Chosen People to the Chosen Land CPCL “Column” #3 • Editor: Batsheva Pomerantz, contact — aloh-naaleh@aaci.org.il, in conjunction with the Israel Center This new “from time to time” feature is geared towards encouraging Aliya... AND encouraging veteran & new Olim to become more involved in encouraging and easing the Aliya of others. One of Israel's best exports are its quality educators on
shilichut to teach Torah and Hebrew language in the Diaspora. These
ambassadors have a receptive audience who enjoy learning from well-versed
teachers from the land of the Bible, fluent in Hebrew. Students appreciate
anecdotes about daily life in Israel. In ripple effect, the children can
spark their parents to be more involved with Israel and Aliya. To those
going on educational shilichut - have a successful year representing Israel
to your students! This can be done on an individual basis utilizing our aliya pen pal network. Everyone who wishes to volunteer as an aliya pen pal can communicate with us via our email. On a synagogue to synagogue basis, we would like Israeli
shuls to network with North American shuls. We therefore ask you to have
your synagogue appoint a "shul shaliach" who will be the contact person with
a North American synagogue. Let us know your shul particulars and the name
of your "shul Shaliach". Chaya Rosner, of Tehilla Jerusalem, provides information and advice to parents on the educational system of Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, Beit Shemesh, Mevasseret, Binyamin Regional Council, Modi'in and Hashmona'im. Her lists include state-religious, Torani, many Haredi schools and special education programs. Veteran olim contact her when their child chooses the next stage of education. Chaya is a go-between school principals and families,
explaining immigrant rights. She will accompany parents to schools when
necessary. She sends volunteers to advance students educationally and
socially.
Here to Stay Sixteen years earlier, almost to the day, we disembarked at Ben Gurion Airport on the same tarmac with three young daughters. Although greeted with far less fanfare, the AACI representatives made us feel just as welcome. Jack and I had met while we were learning in Israel, and returned to the U.S. to marry. According to Jack's plan, we would stay there for five years. We left Los Angeles within the timeframe when the kids were very young. We settled in Rehovot where we have lived since. Jack started working as an engineer in the defense industry. I began working as a piano teacher and conductor of a women's choir which performs around the country. Learning Hebrew presented me with a serious challenge. During the first year, I tried learning by "osmosis", without formal education. This didn't work, so I started studying in an evening ulpan. My husband already spoke Hebrew fairly well, and the kids picked it up quickly. Since the start of the current war, I frequently listen to the news on the radio. I'm often afraid of what I'll hear, but it's helped me improve my Hebrew. By 1994, we were blessed with five more children, including two sets of twins. The idea that we were making the biggest possible contribution to the Jewish State made up for the difficulties of raising eight children. Our oldest daughter did National Service in a religious TV studio, learning filming and editing. The media is the newest method of spreading the word on Torah and Eretz Yisrael. Our second daughter is doing National Service with the Jewish National Fund. A licensed tour guide, she leads Israeli school groups on trips, thus contributing to the education of others. Our third daughter is beginning her National Service with an organization which helps religious olim. She feels that by helping new families with Aliya, she is making an important contribution to Zionism. Our five sabra children attend Torani schools in Rehovot and are bilingual. Their education is superior to a comparable Jewish education in the US. Since Hebrew, the language of the Torah, is the spoken language, students absorb what they are learning, like breathing air. We didn't experience the horror stories we were told about
bureaucracy in government offices, because things started to become
computerized in 1986. Now, with advances such as Internet and cellular
phones providing instant communication, Aliya is easier than ever. Our
children's young age certainly contributed to their successful Aliya. We
just made a plan and came. With HaShem's help, we're here to stay. Because Rehovot farmers refused financial aid from Baron Rothschild, they had the freedom to plant whatever they preferred. They chose citrus fruit, the staple of the local agriculture for as long as Rehovot remained a farming community. The first modern citrus packing plant in Israel was in Rehovot. Perhaps all that remains of Rehovot as an agricultural community is the Hebrew University's School of Agriculture. The more famous institution of higher learning is the
Weizmann Institute. Named for Israel's first president, Prof. Chaim Weizmann,
who was a chemist, the Institute has an outstanding international reputation
as a post-graduate and research facility. When Weizmann became president, he
was not in good health and chose not to move to Jerusalem. His Rehovot home
was the first Israeli "White House". According to Tehilla statistics about
10% of Rehovot's population is English-speaking. When we first came on Aliya, our oldest daughter was going on five. As she learned to read Hebrew, she would try to read everything in sight. On a walk one Shabbat, she looks up at a street sign and struggles to read, “Rechov HaRav Bezalel Ashkenazi”. She turned to me and asked me who he was. Replying that I did not know, I suggested that we look him up when we returned home. And so we did, to learn that HaRav Bezalel Ashkenazi was one of the teachers of the ARI Z”L. That lead to a mini-lesson about the ARI, and more importantly, it lead to reading and explaining many other street signs. This became a favorite past- time and was not only educational, but wonderful quality time between father and daughter. When was the last time, I would ask my not-yet-Olim friends, that you had a meaningful discussion with your child about Jewel Avenue or Main Street? [The Nitzavim-Vayeilech Homepage]
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