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Dec. 20, 2013
Building relationships
Israeli educators’ visit unites communities.
MICHELLE DODEK
Pam Wolfman, chair of Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver’s Partnership2Gether (P2G) committee, and Dorin Elion-Heiber, a teacher at King David High school, recently had a hand in welcoming five educators from Israel’s Galilee Panhandle (Etzbah HaGalil) Region to Vancouver.
The Israeli educators had the chance to meet with their counterparts at local Jewish schools, including Richmond Jewish Day School, Vancouver Talmud Torah, Shalhevet Girls High School, King David High School and Vancouver Hebrew Academy, part of the P2P program that was started 16 years ago as a way to expand the relationships between Vancouver and its sister region in Israel. P2P programs include mifgashim (encounters), teacher exchanges, summer camps, virtual projects and special-interest delegations.
The Israeli participants of the recent exchange included principal Ilana Moyal, principal Sarit Ohana, principal Tali Rubinski, P2G coordinator Shani Tzipori, social activity coordinator Miri Triger and Beit Vancouver director Alex Melnikov. Aside from visiting their partner schools, they also had the chance to learn about how Jewish communities function in the Diaspora, meeting with representatives and staff at Federation, the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Jewish Family Service Agency.
Wolfman and Elion-Heiber spoke with the Jewish Independent via e-mail about the program and the experience of hosting the educators’ exchange. The JI also had a chance to get comment from Ohana, principal of HaMeginim Elementary School in Kiryat Shemona.
Jewish Independent: How would you describe the P2G program?
Pam Wolfman: Over the years, our Jewish day schools have had relationships with sister schools in the Galilee Panhandle and they have done projects together, from video conferencing, to developing joint curricula around issues of Jewish peoplehood, holidays, environmental sustainability and shared values. The activities have ranged from virtual holiday celebrations, to the KDHS’s Grade 8 student exchange with Har Vagai School on Kibbutz Dafna. In March of 2014, the entire Grade 8 class will be the sixth class to attend this truly transformative exchange.
Dorin Eilon-Heiber: [P2P] is a platform to bring together students, educators, parents [and] community. It is a true partnership between people who share the same goals – reinforcing the connection between Israel and the Diaspora in all aspects of life, from schoolwork to community involvement. It’s a partnership that evolved to a friendship, and now we are a family.
JI: Why did you choose the Galil Panhandle as the region with which to partner?
PW: During the establishment of the approximately 45 partnerships in 1997, the Jewish Agency [for Israel] paired coast-to-coast (CTC) Canadian Jewish communities with the Etzbah HaGalil, and it was a great shidduch!
The mission of our partnership is to build and strengthen relationships between the people and communities of CTC Canada and Etzbah HaGalil, to foster a love of Israel and a commitment to Jewish peoplehood, and to promote the mutual well-being of our communities. The vision of our partnership is to be a recognized and visionary regional partner in Etzbah HaGalil, leading successful, enduring efforts to strengthen community and Jewish peoplehood for the long term.
JI: Why is this important? With so many needs both here and all over Israel, why devote funding to this sort of partnership?
Sarit Ohana: The focus is [on] the education. This program allows the students on both sides to explore their Jewish identity. The personal connections make the lessons come alive and create a feeling of belonging to something bigger – a community.
DEH: As a community, Vancouver chose to invest strategically in the north of Israel. Life in the periphery, surrounded by active borders, is harsh and intense. Vancouver, together with the CTC communities, fund many projects to support youth at risk, education, infrastructure and more – all with the vision of strengthening the region and building resilience. The added value in Gesher Chai [Living Bridge] mifgashim is that we are investing in our communities’ next leaders on both sides of the sea. These students, who learn firsthand about each other’s lives, culture, challenges and celebrations, create a special bond. These friendships will last for life. It teaches them that we are all part of the same whole.
JI: Part of the link with the Israeli schools is students engaging in virtual projects. How often do these projects occur?
PW: Virtual projects take place throughout the year at RJDS, VTT and KDHS. Several grades/classes at VTT have virtual mifgashim throughout the year, sharing videos of events and photo montages over the Internet (through a private, monitored platform). The schools use the virtual mifgashim to practise their language skills, with the Israeli students communicating mostly in English and our local students communicating in Hebrew.
SO: The students in my school made a short film called A Day in My Life in Israel and now RJDS is doing the same. We sent a video of our students singing a Chanukah song to be shown at RJDS’s zimriyah. The students also write letters and send e-mails to each other telling how they celebrate the holidays. One of the things that came from working together this week is that, instead of a class connection, we have a one-on-one connection, so each student will have his or her own personal friend across the sea.
DEH: At the high school [KDHS] it works differently. Our students travel to Israel in Grade 8 to meet with Har Vagai students. Prior to that, they communicate through e-mail and Facebook. We have joint discussions around current events and we do ceremonies simultaneously. After spending a week together in Israel, they become friends. In Grade 9, we host a group of Israelis here, and the connections deepen.
JI: What are some of the challenges a program like this presents?
SO: To create meaningful and strong connections around peoplehood and Jewish identity, so when the students go to high school they will still keep the relationships, go on missions abroad and deepen the connection. The same goes for teachers, educators and parents.
DEH: Budgets. Technology. More students that want to come than we can actually bring, and more teachers would like to take part in conferences.
JI: What is the best thing about P2G?
DEH: Making the lessons about Israel come alive and seeing the Israelis explore and experience the Diaspora.
SO: It is an amazing program. The opportunity to get to know principals, parents, volunteers and professionals in the community – the mifgash with all of them is very inspiring and it creates continuity and motivation to keep this beautiful connection active and creative.
Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver.
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