Teaching and Learning

My main goal in Israel this year was to supplement the curriculum “Friends From Across the Sea” which is taught in the Modi'in schools in the 5th grade. Because of the Partnership 2000 (P2K) relationship between Rochester and Modi'in the school system has added the study of diaspora Jewry to the curriculum. Modi'in was recently cited by Natan Sharansky, who is presently the director of the Jewish Agency, as a leader in promoting understanding of diaspora Jewry through this curriculum. The other night I attended a meeting the partnership committee here in Modi'in where I witnessed how very proud t hey were of this recognition. They realize that by understanding diaspora Jewry they are in fact strengthening their own identities as Jews and not simply Israelis.
A number of years ago before the department of education in Modi'in officially added this area of study to address what Israelis knew or did not know about the Jews around the world, the discussion was already in the public domain. Even if most Israelis believed that Jews belong in Israel and should make aliyah to fulfill their full identity they could not deny the importance of the diaspora community and its many positive gifts to Jewish and world culture. My goal is to personalize some of the studies in the classrooms by comparing life in Rochester and the US with life in Israel.
So far I have been at 5 different schools and have spoken to more than 15 classes. The schools and the classes I have visited have had different “feels” to them based on the varied personalities of the principals and teachers. The tone of a school is generally set by the principal. An Israeli friend pointed out to me a difference she observed in American schools where her children attended for 2 years and Israeli schools. In the US the teacher is hosting the students in his or her classroom. The teacher arrives before the students and is there to greet them upon their entrance. The student is thereby entering the domain of the teacher. Too often here in Israel in the classes I visited the teachers would come in after the students and on more than one occasion were late. An unruly atmosphere was already created and now the teacher had the difficult task of changing the momentum. It was explained to me that because there are many specific subject teachers it is the teachers who move and not the students. One technique used by some teachers is to require the students to stand quietly when the teacher arrives and then greet each other. To me this is less a way of showing respect , i.e. standing to honor someone, than it is a way to change the atmosphere in the room. Yet to my eye it does not seem to alter the energy level of the students.
My lessons so far have centered on the lives and realities of Jews who reside in America. Even a idea of not having only Jews in a class is new for the students here. Being a minority is something they do not face on a regular basis. Modi'in unlike some other cities in Israel is almost an entirely Jewish city with a minuscule non-Jewish presence among the residents. I try to convey realities about Jewish life in Rochester as having to affiliate with a synagogue simply for purposes of Jewish identity along with good relations with non-Jewish neighbors and family.
On short exercise I do is to compare what our two flags symbolize for each of us. The Israeli flag contains both the Magen David (what we refer to as a Jewish star) and the two blue stripes of the tallit. One girl creatively described that as symbolizing Israel walking through the split sea in the story of the Exodus. I explain that while that is the Israeli flag it also has meaning to Jews who are not Israelis. When the Israeli students describe the American flag they know of the stars (5 pointed) and stripes. More often than not they tell me that our flag has 51 stars. This was repeated so often I almost doubted my own knowledge of 50 stars representing 50 states. One boy even knew that some people have jokingly referred to Israel as our 51st state.
In a later blog I will reflect further on these classroom experiences.

Another Shabbat in Israel

This past week I spent my first Shabbat in Modi'in. On Friday my brother came up from his kibbutz and we partook in a favorite activity at the local shopping center, wine tasting at the store, Derekh Hayayin (The Wine Trail). In fact we purchased some wine for our Shabbat dinner.
I attended services at Kehillat YOZMA, the Reform congregation in Modi'in. Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon, who had visited us at Temple Sinai a number of years ago welcomed the 2 other visiting rabbis and singled me out as a regular visitor and was surprised she hadn't known I was in town. I also saw Ron Newman's cousin Yuval who had also spoken at Temple Sinai when he visited. He is an active member of the congregation. To my surprise I ran into friends from the Reform Kibbutz Yahel near Eilat. I had co-officiated at their marriage in the late 70's before they made aliyah. They were original founders of that first Reform kibbutz. We had met when we were all on staff at the URJ Kutz Camp. They now also have an apartment in Modi'in where their daughter lives with their granddaughter. They no longer work on the kibbutz but are still members and return there almost every week. The pattern of their lives reflects the new privatization of the once totally socialist kibbutz lifestyle.
After services I returned to my Aunt's home for Shabbat dinner. Her son Natan, his wife Sigal, 2 of their 3 children as well as a business friend of his and his partner joined us for dinner. Natan's daughter, Noam, has taken after both her father and her namesake and is becoming quite a good guitarist. Before dinner she played Shalom Aleichem and after dinner she and Natan played for a while.
On Shabbat morning after I had finished my long walk my brother and I took a drive to a park and archaeological site, Tel Lachish. It was a city conquered by Joshua when the Israelites returned to the land. At one time it was the second most important city in the kingdom of Judah and was captured first by Sennacherib during the Assyrian conquest and then by Nebuchadnezzar when the Babylonians conquered Judah. It had great views in all directions and one could see why it was an important and strategic city. Since this is a period of late winter, even with the heat wave, the rains have made the fields green and lush. Flowers are blooming all around and the landscape is beautiful.
After Lachish we went to a winery near a monastery that was open on Shabbat. I do not recommend the wines but the view of the surrounding valley was lovely. We then took a ride through the JNF President's Forest on a very narrow, bumpy and unpaved road called the “Sculpture Route.” My brother is a careful driver but by the end of this lovely 10 kilometer drive up and down a mountain our kidneys certainly needed a time out. There were a number of memorial signs which reminded us of the old Israeli movie “Sallah Shabbati” where the protagonist, Sallah, a recent immigrant to Israel during the early years of the state was hired to work in such a Jewish National Fund forest, often to change the signs on trees with different names of visiting tourists who had bought trees in Israel back in the States. One really shouldn't expect to find a specific tree bought through the fund.
That evening we met Rabbi Miri Gold and David Leichman. We went to an area in the city of Rishon L'Tziyon where there are many restaurants. The restaurant they chose is called Soho but has no connection to either London or Manhattan. My brother Rob then headed back to his kibbutz and I returned to Modi'in. Shavua Tov!

Bar Mitzvah at the Kotel and a Little Wine

On Sunday morning Rosh Chodesh Adar I made my way down to the Kotel to attend the Bar Mitzvah of Donny Kilimnick, the son of Drs. Joseph and Susie Kilimnick and the oldest grandson of Rabbi Shaya and Nechie Kilimnick. I generally do not go to the Kotel to pray but having been invited to attend I wanted to honor the family and participate in their simcha.
The minyan was set up next to the mechitza wall (the separation between the men and women's sections for prayer) with a small reader's table and a number of plastic chairs. One very nice part of the occasion was that I was able to see a number of people who had been Rochester residents in the past and were now residing in Israel after making aliyah. I saw Karen and Bruce Zivan and family and Reuven and Idit Shapira. In addition to the Kilimnick clan and friends, Aharon Baruch and Kathy Simon were also in Israel with their children.
The simcha was lovely but the usual drawbacks of worshiping at the Kotel were present for me. There were a constant flow of individuals coming over to everyone with their own “pushkes” or hands held out asking for money even while people were praying. To me this is distracting and an interruption when one is trying to concentrate. After some thought I also see that if prayer is supposed to lead to good deeds, what better deed is there than tzedakah. Yet I still wonder where this money ends up and if people are simply not trying to avoid working a regular job and simply choose to do this to make their meager living? The second drawback from my perspective is not only the gender separation but the complete inequality in participation. Neither mother nor grandmother could be near the Bar Mitzvah boy. The mechitza is also so high that at first a hand was raised above it holding a camera to take pictures. Later a few chairs were brought over and a few of the women were able to stand on them to get a glimpse of the proceedings. I hope this atmosphere is meaningful to the family but it something to which I have great difficulty relating.
This celebration occurred at a time when in the news there is reporting of the debate over the many segregated bus lines not only in the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhoods but even between cities. Women are relegated to the back of the bus. In many cases if one wants to go between certain cities on non-segregated buses, for example Ashdod to Tzefat, it can be more expensive and take longer with less convenient connections. Add to that the ongoing prejudices against the “Women of the Wall” with the arrest of a woman for wearing tefillin and the police questioning of the director of the Israeli Religious Action Center (IRAC) and you have a disturbing religious inequality against those who express their Judaism in a non-Orhtodox manner.
On a more upbeat note I made 2 new discoveries in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The first was a new wine store in the Cardo. I was told that the proprietor goes to many small limited production wineries and acquires wines that are not distributed in the US and often not widespread in Israel. They carry many top end kosher wines and I tasted an unusual blend of sangiovese and barbera grapes grown in Israel.
The second place was a small museum/exhibition describing the fall of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem in the War of Independence. There were photographs from an American photo journalist John Phillips who dressed as an Arab Legionnaire and accompanied them as they defeated the Jewish defenders. There was also a short film with a few of the original defenders who fought when they were in their late teens or early 20's reminiscing about the events. I enjoyed this exhibit as that is a period of history in which I have a great deal of interest. In fact I am in the midst of reading the Israeli historian Benny Morris's book 1948.
On Monday after I returned to Modi'in my good friends David and Rabbi Miri invited me to join them, and his father, his father's partner, his sister and brother-in-law for dinner in Jaffa. In the section of Jaffa that had been the old market center many new restaurants have opened. We went to one called Chacouterie which has smoked meats produced by the owner. David, his brother-in-law and I shared a few dishes accompanied by a bottle of Flam Classico wine. It only had an 83 point Wine Spectator rating but was a fine accompaniment to the meal. Due to what they are calling the longest February heat wave we were able to sit outside in shirt sleeves without the benefit or need of heating lamps. Sometimes it is easy to know why I love Israel.

Shabbat in Jerusalem

Friday in Israel has a different feel even though it is a work day for many. There is a busy flow on the streets in many of the stores. Many people have the day off as they enjoy the new Israeli weekend; Friday and Saturday. In one part of town called the German Colony, due to early settlement by the order of Templars, there is an open air crafts and goods market. It is fun not only to browse but to talk to some of the artists. It is often a good place to pick up a gift if one is invited to Shabbat dinner.
One can't help but notice the beautiful bouquets of flowers sold on many street corners which are then used to beautify homes. There are now also more modern wine stores throughout the country which allow one to find better quality that is being produced in the new Israeli wine culture. Friday is the day when many of these shops offer tastings. Today on Emek Rephalim St I tasted one French Cahors (Malbec) and two Recanati reserve wines. The lunch places are crowded as many people eat lunch out and later will have their Shabbat dinner at home.
After a mid afternoon period of heavy traffic that too begins to diminish as the sun starts its descent in the sky. The side walks too become more sparsely populated. I took a 40 minute walk from my hotel to Congregation Kol HaNeshama one of the Reform congregations in Jerusalem. As I approached the entrance a taxi pulled up with 4 rabbis from the States who were here on their region's P2K mission. I knew two of them and sat with them in a service led by the synagogue's youth group which is part of Telem Noar, the equivalent of NFTY in Israel. They had three guitar players and two drummers. In attendance were a number of visiting groups including students from Brigham Young University as well as a congregation from Long Island. It was good to see a few rabbis from back home as well a number of people who reside in Jerusalem and belong to this congregation. After the service I was invited to a Shabbat dinner at the home of old friends. It is not unusual for people to invite a person or two extra to their home and there is never a shortage of food. It is a lovely custom when at services people check to see if others need Shabbat dinner invitations.
On Shabbat morning I walked over to HUC. They no longer have services every Saturday as a cost cutting issue. However, this Shabbat they did have totally student run services. The cantorial student had a great voice and there were two lovely divrei Torah. One spoke of our need not only to intend to do something but to actually make the effort and do it. The second professed that it is perfectly appropriate for rabbis to use tradition to discuss political issues. After the service at the kiddush the dean of the school Rabbi Naamah Kelman asked visiting rabbis and professionals to introduce themselves and tell why we were in Israel. People were quite interested that I was able to teach in public schools in Modi'in.
Afterwards I walked to a friends apartment to join them to go to a Shabbat lunch. Rabbi Stan and Resa Davids have been friends ever since I was in rabbinical school and worked at the Kutz Camp. Stan is the past president of ARZA and Resa who has been active in WRJ (Women of Reform Judaaism) has been instrumental in organizing many of the Israeli congregations to be part of WRJ. We actually went out to a special place, the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem. This is one of the grandest hotels in all of Jerusalem and was a British institution during the times of the British Mandate.. During the intifada times both Palestinians and news reporters used this as a base. More important, to say the least the food was wonderful.
As I walked back to the center of town and Ben Yehuda Street after Shabbat was over it was wonderful to see the crowds back on the street. For the previous 24 hours these streets were nearly empty but Saturday night they were alive and teeming with people and activity. The change from Friday's early activity to the peacefulness of Shabbat and then back to a lot of the activity cannot be missed. It truly was a Shabbat Shalom.

Visit from President Shimon Peres

The excitement in Modi'in on Tuesday was the visit of Israeli President Shimon Peres. He was coming to visit, see the city and be greeted by officials and students. Since he was coming to the city hall which is directly across from Temple Sinai's match school, Idanim, the principal and now our dear friend Aviva Dvir invited me to join the first graders from her school when they greeted President Peres. I arrived at the school early and she and I headed across the street into the city hall. Both of us found it a bit unusual that there was limited security. Traffic was passing by on the street and there were no road blocks. We were able to enter the city hall where she introduced me to Alon, the man who was in charge of major programs such as this, parades and Yom HaAtzma'ut celebrations in Modi'in. When the 1st graders arrived he had a wonderful way with them.
Since we were early we went to see the head of the city department of education. Chaya Shitai. She was on the delegation of teachers to Rochester in December. She was excited to see me and then asked both Aviva and I if we wanted to attend a special session with Peres and high school students later that morning. She arranged for us to have tickets. I also was introduced to the Mayor of Modi'in Haim Bibas who invited me to come in to chat some time after all of this ruckus was over.
The students were all given Israeli flags to wave and were lined up along the wall on the side of the stairway leading from the street to the city hall. When President Peres arrived a trumpet was blown and he began ascending the steps. He greeted the children and shook hands with most of them. He even told one child to use the right hand not the left. He asked the kids to sing a Purim song and received a booklet they had prepared for him. As he passed each of the teachers he asked each one their name. As he came by me the mayor who was at his side said that I was a rabbi visiting from Rochester, NY. He shook my hand and then went on. At the top of the steps a mandolin orchestra from two other elementary schools played a piece and one of the city's chief rabbis offered a prayer.
An hour later Aviva and I went to the theater at the cultural center where Peres was meeting with over 500 high school students. Our tickets entitled us to sit in the third row. Students filled the majority of the seats and I must say they were very respectful and well behaved. It seems that Peres the politician has given way to Peres the President who has garnered much love and respect. There were some short speeches by Chaya, Mayor Bibas and a student representing a coalition of youth organizations. There was a short film about Modi'in and a powerpoint of some of the accomplishments of the youth and students of the city. For example, Modi'in has the highest percentage of youth who enter the IDF (the Israeli Defense Forces) of any city in the country. A singing group from one of the high schools, MOR-Re'ut, which happens to be matched with our 7th grade students, sang a song. Then rather than a straight speech from Peres a number of students had been chosen to ask questions. Since this all was happening in Hebrew I could not catch everything but was able to get the gist of much of it. Peres responded with a lot of praise and encouragement for the students. He told them of the tremendous potential they have. One phrase he used was well received when he said we need less teaching (probably referring to teachers who talk at their students) and more education.
Another question reflected a thought I had about his new status. How has he changed from a politician to the supreme statesman who sits outside the field of politics. Hi response was very thoughtful and thought provoking. He claimed that now that he is president his popularity rating has shot up. He is more beloved by people from various parts of the political spectrum. But then he mentioned that sometimes one needs to take positions that might not be as popular. He asked the question of whether it is better to be loved or argue your point of view? We may all ponder the answer.

RAMAT HANADIV

A number of years ago when I was on a rabbinic familiarization mission to Israel my cousin asked the organizer, “What can you show Alan Katz that he hasn't seen before?” The answer then as it is now is “Plenty!” So this past Monday I went on a trip with my host and a friend of hers to a place called Ramat HaNadiv, the Heights of the Benefactor. It is a park and garden just south of the town of Zichron Yaakov, and north of the towns of Binyamina and Pardes Hannah. Not only had I never been to this place but I had also not heard of it before.
All three of these towns are in the district south of Haifa. Each one was named after various members of the Rothschild family; Baron Edmund Benjamin James, James Mayer and Hannah Rothschild. The park and garden also refer to Baron Edmund who is now buried in a crypt in a cave in the middle of the memorial garden. Baron Rothschild was a major benefactor to many early Zionists at the beginning of the 20th century. He helped support some of the untrained and poor Zionists who came to Palestine yet were met with some serious challenges of survival. Because of him not only were these towns established but agricultural endeavors were built especially the beginning of the Israeli wine industry. These agricultural projects were done as private and capitalistic enterprises and were not collective or socialist as were other early settlements such as the kibbutzim and the moshavim.
Some of the Rothschild sponsored work lead to the continuation of the family business in France of wine production. In Zichron Yaakov Rothschild started Carmel-Mizrachi Winery in 1885. One of Rothschild's grape growers was the great-grandfather of the founder of the Tishbi Winery in the town of Binyamina. Also in that town is the Binyamina Winery founded in 1952,which was originally called Eliaz after the founder Joseph Zeltser's son, but later changed its name to connect with the town and Baron Edmund Rothschild. The original building was in a perfume factory established by Rothschild.
After an unusual journey when 2 GPS systems totally lost their signal and a road supposedly crossing the railroad tracks on a map is now blocked, we arrived at Ramat HaNadiv. At the entrance to the garden and park is a unique building complex that contains an information center, an auditorium, research facilities, a screening room and a lovely restaurant where we ate a delicious lunch. The building is a “Green Structure” blending into the environment and using the natural setting for its light and power. They have also found ways to chase away local animals from the plants on the building as well as the garden without damaging the environment for either the flora or fauna. Some of the explanations of how they developed this site yet managed to be environmentally protective are found in a small information center. There is also a wonderful film not only about the park and garden but about Baron Rothschild and his love of the land and his influence in helping to strengthen the Jewish residents of the land in his day at the beginning of the 20th century.
After lunch we toured the beautiful gardens with both the formal aspect and the different sections of unusual plants, some of which I do not think I have seen before. Finally we visited the cave and crypt where Rothschild was brought for his final burial place in the land he loved.
We did not have a chance to hike in the greater park but I plan to return at a later date. This is one more place in Israel that combines natural beauty with history of the land and and the early Zionist period which helped to build what today is modern Israel. Most tours will not have this on their agenda but if one wants to combine a lovely outdoor experience with a bit of history then this place is delightful experience.

My Brother's Kibbutz

This past weekend I visited my brother Rob (Bob to everyone in Israel) at his kibbutz, Nir Yitzhak. It is located in the Western Negev bordering the Gaza strip a few miles before the Israel first touches the Sinai peninsula. He made aliyah (immigration to Israel) about 33 years ago about the same time as my friends David Leichman and Rabbi Miri Gold also settled in Israel. In the past few years I have introduced them and we now get together as we all are foodies and love good restaurants. After their first meeting 2 years ago David turned to me and commented that Rob seemed to him as a typical kibbutznik. He meant that Rob no longer came off as an American in many ways such as dress, thinking, world view, etc. A short time after that as Rob and I were driving to our destination he commented that David in all the years still comes off as a total American. In relating the comments to both of them they not only agreed with the assessments made but actually acknowledged that they shaped their lifestyles to those descriptions. For instance; Rob went to a kibbutz where there were almost no Americans or other native English speakers. David's kibbutz was reestablished with a core group (called a garin, seed) of Americans. David constantly interacts with large numbers of Americans both in Israel and the States. Rob visits the family, every so often and has worked as a teacher of English, with one of the kibbutz companies and now for a few years as manger of the food service at the kibbutz. Generally he has had limited direct contact with Americans and our culture.
To get to Rob's kibbutz from Modi'in I take a Connex (name of company) bus to the Tel Aviv central bus station. To get into the building which is also a mall one goes through security and my two travel bags were opened. I go up the escalator from the 4th to the 6th floor where most of the intercity buses depart. Usually I go to my favorite schwarma stand but I had a late breakfast so I settled on water, an egosi candy bar and a Jerusalem Post newspaper while I waited. The bus to the kibbutz at one time was a direct trip with numerous stops along the way and a 20 minute rest stop at the snack bar and shop run by Kibbutz Yad Mordechai even though the driver's trip might be about 2 hours to the last stop. Now they actually changed drivers at a stop on the road near Ashkelon, there is no rest stop annd we get off and change buses about 10 miles north of the kibbutz at the Eshkol Regional Center. The trip still only took 2 hours.
Rob has just moved to a new house this past week and was still in the process of clearing out his old place and setting things up in the new. As he described things he told me that they were going to add another room. This would be a reinforced shelter known as a security room. Most of the time it serves as a regular room but in the case of bombing is a safer place. They have alsso been building extra security in all the children's facilities. Over the past years his kibbutz has been quite fortunate and not had a rocket or missile land within the area where people live. A couple of years ago during my visit when I learned of and experienced the “red alert” warnings a rocket landed less than 50 feet from the front gate in the road on which every car that enters the kibbutz passes. Even after the “Cast Lead” operation in December of 2008, there are still occasional missiles shot from Gaza towards the town of Sderot and the Western Negev settlements. This year things have been fairly calm for now but who knows when that might change. I was told that the extra security was being installed because rockets are now more accurate and have a greater range.
On Saturday I went out for walk. I was eager to go because during the previous 2 days I was unable to go because there had been a great deal of rain even here in the Negev which is considered desert. Within the kibbutz fence there is a road that circles the entire living area and it is about 2 miles in length. From my brothers home I walked towards the rear fence perhaps 100 yards away and turned right. Towards the end of the loop as I was approaching my start point I looked out past the fence and the fields and saw a large built up area. [see picture] It could only be one place, the city of Rafiah in Gaza. In the past I have seen this but this time I was reminded how close this city was and in turn how close the kibbutz was to the Gaza strip. It actually rests on the border that was established with the State itself. It doesn't take much imagination to think about rockets that could and were shot from civilian areas in Rafiah towards any of the Israeli kibbutzim or other towns near by. Even since Operation Cast Lead many rockets have been smuggled into Gaza in close range to many civilian areas. Yet for the moment it was quiet and calm.
Rob and his fellow kibbutzniks go about their lives. What choice do they have? And I will continue to visit.