Teachers Jodi Gross (front) and Elissa Berg, both of Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills, and Marilyn Wolfe Barry Levine, a teacher at Temple Israel in West Bl000mfield, of Jewish Parents Institute in West Bloomfield place butterflies at Terezin made by their students. enjoys the children at the PACT program in Netanya. Bringing History Home Mission to Israel enhances teachers' skills. Cheryl Jerusalem Special to the Jewish News I had been there, done that, and, of course, knew just what to expect. This would not be my first trip to Israel or to the Czech Republic. Nine years ago, I had also gone to Israel via Prague and the former Terezin concentra- tion camp. This June, however, I traveled as part of 61 Detroit-area supplemental Hebrew school teachers on an educational trip organized by Federation's Alliance for Jewish Education and sponsored by the Hermelin-Davidson Center for Congregational Excellence. My colleagues and I had attended numerous workshops and conferences over the past two years in preparation for this TEAM (Teacher Education Advancement Model) trip. Yet no matter how much I prepared, once again I was struck by the stubborn spirit of the Jewish soul. Visiting the ancient synagogues and cemeteries of Prague was amazing. The synagogues' ornate architecture reminded me of how delicate Jewish life was before World War II. To close my eyes and imag- ine what it must have been like to pray in these synagogues in the 1930s and '40s and how quickly it came to a halt in WWII sent chills down my spine. Yet, even today the synagogues have been restored — albeit most of them as museums rather than as houses of wor- ship. At a dinner with members of the local community at the Jewish Center, I felt that, despite the passage of its glory days, Jewish life in Prague continues. As the school year ended in Detroit, we partook in a worldwide representation of how many children died in the Holocaust. 20 July 26 w 2007 Our students colored paper butterflies for us to deliver to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Before leaving the Czech Republic, we visited Terezin. After touring the Terezin Museum, we gathered for a memorial service at a hidden synagogue. There we briefly placed the butterflies on the ground and sang "Ani Ma'amin" (I Believe). This was how we transitioned from the ashes of Eastern Europe to Israel, arriving in there at sunrise. Israel would prove to be a new experience even for those of us who have been there before. We would see the land from a new perspective, touring with people we never knew before, going to places we have not been before and, of course, shopping with new friends. We were taken straight to a Holocaust memorial at the Modi'in Forest, where we were welcomed by Bingham Farms resident Doreen Heremlin. We davened Shacharit together and had breakfast in a beautiful forest overlooking a valley, ener- gizing us despite our lack of sleep. On the way to Nazareth Illit in the Federation's Central Galilee Partnership Region, we stopped at one of the most inspiring experiences of our trip — the PACT Program (Parents and Children Together) in coastal Netanya. We watched occupational therapists helping Ethiopian children learn skills to better integrate themselves into Israeli society. These families had come from a society that did not accept them as equals. For example, the therapists teach the children, through games, to walk with their faces upright instead of looking down at the ground as they did in Ethiopia. As we listened to the harrowing sto- ries of their own aliyah to Israel, a group of Ethiopian women served us freshly Cheryl Jerusalem, a teacher at Temple Emanu-El, Jodi Gross, asso- ciate director of education at Adat Shalom, and Rabbi Robert Morias, education director at Temple Israel, relax on a Tel Aviv beach their last day in Israel. ground "Buna" coffee, grinding the beans right in front of us. It is similar to a strong Turkish coffee served in small cups. They displayed some of their traditional art- work and pottery. It offers a certain charm and beauty, infused with special meaning stemming from where they once were and where they are today. I felt that just like the Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews who came before them, these Jews will also add to the recipe that is Israel. On our way to Jerusalem, we stopped in Migdal HaEmek to hear a dynamic speaker, Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, the founder of Migdal Or. He told us the inspiring story of how he founded his organization for deprived, poor and abused children and young adults. He told us wonderful stories of the accomplish- ments and well being of his students. Some of us were so inspired by his excel- lent work that our classroom mitzvah projects next year will focus on Migdal Or. We toured Jerusalem from the Temple ruins and the City of David excavations, and later the Tel Aviv hall where Israeli independence was declared. And we released our students' butterflies at Yad Vashem. Our trip culminated with a din- ner at the lovely Badolina Restaurant at the Tel Aviv port, after which we spent our last night in Israel reminiscing while sit- ting in the sand on a Tel Aviv beach. Even though I knew just what to expect, our trip far exceeded anything that I could have imagined. I am honored to have been able to participate in this experi- ence. I would like to thank the Alliance for Jewish Education and Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit for organizing this amazing journey. We went on this trip not really knowing each other, but by experiencing Israel with my colleagues I can incorporate much of what we have seen and learned in my classroom. It does not matter what subject you teach, the indomitable Jewish spirit has so much to offer. It is our reliving and understanding our history that will have the greatest impact in the classroom. Cheryl Jerusalem of Oak Park teaches seventh- grade and high school classes at Oak Park's Temple Emanu-El.