Early Zionist Education

Magazine

Berl Katznelson, who arrived in Eretz Yisrael at the age of twenty-two was typical of the many young halutzim (pioneers) who worked on the fledgling Jewish farms in the Galil. Like many of them, Katznelson was inspired by the venerated philosopher/farmer Aharon David Gordon. Gordon initiated the development of a unique Zionist ethos of mentoring and youth education. Katznelson took up the challenge: “a world of virtue must be created within our spirit,” and emerged from among the halutzim to become the cherished theoretical and moral guide to Labor Zionism. Like the educators who followed in his footsteps Katznelson instilled the national character of the reborn State of Israel in countless young men and women. That national character would come from a blending of religious tradition with modernity, a philosophy that integrated personal self-realization with community responsibility.

AMIT Principals In Ashdod

Magazine

Taking over the reins at AMIT Yud, a state religious comprehensive high school of 800 students and 105 teachers is 32-yearold Ido Aharonowitz, himself an AMIT high school graduate. Aharonowitz grew up in Rishon LeZion, but because his family wanted him to receive a good academic and religious education, they sent him to the AMIT high school in Rehovot. “I had to take two buses and travel 45 minutes each way but it was worth it,” recalls Aharonowitz. “I studied in a school that imparted moral-religious values and scholastic excellence and I can say today that I am proud to be a graduate of AMIT.”

AMIT Arrives In Ashdod

Magazine

When Israel’s Ministry of Education and the Ashdod Municipality realized that the city’s state religious high schools were stuck in a chronic downward spiral of low standards and loss of students to secular schools, they turned to AMIT. The mission: to take over management of Ashdod’s two-state religious comprehensive high schools and to further bolster religious education in the city by establishing a yeshiva high school for boys.

“Do We Really Want More”?

Magazine

One thing a Shul Rabbi has to accept is that his personal life is on public display. Everyone notices the Rabbi’s neckties, car and most of all, the Rabbi’s family. I do not envy the Rabbi’s family, since they never asked into this. In fact, there is something known as “PK Syndrome” – which stands for “Preacher’s Kid” or “Pastor’s Kid.”

Hatiyul Hachi Shnati The Ultimate Trek

Magazine

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.

Reflections On MidReshet AMIT: A Year Of Torah, Chesed, and Israel

Magazine

It is hard to believe that nine months have passed since I was standing in Ben Gurion Airport anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 2011-2012 class of Midreshet AMIT. Young women from communities throughout the United States and Canada chose to spend the year at Midreshet AMIT, focusing on Torah study, acts of chesed, and an unforgettable Israel experience. Now that the academic year has come to a close – in the blink of an eye – it is clear that our students’ hopes and dreams were fulfilled.

What It Takes To Make A Student

Magazine

“Why do we celebrate Yom Yerushalyim?” — Jerusalem Day — Daniella Malasa asked the 18 sixth-grade boys seated in pairs in her classroom at the AMIT Yeshiva Kfar Ganim in Petach Tikva.

While a few hands flew up in response, other students shouted out the answer. They recalled how, in 1967, Israeli troops captured the eastern part of the city, including the Old City, from Jordan, and discussed how Israelis celebrate the milestone today.

AMIT Leadership Mission to Israel

Magazine

This past December, AMIT leaders from across the country had the opportunity to get a firsthand look at the impact AMIT has on the children of Israel. This year’s Leadership Mission was both educational and enriching, and it provided our leaders greater insight into the vital role AMIT plays in Israeli society. The 2011 Mission was themed around the central area of the country, making it possible for the delegation to visit the network’s newest schools in Givat Shmuel, Or Akiva (near Caesarea), as well as schools in Rehovot, Beit Shemesh, Mateh Yehudah and Haifa.

The Halutzot: Rahel Yanait Ben-Zvi The Power Of Purpose

Magazine

“A people is not reborn in a single day,” remarked a young Rahel Yanait Ben-Zvi with determining sobriety. The idealistic, 23-year old woman who had arrived in the Land of Israel barely a year earlier in 1908 could have been speaking about her own astonishing life and career which would unfold over the course of the next seven decades. She was a member of Israel’s founding generation, a collection of brave and visionary men and women who connected their moral beliefs to political action. Because of the profound sense of purpose, she found in the cause of Jewish national revival, Rahel Ben-Zvi realized her own potential and helped countless young women (and young men) realize theirs.

The Seder – The Significance Of Sequence

Magazine

he Seder night is a time of order, the word seder means order, and on this night everything is ordered. We begin the night with the declaration of the stages of the meal, kadesh, urchatz, karpas, yachatz, etc., the focus being that each step has its own name and its own moment. Why is this night so regimented? Why so structured? Why didn’t our law allow for more subjective choice, why not give principles and allow for each of us to apply them differently?