers three explanations of the Hebrew word rav [which literally means “a great amount”]: 1. Your time at Mt. Sinai has been greatly rewarding for you, since during this time you constructed the Mishkan, the Tabernacle and its vessels.

2. Your time at Mt. Sinai has been greatly beneficial to you since, during this time you received the Torah and appointed leadership.

3. It is bad for you [ra lachem] to remain at Mt. Sinai.

If we read all three of these interpretations together, we can find a profound lesson about the role of nostalgia in our religious lives. The time that the Jewish people spent at Mt. Sinai was formative for them as a nation. It was a time when the foundation of the nation was laid on the spiritual level with the construction of the Mishkan, on the

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While nostalgia can be a valuable and meaningful part of our lives, there is a risk attached to it. We all have people and places to which we feel a special attachment and formative moments that continue to influence our perspective on life. It may be the memory of childhood Seders with our grandparents, or an educational institution that nurtured us intellectually, and the realization that those experiences are behind us can be deeply painful. If however, we remain trapped in the past, if we don’t grow, progress and develop into our own people, and perhaps more important, if we don’t expect our children and students to do the same, we will lose out on the opportunity to experience a life that is dynamic and full of the excitement of new discoveries.

We conclude Eicha with a plea that is rooted in a uniquely Jewish form of nostalgia. Chadesh yameinu kekedem: We live with our eyes simultaneously on the past and the future, with a deep connection to what came before, but with the faith that what comes next will be even greater. < Rabbi Uri Goldstein is the spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavat Achim in Fair Lawn NJ.

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MIDRESHET AMIT

MY YEAR AT MIDRESHET AMIT Torah – Chesed – Israel A NEW FRIEND

By Danya Allswang Chicago, Illinois

O

n the second week after arriving to spend the year at Midreshet AMIT, I walked outside to familiarize myself with the grounds and noticed a ten-year-old boy alone on the playground. I went over and started speaking to him, and he told me his name was Eliran. We spoke about his school, played some games and tried to name as many animals as we could in English and Hebrew. Eliran was my introduction to the children at Beit Hayeled and from that moment, I knew that this was going to be an incredible year.

I was assigned to a group of children who live at Beit Hayeled with surrogate parents, in a family structure known as a mishpachton. What a great surprise it was to see Eliran,

the boy from the playground, in my group. I was ecstatic!

This was the beginning of what was to become an amazing friendship. Every week, I went to Eliran’s apartment for homework hour. We practiced math, learned English, and played games together. The moment I would step into the apartment, Eliran would run to the door, greet me with a huge smile, and pull me by the arm to his desk to begin working or playing.

I became a better person during my year because of Eliran – he taught me how to show appreciation and to be less self-centered. For my birthday, he gave me a small shoe charm, a little gesture that meant more to me than I could put into words. When he heard that I wanted to learn to play guitar, he found me a guitar teacher without my asking him. Although Eliran is only 10, he taught me about the importance of including others. When the group was picking sides for a soccer game, Eliran refused to take a spot until he

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knew that I too was going to be picked. Every smile, every coloring session, every game of soccer played together has made the year so rewarding.

I have gained a new perspective on chesed that I feel is impossible to get by going anywhere else in Israel but Midreshet AMIT, where I was part of a unique program that values the importance of living chesed every day. This year has given me the feeling that I have contributed to something greater than myself, a sense of completeness I will carry with me forever. I can only hope that I have affected these children half as much as they have helped shape me.

A RACE FOR THE KIDS

By Kinneret Braun Chicago, Illinois

R

unning in the Jerusalem marathon as part of Team AMIT was like nothing I had ever experienced before. It was the first time I had run a half marathon, and there was no better setting for it than the streets of Jerusalem. It was thrilling! I was overwhelmed with emotion as I ran through the Old City, an experience I will never forget. And, we raised over $18,000, which we were proud to donate to upcoming renovations to Beit Hayeled.

I ran the race in honor of AMIT Beit Hayeled, which was my home away from home this past year. Working and studying there has changed my life and taught me what it really means to be thankful and to appreciate what G-d gives me.

A NEW PERSPECTIVE

By Lara Siegal

Los Angeles, California

I

can sum up my year in one word: unique. Midreshet AMIT provides a unique program in a unique place, and I have gained tremendously from it. The tagline of Midreshet AMIT is “Live Torah, Live Chesed, Live Israel”. My experience encompassed all of it.

The amount of Torah knowledge I have gained was beyond measure. The staff at Midreshet AMIT helped me focus on taking what I learned and making it integral to my own life, working on myself to be a better Jew. This year, I have grown into a different person, with stronger values and beliefs. A huge part of my year was working with the kids in Beit Hayeled. Some days were difficult yet always rewarding. I will always remember when the director of a Beit Hayeled family thanked me for the work I was doing with a very insecure young boy. I was able

to provide a sense of stability and security for a child who needed it.

My love of Israel has grown these past 10 months. I was raised in a very Zionistic family, so I have always appreciated Israel. But after this year, I am much more devoted to our homeland. A big part of that appreciation stems from the amazing tiyulim (trips) we experienced. I got to see with my own eyes how remarkable the land of Israel is.

Midreshet AMIT taught me that a year in Israel is not only about growing in Judaism but also growing within. The staff at AMIT wants everyone to realize their potential, and this year I got to know myself on a whole new level. I thought I was on my own in Israel without my family. But I discovered a new family in AMIT, and I could not be happier.

I know I will always have a place to call home in Israel. That place is Midreshet AMIT.

A VOLUNTEER

By Rebecca Klestzick New Rochelle, NY

O

ne of the highlights of my year at Midreshet AMIT was volunteering at the AMIT Nordlicht Religious Technological High School. Our small group of volunteers was assigned to work with the high school boys who were preparing for the English Bagrut (matriculation) exams. Every Tuesday afternoon, we traveled to the other side of Jerusalem, eager to tutor those who needed it.

I worked with the same student each week. In the beginning, it was very challenging. He spoke only in Hebrew, and I spoke only in English. But we slowly learned to communicate and understand each other – without using Google translate! We both went out of our comfort zones and got past the language barrier.

Since I had tutored and have been tutored, I understood his situation. He reminded me that I had to be patient while explaining and not get frustrated when he didn’t understand everything right away.

As we came to the end of our sessions, just before the Bagrut, he told me – in English – that his English skills had really improved! He could read, understand and even write a little. He then said, “I owe it all to you.” You can only imagine how I felt.

I want to thank the staff at Midreshet AMIT for this amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is one that I will never forget.<

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By Robert E. Sutton

PLANNED GIVING

.‫ המורשת שלך‬.‫העתיד שלהם‬ Their future. Your legacy.

THANKS TO PLANNED GIVING…AMIT CAN!

One of the best parts of human nature is our capacity for empathy and our resulting willingness to help Jewish children we will never meet.

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T

he AMIT Legacy Society is our new program for

planned giving. Through this initiative you have the ability to shape the future of Israel and its most important asset – the children. You become a member when you make a planned gift a contribution that has a longlasting and exponential benefit for the children of AMIT. Planned gifts are game changers for AMIT. Your planned gifts will help create cutting-edge

educational programs, build new schools and facilities, establish scholarships, and launch major new initiatives.

Planned gifts are an excellent return for relatively little cost or upfront investment.

It requires good planning for AMIT to successfully continue providing an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for all that lies ahead in their world. And with your good planning, you can help us continue this standard and mission for years to come.

Join other supporters who share your values and expectations by becoming a member of the AMIT Legacy Society. Legacy Society members understand just how important they are to

Current AMIT Legacy Society Members Judy and Ronald Aronson Barbara Barron Regina Wang-Baumann Roslyn Besdine Elaine Brief Dr. Herman and Rosalyn Efron Esther and Joe Epstein Esther W. and Jack Goldman Bess P. Krivitsky Emma Leaf Norman Levine Karin McQuillan Betty Narotsky Estelle Rubin

the continued success of our organization.

Shirley Schnidman

The AMIT Legacy Society honors all planned giving donors for their support of our mission.

Cathy and Chaim Schuck

We would be honored to include you in our AMIT Legacy Society if you have: • Provided for AMIT Children in your will or trust.

• Designated AMIT as the beneficiary of a qualified retirement plan, savings bond, bank account, or life insurance policy.

• Created a planned gift that returns fixed or flexible income to you or others.

Gifts that ensure $10,000 or more towards the fulfillment of our mission will be acknowledged, in perpetuity, with a plaque on our Legacy Society Wall at the Kfar Batya campus in Israel.

Sondra and Myron Sokal Drs. Aaron and Francine Stein Gloria Zeisel Anonymous (37) Anonymous – Israel 4Add your name to the AMIT Legacy Society For more information or to let us know that you have already included AMIT in your estate plans, please

contact Robin Isaacson, National Director of Planned Giving, at 954-922-5100 or robini@amitchildren.org.

All inquiries will be kept strictly confidential and imply no obligation to make a gift.

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DEVELOPMENT NEWS Cara Kleiman and Natalie Richton

(l-r) Shira Silverman, Chaim Bar-Eli, Esti Rothman

Eric Moed and Caila Gordon-Koster

Elliot Pines and Alex Luxenberg

sixth annual march madness

David Hess and Charles Newman

On March 26, the AMIT Young Leadership’s March Madness event returned to its original home, The Gin Mill. Event Chairs Jill Ellman, Ariel Koschitzky, Alex Luxenberg and Esti Rothman, along with a fantastic committee, hosted another great night.

Guests enjoyed food generously donated by Carlos & Gabby’s Riverdale, Eden Wok, Five Star Caterers, Golan Heights, Gotham Burger, Mechy’s Deli and Noah’s Ark. 

AFLI celebrates israel

On April 22, AFLI celebrated Israel’s independence at their seventh annual Yom Ha’atzmaut Social. AMIT’s college contingents enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, drinks, music and a photo booth at a new location, The Attic in midtown. As always, the raffle offered great prizes and helped raise even more money for AFLI’s yearlong focus – the Beit Hayeled and Campaign. Kfar Blatt Renovation Campaign.

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AFLI’s pre-matzo burn!

A week before Pesach, New York area college students gathered at Revolve spinning studio for a “Pre-Matzo Burn,” AFLI’s 3rd charity ride. AFLI bandannas were given to each participant, and following the class the spinners were rewarded with a to-go bag of healthy snacks. 

David Moed and Joseph Stern

Jordana Alpert and Jacob Kestenbaum (l-r) Oliver Schwalbe, Elan Hollander, Jason Abramson, Dina Rosen, Lana Meyer

The Spinners

ringing in the spring with AMIT On Lag B’Omer, young professionals from the New York area came together to enjoy good friends, food, drinks and the music of DJ Jigga Pow at the AMIT Young Leadership’s “Spring Social.” The evening was chaired by Alexandra and Gavriel Kahane and Ian Steiner. Everyone had a blast, and the proceeds from this event support counseling and therapy programs for AMIT children throughout Israel. 

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Cheryl Sisel and Naomi Lopkin

DEVELOPMENT NEWS Boston Celebrates Mother-In-Israel

On a beautiful Sunday morning, AMIT New England Council/Ra’anana Chapter celebrated their Mother-in-Israel event. This special occasion honored Cheryl Sisel for her many years of leadership and dedication to AMIT. Her son, Scott Goldberg, spoke movingly about his mother and her devotion to AMIT. Rabbi Dov Snow delivered the Dvar Torah.

Reyna Simnegar, author of Persian Food from the Non-Persian Bride, demonstrated the art of Persian cooking. Needless to say, the afternoon was a culinary delight. 

(l-r) Jone Dalezman, Sarah Aghion, Ethlynne Brickman, Rebbetzin Sema Shaffer, Cheryl Sisel

Reyna Simnegar

beit hayeled campaign in philly Tamar Erlbaum and Danielle Wachs

(l-r) Linda Garfield, Danielle Wachs, Rachel Scheinmann

Julie Frankston-Morris and Aderet Frager

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AMIT Philadelphia Council/Shira Chapter hosted their annual event dedicated to the AMIT Capital Campaign for AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled. AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled in the Gilo neighborhood in Jerusalem is home to over 110 children who have been removed from their homes due to neglect, dysfunction and abuse. Beit Hayeled is where they find much-needed warmth and love. This special occasion, held at the Dairy Café in Bala Cynwyd, was a fundraiser for a new children’s bedroom and living room.

Susan Meyers, AMIT Director of Development, gave a report on her recent visit to AMIT schools, and Danielle Wachs, Midreshet AMIT graduate; spoke about her experiences with the children at Beit Hayeled.

Many thanks to Rachel Scheinmann and Linda Garfield, the co-chairs of the Capital Campaign in Philadelphia. 

(l-r) Russell Hendel, Cathy Lyons, Russell Lyons

(l-r) Lisa Wachs, Danielle Wachs, Michael Wachs

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Stefanie Ruch and Jack

family fitness fun Over 120 NewGen Families came together on Sunday, April 19, at CityView Racquet Club, a state-of-the-art tennis center located in Long Island City, for a fun-filled healthy afternoon. The event brought together AMIT families from the tri-state area and was a rousing success with the kids. Chaired by Lani and Jason Kollander, Jennifer and Mordecai Lent, Laury and Jason Paul and Lindsay and Daniel Setton, NewGen Family Fitness is geared for kids ages 3-12.

The event featured tennis, children’s tennis clinics, boxing, an obstacle course, face-painting, a chesed project and pipe-cleaner designs. The event was such a success for the second year in a row that plans are underway to repeat this again next year- so stay tuned!  (l-r) Jenny Lent, Anni-Rose, Abie, Isaac

Melissa Shiffman and Zoe

Julie Kopel and Romi

(l-r) Rebecca Sasson and Hattie, Jeremy Feit and Zachary

negar

Donna Lawrence and Hope Taragin

beit hayeled campaign in d.c.

Wendy Penn and Robert Krakow

(l-r) Hope Taragin, David Taragin, Robert Krakow

(l-r) Wendy Penn, Marianna Horn, Felice Grunberger, Alana Isenberg

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In response to the AMIT Capital Campaign, AMIT of Greater Washington, D.C., hosted a dinner reception to raise money for a kitchen at Beit Hayeled. Our special guest was Robert Krakow, Director/Producer of the award-winning documentary Complicit. Following dinner, over 100 people viewed the screening of Complicit at the home of Manette and Louis Mayberg. Susan Meyers, AMIT Director of Development, spoke passionately about the needs of Beit Hayeled. Following the movie, Robert Krakow fielded a host of questions from the enthusiastic audience.  Susan Meyers addressing a packed room

(l-r) Louis Mayberg, Sharon Butler, Marti Herskovitz, David Butler, Sharona Rozmaryn

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spanning AMIT world Israel – When AMIT’s Chug Ayelet Chapter in Jerusalem held it’s French-themed luncheon on Sunday, January 11, 2015. No one could have imagined just how topical it would be. Only days earlier, four people were murdered at the Hyper Cacher kosher supermarket in Paris in a terrorist attack that shocked the world.

Fittingly, the keynote speaker, Hebrew University Professor Richard Cohen, spoke about “The Changing Nature of French Jewry from Emancipation in 1790 up Until Today.” Gala Greenspan, Sarah Raab and Sandy Chesir chaired the event.  Gala Greenspan addressing the audience

Israel – This past March, AMIT olim from Long Beach, N.Y., had a minireunion at Jerusalem Chug Ayelet’s Lunch and Learn program. Deena Kahane was the keynote speaker. In addition to Deena, former Long Beach residents in attendance included event co-chairwoman Sara Ann Goldberg; Chavah Friedman, wife of the former HALB principal; and Paula Weber, former HALB teacher.  (l-r) Sara Ann Goldberg, Deena Kahane, Chavah Friedman, Paula Weber - Photo Credit: Sharon Altshul

Baltimore – On a lovely afternoon in March, the Sarah Ribakow/Tikvah Chapter gathered for their annual Spring Luncheon to honor Barbara Bloom, long-time member of AMIT and community activist. Barbara spoke passionately about carrying on the work of her late husband, Leonard, z”l. Rabbi Shlomo Porter of the Etz Chaim Center spoke poignantly about Barbara and Leonard’s devotion to the community. The Reisterstown Senior Songbirds entertained the audience with their joyful melodies.  (l-r) Rabbi Shlomo Porter, Russell Hendel, Barbara Bloom

Israel – Hundreds of AMIT families in Rehovot, Ra’anana, and Jerusalem took part in community-wide mishloach manot projects. Many thanks to the dedicated volunteer organizers who arranged for the delightful sweet treats, cards, and vouchers to be delivered in honor of the Purim holiday to benefit the children of AMIT.  Abby and Marganit Sternlicht of Chug Rehovot

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Cleveland – This year’s annual AMIT Cleveland mishloach manot fundraiser was a huge success. We had more orders and participation than ever before. The theme of the basket this year was “Around the World.” An imitation “Longchamp” bag with the AMIT logo was packed with global delicacies: assorted pasta, olive oil (Italy), Madeleine cookies (France), tea (England), chocolate sticks (Switzerland), mango juice (South Africa), halvah (Israel), dry roasted Edamame (Japan), and fresh, local honey (U.S./Cleveland).  Packing Mishloach Manot

Philadelphia – This past March, AMIT Philadelphia Council/Shira Chapter turned out to Mix It & Mask It. Mixology was the theme, and everyone enjoyed the many varieties of drink and gourmet delights. Sara Bleier presented a compelling Dvar Torah, and Robbie Pearlstein, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, spoke with ardor about her recent experience visiting AMIT in Israel.  (l-r) Aderet Frager, Yehuda Frager, Leib Meadvin, Holly Cohen, Linda Segman, Sara Bleier

AMIT U.S.A. – Kol hakavod to all of the chapters, regions, and groups who reached impressive goals with their decorative Purim projects. A special recognition goes out to the Gayl Shechter Chapter of NY for raising nearly $100,000 with their mishloach manot! AMIT is very proud of the incredible fundraising efforts of Alisa West Orange Chapter of NJ, Gesher Tzion of Atlanta, the Greater Cleveland area, Rae Koeingsberg Chapter of MD, Havtacha in Elizabeth, NJ, Shalva Chai in Englewood, NJ, Shalhevet of Great Neck, Daroma of Long Beach, Gloria Sheer of the Bronx , Margolit in Flushing, NY and Young Leadership of New York City. The total giving of mishloach manot brought in $360,000. 

Los Angeles – This past erev Purim, AMIT & SOLA joined forces for what has become known as THE Purim party in the Pico/Robertson neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Our theme this year was “Purim on the Rocks.” The lavish winter wonderland décor included a snow machine and intricately carved ice sculptures that formed part of the dance floor mechitza. Over 800 people came together to celebrate this special night commemorating the defeat over the wicked Haman by Mordechai and Esther  Photo Credit: Keyvan Shahrouz Photography

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By Cheryl Shaanan and Robert E. Sutton

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

YESHIVAT AMIT KFAR GANIM DOCUMENTARY FILM WINS FIRST PLACE Students at Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim, Petach Tikva, won first place for the best documentary film in the Religious Education Student Film Competition held recently at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. The prize was awarded for their film “Masa Acher” (“A Different Journey”).

“Masa Acher” tells the story of Naftali, a student with autism, who prepares for and participates in the Mission to Poland. The film features Naftali as he gives a first-person account of his experiences. This was the first time students with autism spectrum disorders were included in the trip, and special emphasis was given to thoroughly preparing them for what they were about to experience. At the ceremony in Jerusalem, Naftali admitted to his friends and teachers that he never expected to be talking to such a large audience. “I came to the yeshiva as an insecure boy, and there I gained confidence and made friends,” he said, and then quoted his own words from the winning film: “The fact that we, young people with autism, are standing in a forest in Poland is a great victory over the Nazis.” Accepting the prize along with Naftali were the film’s creators, Harel Greenberger, director; Yisrael Sharaf, producer; and Nathaniel Fish, photographer and editor, along with their film teacher, Hanuch Zeevi.

Yeshivat AMIT Kfar Ganim in Petach Tikva is a candidate for the National Education Award for Excellence in Education; it is a model for integrating students with special needs into all aspects of the school community.  Link to the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77V1AD6pjEY&spfreload=10

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AMIT BIENENFELD HEVRUTA TEACHER NOMINATED FOR TEACHER OF THE YEAR

The Israeli daily newspaper, Yediot Ahronot, in conjunction with Mifal HaPais and the Teachers Union, is holding a Teacher of the Year competition. Members of the public have been asked to nominate their favorite teachers. In the context of the competition, Yediot has been writing about the various nominees, one of whom is Sonya Rosenblatt, a math teacher at AMIT Bienenfeld Hevruta Yeshiva. Sonya is 79 years old and is still teaching after 58 years in the profession. “I love to teach and I love my students,” says Sonya. “I cannot see myself without students, and therefore even after I had a pacemaker put in, I would not hear of retiring.” 

AMIT MEKIF YUD BNEI MENASHE ASHDOD: A DAY IMMIGRANTS AT ON THE BEACH AMIT TZFAT

To mark Good Deeds Day 2015, AMIT Yud Ashdod students spent the day cleaning up debris along Ashdod’s Great Sand Dune, one of the last remaining along the coastal plain of Israel.

After learning about the Great Sand Dune, students set out for the area with the large trash bags and did not leave until they had filled dozens of bags and left a much cleaner dune than they had found.

Ido Aharonvitch, principal of AMIT Yud Ashdod: “In addition to becoming familiar with the landscape of our country, students also contributed to the preservation of one of the loveliest places in Ashdod and all of Israel. This is in keeping with the values of involvement and social responsibility we instill at school.” 

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Students at Ulpanat AMIT Evelyn Schreiber in Tzfat took a break from their Purim festivities to hold a welcome ceremony for twenty new Bnei Menashe immigrant girls. The Bnei Menashe is a group of indigenous people from India’s northeastern border states who consider themselves descendants from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. The festive ceremony included the blowing of the shofar, the shehecheyanu blessing, singing, dancing and much excitement. The new immigrant girls took the stage to sing songs of longing for Zion that they sang in India, and everyone then sang Hatikvah and Ani Ma’amin together. 

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OR ASSOULINE, AMIT ACCO STUDENT HONORED ON INDEPENDENCE DAY

Or Assouline was honored, along with 13 other outstanding citizens, in a torch-lighting ceremony held on Israel Independence Day. At 17, she was the youngest person to light a torch at Mount Herzl.

Or Assouline is CEO of GoldenMinds, a company with 13 teenage partners. She is part of the Unistream program, which was established to train young people from the periphery in business leadership. Or developed a household food-heating technique that uses a capsule instead of gas or electricity. In addition to her studies at AMIT Acco, she is studying bio-medical engineering at Braude College as part of the Atidim program.

Or was very happy and excited to hear that she had been chosen for such an honor. “After generations of working to establish the State of Israel, I’m thrilled to be part of the next generation that is going to continue advancing our country,” she said. “It is a joy to be representing the younger generation that has so much to contribute to society and the country. 

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE AT AMIT HAMMER REHOVOT

Eleventh-grade students at AMIT Hammer Junior and Senior High School for Boys in Rehovot recently met with Holocaust survivors to document the stories of these last living witnesses. In order to prepare for both their matriculation exams in history and their journey to Poland next year, students conducted interviews with Holocaust survivors who came to the school to tell their personal stories and answer students’ questions.

The students were especially eager to meet Mr. Bezalel Yosef Goldstein, a Holocaust survivor and the father of one of their teachers. Another survivor who came to speak with students was Sarah Weinstein, who was chosen to light a torch at the National Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Yad Vashem.

According to AMIT Rehovot’s principal, Rabbi Rafi Maimon, these sessions were very moving for both the students and the survivors, who were impressed with the students’ knowledge of the subject matter and touched by the feelings of solidarity with them. “These sessions have contributed more to shaping our students’ Jewish and Israeli identity than any lesson or test. The survivors spoke compellingly about their contribution to the establishment of the State of Israel, and this resonated powerfully with our students who will soon be serving their country,” said Rabbi Maimon. 

PRESIDENTIAL HONOR FOR AMIT DVIR ALUMNUS Avichai Tzorafi, a graduate of AMIT Dvir Junior and Senior High School for Boys in Beit Shemesh, has been chosen as one of the outstanding soldiers to be honored

by President Reuven Rivlin at a ceremony held on Independence Day. Avichai is an Artillery Corps combat soldier who fought in Operation Protective Edge last summer. He impressed his commanders with his combat abilities and leadership qualities. Avichai says that during Operation Protective Edge he learned the true meaning of “brothers in arms” and gave his all for his fellow soldiers and the success of the operation.

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SIX AMIT CLASSMATES BECOME ELITE SOLDIERS TOGETHER

“What are the chances,” asked a recent Yediot Ahronot newspaper article, “of six friends from the same class ending up in the same elite IDF unit, when statistically only one candidate in ten makes it through the rigorous try-outs?” That is exactly what six AMIT Kfar Ganim, Petach Tikva, alumni were able to do.

The six, Evyatar, Benny, Nir, Eitan, Yoni and Gil, from Shoham and Nechalim, say they did not plan on serving together in the same unit. “The values that were instilled in us at school and in our youth movement led us to this elite unit. Each one of us gave his all, and we suddenly found ourselves serving together in the same unit,” said Evyatar.

“Before enlisting, we did not intend to join this specific unit,” added Yoni. “It was important for each of us to realize his potential and hope to go as far as possible. Today, of course, we are proud of our unit and think it’s the best one in the IDF.” 

AMIT ASHDOD PHYSICS TEACHER WINS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR INNOVATION

Dr. Rachela Tourgeman, a physics teacher at AMIT Mekif Yud Ashdod Junior and Senior High School and an AMIT Network physics innovation mentor, has received the prestigious Recanati-Kop-Chais-Rashi Award for the Entrepreneur Teacher for developing a unique method for teaching physics. Dr. Tourgeman teaches physical principles using toys, such as the magic wand, levitating magnetic spinning tops and gyroscopes.

This award-winning initiative has led to many requests for Dr. Tourgeman to present her methods at other schools throughout Israel. To that end, Dr. Tourgeman has developed a kit called “Physics-is-Easy” to help other physics teachers implement her unique methods. 

AMIT ELIRAZ STUDENTS MEET FAMOUS IDF PARATROOPER

To mark Jerusalem Day this year, students of AMIT Eliraz Yeshiva High School, Petach Tikva, met with Zion Karasanti, one of the three IDF soldiers in the famous photograph of paratroopers who were among the liberators of Jerusalem’s Old City and the Western Wall on June 7, 1967 (Karasanti is the soldier on the left). Zion spoke with students about the Six Day War, the difficult times and lives lost, and about the very moving first moments at the liberated Wall. The photo became a symbol of the reunification of Jerusalem. “We just wanted to touch the stones,” he said.

Mr. Karasanti shared with students his belief that values and perseverance can further our goals in the army, the country and in our individual lives. One student reflected on the experience of meeting Mr. Karasanti. “We were very touched to see him as a young man, crying and in awe at the time of the liberation of the Western Wall, and to hear him tell the story with elation all these years later.”  PHOTO CREDIT: SAGIT ELMALIAH

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