Monday, January 23, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Reflecting as the trip draws to a close, the greatest value of CJHS's Senior Israel Experience is the advanced level of discourse in which the students engaged. They confronted the major issues facing Israel today: What does it mean to be a Jewish state? Whatever the Jewish character is, how to balance this with the democratic value of protecting Israeli Arabs' rights? What is the best policy regarding the territories and "East Jerusalem." We heard from experts, politicians, and everyday people from a variety of perspectives. The students sought to understand each person and his or her views. Sometimes this challenged students' long-held assumptions, other times it reinforced their positions. Overall, students realized the complexity of the situation and that this trip is an introduction and invitation to delve deeper. Our superior tour guide, Jamie Salter, made the intense learning relevant and fun for our group. We provided opportunities to reflect and process at critical steps along the way. This trip strengthened student interest in spending more time in Israel to take the next step in the life-long process of developing a strong and nuanced relationship with the modern state of Israel.
The other major takeaway is the closeness of the grade after sharing such an intense experience. The students are very conscious of taking the next step in their life journey beyond high school. For many, this was the first time back in Israel since the Schechter trip in eighth grade. The experience in Israel at these transitional times in life allowed them to measure their growth individually and their capacity to develop a more sophisticated relationship with Israel. This experience afforded them the opportunity to enjoy the deep bonds of friendship in the unique setting of our Jewish homeland. The memories of this trip nurtured and will seal these relationships for a lifetime.
Our two Israeli madrichim, Eyal and Danielle, served as great role models and friends. At our celebratory dinner tonight on Lake Kinneret in Tiberias, students presented Eyal and Danielle with gifts and paid tribute to the wonderful contribution they made to our group. Dr. Auslander and Mrs. Susnow provided the vital link for our students back to our CJHS community. Together, we created a dynamic and supportive learning community.
My favorite part of the trip happened unexpectedly. Two nights ago, when we arrived at the Youth Hostel on the Kinneret, we encountered other guests at the hostel, German students traveling through Israel with a group from their Catholic high school. Within an hour of checking into the hostel, all of our school's staff and a majority of the students informally gathered around tables engaged in discussion with the Germans. At the end of the evening, three CJHS students and about ten German students stayed back to enter into a more conscious dialogue about the issues. I was awed by the transformational power of this honest and direct exchange. We slowly built up to the main topic that tragically links our two peoples -- the Holocaust. The German students shared their struggle with their nation's dark history three and four generations later. Two of the three CJHS students shared how their grandparents were personally affected by the Holocaust. Ironically, the hometown in Germany of one of the CJHS student's grandmothers was only fifty miles away from the German students' school. The German students asked our students what they thought that survivors would like them to know. Our students spoke about the legacy of their grandparents: education about the Holocaust, understanding the importance of Israel for the Jewish people, and building mutual respect between our peoples today. This chance encounter is one of many examples of the intense experiences our students have had throughout the trip.
We look forward to the seniors sharing this experience with the students at Tefillah on Tuesday at CJHS. This will be one of a series of planned activities that the seniors will participate in to extend their learning and relationship with Israel back home at CJHS.
The other major takeaway is the closeness of the grade after sharing such an intense experience. The students are very conscious of taking the next step in their life journey beyond high school. For many, this was the first time back in Israel since the Schechter trip in eighth grade. The experience in Israel at these transitional times in life allowed them to measure their growth individually and their capacity to develop a more sophisticated relationship with Israel. This experience afforded them the opportunity to enjoy the deep bonds of friendship in the unique setting of our Jewish homeland. The memories of this trip nurtured and will seal these relationships for a lifetime.
Our two Israeli madrichim, Eyal and Danielle, served as great role models and friends. At our celebratory dinner tonight on Lake Kinneret in Tiberias, students presented Eyal and Danielle with gifts and paid tribute to the wonderful contribution they made to our group. Dr. Auslander and Mrs. Susnow provided the vital link for our students back to our CJHS community. Together, we created a dynamic and supportive learning community.
My favorite part of the trip happened unexpectedly. Two nights ago, when we arrived at the Youth Hostel on the Kinneret, we encountered other guests at the hostel, German students traveling through Israel with a group from their Catholic high school. Within an hour of checking into the hostel, all of our school's staff and a majority of the students informally gathered around tables engaged in discussion with the Germans. At the end of the evening, three CJHS students and about ten German students stayed back to enter into a more conscious dialogue about the issues. I was awed by the transformational power of this honest and direct exchange. We slowly built up to the main topic that tragically links our two peoples -- the Holocaust. The German students shared their struggle with their nation's dark history three and four generations later. Two of the three CJHS students shared how their grandparents were personally affected by the Holocaust. Ironically, the hometown in Germany of one of the CJHS student's grandmothers was only fifty miles away from the German students' school. The German students asked our students what they thought that survivors would like them to know. Our students spoke about the legacy of their grandparents: education about the Holocaust, understanding the importance of Israel for the Jewish people, and building mutual respect between our peoples today. This chance encounter is one of many examples of the intense experiences our students have had throughout the trip.
We look forward to the seniors sharing this experience with the students at Tefillah on Tuesday at CJHS. This will be one of a series of planned activities that the seniors will participate in to extend their learning and relationship with Israel back home at CJHS.
Posted by Rabbi Ruven Barkan
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