Schools Visit to Israel
When Eva Lavie, director of external relations at Kol Yisrael Haverim – Alliance in Israel, and Shlomo Butbul, director of educational programs at Alliance Israelite Universelle in France, learned from school principals in France and Geneva about the need to breathe life into the 4th and 5th grade curricula on Judaism , Bible and Hebrew, they decided to create a meaningful experience for the students. "We wanted ," said Eva, " to have a week of experiential learning in Israel. One that would make it possible for students to "learn through their legs" . We wanted to enable them to re-discover the Bible through trips to Biblical sites in Jerusalem and throughout the country. To introduce them to the power of spoken Hebrew by talking to Israeli students."
The joint initiative was warmly welcomed both by the Alliance in Paris and Kol Israel Haverim in Israel, which work together to strengthen Jewish identity among Alliance students in Israel and abroad. And thus, in cooperation with the Jewish National Fund, the program, "Yahdav – Twin Schools", was launched.
Last March, 100 students and staff members from Alliance Israelite Universelle schools in France and Switzerland came to Israel. For a week, they went on trips in the footsteps of the Bible in Jerusalem and took part in Shabbat prayers at the Western Wall and in synagogues in Jerusalem's Old City.
They also learned experientially about Israel's ecology through a visit to the Carasso Science Park in Beer Sheva and the JNF Center in Nitzana. The visit to the Negev was designed to educate the visitors about the importance of sustainable development and to acquaint them with Israel's technological progress that makes development in the area possible.
The highlight of the visit was a series of meetings between the visiting youngsters and Israeli students at the Yuvalim School in Be'er Sheva and the Da'at School on Kibbutz Sa'ad. The Israelis received the visitors at their schools . This was followed by a day of joint activity at Mikveh Israel, hosted by students at the Israeli-French School on the campus. They presented Mikveh Israel's unique historical story - a 150 year milestone in the history of the Alliance in Israel.
Ofer, the coordinator of the visit on behalf of Kol Israel Haverim, spoke about the encounter as a value: "The acquaintanceship between Jewish students from Israel and their peers from the Diaspora strengthens Jewish identity, broadens the circles of belonging and helps maintain the continuity of Jewish existence . The "nationhood" of the Jewish people occupies us as Jewish educators who deal with Jewish-social identity; the Yahdav – Twin Schools program is "nationhood" in action".
According to Eva, the encounter with Israeli students was an important experience. Being together with classmates for a week also contributed to a sense of class solidarity. The emotional, human and social bond between Diaspora Jewish students and Jews in Israel was a central axis that the visit sought to strengthen, she said.
But the big surprise was discovering Israel and its landscapes. "You have to remember that we're talking about students who spend their holidays in Israel in Netanya or in Eilat", she added. "During this visit, they were surprised to discover the fascinating geography and history of the Land of Israel. Places like the Negev, Masada, the Dead Sea, Mitzpe Ramon and Jerusalem with all its wonders. They were left with a good taste and the desire to learn and become more familiar with their Jewish identity and with Israel". The visit also enabled the youngsters to apply the theoretical information that they learned in school.
The success of the program was the result of cooperation between the organizers, the exchange of pedagogical knowledge and the synergetic work between the staffs in Israel and abroad, as well as the efforts of the Israeli-French High School and the staff of Mikveh Israel.
Eva and Shlomo have endless plans of how to further the project, following the successful pilot. They see a visit to Israel becoming a regular part of the curriculum for grades 4 and 5 in the Alliance schools, and hope that it will be extended to other schools in the Alliance network worldwide. They hope that the students will return and meet again in junior high school and high school.
Various ideas and plans have been raised to continue the connection that was created between the students and staffs, such as the joint study of Hebrew and Judaism through conference calls, a virtual project that the students will create together on the Internet and joint activities for the holidays . Eva hopes that on future trips, Israeli students will be able to join in and spend time with their European peers.
Yehudah Mimran, director-general of Kol Israel Haverim, summarizes: "Together with World Alliance, we face the challenge of renewing education for value-laden Jewish identity. It is expressed in schools in Israel and the Diaspora by a variety of educational projects that we run. We consider the Yahdav program an important milestone in the effort to strengthen the connection and enhance the Jewish identity of students in Israel and abroad".
