Now that the lockdown is over and Israelis can move about outside of their homes, but schools are not yet open for in-person learning, the administration of AMIT Wasserman Torah, Arts and Sciences Junior and Senior High School for Girls in Maaleh Adumim decided to get creative in their outreach to their home-bound students. They rented an ice cream cart and walked around the city’s neighborhoods, handing out ice cream treats to students, teachers and teachers’ children. They also distributed Parashat HaShavua worksheets for students to discuss around their families’ Shabbat tables, and kits for a mother-daughter activity centered on the upcoming yartzheit of Rachel Emanu (Rachel the Matriarch).
Principal Ruchama Vogel and her staff visited the students who live in Ma’ale Adumim on Monday, and spent Tuesday bringing the ice cream cart and its goodies to those girls who live in small towns and communities outside of Ma’ale Adumim.
“If our girls can’t come to school, then the school will come to them,” explained Ruchama. “We have distance learning of course, but it is vital that we go beyond that. The personal connection is so important to keeping our girls on track. We reach out to the girls with frequent phone calls to see how they are coping with the situation, not just academically but also personally. Their entire well-being is important to us, not just how they are doing with their studies. This is a fun way to let them know that we care about them and also to get to see them–we miss them!”
