The experience of a lifetime

Thirteen members of our Emanuel staff recently returned from the inaugural JNF Educators Study Tour in January 2018. Our staff met with educators of the Israeli Education Department, toured Israel’s holy sites as well as JNF’s land, water, forestation and communal projects.

They visited schools, learned from local teachers and educators, discussed curriculum initiatives and met with experts in the field of ‘environmental entrepreneurship’ and stewardship of the land.

Emanuel participants in this unique program returned inspired and looking forward to sharing their experiences, knowledge gained, and insights with our staff and students.

Please find below reflections of our staff as well as pictures of their special moments in the land of Israel.

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

Sarah Jenkins – Science Teacher

I am so appreciative of the opportunity provided to me by both Emanuel and JNF. It was a valuable experience where I learned lots about Israel, myself and other members of staff. In contrast to Chavayah (on which I was a staff member), I had the opportunity to be a student!

Most valuable to me on the trip was seeing the creative ways that Israel is using technology to overcome physical challenges in its environment. While I continue to question the ethics and sustainability of this, the technology and science is impressive. Additionally, it was great to see what Israeli schools are like – on the Gaza Strip, for Bedouin communities and for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The social and political stressors are real, and seeing how they are (and in cases-are not) being dealt with was thought provoking.

Lindi Bloch – Kornmehl Teacher

What an inspiring and exciting trip! We have many conversations to open and many possibilities to inspire our thinking and teaching. I look forward to the pre-school teachers being involved in the sessions of unpacking and sharing, as I feel it would be extremely powerful to have these discussions which will create collaboration from early years through the high school .

Thank you for an amazing opportunity to be part of the JNF study tour.

Michelle Favero – Marketing and Communications Manager

Israel – the Holy Land, the Land of Milk and Honey, the land of delectable food, ancient history, solemn prayer, joyful dancing, glorious forests and inspiring architecture. It’s also the Land of very loud voices, far too much cigarette smoke, shoving in the Shuk and a few not-too-scrupulous taxi drivers. 

Israel has meaning far beyond experience.

I have 5 Sabra nieces and so I am no stranger to the Land. When I applied, through Emanuel, to participate in the JNF tour I was concerned that I would mostly be visiting the many tourist sights listed in a Lonely Planet Guide.

To my delight, this was not a tour for the faint-hearted. We drove the length and breadth of this glorious country, visiting educational institutions, research facilities, agricultural projects, kibbutzim, areas of outstanding natural beauty, mountains, tunnels and ate never-ending buffets. We picked fruit, trudged through Tsefat in the pouring rain, witnessed a mass of migrating birds that Hitchcock would have been proud of, cried with parents who mourned of the loss their children, followed the footsteps of soldiers in trenches, paid respect to the ANZAC soldiers buried in Be’ersheva, sang a very moving Hatikvah at Yad Vashem, and travelled by jeep through the Golan Heights.

My mind is a huge ball of wool, unravelling thoughts and feelings as I settle back down to everyday life. I am so grateful for the opportunity that the JNF and our School afforded me. My Blue Box stands proudly on my window sill, waiting for regular donations and as Tu Bishevat arrived I thought of the little Emanuel sapling that we planted in the Levi Forest. With all our wishes it will grow to be strong and provide shade to many generations to come.

Terry Aizen – Director Kornmehl

Thanks for the opportunity to reflect on our recent trip. As a short introduction I would just like to say the following:

I feel the success of the program was bringing together like-minded people (in educational settings), from different backgrounds and cultural groups, to experience the wonder, complexities, highs and lows of such a diverse country and its people – Israel.

JNF really put together a wide array of places and people for us to meet. Something that stood out for me, that I had not realised before, was the role of JNF/KKL (Jewish National Fund/Keren Kayemet LeYisra’el) in Israel and how influential and important they are in developing the land and providing incredible resources (parks, recreation facilities, schools, environmental projects, sustainability, etc.) They are literally all over Israel and are innovatively working towards creating a better country for all the people of Israel. I found this very powerful.

I enjoyed being exposed to an array of activities that stretched the length and breadth of the country.

A few highlights for me were:

A jeep tour through the Golan Heights, visiting the Katzrin Talmudic Village (a place I had been to only 4 months prior, to celebrate my nieces wedding, but which presented itself in a completely different way, by showing us how people in those times lived and survived.), going on the Hula Valley tour and bird watching – a true feast for the senses in every respect. It was incredible to see and hear these huge cranes surrounding us with their majestic beauty as we enjoyed a magnificent sunset!

Being in Jerusalem for Shabbat was indeed special and spiritually uplifting. We attended the Great Synagogue for Kabbalat Shabbat (Friday night Shabbat service), followed by a delicious Shabbat dinner in our hotel.

Visiting ammunition hill on motsa’ei Shabbat (Saturday night), I learnt a lot about what took place on the preserved battle sight commemorating the 1967 Six-day War. This gave me a sense of the miraculous events that occurred and the impact it had on the people of Israel. Listening to the son of one of the fallen paratroopers talking was an emotional experience and highlighted the love, pride and passion that Israelis have for their country.

Travelling down South, was something I had never done before in Israel. I was excited for this part of the tour. Our first stop was Sderot. The evidence of bomb shelters on every corner highlighted to me the trauma and reality that these people have to live with every day. Being able to see the Gaza strip just ahead, in the distance, and learning about how the people have 15-seconds to get into a shelter upon a code-red alert, and how much post-traumatic stress this has created for many of the adults and children living in the area, was confronting.

A wonderful highlight, was visiting Kibbutz Nahal Oz right on the Gaza border and spending the morning in the Gan (pre-school) with some beautiful teachers and young children. We conducted an interactive morning meeting, teaching the children about a few Australian animals and the noises and actions associated with them. Through the beauty of song and music we were able to connect with these gorgeous smiling faces and all enjoyed singing and dancing together. We exchanged gifts from our children at Kornmehl to the children at Nahal Oz. My hope is to develop a lasting connection with the children of this Gan.

Staying on a moshav presented a completely different experience to the beautiful hotels we had been staying in up until then. I found this a reality check and it brought back a warm, homey feel. Visiting all the agricultural sights in the Arava and witnessing what has been created out of the desert was truly inspiring. The Israelis have created a piece of heaven in the Arava and the people who live there are so passionate and dedicated. I enjoyed visiting the Shittim School and seeing the life these children live on this Moshav – the freedom, the connection to nature and the outdoors and the sense of community and belonging was inspiring.

Another highlight was challenging myself to climb Masada. I am pleased to say I achieved this goal and enjoyed the climb along the way.

Also inspiring was visiting the Jordan River Village which provides respite for children suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses and for youngsters with disabilities and special needs. Free of charge, it provides these children and their families with unforgettable, interesting and highly enjoyable experiences. As well, visiting the Desert Stars School – where we learnt about the Bedouin culture and their involvement in Israeli society. Talking with some Bedouin teenagers was inspiring. We also had the privilege of hearing from Iris and Gill Slavyn the founder of Lotan’s Way – an organisation that specialises in survival trekking and therapy through the outdoors for teens, often from difficult backgrounds. The organisation was named in honour of their late son Lotan, who lost his life in the Second Lebanon War trying to help fellow soldiers by putting himself before others.

I’ve learned so much about Jewish history and Zionism, about JNF’s role in purchasing and developing the land, about Israel and all its people and all its complexities. I have witnessed first-hand the enormous resilience of those who have suffered trauma and loss and experienced the inspiring projects that are engaging in Tikkun Olam – the healing of our world.

I feel so enriched and much more empowered to take back what I’ve learned and weave it in to the work that I do, here at Emanuel. I feel an enormous amount of gratitude both personally and professionally to Emanuel and JNF for affording me this once in a life time opportunity!

Deborah Beder – Administration

What an amazing experience the JNF Educators Study Tour was. We went to places that tourists are unlikely to see and everywhere we went we met Israelis with stories to tell. We were given a perspective on Israel based on innovative and far-reaching programs. The breadth and depth of information we received has resulted in my having a completely new and different understanding of and feeling towards Israel – a greater connection. From Kibbutz Misgav Am in the North to Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the South, from Jerusalem, with all its history to the new farms of the Arava we were welcomed warmly. Thank you to the JNF and Emanuel School for the opportunity.

Renee Schneider – Kornmehl Teacher

I feel very privileged to have participated in the inaugural JNF Study Tour for Educators. Being in Israel with 61 educators was quite amazing. Travelling from the north to the south of the country, one realises just how tiny Israel is and that this small piece of land we are constantly having to fight for is not much to ask for, in order for the Jewish People to have a homeland. Israel offers some wonderful programs to children and teenagers and all these programs are inclusive of all citizens of Israel, regardless of religion. Imagine being a child who is bound to a wheelchair, but still able to go to camp and even fly down a flying fox, wheelchair and all! The Jordan River Village allows sick and disabled children, five days each year, to feel like a regular kids, engaging in physically challenging activities with all the medical and emotional care that’s needed available. This was just one of many programs that really blew us away.

Seeing the work that is carried out by JNF world-wide, I think about the coins that are dropped into our blue boxes by our students every Friday. Coin by coin, all around the world, we give to the JNF to fund projects that help to build the vision that Theodor Herzl had for Israel all those years ago.

Joseph Peacock – Mathematics Teacher

The Israel JNF-KKL tour was an eye-opening experience. The tour was exceptionally well-organised and the variety of places we visited was incredible. From the cold and misty Golan Heights, through the humid Hula marshes and to the dry and arid Dead Sea region and Masada hike, we experienced much of the breadth of environments that make up the amazing kaleidoscope that is the Israeli experience. The people we met were so welcoming and proud of their land and their heritage, it was no wonder they loved their homeland so much.

Highlights of my trip comprised of wandering the ancient story-laden streets of Jerusalem including the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives, climbing the towering visage of Masada, sitting under the desert sky watching the sun set in the Negev, and meeting children and soldiers who emanated warmth and peace whilst living within a few hundred metres of Chevron and Gaza. I was left speechless by the inspirational talks by Bedouin men and women and the compassion and future thinking of the teachers and kibbutzim living outside the safety of the Iron Dome.

There is a beauty and a strength deep within this land that draws one in and lets go reluctantly, if at all. It is a land of contrasts and striking extremes, and yet, woven amongst it all is an overwhelming sense of home and belonging, of love, friendship and desire for peace.

This was a beautiful and moving trip, that has left a lifelong impression on me.

I absolutely loved it.

Holly Dillon – PA to Head of Primary

I’ve been asked excitedly by dozens of people: “How was Israel?” My response is: “It was amazing!” And, it all was. JNF provided us with unlimited opportunities to meet with and learn from every type of person that makes up the incredible country that is Israel. From students, teachers, school principals, mayors, soldiers, scientists to rabbis. Having worked with the Jewish community for many years, my Israel experience resulted in things just making so much more sense to me now. I just get it!

I particularly enjoyed meeting school students and seeing through their eyes how their school environment differs to Emanuel and also listening to teachers explaining how they overcome the daily security challenges and pressures they and the children face. It was impressive to see so many open spaces and opportunities for every citizen to connect with nature whether through the beautiful parklands created through the JNF or for primary school students planting, caring for and harvesting their own fruit and vegetables crops complete with drip irrigation and air temperature control. I found it inspirational to witness the bond between their lives and the connection with their land which is instilled from such a young age.

I am in awe of the passion that the Israeli people have for their heritage, traditions, people and their land. The sensory experience of the contrast of colours and landscape also amazed me. I was fascinated by mystical Tsefat and the impressive subterranean landscape of the Arava Desert region. I feel privileged to have been part of the tour and am incredibly appreciative of the JNF and thankful to Emanuel for such an unforgettable experience.