AMIT Bienenfeld Hevruta Yeshiva and Kollel at Kfar Batya has more than 140 students grades 9 to 12. A yeshiva boarding school, Hevruta, is, literally the last chance for boys who would otherwise end up dropping out of the Israeli school system. The educational approach at this special school is based on “Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory,” which posits that a person’s ability is comprised of many intelligences – not just the ones’ traditionally emphasized in Western-style education. Thus Hevruta offers majors in music, sports, environmental studies, animal therapy, subjects that are optional extracurricular activities in other schools. Hevruta puts the student back at the center of education and the Annual Tiyul (“The Ultimate Trek”) helps to reinforce the boys’ strong points and build positive self-image.
Iyar 5772 – May 2012
For nearly two months, thirty students from AMIT Bienenfeld Hevruta Yeshiva and Kollel, Kfar Batya, hiked the length and breadth of Israel. They learned about their country while walking in the footsteps of history. From Eilat to the Hermon, these 11th and 12th graders trekked 850 kilometers. They endured the intense heat of the day and the freeze of the night. They slept outside. No showers. No restrooms. No social media websites, just themselves and the land. Today they finish this exhausting survival journey. “We have become more Zionist as a result of this journey. Now, when I enlist in the army, I will know what I am fighting for,” said Yair Tzuntz, a 12th grader.
“We had many concerns before we started out on this journey,” said Alik Blau, an 11th grade student. “We were afraid that we would not get along with everyone, that the physical part would be too difficult. But, hey, it passed quickly. Today I know that at the end of every steep climb there’s an amazing view that awaits us.”
They began the journey with only two shirts, a spare pair of pants, underwear, boots, a sleeping bag and provisions. They did not even have tents. No matter the weather, they slept out in the open. This was not your normal school trip. On this journey they did everything themselves. The students learned to cook, wash their own clothing, and most importantly, live life as a group.
Elisaf Ofan, a teacher at the school, said, “On this journey they came to understand that nothing gets done by itself.”
Rabbi Avinoam Almagor, the principal of AMIT Bienenfeld Hevruta, explained, “This journey facilitates a real encounter with nature, while separating them almost completely from familiar surroundings. Despite the fact that they are not in the classroom, they learn and they learn everything through their feet.”
“The extreme weather in the desert – the heat during the day and cold at night – was very difficult. It did not matter how many layers I wore, it did not help,” said Oren Meir, an 11th grader. “But this is the best hotel in the world. A million stars.”
In order to deal with rainfall at night in the desert, they built terraces with stones and laid plastic sheets over them, so that their sleeping bags would not get wet. In the North, students had to contend with a herd of wild boars. Michael Ganor, a 12th grade student, commented that, “After a month and a half of being outside, the difficult hiking, sleeping outside, the change in weather… it all becomes part of our routine. The real challenge is with oneself. Living, walking, eating and sleeping alongside the same people for nearly two months is not easy. We learned to be tolerant, and respect one another.” Rabbi Almagor added, “The students learn lessons about life that they could not learn in any classroom. They develop their self-image, learn how to cope, discover their individual strengths and how to overcome their weaknesses.”
Dr. Amnon Eldar, director general of the AMIT Network, believes that the educational impact of the journey is exceptional. “Only when we see the graduates of AMIT Hevruta as officers in the IDF and productive citizens of the State, do we understand this great annual journey.”
