The 2012 AMIT Leadership Mission to Israel took place November 26-29, 2012. It was co-chaired by Joyce Straus and Michele Jacobs. Below you are able to read highlights from the trip and view a number of photos.
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| Greetings from Beautiful Israel!
Our past couple of days on the Solidarity Mission have been very moving. Tuesday’s theme was “Raising the Bar in Education Throughout Israel.” We visited with AMIT graduates in Netanya for whom AMIT was their last chance at an education. Some of them are serving in the Israel Defense Forces. We then visited the Rambam School which is comprised mainly of Ethiopian students. We met with a group of 6th grade students who invited us to help them make memory bags to hold memories from Ethiopia. Two of the little girls recounted how they left Ethiopia when they were only one-year-old and that the only memories they have about Ethiopia were from their parents. They said that instead of feeling embarrassed about their Ethiopian heritage, thanks to the school, which has a special museum for Ethiopian culture, they are proud of it.
The day ended on a heavy note when we visited the Amsalem family. The Amsalems lost their son Itzik, an AMIT graduate, in a missile attack in Kiryat Malachi two weeks ago. The family’s younger son is a current AMIT student in Ashkelon. |
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| Wednesday we focused on the “Empowerment of Women in Israeli Society.” In the morning we attended a panel discussion on the evolving role of women in Israel with Jerusalem City Councilwoman, Rachel Azaria, Rosh Beit Midrash of Migdal Oz, Esti Rosenberg, Colonel Rachel Tevet Wiesel, women’s affairs advisor to the IDF, and Rabbi Benny Lau, a Modern Orthodox community leader in Jerusalem. We were proud to hear from Azaria, an AMIT graduate, who discussed how she became involved in politics because no one was addressing the issues of young women and families. We began the afternoon with a visit to AMIT Kamah High School for Girls, a school with many successful graduates in various professional fields and in Jewish studies. The day ended with a visit to AMIT Midreshet Be’er, a three-year program that integrates intensive Judaic studies, community involvement, engagement in social issues and full service in the IDF.
Thursday was our last day on this important Mission. The day’s theme was “AMIT – An Innovative High-Tech Leader.” We spent the day at Yeshivat AMIT Amichai in Rehovot, where we learned about AMIT pilot programs in high-tech education. We are changing the way children are learning by providing new and interactive ways for them to study and process information. Our afternoon was spent learning about “Leadership as the key to success in the Network” from a panel of AMIT principals who discussed recruitment, training, mentoring and professional development.
Sadly, our Solidarity Mission has now come to an end. We hope you have enjoyed our updates and photos!
Shabbat Shalom! |
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| The AMIT Solidarity Mission to Israel is already in its second day!
Mission participants spent yesterday exploring the theme, “AMIT: Confronting the Divisions in Israeli Society.” First, they met with Aharon Carish, a master educator in our network. He discussed how a strong Israel needs to have dynamic teachers and dedicated principals to ensure a bright, vibrant and secure future. |
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| The highlight of day one was a meeting with Minister of Internal Affairs Eli Yishai. He praised AMIT for its successful and innovative program, newly launched, to train Haredi youth-at-risk in basic vocational skills.
The approach is classic AMIT – merging the best of its pedagogical expertise with a deep understanding of the unique needs of the students and the communities they come from. We then traveled to AMIT Kfar Blatt where we heard from six remarkable young men, currently enrolled in the Haredi program, brimming with confidence and full of potential who have gladly found a place in Israeli society that never existed for them before. It was truly inspiring to witness the work AMIT is doing with this special population.
Today, together with the students of Midreshet AMIT, we traveled to Kiryat Malachi, one of the cities under constant rocket attack during the recent hostilities with Hamas. We are moved by the spirit and resilience of our students and faculty.
We look forward to updating you in a couple of days with more news from this year’s exciting Mission! In the meantime, enjoy the photos!
Today is #GivingTuesday, a national day of giving. Please don’t forget that all donations made to the Israel Emergency Campaign will be MATCHED dollar for dollar through year end!
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