Off to School......

Good Evening Family and Friends

Some additional thoughts on the city of Modiin………

It continues to blow me away that only 15 years ago this city didn’t exist…..never mind the thought and planning that went into the construction of the city. As each section of the city was built, officials did not move on until the entire infrastructure was completed. Each section of the city has a school…many children can walk to school and others are dropped off by parents. There are no school buses. Each section has a variety of parks and gathering areas as well. You only need to drive around Modiin for a few minutes to see that this city was built with families and children in mind. What a novel idea!!!! J  That being said, living in Modiin is expensive. Modiin is all apartments. There is no single family housing built in sub-divisions as we know it in the states. A three bedroom apartment can come with a cost of $500,000.00. The general cost of living is also high given gas prices (still much higher than what we pay in spite of the fact that all of the oil companies in Israel are Israeli owned…..no Exxon or Mobil here) and food expenses. Modiin is not a city with any real industry. Most people, who live in Modiin, work in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. My sense is that many families figure out how to exist as a one car family. Yet, when you speak with the people living here, they speak only of the quality of life that Modiin offers them. Israeli’s by nature are extremely family and child focused. The costs appear to be more than worth it to them. After my first few days in Modiin, I can clearly understand why.

 Today was our first day visiting schools. Some of you might be wondering why we didn’t immediately begin our school visits first thing on Monday. Well, you might not be aware of this, but Israel celebrated a three day weekend this past weekend. A three day weekend you ask???? Could it have been Memorial Day?…no………….Fourth of July?.......no………….Labor Day???.......not that either. It was Purim!!!!!!!! Purim is one of many Jewish Holidays on our calendar. It does not hold any great religious significance but tells another story of the powers in control attempting to wipe out the Jews only to be outwitted by the intelligence, resourcefulness, and good fortune of the Jewish people. The reason I bring this up is that this observance of Purim represents another interesting aspect of Israeli culture. Although born Jewish and clearly self identifying as Jewish, most Israeli’s are secular in terms of religious observance. Many do not attend temple regularly and yet, the Jewish Holidays are National Holidays. In the States, the celebration of the Jewish Holidays requires our children to interrupt the usual schedule of their lives. I’m not saying this is a bad thing….in fact it is not…..it is just a reality of American Jewish life. Here in Israel, the entire country celebrates…schools are closed….and the populace takes a time out from their usual comings and goings. Yesterday, we arrived in Zefat shortly after the conclusion of a town wide Purim Parade. For me, as was my experience last Friday night for Shabbat, the knowledge that I could go up to anyone in the street and we would have the common connection of our Judaism and the celebration of this holiday was both strange and completely exhilarating. I could get used to this!!!

This morning we visited the Dorot School, a public elementary school and Nativ Zevulun School, a public Orthodox religious school. These are two of the oldest elementary schools in Modiin. Every elementary school in Modiin has an ecological garden and lessons around this topic are a regular part of the student’s day. We watched with delight as a group of students worked the garden, all pitching by taking on the various jobs. The Dorot School also has a science room that is filled with small animals. Judaism calls for a strong focus on the environment. These themes are interwoven into Jewish writings and prayer. In Israeli schools, the children live this. In Nativ Zevulun, themes of the environment are woven into the weekly Torah readings. These schools possess all of the subjects and services that you would expect in an elementary building as well. Strong focus on science, math and English….support services…..music….advanced programs.  While in the buildings today, we all heard soft and soothing music playing on the loud speaker system. We were told that this is their version of “the bell.” You know…that obnoxious sound that jolts students and teachers….a rude call to stand up and move onto the next class. In the two schools we visited today, the message that class is over is delivered in a calm and lyrical manner that invites all those in school to move peacefully on to the next subject. Oh….and by the way….for most classes, it is the teacher who moves on while the students remain in their class.

I mentioned earlier that students either walk to school or are dropped off by their parents. At the Dorot School, parent volunteers assist students who are dropped off by parents in getting from the care to the building. This service that they provide is called Nashek v’S ah….translated, this means “kiss and go.” No dawdling…let’s get to school!!!!  I think this message is more for the parents than their children J.

There is an additional aspect to Israeli schools that is radically different from our schools. All Israeli schools have safe rooms. At the Dorot school, we were greeted in the Library which also serves as one of three safe rooms. These rooms are built with reinforced concrete, a thick steel door; several escape doors, and a self contained water source. Just a visual and frightening reminder of what has occurred throughout the history of this state.

A last fact on the schools we visited today…………class size can be up to 40 students!!!! By law, a school can not create smaller classes until a class has 41 students. At that time, they can create two classes of 20 and 21.

Inside the main gate at The Dorot School

The Ecological Garden at Nativ Zevulun School

Entrance to the safe room at The Dorot School

At Nativ Zevulun, we were greeted by the school chorus, performing several songs from their repertoire for our enjoyment. These beautiful children sang wonderfully, so excited to perform for their visitors from the States. In the middle of their performance, I became aware that I was again tearing up. For me, this appears to becoming a regular piece of my experience here in Israel. OK Keith….what the heck is this about?????  I have written how some much of this trip is about connection for me. At that moment, I was experiencing another connection….a painful one. As I listened to the children’s voices, my mind traveled back a few days to our visit to the Children’s Memorial at Vad Yashem. I could not get the thought of 1.5  million children…children just like the children performing in front of me…murdered for simply being Jewish. I think this was again one of those Israeli moments that our guide Joel spoke about…..moments filled with intense sadness and loss as well as celebration and joy. I knew this trip would be emotional for me, but I was not prepared for needing to negotiate the two absolute ends of the emotional spectrum at the exact same instant. I am simply experiencing this as a visitor and yet I feel so overwhelmed at times. My Israeli friends live with this every single day. It is culture...it is mindset....it is some of what makes them the people that they are. These last four days have taught me in many ways that this country is only here as a result of the immense personal strength, emotional fortitude, and pioneering spirit of the Israeli people. I am in awe.

We spent the afternoon in Tel Aviv, learning some more about the city’s history and doing our best to support the economy of the State of Israel…shopping.

Tel Aviv Market

Some of our Delegation at lunch in Tel Aviv

Tomorrow we visit two other schools, one of which is Ironi Aleph High School. This is the building where I will return to on Thursday to meet with several groups of students.

Its time for bed….I love you and miss you!

Keith