Metro

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Past president of Hillel Day School Terri Farber Roth explores common ground with Israeli school

Jacklin Namer, principal of the Yigal Alon School in Migdal Ha-

principals from Federation's Partnership 2000 Region of the Central Galilee.

Emek, Israel, enjoys Passovers crafts during the annual Matzah

Factory in West Bloomfield.

Building Connections

School to School program allows Israeli and local educators to share ideas.

Don Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

p

rincipals of Israeli and local
Jewish schools came together
last week in Metro Detroit to
build connections and enthusiasm to
power seven promising partnerships.
The School to School exchange program
is the latest in the relationship the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit has
built with people, communities and insti-
tutions in the Central Galilee region of
Israel as part of Partnership 2000 (P2K).
The goal of School to School is to
strengthen Jewish identity among stu-
dents, their families and their school com-
munities while building a shared sense
of Jewish peoplehood. The program is
built upon Jewish values, history, holidays,
Israeli and American culture and contem-
porary issues.
Teaming with seven schools in the
Central Galilee are Temple Kol Ami,
Congregation B'nai Moshe and the Jewish
Parent's Institute in West Bloomfield,
Temple Emanu-El and Congregation
Beth Shalom in Oak Park, Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills and
Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township.

The five-day visit began with the Israelis
spending Shabbat at the homes of their
American partners. Their whirlwind visit
took them to their partnering schools, day
schools, the Jewish Community Centers
and Federation and other Jewish institu-
tions so they could see the community
and build bonds.
Past exchanges have brought Israeli
educators to Michigan and sent local pre-
school and intermediate school teachers
to Israel. In June, a third local group of
approximately 65 high school educators
and principals will travel to Prague and
then spend 10 days in Israel. The seven
local School to School principals will stay
an additional five days to continue their
planning for fall projects.
At a dinner last week, Federation
President Peter Alter, the first local chair
of P2K, told the group that the Federation
was completing its "visioning process" that
would decide what would be done with
Jewish education during the next decade.
Jewish education and care for the elderly
are the Federation' top two priorities based
on last year's local Jewish population
study.
Uri Reuveni of the Gilad Art School in
Nazareth Illit spoke on behalf of the Israeli

teachers through a translator, saying how
exciting it was for them to be in Detroit.
"There is a very special atmosphere of
togetherness and unity that enables us
to strive for a common goal," he said. He
especially thanked Federation for its war-
time support last summer, which "allowed
us to deal with our immediate problems!'
A few days later, as the group was end-
ing its visit, Judah Isaacs, director of the
Alliance for Jewish Education, was pleased
as he looked at the group enjoying lunch
and talking over their plans.
"This is just how we hoped it would be
he said, explaining that past efforts to con-
nect schools showed how important it was
to build personal working relationships
first to facilitate joint project development.
As each pair talked together, it certainly
appeared to be working.
Jacklin Namer of the Igal Mon School
in Migdal HaEmek, who is working with
Elissa Berg of Adat Shalom, noted how
important it was to see the school and not
just hear about it. She said the visit helped
her understand what would work and not
work, and that meeting with staff helped
to build a relationship with the entire
institution.
Eti Bar-Or, principal of the Golan School

in Nazareth Mit, is working with Daniella
HarPaz Mechnikov of B'nai Moshe.
Through a translator, Bar-Or explained
she was committed to go beyond goodwill
to achieve something positive for both
schools. The schools are looking at ways
to connect students preparing for bar and
bat mitzvah as well as discussing what
would be of mutual benefit to their third-
and fourth-graders.
Andee Liberman, principal at Kol Ami,
shared how the exchanges have helped
her teachers in the past. "My teachers
now have a glint in their eye when they
are teaching about Israel," she said. As
an example, she said teaching about
Masada is much different once you've
been there.
Marilyn Wolfe, principal of the Jewish
Parents Institute, said her students
show a lot of interest in learning about
Israel. A planned 10-minute program for
them to meet Israeli visitors had to be
extended because the kids had so many
questions.
"They know there is a connection',' she
said. "They want to know more about
Israel, and figure out what that connection
is!' She is confident the School to School
program will help. II

April 5 • 2007

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