They live in two different lands far away from one another. They had met only via video conference and did not even know each other’s names. But they weren’t strangers for long.
They were the eighth graders from the Milwaukee Jewish Day School and the ORT school in Tiberias, Israel.
Milwaukee Jewish Day School’s first trip to Israel, the capstone of students’ ten years of Hebrew and Jewish education, took place from May 11-23.
In addition to singing songs of poets Rachel and Naomi Shemer at their graves in the Kinneret cemetery and floating down the Jordan River, students from MJDS and the ORT school met for an afternoon and evening of discussion, games, and hanging out.
After a welcome ceremony featuring singing and dancing by ORT students, the American and Israeli eighth-graders ate lunch together and immediately hit it off – chatting, exchanging e-mails, and getting to know each other.
Next, the students met in groups to discuss what it means to be Jewish. The goal: to illuminate how similar, yet in some ways how different, Jewish life is in Israel and the United States.
When these discussions ended, the Israelis and Americans merged to form five groups and competed in relay races and games under the scorching Tiberias sun, after which the entire group enjoyed relaxing and eating dinner on the streets of Tiberias. By the end of the night, the Israelis and Americans were hugging each other good-bye.
Many MJDS students were transformed by this experience. In a survey after the trip, one student commented, “It was amazing. Make sure everyone does this. I made such a strong connection with the [ORT] students and I have many new friends.”
Echoing these sentiments, another student remarked, “It was great – one of my favorite experiences. I bonded with the kids and we connected.”
These activities were the culmination of this year’s Education Bridge project between MJDS and the ORT school. The project is part of the greater Partnership 2000 initiative between the Milwaukee Jewish community and the Sovev Kinneret region in Israel. MJDS plans to include a “Partnership 2000 day” every year during its eighth grade trip to Israel.
The partnership between Milwaukee and Sovev Kinneret also came alive on the MJDS Israel trip in less planned ways. Upon arrival at the Kibbutz guesthouse where MJDS was staying, the parents of past shin shiniot Noa Karasenty and Chen Avigad welcomed the group to the region with delicious ice cream treats.
The trip’s chaperones had the opportunity to meet with Peter Pezaro of Jordan Valley College; Ya’akov Farbstein, M.D., director of Poriya Hospital; Levana Caro, Partnership Director Sovev Kinneret; and Hadar Binya, Living Bridge Coordinator. This special hospitality was a direct result of the partnership built between Milwaukee and Sovev Kinneret over the years.
MJDS is grateful to our anonymous donor for providing our students the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea, pray at the Western Wall, wade through Hezekiah’s tunnel, stand in awe at the Dead Sea Scrolls, and experience many other life-changing moments.
Moshe Katz and Brian King are Milwaukee Jewish Day School teachers.
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