Metro Getting Together Federation strikes a PACT to bridge Israeli Ethiopian learning gaps. r Detroiters make an impact on a PACT class. Detroit Federation visitors with JDC representatives: Gideon Herscher, kit Livni, Guy Baron, Nora Baron, Harold Blumenstein, Mamuye Zere, Penny Blumenstein, Nancy Grosfeld and Esti Halfon. Vivian Henoch Special to the Jewish News ust say the word "Detroit" in a Hebrew-speaking classroom in Netanya and watch faces light up. "It's amazing," said Penny Blumenstein, describing a recent Federation site visit to the WIZO Daycare Center. "Even preschoolers know that there are people in Metro Detroit who care about them:' she said. Representing the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit at a conference of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) held recently in Jerusalem, Penny and Harold Blumenstein, Nora and Guy Baron and Nancy Grosfeld extended their trip and traveled to Netanya, specifi- cally to see how Federation funding from the Jewish community of Detroit has had impact on an educational enrichment program called PACT- Parents and Children Together. Now in its sixth year, PACT is an early- childhood intervention program that helps Netanya's Ethiopian-Israeli families integrate into Israeli society by preparing their chil- dren to enter the first grade on equal foot- ing with their Israeli peers. Conceived as a partnership between the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, the JDC and the municipality of Netanya, PACT is a head- start program, focusing not only on the child j but also on the family, the community and the professionals who shape the pre-school years. "The years from birth to 6 are precious in the life of a child:' said Blumenstein. "When you see PACT in action today, you see clearly where our community dollars are going to make the most of early education for chil- dren of émigrés and new citizens of Israel and to help bridge gaps between Israeli and Ethiopian cultures." A proponent of PACT from its inception in the fall of 2001 while president of the Federation, Blumenstein now follows its progress with pride. "PACT is truly a success story. This is a program you can put your arms around and feel good about, because the results are immediate and very tangible." Describing classes as moderate in size, progressive, innovative and attentive to the special needs of every child, Blumenstein said the children in those classes were right where they were supposed to be develop- mentally. Of an estimated 1,700 Ethiopian-Israel children in Netanya today, 1,400 now par- ticipate in PACT programs. Approximately 715 families are also served through adult literacy classes, parenting programs and Ethiopian educational liaisons. Not everyone in Israel gets this opportuni- ty. The Ethiopian community of Netanya has Shining On Israel Akiva students follow the flame of Jewish history. Rabbi Tsaidi, middle rear, and Akiva students tour the Northern Galilee. 18 July s 2007 iN eshivat Akiva took 17 sopho- mores and juniors to Israel as part of the Southfield school's Lehava program. Lehava, the Hebrew word for "flame," is a three-week Jewish history learning experience. The program was the brainchild of Akiva's educational director, Rabbi Dr. Yigal Tsaidi, who coordinates the trip and serves as guide. He told the Jewish News, "The rabbis have said, 'One cannot compare hearing to seeing; and Lehava is proof positive of the wisdom of their words. Only by experiencing the land of Israel through all five senses can one appreciate its rich history, its diverse topography, its multi-faceted culture and its unique brand of politics. "We take great care in preparing the students for Lehava by teaching them about the struggle for the establishment of the Jewish state and helping them to comprehend the role of Medinat Yisrael [the land of Israel] in contemporary Jewish life, as well as in the future of our people. Armed with this knowledge, even those students who have visited Israel before encounter new vistas." The Akiva students arrived in Israel on the 40th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem. They explored the tunnels beneath the Western Wall, emerging to witness 25,000 celebrants praying, sing- ing and celebrating restoration of this ancient, sacred site into Jewish hands 40 years ago. Afterwards, the Lehava group participated in a live videoconfer- ence broadcast from Yeshivat HaKotel to Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield and yeshivot in Boston, Chicago and Houston.